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Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Expected To Reach Highest CAGR By 2026: Agrabase, Rockwell Automation, Fairlawn Tool, Herker Industries,…

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Agriculture Equipment Assembly market research report provides conclusive results followed by an accurate data extraction process and compartmentalised study representation. The market study primarily targets to derive the Agriculture Equipment Assembly market size, volume and overall market share. Besides the statistical aspects of the Agriculture Equipment Assembly market, the research article also delivers factual and valuable data sourced from market participants such as the vendors, suppliers and providers. The market study displays an illustrative forecast with an agglomerated data representing the scope for business expansion along with the growth prospects. It identifies the growth fluctuations in the present scenario as well as the predictions during the forecast of the Agriculture Equipment Assembly market.

Vendor Profiling: Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market, 2020-28:

AgrabaseRockwell AutomationFairlawn ToolHerker IndustriesNordson Sealand EquipmentFanucAraymondSweet Manufacturing

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In addition, the research article defines the major causes fuelling the growth of the Agriculture Equipment Assembly market with a list of growth inducing variables and the inhibitors. The study identifies factors emerging from different industrial as well as non-industrial ecosystem to influence the growth of the Agriculture Equipment Assembly market. It assesses multiple demographic, economic, political, technological as well as factors associated with overall infrastructure to have either a positive or negative impact on the Agriculture Equipment Assembly industry. An array of drivers and restrains coupled with the opportunities and challenges are studied in-depth offering an accurate Agriculture Equipment Assembly market analysis.

Segmentation Analysis by Type:

Full AutomaticSemi Automatic

Analysis by Application:

Industrialized AgricultureSubsistence Agriculture

Major economies in certain geographic regions controlling the Agriculture Equipment Assembly market are analyzed. The geographic regions and countries covered in the study include:

North America: Canada, U.S., and Mexico South America: Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica Europe: Italy, the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain APAC: Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Taiwan, India, and Hong Kong Middle East and Africa: Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Africa

Browse Full Report with Facts and Figures of Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Report at @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-agriculture-equipment-assembly-market-size-status-and-forecast-2020-2026?utm_source=puja

An overview of the exact impact of the recent events followed with the evolution of novel COVID-19 is assessed in the research article. It delivers the differing market scenario pre-pandemic and post-pandemic evaluating the disruptions and adversities caused as a result of the unprecedented crisis. Thorough evaluation of the critical changes in intrinsic operations and other functions of the of Agriculture Equipment Assembly market is studied with the novel disease in mind. It exposes the vulnerabilities and pitfalls of the Agriculture Equipment Assembly industry also introducing new challenges for the market. The study also consists of the foreseeable opportunities in the future encouraging the Agriculture Equipment Assembly market growth after the temporary halt.

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Features of the Report The Agriculture Equipment Assembly market report offers a comparative analysis of industry. The performance analysis of all the industry segments, leading market bodies and influential regions in the Agriculture Equipment Assembly industry is included in the report along with market statistics. The record based on the study of market offers in-depth study of all the news, plans, investments, policies, innovations, events, product launches, developments, etc.

Finally the report takes the readers through a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment, highlighting the competitive scope with primary focus on the chief competitors and their investment policies. It highlights the key players contributing a substantial revenue along with their efforts for the extensive development of the keyword market studying the inclusion of advanced technologies and novel strategies to enhance the traction which will ultimately accelerate generation of revenue. The research article also consists of recent activities including mergers, collaborations and acquisitions boosting the growth of the keyword market during the forecast period.

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Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Expected To Reach Highest CAGR By 2026: Agrabase, Rockwell Automation, Fairlawn Tool, Herker Industries,...

WIMI Hologram Competes with Big Companies Like Apple with the Emergence of the Metaverse Concept – Digital Journal

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Recently, the Metaverse has become popular. Both investors and industry people have their own insights, but the concept of Metaverse in different populations is not exactly the same. What is the charm of the Metaverse?

The original meaning of the Metaverse

At present, the Metaverse is still not a rigorous academic concept. Wikipedia describes it as a 3D virtual space with link awareness and sharing features based on the Internet future through virtual augmented physical reality. Unlike e-sports games such as Glory of Kings, which are played in dozens of minutes, the Metaverse are persistent and once they start, they go on forever. In addition, the Metaverse is also open and offer richer interactions than simply making big moves and running around.

Zuckerberg defined Metaverse as the next-generation platform after the mobile Internet or the figurative Internet. The prospectus for Roblox described the virtual world in terms of identity, friend, immersion, low latency, diversity, location, economy, civilization. It has detonated the technology and capital circles. In 2021, the first Roblox share of the Metaverse concept was listed and the major Internet giants with large chips entered. The market became lively.

Of course, the Metaverse world that is difficult to distinguish from reality may be far away from us, but with the continuous development of AR/VR, cloud computing, AI and 5G technology, the realization of the Metaverse is indeed more possible.

The giants are heading to the Metaverse

Facebook (FB.US): It is a pioneer, and the founder Zuckerberg believes AR/VR will surpass smartphones and personal computers as the next-generation of mainstream computing platform. And he said that if we do well, I think in the next five years, we will effectively shift from a cognitive social media company to a Metaverse company.

Apple (AAPL.US): It completed the AR on-chip system (SoC) that powered the helmet and the physical design of two other chips in 2020 and is now ready for trial production. Apples first AR/VR headset will be released as early as 2022, but it could also be delayed if the device cant be completed in time.

Nvidia (NVDA.US): It announced that Omniverse, the worlds first simulation and collaboration platform to base the Metaverse would be open to millions of new users. As a large chip company, they have begun to layout the Metaverse platform, which shows that Metaverse is full of temptation.

Baidu (BIDU.US): It set up a VR sub-venue at the world conference, launched a Xi soil virtual space platform based on 5G, Baidu cloud mobile technology and a new upgraded multiplayer interactive platform, so that people who can not attend personally can experience the virtual space of this technology event.

WIMI Hologram (WIMI.US): It has also recently participated in the Metaverse exploration. WIMI Hologram itself has technical advantages, and years of technological accumulation has laid a foundation for the exploration of the Metaverse. WIMI Hologram specially set up the Holographic Metaverse Division to develop the underlying holographic technology of the Metaverse, has metaverse software imaging detection and recognition technologies, force to embed holographic AR content into virtual applications; About Knowledge application, WiMi Hologram has established nearly 5000 holographic virtual IP rights content; About hardware, WIMI Hologram launched the holographic XR head-mounted display product WiMi Hologram SoftLight. These are the key to entering the Metaverse market and preserving the leading position in the next era.

ByteDance reportedly invested RMB 100 million for Metaverse company Beijing Code Qiankun Technology Co., Ltd., whose main products include teen social networking and UGC platform Reworld, RMB 9 billion for VR startup Pico. In addition to ByteDance, Netease invested IMVU parent company (Together Labs), the worlds largest avatar social networking platform. Tencent invested in Robloxs US $150 million Series G round in February last year.Soul, a social platform that failed to go public, changed its marketing slogan to social Metaverse for young people.

Facing the Metaverse, experts say lively.

Tokyo securities pointed out that AR/VR and other technologies are becoming increasingly mature to build channels in and out of the Metaverse. AR/VR technically solves the problem of interaction between virtual world and real world.AR/VR will become more accessible and usable as the technology matures along with price cuts and market penetration. Technology also improves user experience.The development of 5G, cloud computing, Blockchain and other technologies also provide support for the construction of a Metaverse virtual world.

At the same time, Sealand securities believes that although the current Metaverse is still in the early stage, there are still many elements of the Metaverse has not been realized. The real realization of the Metaverse requires the promotion and support of technology. In the medium and long term, the Metaverse is expected to bring innovation in the virtual world, promote the co-prosperity of all links of the industrial chain such as game content, community, education, commodity trading, artificial intelligence and VR/AR, Blockchain, and then bring new increment.

Xiao Feng, a Blockchain research expert, believes that the Metaverse is the highest form of human digital survival. In the Metaverse, participants can experience a more colorful life. The Metaverse is also the human society and world, but it is the persons virtual society and the digital world.

When the technology is mature enough and people participate in the Metaverse. They can have a completely different identity and experience another life in another virtual world.

Tailor Insight (www.TailorInsight.com) provides easy and quick solutions that allow customers to capture, monitor, and audit market data from a holistic view down to an individual task on market research and industry trend insights.

Media ContactCompany Name: Tailor Insight ResearchContact Person: Alex Xie, Senior Analyst Email: Send EmailCountry: HongKongWebsite: http://www.TailorInsight.com

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WIMI Hologram Competes with Big Companies Like Apple with the Emergence of the Metaverse Concept - Digital Journal

Brabant people are arguing about the high voltage station for Geeland – Cheraw Chronicle

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Sustainable efforts such as wind farms or solar parks will no longer be able to get off the ground in Tolan and Schuen-Duvland because the network will not be able to discharge the electricity it generates. That is why additional high voltage stations are needed, including the 150 kV station at Schwen-Dowland and the 380/150 kV station at Holstern.

Bergen of Zoom City Councils largest party, GPWP, does not want a station in Agricultural Avergenbolder near Holstein and believes grid operator Tenneth A4 should reconsider Ster van Lebelstrod on the motorway. The place was briefly pictured, but eventually fell apart because there were houses.

The choice, made by Berkeley politicians, has implications for the construction site of the 150 kV station in Schwen-Duvland. The stations will be connected underground, with cable not exceeding 30 km for technical reasons. Osterland is only in the picture as the construction site for the Scorsese station, just a few kilometers away from the Brabant station to Lefebvre.

This would be another blow to the politics of Schuan-Duviland. Austerland is not a serious option. Konsrijk is a fertile land north of the Sealand Bridge, which is sandblasted between N256 and Zierikzees industrial area. The Councils largest body, the Leaf Souven-Duvland, will submit an amendment to further inquire into Boulder on the other side of N256 during Thursdays Council meeting.

According to Dennetts schedule, Schoen-Duvland will have to make a decision by the end of this year and not after Bergen of Zoom. Network strengthening near Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen and Bergen op Zoom should be completed by 2025.

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Brabant people are arguing about the high voltage station for Geeland - Cheraw Chronicle

Asia and Oceania winners unveiled at World Travel Awards – Breaking Travel News

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

World Travel Awards the leading authority that recognises and rewards excellence in travel and tourism has revealed its Asia and Oceania 2021 winners to coincide with its Asia and Oceania 2021 Winners Day.

Winners include Vietnam, which emerged from a tough field to take Asias Leading Destination, while the Philippines was acknowledged with awards for Asias Leading Beach Destination and Asias Leading Dive Destination.

Japans wealth of year-round adrenaline offerings helped it to the title of Asias Leading Adventure Tourism Destination.

The untamed wildernesses and laid-back charms of New Zealand were recognised in the title of Oceanias Leading Destination, with its adventure hub Queenstown voted Oceanias Leading City Destination.

French Polynesia, with its mesmerising atolls and marine life, was named Oceanias Leading Dive Destination.

In the hospitality sector, the iconic Raffles Singapore was voted Asias Leading Hotel for the second year running, South Koreas Ananti Namhae walked away with Asias Leading Resort, and the paradise escape Amanpulo, Philippines named Asias Leading Private Island Resort.

Vietnams InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort won Asias Leading Green Resort.

The Ascott Limited collected Asias Leading Serviced Apartment Brand, while travel provider winners included Vietravel (Asias Leading Tour Operator).

Millbrook Resort, New Zealand won Oceanias Leading Hotel while Conrad Bora Bora Nui, French Polynesia claimed Oceanias Leading Resort.

In the hotly-contested newcomer categories, the Hari Hong Kong was voted Asias Leading New Hotel, while One&Only Desaru Coast, Malaysia collected Asias Leading New Resort.

JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa was named Oceanias Leading New Hotel.

The results follow a year-long search for the worlds top travel, tourism and hospitality brands.

Votes were cast by travel industry professionals and the public, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner.

Graham Cooke, founder, World Travel Awards, said: Our winners represent the very best of Asia and Oceanias travel and hospitality sectors and my congratulations to each of them.

They are all playing starring roles in spearheading the travel and tourism recovery.

In the aviation sector, Singapore Airlines demonstrated strength in adversity to collect Asias Leading Airline while Royal Brunei Airlines was named Asias Leading Airline - Business Class and Asias Leading Cabin Crew.

Hong Kong International Airport took Asias Leading Airport.

More Information

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year, World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognize and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.

Find a full list of winners from Asia and Oceania here, or head over to the official website for more on World Travel Awards.

Image: Ammie Ngo - Unsplash

Quest takes double win at World Travel Awards for second year running – The Hotel Conversation

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Quest Apartment Hotels, a member of The Ascott Limited, has achieved global recognition at the World Travel Awards for the second year running, taking out the top prize in two Oceania regional Serviced Apartment 2021 award categories.

Quest is Oceanias Leading Serviced Apartment Brand for the second consecutive year, and Quest NewQuay was again named Oceania's Leading Serviced Apartment in the 2021 program.

The World Travel Awards set the benchmark for excellence in the travel industry, with over 2 million votes cast last year, and record month on month voting from tourism consumers in 2021.

Managing Director of The Ascott Limited Australia, David Mansfield, said the double victory reaffirms the tremendous efforts of the Quest franchise business network on the back of another challenging year.

As Australias roadmap to reopening takes effect and travel plans resume across the country, consumers will be drawn to accommodation they can trust and the value in the Quest brand has never been greater, said David.

Our successive World Travel Award wins cement our reputation as the leading serviced apartment brand within the Oceania region and are the product of votes earned through everyday excellence on display by our business owners and their teams during an incredibly difficult time in tourism.

In addition to having recently achieved a 5-star Australian Franchise Rating Scale score for the third year in a row, this accolade also confirms that we are on track to achieve our vision to be recognised as the preferred franchising provider due to our proven track record in franchisee success and increased value of their business.

Owner of Quest NewQuay in Victoria, Stacy Andronikos, credited the stellar work of his Docklands team who went above and beyond for guests in the most locked down city in the world.

Im ecstatic about our win, said Stacy.

Its fantastic we have another World Travel Award under our belt at NewQuay, especially after everything the last 12 months has thrown our way. Im proud of the resilience of my team, and their ongoing commitment to providing a safe and effortless guest experience, even throughout these incredibly trying times.

The dual Oceania World Travel Award wins for Quest will proceed into the global category, where Quest and Quest NewQuay will compete with brands from Asia, Europe and the Middle-East, striving to be named the very best in the world. The winners will be unveiled at a Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2021, which will take place in Moscow, Russia on 26th November 2021.

Meanwhile, Quest parent company The Ascott Limited received 5 wins in the Middle East division and 10 wins in the Asia division, including Middle Easts Leading Serviced Apartment Brand and Asias Leading Serviced Apartment Brand both for the 6th consecutive year.

Overall, The Ascott Limiteds properties received 27 Regional World Travel Award wins, with 7 nominations in the global category to be announced in November.

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Quest takes double win at World Travel Awards for second year running - The Hotel Conversation

Which Airports Have Flights From All 6 Habitable Continents? – Simple Flying

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Earlier this month, Qantas operated an ultra-long-haul repatriation flight from Buenos Aires to Darwin. The flight wasone of the hundreds of charter and repatriation flights Qantas has operated on behalf of the Australian Government. In operating the flight from South America, Darwin joined a small group of airports that have hosted nonstop flights from all six habitable continents.

Before we address the main question of the day, we should first lay down some definitions and ground rules.

Firstly, the six habitable continents are North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The one continent not considered habitable is Antarctica (even if it does host a contingent of researchers year-round).

The list in itself can be controversial, depending on your interpretation of what constitutes a continent (geologists and sociologists may have differing views). However, since this is the most widely adopted way of categorizing large parts of the world, this is what we will stick with.

Secondly, we will need to make the distinction between currently flying to all six habitable continents versus having had flights to all the continents regardless of time.

Constantly in flux, especially during the global health crisis, it could be challenging to pin down the airports operating regular commercial flights to the six continents. However, we can rule out many airports just because of their geographic position in the world.

Airports in Asia (excluding the Middle East) dont operate flights to South America due to the distance. The closest to this is Aeromexico operating a flight to Tokyo, although its hub and home country are technically part of North America. Historically, some airlines have operated flights from Japan to Brazil via a stop in the United States.

Larger airports in the southeastern portion of Oceania (mainly consisting of Australia and New Zealand) may have had special repatriation flights or maintenance flights to Europe but lack regular nonstop service. As mentioned in this articles introduction, the recent arrival ofQF14 in Darwin saw it join a small club of airports that have hosted nonstop flights from all six settled continents.

An amazing view of Antarctica from the cockpit. pic.twitter.com/7iJranqH3v

Qantas (@Qantas) October 7, 2021

To find airports operating regular services to all six habitable continents, we only have to look at the Middle East, which has a favorable geographic position to suit the range of modern-day airliners operating with profitable payloads.

Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways operate regular passenger services through their respective hubs in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Doha. While destinations in Africa, Asia, and North America arent a problem, the airlines also manage to reach as far (south)west as Sao Paolo in Brazil and as far east as Auckland in New Zealand.

Creating an exhaustive list of airports that are part of the six continent club would take quite some time, especially when considering decades of long-distance flight combined with numerous special repatriation flights, VIP flights, and cargo flights.

According to a post on an Infinite Flight thread, the following airports have joined the six continent club due to a combination of regular and special flights:

Of course, Darwin and its recent repatriation flight from South America now joins this list, as well as Istanbul Airport, which saw a repatriation flight to Darwin. Sydney also joins the list with Qantas having operated special flights to Europe and hosting regular flights to South America in the past.

Its a fairly interesting topic, and certainly a list that will keep changing and growing as more special and ultra-long-range flights take place in the years to come. Did we miss any airports? Let us know by leaving a comment.

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Which Airports Have Flights From All 6 Habitable Continents? - Simple Flying

Introducing ‘Straight Up Islander’, a celebration of writers of Oceania – SBS

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Aside from First Nations people of so-called Australia, we are all descendants of migrants. Migration to move from one place to another has a deep meaning and history to those who identify with the many island groups and oceanways of the South Pacific. In a colonial context, we are known as Pacific Islanders a term which was first used in 1785 to refer to those who were native to Polynesia, Melanesia and/or Micronesia. Much like how Australia is a term forced upon First Nations people, Pacific Islander is not a term we chose for ourselves. It certainly was not a term which came from the voyagers who used t (time) and v (space) to navigate between islands and oceanways now known as Tonga, Smoa, Fiji, Aotearoa, Tokelau, Hawaii, Tahiti, Kiribati, Niue, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, West Papua, Torres Strait Islands and more.

Straight Up Islander is a collection of articles which reflect the ancestral and colonial history, nuances, intersections and short-comings of the term Pacific Islander, recognising our personal, political and geographical relationships to so-called Australia. Straight Up Islander acts as a reclamation, an extension and a celebration of who we are, where we came from and how we want to be.

Together, their stories showcase the mana (strong spirit) of the complicated identities of Islander

This collection is broken into two parts (the second instalment coming later in 2021) each of which feature five awe-inspiring writers who have either migrated from the smaller islands of the South Pacific Ocean or identify with those islands and oceanways because of their specific ancestry and heritage. Together, their stories showcase the mana (strong spirit) of the complicated identities of Islander in so-called Australia. The writers bear witness to the ancient and modern narratives of our ancestral history, how to heal trauma, the unique ways in which COVID19 has changed our cultures, the localised forms of migration that we make as indigenous settlers across Aboriginal lands, how we find ourselves blended between cultures within and outside the South Pacific, and the ways in which being Indigenous, being Islander and being Black can intersect. These articles also uplift our understanding of ancient South Pacific art methods, which clash and blend with Western artforms; they extend our definitions of Islander, especially in regards to the Fijian-Indian community; they mould our ancient practices into modern ones; and they empower us to speak of the tapus (taboos) in our cultures.

Editor of 'Straight Up Islander', Winnie Dunn. Source: Sweatshop Western Sydney Literacy Movement

To accompany these powerful and diverse pieces of writing, Straight Up Islander also features a striking and vivid new image produced by the incredible Tori-Jay Mordey, a First Nations illustrator and artist with Torres Strait Islander and English heritage. Ml aupito!

I hope these stories bring from margin to centre the voices of communities in so-called Australia that are so often left to the wayside. To my fellow Islanders, I hope these stories reveal new ways we can know each other. To my fellow migrants, I hope these stories reveal new ways of knowing us. And to the First Nations people who host us, on whose lands we are guests, I hope these stories reveal how humbled we are by your sovereignty which was never ceded.

Winnie Dunn is the general manager of Sweatshop Western Sydney Literacy Movement, and guest editor of SBS Voices'Straight Up Islander series, showcasing the work of writers with ancestralties across Oceania.

Cameron Swain hoping to race overseas in 2022 – MCNews

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Cameron Swain

Thirteen-year-old schoolboy sensation Cameron Swain from Bridgeman Downs, QLD, has dominated recent Oceania Junior Cup rounds. Races have been few and far between over the past two years due to Covid, but Cam has starred in the events that have taken place.

Cams racing career began after watching MotoGP on TV, and after a brief introduction to road riding at a kart track the young Queenslander had his first race with NCRR at the Grafton Christmas party in 2017. After improving all weekend, he found himself chasing down the championship leader in the last race of that same meeting and became hooked. He then continue with the NCRR and won the championship before joining MotoStars the next year, where he came second at his first attempt.

Cameron then joined the ranks of the Oceania Junior Cup and currently leads the 2021 championship by 51 points.

Im really happy with my race wins at Winton, as my pace there was the fastest an OJC rider has ever gone.

I was also very happy with my results at Wakefield getting two race wins and third in the last race by a whisker.

In looking back over the races, I have five wins from six races which is a scorecard I am happy with and a record haul for the category.

I am so disappointed that this year and last year have been so badly effected by Covid as all I want to do is race.

The 13-year-old attends Craigslea State High school and his immediate ambition is to race the Northern Talent Cup in Europe while also stepping up to the ASBK Supersport 300 Championship. As he was born in the UK, before coming to Australia as a three-month-old baby, Cam is eligible for entry to the Northern Talent Cup, which is normally reserved for Northern European competitors.

Cameron has built a special bond with sponsors Joe Salter from Ride-Dynamics and Caboolture Yamaha. Other sponsors that have helped Cam so far on his journey include LMA, Barrys Dyno, Buddhas Spray Painting, Diesel Power Systems, Oakland Park, Stoppie Coffee, Forcite, Aluma-lite Racing, Race Art and Ricondi Race Apparel.

Cams parents have recently set up a fundraiser to help Cameron achieve his dream. If you would like to participate as a sponsor (tax deductible), or willing to contribute in any way, please follow the link here. Or if you want to get in touch directly, let us know and we will forward contact details.

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Cameron Swain hoping to race overseas in 2022 - MCNews

Always put God first, says Gunemba The National – The National

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Ive been able to achieve so much in football through Gods blessing.Papua New Guinea international Raymond Gunemba (yellow shirt) earned his most recent cap at the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.

By LARRY ANDREWRAYMOND Gunembas soccer career recorded another achievement after the Morobe man was named in the International Federation of Football History and Statistics Oceania mens team of the decade (2010-2020).The Papua New Guinea international, who captains Lae City Dwellers, is one of three Pacific Islanders in the team which is dominated by New Zealand (NZ).

The team are goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic (NZ), left-back Winston Reid (NZ), centre-back Tommy Smith (NZ), right-back Ryan Nelsen (NZ), Fijian Roy Krishna, All White Ryan Thomas, attacking midfielder Marco Rojas (NZ), holding midfielder Ivan Vicelich (NZ), and forwards Teaonui Tehau (Tahiti), Chris Wood (NZ) and Gunemba. This is one of my biggest football achievements for which Im grateful to God, 2016 Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup Golden Boot winner Raymond told The National last week.To be named in the team of the decade is another big milestone in my career.Im not sure if any PNG soccer player has achieved such recognition.Across the region, including PNG, there are so many talented soccer players and Im just lucky to be one of three Pacific Islanders to receive the recognition.Ive been able to achieve so much in football through Gods blessing.One of the National Soccer Leagues leading strikers Raymond warned upcoming footballers that discipline, commitment and humility were crucial in any sport, including soccer.Put God first in your life and you will receive His blessings on your path to achieving your goals and living your dream, the 35-year-old said.There were a number of people who had helped in my football career, especially my father and mother.

My father, Peter, continues to be my mentor while my mother, Janet, helps me spiritually by keeping me in her prayers in all my games.I also want to make special mention of Vonnie Kapi Natto who has helped shape my football career.After matches, I saw that drinking alcohol became a habit of many players.But since joining Hekari United, I started to realise the importance of discipline, and God must be given the glory.It drove me to change my bad habits and Im thankful to Vonnie for her support.Her and husband John invested a lot of resources into my development.They didnt see my bad side.

They just helped me in my development as a footballer.Peter said he was proud of his sons achievements, adding that God had given a great player to the family, province and country.Im also proud of the achievements of his sister and fellow PNG international Meagan, the Dwellers coach said.It shows that PNG can match the football heavyweights of the region.Im grateful to the national team, Hekari, Dwellers, Lae City and everyone who has contributed to Raymonds development.Long-time Papuan Compound resident Raymonds father is from Burum, Finschhafen, and mother comes from Zenag, Mumeng, Bulolo.The former City skipper is the eldest of four siblings the others are Troy, Janet and Meagan and has three children (two boys and a girl) with wife Nialin Chamilou, who is from Manus.I grew up in a soccer family, Raymond said.

My mothers siblings, Raymond and Gidix Nasa, represented PNG in the sport.I used to carry their soccer boots to games in the local competition or PNG Football Association-sanctioned tournaments.Wherever my uncles were camping and playing, I was there.That determination and commitment started to have an effect on me as the thought of emulating them kept crossing my mind.Papuan Compound, which is also home to Womens National Soccer League team Poro, is somewhat of a nursery for sportsmen and women, especially footballers.It is also home to sevens rugby union star Max Vali who switched codes earlier this year to help Digicel Cup heavyweights Lae Tigers claim the double in the countrys premier rugby league competition.

Raymond said growing up, soccer was in his blood and not even a serious injury could stop him from playing the game he loved.The Morobe native was doing Grade 5 at St Pauls Primary School when he sustained a foot injury which had threatened to derail his dream.Despite my foot being plastered, the injury did not stop me from playing up soccer, Raymond said.Upon recovery, my passion for football caught the attention of my father, who began teaching me skills and other areas of football.The more I committed myself to soccer, I started to see results.By the age of 16, I was playing against senior Lae Football Association (LFA) players.I represented the Under-19 national team against the Solomon Islands at LFA Park during the launching of the National Soccer League.It was my first time to play for the country. He went on to represent the U23 national team against Fiji.Raymond started playing semi-professional football with Gigira Laitepo Morobe United, before spending time at Rapatona Tigers, Eastern Stars, Hekari United and City.He also had overseas stints with Hamilton Wanderers (NZ), Henderson Eels (Solomon Islands) and Geelong (Australia).Raymond returned to Lae to help resurrect Dwellers who are third in the Northern Conference, behind Morobe Wawens and ladder-leading City after another stint with Hekari last season.

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Always put God first, says Gunemba The National - The National

Bahrain bow to Saudi in Davis Cup opener | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN – News of Bahrain- DT News

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune http://www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain bowed to Saudi Arabia 0-3 yesterday in their opening tie in Pool A of Asia/ Oceania Group IV in the Davis Cup 2021, which is being hosted by the Bahrain Tennis Federation in Isa Town. In the first match of the day, Bahrains Elyas Abdulnabi retired in the first set after trailing 0-4 to Saudis Ammar Alhaqbani.

Teammate Yusuf Qaed then lost to Saud Alhogbani in straight sets 4-6, 1-6. The Saudis then completed their sweep with Omar Ahmed and Alhaqbanis 6-3, 6-1 win against Bahrainis Abdulkarim and Hasan Abdulnabi in the doubles clash. It was a tough start for the Bahrainis in this years Davis Cup.

They will be hoping to bounce back in their next tie. In yesterdays other Pool A affair, the UAE beat Guam 3-0. Meanwhile, in Pool B, Oman defeated Mongolia 2-1 and Turkmenistan swept Iraq 3-0.

In Pool C, Iran beat Kyrgyzstan 3-0 while Cambodia overcame Yemen 3-0. Action continues today at the same venue with Saudi facing Guam, Oman taking on Iraq and Cambodia playing Kyrgyzstan.

Following the ongoing round-robin in each group, the top two nations in each will play off to determine the three national teams that will be promoted to Asia/Oceania Group III for 2022.

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Bahrain bow to Saudi in Davis Cup opener | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN - News of Bahrain- DT News

BTN interview: Vivian Cheung, executive director airport operations, Hong Kong International Airport – Breaking Travel News

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

World Travel Awards, the leading authority that recognises and rewards excellence in tourism, has revealed its Asia and Oceania 2021 winners.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has much to celebrate, having been recognised as among the best in the region by voters.

Here Breaking Travel News speaks to Vivian Cheung, executive director of airport operations at Hong Kong International Airport, to find out how it feels to have won.

Breaking Travel News: Congratulations on your victory at the World Travel Awards with Hong Kong International Airport having taken the title of Asias Leading Airport. How does it feel to have won?

Vivian Cheung: We are honoured to be named as the Asias Leading Airport in the World Travel Awards for two consecutive years.

It is a testimony to our collective efforts at HKIA in maintaining the excellent service quality over the years.

The entire airport community works closely together to uphold our professionalism and commitment to maintaining smooth and efficient operations at HKIA, and providing safe and pleasant journeys to travellers.

Breaking Travel News: What was it that separated you from your competitors in this field, what was it that caught the eye of voters?

VC: In addition to the extensive air network and the unique geographical advantage, the continuous enhancements at HKIA enable us to distinguish ourselves among competitors.

HKIA has been actively applying latest technologies with a view to enhancing passenger experience and operational efficiency.

We have been using biometrics and facial recognition technologies for the check-in and boarding procedures to provide a touchless and seamless airport journey for our passengers.

Other innovative technologies such as 5G infrastructure, digital apron management system, autonomous electric tractor and cleaning robots are also adopted to further enhance the operation efficiency and passenger experience at HKIA.

Terminal 1 at HKIA is undergoing major enhancements to provide passengers with new vibrant experiences.

The enhancement project will introduce new features including themed boarding areas, a children play area in the restricted area, as well as a dedicated recreational zone featuring new technologies for travellers, and a new roof garden for passengers to relax in green, open-air spaces.

The Sky Bridge, the worlds longest airside bridge under construction at HKIA that connects Terminal 1 and the North Satellite Concourse, will significantly reduce passengers travelling time between the two buildings and contributes to the relentless drive for service excellence at our airport.

HKIA has been handling the worlds highest international air cargo volume since 1996.

HKIAs state-of-the-art facilities, high efficiency and reliability, extensive connectivity, special goods handling capability, coupled with Hong Kongs free port status and streamlined customs process, give Hong Kong a strong competitive advantage in the global supply chain.

Pharmaceuticals is a key growth area in the air cargo business.

The Covid-19 pandemic is driving a huge demand for vaccines transportation.

Starting February, HKIA has been handling the shipment of different Covid-19 vaccines.

HKIA is one of the few airports in the world to be recognised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as a Partner Airport of IATAs Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma).

The accreditation validates that HKIA, together with all three cargo terminals, all three ramp handling operators, and the home-based carrier, Cathay Pacific, have the expertise to handle the entire airside pharmaceutical transportation process end-to-end, from the time an aircraft lands to releasing the pharmaceuticals to agents, and vice versa.

All three cargo terminals at HKIA have also attained World Health Organisation (WHO)s Good Distribution Practices for Pharmaceutical Products Certification.

Despite the impact on air traffic caused by the pandemic, HKIA has spared no effort in developing long term infrastructure and enhancing existing facilities as part of our preparation for air travel recovery.

Various projects are in the pipeline, such as the construction of the Three-runway System which is almost equal to building a new airport next to the existing one, and an array of works under the Airport City developments.

We remain confident in the long-term prospects of the aviation industry.

Breaking Travel News: How useful are accolades such as the World Travel Awards when it comes to promoting Hong Kong International Airport?

VC: It is a prestigious recognition of our efforts in enhancing the passengers experience and reaffirms HKIAs position as a leading international hub.

Breaking Travel News: What do we have to look forward to from the airport as the tourism market in China gradually recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic what headlines can we expect from the coming months?

VC: To further reinforce our status as a leading international aviation hub, HKIA is developing into an Airport City which not only manages flows of passengers and cargo, but an entity with novel functions including retail and entertainment, tourism, convention and exhibition, among others.

HKIA is developing into a Three-runway System (3RS).

Besides the construction of a new runway, the project includes a series of support facilities such as an expanded Terminal 2, a new T2 Concourse, new automated people mover and baggage handling systems.

The new runway has its pavement completed and is expected to commence operations in 2022.

Upon its completion, the existing north runway will be closed for reconfiguration.

With the targeted completion of the entire 3RS in 2024, the quantum leap in capacity will enable HKIA to cater for the long-term air traffic demand and strengthen its status as an international aviation hub.

Skycity is an integral part of the Airport City development, which houses the largest integrated complex for retail, dining and entertainment facilities in Hong Kong.

Completing in phases from 2022 to 2025, the 11 Skies complex will introduce over 800 shops with more than 120 dining concepts and Hong Kongs largest indoor entertainment area.

There will also be three Grade A office buildings, catering specially for companies providing wealth management as well as wellness and medical services.

The first hotel in Skycity, Regala Skycity Hotel, is scheduled to open this year, providing around 1,200 rooms.

HKIA provides convenient land and sea connections to and from the GBA for passengers to take advantage of the extensive flight network of HKIA.

To make the transfer journey at HKIA even more seamless, construction of a new transfer terminal, the Skypier Terminal, and a bonded bridge-link has started.

It will allow transfer passengers travelling on the HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) to enter the airports restricted area directly, without having to go via immigration procedures in Hong Kong.

Upon completion of this project in 2022, passengers who have obtained boarding passes and checked in their baggage at our remote terminals in the GBA may proceed directly to the boarding gates, as if they are using their local airport.

Through the transformation into an Airport City, HKIA is targeted to develop into a new landmark for both travellers and local visitors, and an engine driving the economic development in HK and the GBA.

More Information

Find out more about Hong Kong International Airport on the official website.

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BTN interview: Vivian Cheung, executive director airport operations, Hong Kong International Airport - Breaking Travel News

Todd Haynes on The Velvet Underground: Warhols Factory offered equal opportunity objectification – The Independent

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Todd Haynes was still a toddler when John Cale met Lou Reed in New York in 1964. He was six when The Velvet Underground & Nico was released that slow-detonating explosion that caused a mutation in the genetic code of rocknroll. As a precocious seven-year-old visiting San Francisco for the first time in 1968, the future director of Far from Heaven and Carol took home a poster of Franco Zeffirellis wildly romantic Romeo and Juliet and put it up above his bed at home in suburban Los Angeles.

Haynes would not discover The Velvet Underground until he was at college years later. Yet his early career, especially his breakthrough film, Poison (1991) a defining work of that decades New Queer Cinema movement owed so much, he says, to a kind of ferocity and defiance that The Velvet Underground opened up. And, at 60, with his first documentary, Haynes has made a film, The Velvet Underground, out today on Apple+ and in selected cinemas, that captures something truly beautiful about the band and the time and place in which they came into being: a beauty that has facets of degradation, brutality, nihilism, narcissism and danger.

In fact, the black-clothed New York f*** you art cool that Haynes captures so perfectly is how I come to be talking to him in a London hotel room about his childhood in Sixties California. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley, where the reverberations of hippy flower power would be gently washing for the next decade; the sonic shockwave of The Velvet Undergrounds detuned guitars and sadomasochistic death urge were from a darker place. The bands drummer Mo Tucker puts the collision between the opposing world views of East and West Coast succinctly in the film. This love peace crap, she says, we hated that. Get real.

Haynes, who in moving to New York after university realised this is who I wanna be, applied a similar antipathy to the world view of Ronald Reagans America during the AIDS era. Films such as Poison and Tom Kalins Swoon, he says, were responding to the crisis around AIDS and a panic around gay people by challenging conventional notions of liberation as strategies towards representation and trying to make the minority culture more palatable to the mainstream it was standing up for the transgression.

Theres still something of the young radical about Haynes, and of the even younger artistic prodigy he once was: the rapidity of his speech, the ideas that pour from him; his indie charm. Theres a boyishness to his look, too hair that still curls between preppy-short and stoner-long; red plaid shirt over black tee that name-checks one of his heroes, the late German auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Transgression, of course, was one of the elements that Reed embodied in The Velvet Underground, with his lyrics about trans women, fellatio, sex whippings and buying and injecting heroin, which ensured that radio stations wouldnt play the bands records. In the film, a college friend talks about how Reeds early poetry was very heavy on very dark gay themes, with the singer telling him, if its not degrading, its not hot, its not sex.

Does Haynes think Reed was the first out rock star? The word out doesnt belong to this time in The Velvet Underground, in the Sixties, he says. But as early as 1972, when he joined David Bowie for his second solo endeavour, Transformer it was a complete and total embrace of the gay liberation vernacular: Were coming out/ Out of our closets/ Out on the streets, he sings the lyrics. These are the words of Lou Reed. He realised that he had inaugurated something. And it was being manifest by this next close generation of music makers And he jumped right on it.

Hes referring to the glam rock era, when artists such as Bowie and even Gary Glitter necessarily queer looking, many of them straight male artists [were] mincing up and down the stages of rocknroll arenas. Was it disappointing to him then that Reed, rather like Bowie, seemed to backtrack on an expression of his queerness later?

I was certainly disappointed I was probably more closely tracking Bowies renunciations of his bisexual self by the Eighties than I was Lou Reeds at that time, and they were disappointing, and I think a lot of us took that somewhat personally.

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But I think one can understand it and see it with more complexity when you look at a whole career. And you understand that these are just people and they are subject to the cultural and political forces [of the time]. Theyre not determining them themselves, and they shouldnt have to have that responsibility theyre artists. And both Lou Reed and David Bowie had great desires for commercial success that always sort of wrestled with their experimental instincts and exploratory instincts .

Filmmaker Todd Haynes at the New York Film Festival in October

(Josh Lamparski/Getty Images)

Reed found the perfect foil for those instincts in Cale, a classical musician with an intensity that had taken him all the way from the Welsh valleys, via Goldsmiths College in London, to the heart of the New York avant-garde of John Cage, Cornelius Cardew and La Monte Young. Cale was embedded in the Downtown art scene, part of The Dream Syndicate with Young, playing amplified drone music tuned to the refrigerator in his Lower East Side apartment for an hour and a half every day. Then he met Reed, a house songwriter for Pickwick Records, in Long Island City. There was a lot of eyeballing going on, he reports in Hayness film.

Open hostility would come later but it could wait. Soon they were sharing the same apartment, and Cale was driving them towards an uncompromising sound to match Reeds uncompromising lyrics one very different from the acoustic singer-songwriter format in which they arrived. The addition of Sterling Morrison on guitar and Mo Tucker on drums completed the classic Velvets line-up (and this John Doran piece in The Quietus is brilliant on the importance of Tucker to their sound). Haynes carefully delineates the priming of this musical IED without recourse to a parade of stars assessing its impact: There are countless people who are so interesting and so talented could tell us what The Velvet Underground meant, why they were great and how they influenced them, he says. And I just didnt want a movie that told you all those things, I wanted you to maybe be able to find that yourself. And hear that yourself. And it was gonna be too much talk. So it was really simple to just say, OK, just people who were there. Thats it.

Its this decision that allows the film to take flight. Haynes and his partner of almost 20 years, Bryan OKeefe, have deep-dived into experimental film of the time, scouring 600 hours of footage to create a kaleidoscope of visual riches, in which the conjunction of The Velvet Underground with Andy Warhol and the artists, film-makers and superstars, such as Nico, who surrounded him feels somehow inevitable. Its unmistakeable in these images that almost everyone looks cool, everyone looks beautiful. Film critic Amy Taubin appears alongside her Warhol screen test, and makes the point that the scene around The Factory was not good for women because of Warhols fascination with some ideal of female beauty, and if you didnt measure up and who ever could measure up? that was very damaging. Haynes cuts her voice saying it to an image of Nico looking luminous. I wonder what the director, who looks again and again in his films at women in situations that are not good for them, made of Taubins view. I was so interested in what Amy had to say she was there interestingly, though, I think people will have a range of opinions about that very fact, in that were still talking about a very homosocial culture in The Factory, and everybody was objectified, because they were all being looked at, for their beauty and their photographability, and who was going to be in the next movie that they were going to shoot that afternoon, and which hot boy was going to take his shirt off, and which beautiful girl was going to pose It was sort of equal opportunity objectification.

And of course, people were flirting and going into the backroom and having sex, but more often it was men with men. [Warhol superstar] Mary Woronov describes a culture that just wasnt that goal oriented in terms of sex, that there was a lot of posing and flirting and, you know, kind of provocation going on? But there was also a kind of impotence, which sometimes is a side effect of the kind of drugs that they were using.

Moe Tucker, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Lou Reed in concert

(Apple TV+)

Haynes turns away from a glossy, gossipy portrait for example, unlike most films that depict The Factory, theres little direct reference to one of its most endlessly discussed personalities, which it turns out was deliberate. I talked to John Cale about things Id read about him having an affair with Edie Sedgwick in the first month of him going to The Factory, exactly at the moment when Lou Reed was having an affair with Nico, he shared all that. But then he also was like, Yeah, but, you know, were all in our early twenties. And people were having sex a lot in those years.

Haynes wanted to focus on the artistic origins of the music and the people, he says, rather than their personal lives, or sex lives or even their drug practices. When I talked to everybody and asked them about their sex and their drug lives, they were always a little dismissive of it. And I was like, OK, I get it they werent there for the drugs. The drugs were there for the art.

In the best examples of melodrama as a genre, the beauty is part of the cage in which all these people live

Todd Haynes

Sex, likewise. Theres a great fascination but lets be real: most people that age, no matter what they look like, are trying to have sex with each other. And usually it doesnt really last and it doesnt really distinguish those people from other people, [or] gay people from straight people. And I dont think Nico was gonna have sex with anybody that she didnt want to have sex with. That said, the competition within The Factory must have been intense. And the feeling of whos being looked at more and I must be not as good looking and the way that gets carried out into your everyday life as a woman, its a whole different discussion.

Doesnt Haynes himself often make people, women especially, look very beautiful in his films? Is an ideal of beauty something he shares with Warhol?

Its funny, because whats so interesting to me about the melodrama as a genre, in its best examples, is that the beauty is part of the cage in which all these people live. The enamel beauty of the [Douglas] Sirk-ian set and home and lighting and objects and clothes and women is part of the claustrophobia and of the sort of killing aspects of middle-class life. So the beauty is rarely ever felt as transcendent.

But, of course, I love to make the image incredibly rich and specific to the time and place and absolutely in Velvet Goldmine (1998), it was about a physical beauty that was inherent, and a kind of cosmetic beauty that men adopted in the glam era, and androgyny and all of those things, but also kinds of beauty that questioned prior models of how men can be beautiful or, you know, whats the divide between male beauty, female beauty, gay desire, straight desire, all those things were blurring. So that was part of the visual language. So Im completely guilty of wanting the films to be He pauses. When I think of a film idea, I usually close my eyes and its like some rich He pauses again, inside this vision now, like I wanted Far from Heaven to be heartbreakingly beautiful and full of sadness. So the beauty didnt make anybody feel good.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Todd Hayness Velvet Goldmine'

(Peter Mountain/Zenith/Killer/Kobal/Shutterstock)

It will be fascinating to see what Haynes does with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in his upcoming May December; its about a Hollywood actress visiting the real-life woman she is about to play in a film about the tabloid scandal that engulfed her 20 years earlier. He is also making a biopic of the singer Peggy Lee (which, it has been reported, may have Billie Eilish among its executive producers) named after her signature song, Fever. Having already made Velvet Goldmine (loosely based on the coming together of David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop in the 1970s) and Im Not There (about Bob Dylan) and his cult college film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, has Haynes learnt anything specific from making a music documentary that will influence his approach?

I dont think in any direct way. I always start with, in any film but particularly a film about a musical artist the question is always how to find a visual style, a language, through the lens, that gets, in a visual parallel, close to what they were doing in their music but I want Michelle Williams [playing Lee] to perform the music live, so there will be an element of something live and in the room, which is quite different from anything Ive done, and yet its quite different from this movie because there doesnt exist anything of them in the room from the years that they were putting out records.

It is a mark of the triumph of Hayness The Velvet Underground that its possible to come away from the film without ever being aware of that absence.

The Velvet Underground is out today on Apple TV+ and in selected cinemas

Continued here:

Todd Haynes on The Velvet Underground: Warhols Factory offered equal opportunity objectification - The Independent

Dinosaurs Might Have Actually Looked More Cuddly Than We Think – Nerdist

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

We all have ideas of what dinosaurs looked like in our minds eye. Mostly sourced from Jurassic Park, of course. But science has evolved and paleontologists now believe that many if not most dinosaurs had some kind of plumage. In a new video, the science education YouTube channel Kurzgesagt In a Nutshelltakes a look at what dinosaurs may have looked like with that theory in mind. And while the illustrations are cartoonish, its easy to imagine real dinosaurs in a whole new light.

Kurzgesagtwhich literally translates to in a nutshell from Germanrecently posted the above video to YouTube. For those unfamiliar with the educational channel, Kurzgesagt is a small team of creators that like to make videos explaining things with optimistic nihilism and beauty. Previously, for example, the channels looked at what would happen if Earth turned into solid gold. Or if we nuked the Moon.

Kurzgesagt

In this deep dive into the past, Kurzgesagt gives a general sense of what many scientists think dinosaurs probably looked like. The channel notes that paleontologists have discovered more than 1,000 dinosaur species over the last 200 years; the evidence allows them to model dinosaur aesthetics in an accurate way. Or at least more accurate than the bony minimalist way that pervades the current dino zeitgeist.

Kurzgesagt

As for what the dinosaurs actually looked like? Apparently we should be picturing a lot more soft tissues. More fat bellies and chests. And lots of soft parts like skin flaps, lips, gums, and just more pronounced features that would make [dinosaurs] seem like much more pleasant animals than one would think. The channel notes, for example, that T. rex were possibly giant cuddly animals with feathers with an inclination for relaxing and playing, a la modern day lions.

Kurzgesagt

Obviously its impossible to say for sure what dinosaurs looked like. And who doesnt want to own a cuddly T. rex pet once scientists bring them back from extinction?

Dinosaurs Might Have Actually Looked More Cuddly Than We Think - Nerdist

What Makes John Carpenter’s The Thing So Effing Scary? – tor.com

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Some masterpieces of cinema are simply doomed at the box office and destined to be savaged by critics. Very often the culprit is bad timing, or a weak marketing effort, or internal disputes at the studio. All three of those played a role in the brutal reception that greeted John Carpenters The Thing (1982), which is today recognized as one of the most effective, shocking, and suspenseful horror movies of all time.

I saw this movie at far too young an age (thanks, Mom and Dad!), and I was puzzled to find that the TV Guide description gave it a measly two out of four stars. In the ensuing years, I learned that the failure of this film left the brilliant Carpenter almost completely disillusioned with Hollywood, which drastically altered his career trajectory. Both the snooty film critics and the major horror magazines of the time decried The Things nihilism and barf bag special effects. The sci-fi magazine Cinefantastique posed the question, Is this the most hated movie of all time? Christian Nyby, the director of the 1951 version, bashed Carpenters remake. Even the beautiful minimalist score by Ennio Morricone was nominated for a Razzie.

I realize that everyone had their stated reasons for not liking the film at first, but here is my grand unified theory to explain their massive error in judgment: the film was just too effing scary. It hit all of the major pressure points of fear, tweaking the amygdala and triggering a response so palpable that many viewers could only look back with disgust. And if that were not enough, The Things meditation on despair was simply too much for audiences and critics. Its bleak, uncertain ending, a harbinger of death on a scale both small and large, was too much to handle. I cant think of another mainstream blockbuster that even attempted such a thing, before or since.

It took a long time, a lot of introspection, and a lot of grassroots enthusiasm to rehabilitate the films reputation. Now that weve all had a chance to gather ourselves and process whats happened, here are some of the key elements of horror that work a little too well in The Thing. Spoilers are ahead, obviously, but 2022 marks the fortieth anniversary of the film, so its well past time to knock this one off your list.

Fear of the Unknown and the Incomprehensible

The Thing opens with an absurd image, with no explanation or context. A helicopter flies over a wintry landscape, chasing a husky as it sprints across the snow. A man leans out of the side of the chopper, firing at the dog with a rifle. He desperately shouts in Norwegian to the pilot, imploring him to keep following. Panting, the husky arrives at an American research outpost, where the scientists and the support staff are baffled by the commotion. The weirdness escalates when the chopper lands, and the rifleman continues to chase the dog, firing wildly and screaming in what sounds to the Americans like gibberish. He tries to toss a hand grenade, but his errant throw destroys the helicopter, killing the pilot. Seconds later, a security officer shoots and kills the Norwegian, and the inhabitants of the camp gather round the body, confounded by what theyve witnessed. In the background, the husky behaves like a normal dog.

Right from the beginning, we are trapped in a state of bewilderment alongside the characters. Rather than pursuing a mystery after a crime takes place, the mystery is thrust upon us. And from there, the unknown mutates into the incomprehensible. Later that night, we see the dog in its true form: a shape-shifting creature from the worst nightmares of cosmic horror. Gelatinous, gooey, tentacled, pulsing, and asymmetrical. A completely alien organism that can mimic other living things that it touches.

When we see the alien parasite moving from dog to human, a new kind of terror emerges. The half-formed imitations have an uncanny valley quality to them, forcing us to stop and try to grasp what were looking at. In one of many scenes cut from network TV airings of the film, the character Windows (Thomas G. Waites) enters a room to find Bennings (Peter Maloney) half-naked, covered in a viscous fluid, and wrapped in squirming tentacles. Whether this is an emerging clone or a person being digested is left to the viewers imagination. Later, the crew catches up with the Benning-thing. He unfolds his arms to reveal two pulpy stalks, while emitting an eerie howling noise. Horrified, the men burn the creature alive.

Oh, but it gets even worse. We discover that the cloned bodies can adapt when threatened. A mans chest bursts open to reveal a gaping, fanged mouth. Another mans head splits apart, forming a pincer-like weapon. Granted, there are a few shots in which the otherwise brilliant effects by Rob Bottin look fakeyet even those images still trigger our revulsion. They remind me of a similar scene in Aliens (1986), when the facehuggers try to latch onto Ripley and Newt. One of the spider-like creatures is tossed aside, only to flip right-side up again. It looks like a toybut it works! Its a broken toy from hell that keeps juddering about even after the batteries have been pulled!

Many fans of The Thing blame its box office failure on Steven Spielbergs E.T., which dominated 1982. The friendly alien in that movie resembled a child, with its big eyes and dopey grin. In contrast, The Thing toyed with the incomprehensible. To this day, I wonder: how many people ended up watching it simply because E.T. was sold out? Those viewers must have been the most appalled.

Fear of the Other

Im writing in 2021, which requires me to compare our current real-world predicament with The Things depiction of infection, quarantine, and paranoia. The critic Gene Siskelwho defended the movie against his colleague Roger Ebertnoted the Cold War mentality of the script, with its fears of infiltration and assimilation. Both are on display in a scene in which the head scientist Blair (Wilford Brimley) runs a computer simulation showing how quickly the alien could mimic the entire crew, which places a ticking clock on the action.

Yet as grim as this movie gets, the humans do not outright betray one another. Nor does anyone go Full Brockman, conceding defeat to curry favor with the enemy. Ironically, the people who go too far to fight the Thing are Blair, the smartest guy in the room, and MacReady (Kurt Russell), the films protagonist by default. In some ways, MacReadys actions are similar to the drastic unilateral decisions that Ben has to make in Night of the Living Dead (1968). In his desperation to survive, MacReady assumes control by threatening to destroy the entire camp with dynamite. From there, he establishes a mini-dictatorship, with round-the-clock surveillance of the crewmembers, along with a blood test to prove who is infected and who is safe. When the gentle Clark (Richard Masur) tries to resist, MacReady shoots him dead, only to discover later that the man he killed was still human. By then, MacReady is so focused on the task at hand that he moves on, shoving poor Clark out of his mind, his own dehumanization complete. And despite that effort, MacReadys plan goes sideways when the test succeeds in revealing the Thing. Now exposed, the creature reverts to its transitional form, killing a member of the crew. After all of that sacrifice, all that setting aside of morality and trust, they achieve nothing.

Suspense: a sidenote

While many of the scares come as a shock, the aforementioned blood test builds the tension slowly in a scene that is a masterwork in suspense. While cornered, desperate, and fighting off hypothermia, MacReady uses a flamethrower to keep the others at bay. He forces them to cut themselves with scalpels and drain some of their blood into petri dishes. One by one, he applies a hot needle to each dish. His theory is that the blood of the Thing will react when threatened, thus revealing the host. The red-hot needle touches the first dish, and the blood squelches the heat. As MacReady works his way through each of the samples, we grow accustomed to the squeaking sound it makes each time, accompanied by the howling wind outside.

As we allow ourselves to hope that we might make it through the scene without any further mayhem, Carpenter misdirects our attention by having Garry (Donald Moffat)the outposts security officerstart an argument with MacReady. This is pure nonsense, Garry says. Doesnt prove a thing. With the needle in one hand, and a petri dish in the other, MacReady reminds Garry of why hes the most suspicious person in the group. Well do you last, MacReady says. Which makes us anticipate the moment when we can finally prove that Garry is the Thing.

And then the needle touches the sample, belonging to an eccentric but relatively quiet man named Palmer (David Clennon). And all hell breaks loose. The blood instantly turns into a bloody tentacle, squealing in agony as it tries to escape the heat. Palmer mutates into what could be described as a giant walking mouth, its teeth snapping like a bear trap, while MacReady and Windows scramble to burn him with their flamethrower. But its too late. By the time they dispatch him with fire and explosives, another person is dead, another wing of the outpost is destroyed, and the paranoia intensifies.

Fear of Isolation

Heres another reason why watching The Thing in 2021 may be tough. The characters are stuck together in close quarters and cut off from the rest of the world. Even before the mayhem begins, we catch glimpses of how the routine is slowly becoming unbearable. MacReady destroys a computer chess game when he loses, claiming that the computer somehow cheated. Many of the characters self-medicate, with J&B Whiskey as the painkiller of choice. Others have been watching VHS tapes of the same TV shows over and over, apparently for months on end. It helps that Carpenter prefers to shoot in a widescreen format, which allows him to cram more people into the frame, making some of the interior shots downright claustrophobic.

The walls close in tighter once the danger becomes real. Blair, who realizes early on that they are all doomed, destroys the communication equipment and sabotages the vehicles. No one can leave, and no one can call for help. The remaining crew is on their own, holed up in a building that will be their tomb. With no Netflix!

In a strange bit of dark humor, we see Blair again after his meltdown, and after the crew has locked him a separate building. Im all right, he insists. Im much better and I wont harm anybody. While he rambles, a hangmans noose dangles behind him. No one comments on it. Its just there to remind us that Blair the rational scientist has carefully weighed his options while isolated in this meat locker.

Fear of Nature

Even if it had no alien in it, The Thing reminds us of how powerless we are in the face of nature. A major plot point involves a storm pummeling the outpost. Despite the weather, the characters insist on taking their chances indoors. I can easily imagine them many months earlier, sitting through some tedious orientation for their jobs, in which a trainer explains to them all the ghastly ways that hypothermia and frostbite can shut down their bodies and scramble their minds.

There are other ways in which the film invokes our fears of the natural world. On several occasions, the Thing mimics the animals that have terrorized our species. The petri dish monster strikes outward like a viper. A severed head sprouts legs and crawls about like a spider. Near the climax of the film, the Thing takes on a shape that resembles a snake or a lizard. The original script and storyboards included an even more elaborate final boss, which would incorporate several icky animals. Part squid, part insect, part rabid dog. The films budget would not allow it. But by then, it makes no difference. A mere glimpse of the monster is enough to conjure more frightening shapes lodged in our imagination.

And Finally, Fear (and Acceptance) of Certain Doom

The Thing is the first of Carpenters Apocalypse Trilogy, which continues with Prince of Darkness (1987) and concludes with In the Mouth of Madness (1994). All three films combine Lovecraftian cosmic horror with late twentieth-century concerns about societal breakdown and World War III. Together, these themes and images explore the erosion of order and identity, leading to the end of all things. The Thing can be said to represent the unstoppable forces of the universe that have no concern for human well-being. As many critics have noted, it is never made clear what exactly the Thing wants. It may in fact be such a mindless, viral organism that it doesnt even know its an alien once the imitation is complete. No one can bargain or plead with such an entity, in the same way we cannot reason with the forces that may lead to our extinction.

At the end of the film, the hopelessness of it all leaves the lone survivors, MacReady and Childs (Keith David), sharing the bleakest drink in the history of cinema. Though the monster has seemingly been defeated, the entire camp is left burning, and neither man knows if the other is infected. As they both acknowledge, they are in no condition to fight anymore. Their best bet is to doze off as the fires burn out and never wake up again. Why dont we just wait here for a little while, see what happens? MacReady suggests. What else can they do?

As they take their last sips of J&B, Morricones score begins again, with a piece titled Humanity, Part II. The thudding sound resembles a heart beating. Is this a defiant assertion of humanity, or the final pumps of blood? Or are we hearing an imitation, mimicked by an incomprehensible force that has no regard for human life?

A Legacy of Fear

Nostalgia for 1980s popular culture has certainly helped to renew interest in films like The Thing. Still, theres something special about this particular movie, something that helped it rise from the ashes of its initial failure. While a film like The Day After (1983) was scary enough to change our defense policy, its specificity to the nuclear arms race makes it more of an artifact of that era. In contrast, the fears invoked by The Thing are figurative, visceral, and universal, and can be applied more easily to any point in history, from the Cold War to the pandemic and political strife of the 2020s. In another generation, I expect people to rediscover it once more, applying it to whatever keeps them up at night. And they will continue the debates about which characters were infected when, whether the infected characters even know that theyre the Thing, and whether the alien is truly dead or merely hiding in that final scene. In the end, the film leaves its paranoia with us. Were infected, and the safe world weve tried to build for ourselves will never look the same.

Robert Repino (@Repino1) grew up in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. After serving in the Peace Corps in Grenada, he earned an MFA in Creative Writing at Emerson College. He works as an editor for Oxford University Press, and occasionally teaches for the Gotham Writers Workshop. Repino is the author of the middle grade novel Spark and the League of Ursus (Quirk Books), as well as the War With No Name series (Soho Press), which includes Mort(e), Culdesac, DArc, and Malefactor.

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What Makes John Carpenter's The Thing So Effing Scary? - tor.com

Revisit Day of the Dead for a Reminder That Sometimes Zombies Deserve to Win – Gizmodo Australia

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Today marks the debut of Day of the Dead, a new Syfy TV series that takes inspiration from George A. Romeros 1985 zombie classic of the same name. At this years San Diego Comic-Con, the shows creators explained that the series set during the first 24 hours of a zombie apocalypse will pay homage to the film but will mostly strive to tell its own story. Those are agreeable enough terms because theres no such thing as too much horror on TV. But using the name Day of the Dead while not really resembling Day of the Dead in story or tone feels a bit duplicitous. On the other hand, Day of the Dead really needs no improvement or update.

Though its traditionally been the least-vaunted entry in Romeros trilogy that also includes Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead still holds up as an excellently tense, extremely gory (Tom Savinis genius strikes again, with an assist from Greg Nicotero among others) example of how nihilism and, in a weird way, hope can somehow coexist in a single story. Shifting from the Pittsburgh environs of Romeros first two zombie films, Day of the Dead takes place in Florida evidenced by the opening scenes helicopter fly-over of a beachy town populated by zombified tourists and at least one giant alligator. But there are no tropical dreams for protagonist Sarah (Lori Cardille), only persistent nightmares, since the horror of being alive during an undead takeover is only slightly greater than the circumstances of her survival. As part of a team of scientists trying to figure out how to cure or eradicate the zombie problem, Sarahs the sole woman living in an underground missile silo amid a few colleagues and a group of military men led by the macho Captain Rhodes (Joseph Pilato). The soldiers were originally tasked with protecting the researchers but have gotten more foul-mouthed, racist, controlling, leering, and trigger-happy as the weeks pass.

Even more than Romeros first two Dead films, Day of the Dead explores the existential dread that comes with wondering if you and the (mostly awful) people youre surrounded with are all that remains of your species. The initial panic of losing supremacy on the food chain has long since subsided; now, everyone just is teetering on the edge of exhaustion. Sarah is the most practical member of the group, insisting on rules and procedures the military guys dont bother to follow half the time which is worrisome, because many of them pertain to the zombies they keep corralled for use in experiments, as well as the wild mob of undead that hungrily paws at their perimeter fence.

Sarahs also the most level-headed among the science team, which is led by the increasingly unhinged Dr. Logan (Richard Liberty). Hes earned the nickname Frankenstein with good reason again, all praise to Savini and his creatively disgusting ways with dripping entrails, exposed brains, and severed heads but his quest to figure out why zombies become zombies gets sidetracked when he realises one of the undead in his care, dubbed Bub (Sherman Howard), is more self-aware than the rest. A scrap of civility and normalcy comes in the form of helicopter pilot John (Terry Alexander) and radio operator Bill (Jarlath Conroy), who mostly keep to themselves Johns point of view is that maybe humans arent supposed to understand whats happening, except that it might have to do with punishment from an angry god but become Sarahs allies when all-out chaos descends on their makeshift community.

As Day of the Dead progresses, it becomes clear that the clashing points of view (kill the zombies; study, cure, and/or train the zombies; flee to an island and escape the zombies) are whats going to tear the group apart at least, until the zombies themselves get a chance to handle that in a more literal sense. Sarah tries to reason with everybody Maybe if we tried working together we could ease some of the tensions! but the only creatures in Day of the Dead who are truly working together are the ones trying to devour human flesh. Its no new revelation that the movie is about humans losing their humanity as zombies discover theirs; civil behaviour is what distinguishes us from the lower forms is one of the last lucid things that Dr. Logan says.

Theres no doubt what Romeros meaning is and his movie remains potent not just because of the loving attention it gives to special effects involving throats being ripped out and heads being ripped off, but because of the question at its core: is humanity even worth saving? Should it step aside for these new apex predators, who are obviously thriving? Though Sarah, John, and Bill make it difficult to declare that total extinction is the right answer, the rest of the characters suggest that maybe the zombies are doing us a favour. It seems unlikely that the Day of the Dead TV show, which appears to be a bit lighter in tone (though its worth noting it doesnt look like it skimps on the gore), will follow that same path. But considering the state of the real world in 2021, maybe itll stay true to Day of the Deads not-so-subtle implication that humankind is getting precisely what it deserves.

Day of the Deadwill air on SBS in Australia.

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Revisit Day of the Dead for a Reminder That Sometimes Zombies Deserve to Win - Gizmodo Australia

‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Has Nudity and Drugs NowBut No Hook – The Daily Beast

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Ill say this for Amazons soft reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer: it wastes no time letting viewers know what kind of show theyre in for. Perched atop a cliff with a pensive but disaffected look on her face, lead actress Madison Iseman speaks in perfect, self-serious monotone: Im sure youre sitting there right now thinking you know who you are, who your friends are, she says. I thought I knew. I was wrong.

Screenwriter Kevin Williamson set the bar for a generation of meta-horror imitators to come with his Scream screenplay, but his nautical 1997 follow-up cast its net in a more conventional pond. A loose adaptation of Lois Duncans 1973 novel, the predictable teen slasher generally left critics cold, but it understood what its audience wanted and delivered without overthinking. With its creatively-staged kills and impeccable cast of young, tri-nonymous idolsSarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr.I Know What You Did Last Summer sank its hook deep into the 90s mall rat demographic.

This new teen drama, on the other hand, is committing the cardinal sin for young people in any era: Its trying way too hard.

The basic premise of this I Know What You Did Last Summer remains largely the same: A carful of rowdy teens, vehicular manslaughter, and a cover-up that backfires when the group begins receiving ominous messages from an unknown witness to their crime who begins killing them one by one. The killer could be their not-so-dead victim, a stranger, or perhaps evengasp!one of them.

In a twist on the original formula, however this series revolves around a pair of twin sistersAllison and Lennon. The two share a complicated relationship: Their mother died by suicide when they were young, and while Lennon moved on quickly (on the surface, at least), Allison remains depressed and misanthropic.

Isemanwho, coincidentally, might just be this generations closest Sarah Michelle Gellar doppelgngerplays her characters with impressive distinction. The actresss face almost seems to change shape from one character to the next, molded by expressions that belong either to one twin or the other. Unfortunately, her accomplishment is not enough to save this dour slog, which takes itself way too seriously.

Like the 1997 film, this I Know What You Did Last Summer is a loose adaptation of its source materialbut unlike the film, which at least grounded itself in the likability of its megawatt leads, the series gives us pretty much nothing to root for. There is no unassuming Jennifer Love Hewitt in stacked necklaces here, no spiky-haired Freddy Prinze Jr. fisherman with a heart of gold. In this version everyone is equally rotten and deluded, from the Insta-addicted Margot (Brianne Tju) to the mopey, moralistic fuckboy Dylan (Ezekiel Goodman).

As the series progresses, it diverges further and further from the 1997 films premise. The four episodes made available to critics for review, all of which debut on Friday, introduce a mystery that will likely dominate the shows plot for the remainder of the season. So far, however, this project feels like a shallow echo of things that have come before, conspicuously dropping slang like sus and merc to prove its Teen bona fides. Its Riverdale without the camp, bedazzled in Euphoria makeup.

In this version everyone is equally rotten and deluded, from the Insta-addicted Margot (Brianne Tju) to the mopey, moralistic fuckboy Dylan (Ezekiel Goodman).

Truthfully, Sam Levinsons drugged-out HBO show appears to have inspired more than just I Know What You Did Last Summers makeup. Drug use is equally central here, albeit Special K instead of heroin, and nudityboth male and femaleis equally pervasive, as is a certain nihilism were meant to believe is generational. Theres a sex scene with full-frontal nudity, and the shows premiere includes a penis in profile. All of these choices feel designed to capture both the viral success and the pearl-clutching controversy Euphoria has engendered.

As far as TV reboots of popular franchises go, I Know What You Did Last Summer is far from egregious. It wisely avoids merely rehashing its predecessor and includes some delightfully bizarre twistslike a certain parents relationship with a certain public servant, which I wont spoil hereand even manages a few creative kills, although none so far that feel as memorable as those in Williamsons film. Still it feels hollowits plot in search of purpose, its characters starved for even an ounce of depth. Maybe this really is what Teens These Days wantbut if theres one thing adolescents have always been pretty good at, its knowing when theyre being pandered to.

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Has Nudity and Drugs NowBut No Hook - The Daily Beast

Benefits of Genetic Engineering – Biology Wise

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Genetic engineering process manipulates the DNA sequence to create a new one. The write-up focuses on the various benefits of genetic engineering.

The genes present in the body of all living organisms helps determine the organisms habits. Genetic engineering is defined as a set of technologies that are used to change the genetic makeup of cells and move the genes from one species to another to produce new organisms. The techniques used are highly sophisticated manipulations of genetic material and other biologically important chemicals.

What are the Benefits of Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering in its present form has been around for approximately 25 years. It has also been a very widely debated topic from its beginning in 1970s. There are many social consequences that are associated with genetic engineering, that makes the overall risk or benefit assessment very complicated. The benefits of genetic engineering in each field is mentioned below.

Human Cloning: Almost everyday, a scientist makes a new breakthrough in the field of human engineering. Mammals have been successfully cloned and the human genome project has been completed. This is pushing the scientists all over the world to research many different facets of human genetic engineering. These researches have allowed a better understanding of DNA and its role in medicine, pharmacology, reproductive technology and various other fields. The scientists at Roslin Institute in Scotland, cloned an exact copy of a sheep, named Dolly. Newly created animals by the process of genetic engineering are known as xenographs.

Medical Treatment: In humans, the most promising benefit of genetic engineering is gene therapy which is the medical treatment of a disease wherein the defective genes are repaired and replaced or therapeutic genes are introduced to fight the disease. Over the past decade, many autoimmune and heart diseases have been treated using gene therapy. Certain diseases like the Huntingtons disease, ALS and cystic fibrosis is caused by defective genes. There is hope that a cure for such diseases can be found by either inserting the corrected gene or modifying the defective gene. Eventually, the hope is to completely eliminate genetic diseases and also treat non-genetic diseases with appropriate gene therapy. The latest research in the field makes it possible to repair or grow new muscle cells when they are not working or are damaged.

Pharmaceuticals: Thanks to genetic engineering, the pharmaceutical products available today are far superior to their predecessors. These new products are created by cloning certain genes. Some of the prominent examples are the bio-engineered insulin which was earlier obtained from sheep or cows and the human growth hormone which was earlier obtained from cadavers. New medicines are being made by changing the genetic structure of the plant cell.

Pregnancy Cases: Genetic engineering is also a boon for pregnant women who can choose to have their fetuses screened for genetic defects. These screenings can help the parents and doctors prepare for the arrival of the child who may have special needs during or after the delivery. A possible future benefit of genetic engineering which is very eagerly awaited is that a fetus with a genetic defect could be treated with genetic therapy even before it is born. Research is going on for gene therapy for embryos before it is implanted into the mother via in-vitro fertilization. The latest term coined is Designer Babies wherein the couple can actually choose the features of the baby to be born!

Agriculture: The field of agriculture too greatly benefits from genetic engineering which has improved the genetic fitness of various plant species. The common benefits are increase in the efficiency of photosynthesis, increasing the resistance of the plant to salinity, drought and viruses and also reducing the plants need for a nitrogen fertilizer. The latest research at Cornell University is to map the Oat crop so that extra nutrients can be added to the sequence and the make the crop healthier. Similar research is done with the Soya crop as well.

Here is a list of some of the most upfront benefits of genetic engineering:

The pros of genetic engineering are far too many to list. But it is important to understand the boundaries to which the human race can push itself and stop before man starts playing the role of God.

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Benefits of Genetic Engineering - Biology Wise

Mars Facts | Temperature, Surface, Information, History …

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Key Facts & Summary

Mars has been observed by many different cultures from around the world since hundreds of years. Because of this it is impossible to credit anyone with its discovery, Mars being easily visible with the naked eye.

Observations date back to ancient Egyptian astronomers in the 2nd millennium BCE while Chinese records about the motions of Mars appeared before the founding of the Zhou Dynasty in 1045 BCE.

Detailed observations were made even by the Babylonians who developed arithmetic techniques to predict the future position of the planet while the ancient Greeks developed a geocentric model to explain the planets motions.

To the ancient Romans, the planet Mars was symbolic of blood and war, the equivalent of the Greek god of war Aries. In the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model for the Solar System in which the planets follow circular orbits around the Sun.

Johannes Kepler revised this creation, yielding an elliptic orbit for Mars that more accurately fitted the observational data. In 1610, Galileo Galilei first observed Mars with a telescope and within a century, astronomers discovered several features of Mars and determined the planets rotational period and axial tilt.

The idea of life on Mars started a long time ago, and in a way this helped fuel the drive for searching it upon Mars. Since 1877 onward, it was mistakenly thought that water was found on Mars and later the idea of life became popularized among the public.

Percival Lowell believed he could see a network of canals on Mars but they were proved to be optical illusions. Since then, many more details about the planet were gathered both exciting and disappointing, and the presence of todays robots on the planet are a testament of the will of the people who wish to finally find a trace of life on Mars, even if it means finding evidence of past life.

It is hypothesized that the Solar System formed from a giant rotating ball of gas and dust known as the pre-solar nebula. Much of it formed the Sun while more of its dust went on and merged to create the first proto-planets. Mars was one of these planets and after the gravity pulled enough swirling gas and dust, it became the fourth planet from the Sun.

Mars is about 227.9 million km / 141.6 million mi or 1.5 AU away from the Sun. It takes sunlight about 13 minutes to reach Mars. The diameter of Mars is 6.779 km or 4.212 mi, slightly more than half the size of Earth.

In a way, its diameter is about the width of the continent of Africa. Marss mass is 6.42 x 1023kilograms, about 10 times less thanEarth and avolumeof 1.6318 x 10 km (163 billion cubic kilometers) which is the equivalent of 0.151 Earths. Its entire surface area is similar to that of all the Earths continents combined

One rotation/day on Mars is completed within 24.6 hours while a whole trip around the Sun or year, is completed within 669.6 days.

Mars has a relatively pronouncedorbital eccentricityof about 0.09. Of the seven other planets in the Solar System, onlyMercuryhas a larger orbital eccentricity. It is known that in the past, Mars had a much more circular orbit. At one point, 1.35million Earth years ago, Mars had an eccentricity of roughly 0.002, much less than that of Earth today.

It is believed that the closest distance between Earth and Mars will continue to mildly decrease for the next 25.000 years.

Marss axis of rotation is tilted 25.2 degrees similar to Earth which has an axial tilt of 23.4 degrees. It has seasons though they last longer than on Earth since Mars takes longer to orbit the Sun. The seasons vary in length due to Marss elliptical, egg-shaped orbit around the Sun.

It is estimated that Mars has a dense core with a radius between 930-1.300 miles / 1.500 2.100 kilometers. It is made up primarily of iron and nickel with about 16-17% sulfur. The iron sulfide core is thought to be twice as rich in lighter elements then Earths core.

The core is surrounded by a silicate mantle which formed many tectonic plates and volcanic features on the planet that now appear to be dormant.

Besides silicon and oxygen, the most abundant elements in Martian crust are iron, magnesium, aluminum, calcium and potassium, an average thickness of the planets crust has been estimated to be about 50 km / 31 mi, with a maximum thickness of 125 km / 78 mi. In comparison, Earths average crust is about 40 km / 25 mi.

It is estimated that Mars lost its magnetosphere around 4 billion years ago. A possible reason for this is because of numerous asteroid strikes and the solar wind interacting directly with the Martian ionosphere, lowering the atmospheric density by stripping away atoms from the outer layer.

The atmosphere of Mars consists of about 96% carbon dioxide, 1.93% argon and 1.89% nitrogen, along with traces of oxygen and water. It is quite dusty. Recently methane has also been detected in the atmosphere, values of which indicate an active source of gas that should be present be it biological or non-biological.

If Mars had an Earth-like orbit, its seasons would be similar to Earth's because itsaxial tiltis similar to Earth's. Spring in the northern hemisphere (autumn in the southern) is the longest season lasting 194 days. Autumn in the northern hemisphere (spring in the southern) is the shortest at 142 days. Northern winter (southern summer) lasts 154 days while northern summer (southern winter) lasts 178 days.

On average, thetemperatureonMarsis about -80 degrees Fahrenheit / -60 degrees Celsius. In winter, near the polestemperaturescan get down to -195 degrees F / -125 degrees C. Mars has the largestdust stormsin the Solar System, reaching speeds of over 160km/h (100mph). These can vary from a storm over a small area, to gigantic storms that cover the entire planet. They tend to occur when Mars is closest to the Sun, increasing global temperature.

Though it is often referred to as the Red Planet, Mars actually has many colors. At the surface colors such as brown, gold and tan are present. Its surface is the same size as Earths dry lands combined, even though it is two times smaller.

Mars has many evidences of a watery past, with ancient river valley networks, deltas and lakebeds, as well as rocks and minerals on the surface that could only have formed in liquid water. Some features suggest that Mars experienced huge floods about 3.5 billion years ago.

Though liquid water cannot exist on the surface of Mars due to low atmospheric pressure, which is less than 1% that of Earths, except for short periods, the volume of water ice caps appear to be made largely out of water with a volume of water ice enough to cover, if melted, the entire planetary surface to a depth of 11 meters or 36 ft.

There are landforms visible that strongly suggest that liquid water has existed on the planets surface like hematite concretions (image above), or the Maadim Vallis, a valley of about 700 km / 430 mi thought to have been carved by flowing water long ago.

Near the northern polar cap is the 81.4 km / 50.6 mi wide Korolev Crater, where it was found to be filled with about 2.200 cubic km / 530 mi of water ice.

There are two permanent polar ice caps on Mars. During winter, the poles lay in continuous darkness and causing depositions of 25-30% of the atmosphere into slabs of carbon dioxide dry ice.

When they are exposed again to sunlight the carbon dioxide sublimates and sometimes create water-ice clouds. Both polar caps consist primarily of water ice, about 70%.

The dichotomy of Martian topography is striking, northern plains flattened by lava flows contrast with the southern highlands, pitted and cratered by ancient impacts.

Mars is scarred by a number of impact craters: a total of 43,000 craters with a diameter of 5km (3.1mi) or greater have been found. The largest confirmed of these is theHellas impact basin, a lightalbedo featureclearly visible from Earth.

The volcano Olympus Mons, is an extinct volcano in the vast upland region Tharsis, which contains several other large volcanoes. Olympus Mons is however the greatest, in fact it is the largest volcanoe detected in the entire Solar System, it has about three times the height of Mount Everest.

The large canyon,Valles Marinerisalso known as Agathadaemon in the old canal maps, has a length of 4,000km (2,500mi) and a depth of up to 7km (4.3mi). The length of Valles Marineris is equivalent to the length of Europe and extends across one-fifth the circumference of Mars. By comparison, theGrand Canyon is only 446km (277mi) long and nearly 2km (1.2mi) deep. Valles Marineris was formed due to the swelling of theTharsisarea, which caused the crust in the area of Valles Marineris to collapse.

It is 10 times longer and 10 times wider than the Grand Canyon. Mars also has sand on its surface, made up from basaltic rock, thus having a grey color.

When the wind blows, dunes are created including series of parallel ridges in crater floors, also horseshoe-shaped dunes are created. Mars also has dust devils, towering vortices of wind similar to tornadoes. When the dust devils blow the red dust around on the greyish basaltic plains, they can leave behind complex and beautiful curlicues.

Mars actually has avalanches. Cliffs towering above the surface that hold different materials can be dislodged in the spring when carbon dioxide thaws, creating tremendous cascades of rock and dust.

Mars has only 2 known moons named Phobos and Deimos after the horses that pulled the chariot of the god of war Mars. They are very small though, Phobos has a diameter of about 25 km or 15.5 mi, while Deimos just 15 km or 9.3 mi. They look very much like asteroids and it is strongly believed that they have been captured by Mars gravity from the nearby asteroid belt.

Phobos orbits Mars only 6.000 km or 3.728 mi over the surface, moving so rapidly in its orbit that it orbits faster than Mars rotates. Tides from Mars are also altering its orbit, slowly lowering Phobos closer and closer to the surface. It is believed that in a few million years Phobos will drop low enough that it will actually enter the atmosphere and impact the surface.

On June 7, 2018, NASA announced that theCuriosityrover had discoveredorganic compoundsin sedimentary rocks dating to three billion years old, indicating that some of the building blocks for life were present.

In July 2018, scientists reported the discovery of a sub-glacial lake on Mars, the first known stable body of water on the planet. It sits 1.5km (0.9mi) below the surface at the base of thesouthern polar ice capand is about 20km (12mi) wide. Out of all the planets in the Solar System, Mars appears to have the highest change of having life forms but still the conditions are harsh enough that nothing should be able to survive there, perhaps only beneath the surface.

Still, regardless of its habitability now, Mars was definitely once a planet filled with oceans and the right conditions of life. Most people would be happy if we could only find evidence of life that may have existed on the Red Planet.

Future astrobiology missions are planned, including theMars 2020andRosalind Franklinrovers. They have the mission to take soil samples and return them to Earth for further analysis. If we look into Marss history, it is one of the most actively observed planets in the Solar System and chances are it will remain so for a long time.

There are many plans for Mars, including terraforming and sending people on it, but it remains to be seen, hopes are high and missions continue.

- Mars is the most intensely studied planet with observations dating back to 4.000 years ago.

- It is about 50% farther from the Sun than Earth.

- Perhaps second only to Venus when it comes to visits, Mars has been visited over 16 times over about 39 attempts with the first successful mission happening in 1965 with the Mariner 4 spacecraft flyby.

- If you weigh 100kg on Earth, on Mars your weight would be 38kg.

- Mars is the outermost terrestrial planet, outside Earths orbit.

- Theoretically, Mars is populated by robots since we sent so many there.

- Mars has captured our imagination so much, that it has spanned countless adaptations on TV, literature and it may as well be the most popular planet after Earth.

- On Mars the Sun appears about half the size as it does on Earth.

- Pieces of Mars have fallen to Earth. Scientists have found tiny traces of Martian atmosphere within meteorites violently ejected from Mars, then orbiting the solar system amongst galactic debris for millions of years, before crash landing on Earth.

- A year on Mars is almost twice as long as a year on Earth.

- It would take more than six Mars to fill the volume of Earth.

- Almost 7 million Mars can fit in the Sun.

- The Mars One project hopes to colonize the Red Planet, beginning in 2022.

[1.] Wikipedia

[2.] NASA

[1.] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/OSIRIS_Mars_true_color.jpg

[2.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliocentrism#/media/File:Heliocentric.jpg

[3.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mars,_Earth_size_comparison.jpg

[4.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marsorbitsolarsystem.gif

[5.] https://sites.google.com/site/missiontomarsatvssec/home/mission-background-briefing-students/earth-vs-mars/structure-of-the-earth

[6.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USGS-MarsMap-sim3292-20140714-crop.png

[7.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spirit_Mars_Silica_April_20_2007.jpg

[8.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nasa_mars_opportunity_rock_water_150_eng_02mar04.jpg

[9.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%27adim_Vallis

[10.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Perspective_view_of_Korolev_crater.jpg

[11.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Martian_north_polar_cap.jpg

[12.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PIA23304-Mars-ImpactCrater-Sep2016-Feb2019.jpg

[13.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Olympus_Mons_alt.jpg

[14.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valles_Marineris#/media/File:Mars_Valles_Marineris.jpeg

[15.] https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/05/mars-ice-age/484541/

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Mars Facts | Temperature, Surface, Information, History ...

Live this week: Watch the 2021 International Mars Society Convention online – Space.com

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

Update for Oct. 17: The video feed above has been updated for Day 4 of the 2021 International Mars Society Convention.

The 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention begins Thursday (Oct. 14), and you can watch the whole thing online for free.

The Mars Society, a space advocacy group supporting the human exploration of Mars, will have virtual panels online between Thursday (Oct. 14) and Sunday (Oct. 17). Register here for your ticket (including an optional donation) and check out the full schedule at this link.

"The four-day online forum will bring together leading scientists, government policymakers, commercial space executives, and space advocates to discuss the latest scientific and technological developments and challenges related to the human and robotic exploration of Mars and the eventual human settlement of the Red Planet," the Mars Society said in a statement.

Presentations will take place over Zoom, while attendees and presenters can network over platforms including mobile app event platform Attendify, chat and collaboration tool Slack, and virtual networking and social virtual reality platform AltspaceVR by Microsoft.

Related: Behold! The 1st panorama of Mars from the Perseverance rover

According to the Mars Society, here are some of the highlights attendees can look forward to:

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow uson Twitter @Spacedotcomand on Facebook.

Correction: The Mars Society sent updated information to its initial press release indicating that the organization is now using AltspaceVR. The article has been updated to reflect this information.

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Live this week: Watch the 2021 International Mars Society Convention online - Space.com

Inside the Experiment to Create Mars on Earth – Smithsonian

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Danzig

When Cassandra Klos wasgrowing up in rural New Hampshire, it was easy to see the stars. She traced the constellations with her finger and imagined how it would feel to travel among them. As a college art student, she launched a photo project about Betty and Barney Hill, a New Hampshire couple who claimed to have been abducted by aliens.

Then Klos went on her first mission to Mars.

To be clear, no earthling has actually set foot on the red planet. NASA is hoping to send a crew there in the 2030s, as is China, and the private company SpaceX is working to establish a permanent Martian presence with starships ferrying humans back and forth to Earth. We dont want to be one of those single-planet species, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said in April, outlining the companys ambitions. We want to be a multi-planet species.

First, though, theres some figuring out to do. Designing the right spacecraft and living spaces is part of the challenge. There are also prosaic, but important, questions. How will people shower with a limited supply of water? What will it take to grow fresh greens to supplement the steady diet of dehydrated food? And with civilians from different backgrounds living together in close quarters, will Martian habitats end up resembling the set of Jean-Paul Sartres play No Exit, where hell is other people?

The two-week mission Klos joined in 2015 was designed to explore those kinds of questions. It took place at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, four hours south of Salt Lake City, but everyone spoke and acted as though they were actually on Mars. A group of six people lived in a two-story cylindrical building. The commander, a former member of the Army National Guard, kept the participants on a strict schedule of fixing electrical systems, taking inventory, tidying up the facilities and sampling the soil. Everyone was assigned a special role: Klos was to prepare reports to share with the public. The health safety officer kept tabs on the crews well-being, and the engineer monitored levels of carbon dioxide and solar power.

Before stepping outside in a spacesuit, Klos and the others had to get permission from mission control back on Earth (actually a coordinator stationed in a nearby town). That person would send information about the winds and weather, and determine how long each person could stay outside the base. Sometimes dust storms rolled in, cutting off the solar power supply just as they would on Mars. Klos was allowed to bathe only once a week, using a couple of buckets of water. She was enchanted.

This is not performance art, says Klos. These are real scientific endeavors. Sometimes people make the critique that were role-playing too much. But the goal is to really live the way people are going to live on Mars so scientists can figure out how to make it work when we get there.

There are about a dozen such habitats around the globe, hosting simulations that run anywhere from two weeks to a full year. One of these is run by NASAs Human Research Program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. But other facilities are funded by private organizations. The Mars Society, established by Brooklyn-born aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin, operates the habitat in Utah, where Klos returned for another mission in 2017, and another in the Canadian Arctic. Klos also took part in a mission at the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS. The facility is run by the International MoonBase Alliance, a group founded by the Dutch entrepreneur Henk Rogers.

HI-SEAS is located on Hawaiis big island at 8,200 feet above sea level, on top of the active volcano Mauna Loa. NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center is collaborating with the facility to gather information about volcanic caves and the microbes that live in those Mars-like conditions. HI-SEAS is also studying the limitations of doing that kind of work while wearing heavy spacesuits. Its hard enough for astronauts to hold a screwdriver in a gloved hand while repairing the International Space Station, but if people are going to be clambering on Martian rocks looking for microbes, theyll need the right gear.

The missions are open to people who have no background in science, engineering or astronaut training. After all, the goal is to send ordinary folks into space, so its worth finding out whether ordinary folks can coexist in Mars-like conditions here on Earth. Each two-story habitat at a simulation facility has usable floor space of only about 1,200 square feetthe size of two small apartments stacked on top of each otherwhich isnt much room for six people who cant just breeze out for a walk around the block.

To get a spot on a Mars or Moon simulation, you have to propose a project that the leaders believe is useful. One recent HI-SEAS participant focused on 3-D printing, looking at ways to create bricks out of volcanic rock. Another studied hydrogen fuel cells. Yet another tried out different methods for growing hydroponic lettuce. Many projects focus on psychological research, looking at how various foods, exercises and smells influence peoples moods while theyre crammed together in a pressurized capsule.

Preparations for Mars may prove to have benefits for life on Earth. Earlier research for space travel paved the way for medical advances such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The data were gathering now about surviving on solar power, conserving water and growing plants in arid conditions could be useful here at home as our climate changes.

The director of HI-SEAS, the 32-year-old astrobiologist Michaela Musilova, says she makes an effort to assemble diverse crews, using the internet to recruit teachers, journalists and artists like Klos. On a mission Musilova led in the fall of 2020, she ended up with crew members who supported opposing candidates in the November presidential election. That made for very interesting dynamics, she says. But Musilova says her teams are most innovative when their members come from different backgrounds. The range of perspectives is great for problem-solving, and the variety of personal stories can help combat boredom. And people who are eager to spend time on Mars, simulated or otherwise, tend to have certain things in common, including a willingness to live with strangers in close quarters and an enthusiasm for future space explorations.

We all have our quirks, Musilova says. Were all going to make mistakes and annoy other people. But when someone is having a bad day, we go out of our way to cheer them up. When someone is being a pain in the ass, were able to have some empathy. If living together on Mars can make us into better versions of ourselves, that might be the greatest breakthrough of all.

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Inside the Experiment to Create Mars on Earth - Smithsonian

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