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CPT Online Asia/Oceania Two results feat. Daigo, Bonchan, Kazunoko, Poongko, Nemo, Fuudo – EventHubs

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

17. CYG|Daigo Umehara (Guile) 17. Zowie|Oil King (Rashid) 17. GRPT|MOV (Chun-Li) 17. NL (Cammy) 17. Mishie (Laura) 17. Trashbox (Birdie) 17. TiG|Radiowave (Karin) 17. Acqua (Ibuki)

25. GRPT|Haitani (Necalli) 25. Xyzzy (Birdie) 25. KOF 99999 TW (R. Mika) 25. Kuraudokin (Ibuki) 25. WildTaiwanese (Laura) 25. BbyongBbyong (Birdie) 25. Crusher (Birdie) 25. Ac8kim (Nash)

Grand finals, set two: GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy) eliminated Moke (Rashid) 3-2.

Grand finals, set one: GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy) beat Moke (Rashid) 3-2.

Losers finals: GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy) eliminated FOX|Momochi (Ibuki, Ken) 3-2.

Losers semi-finals: GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy) eliminated CO|Go1 (Ibuki, Chun-Li) 3-0.

Winners finals: Moke (Rashid) beat FOX|Momochi (Ibuki) 3-0.

GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy) eliminated Bonchan (Nash) 3-0.

CO|Go1 (Chun-Li) eliminated Inuchiyo (M. Bison) 3-0.

GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy) eliminated Tachikawa (Ibuki) 3-2.

CO|Go1 (Ibuki) eliminated r/Kappa|Poongko (Kolin) 3-2.

Winners semi-finals: FOX|Momochi (Ibuki) beat Inuchiyo (M. Bison) 3-2.

Winners semi-finals: Moke (Rashid) beat RB|Bonchan (Nash) 3-1.

r/Kappa|Poongko (Kolin) eliminated GRPT|Fuudo (R. Mika) 2-0.

r/Kappa|Poongko (Kolin) eliminated CO|Dogura (Urien) 2-0.

CO|Dogura (Urien) eliminated CYG|Daigo Umehara (Guile) 2-0.

Bonfrog|Yoro (Karin) eliminated YouDeal|Yukadon (Ibuki) 2-0.

YouDeal|Yukadon (Ibuki) eliminated Zowie|Oil King (Rashid) 2-0.

YouDeal|Yukadon (Ibuki) eliminated Xyzzy (Birdie) 2-1.

Tachikawa (Ibuki) eliminated Itabashi Zangief (Zangief) 2-0.

Tachikawa (Ibuki) eliminated AW|Nemo (Urien) 2-0.

Itabashi Zangief (Zangief) eliminated GRPT|MOV (Chun-Li) 2-0.

GRPT|MOV (Chun-Li) eliminated GRPT|Haitani (Necalli) 2-1.

Moke (Rashid) beat GRPT|Fuudo (R. Mika) 2-0.

Inuchiyo (M. Bison) beat GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy) 2-1.

Inuchiyo (M. Bison) beat Zowie|Oil King (Rashid) 2-1.

RB|Bonchan (Nash) beat CO|Go1 (Ibuki) 2-1.

FOX|Momochi (Ibuki) beat AW|Nemo (Urien) 2-0.

FOX|Momochi (Ken) beat Itabashi Zangief (Zangief) 2-1.

Mishie (Laura) beat CYG|Daigo Umehara (Guile) 2-0.

Acqua (Ibuki) eliminated Scarz|Sako (Akuma) 2-0.

Inuchiyo (M. Bison) beat Scarz|Sako (Akuma) 2-0.

r/Kappa|Poongko (Kolin) eliminated FOX|Tokido (Akuma) 2-0.

Moke (Rashid) beat FOX|Tokido (Akuma) 2-0.

FOX|Tokido (Akuma) beat r/Kappa|Poongko (Kolin) 2-1.

Bonfrog|Yoro (Karin) beat YouDeal|Yukadon (Ibuki) 2-1.

Xyzzy (Birdie) eliminated John Takeuchi (Rashid) 2-0.

GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy) beat John Takeuchi (Rashid) 2-0.

AW|Nemo (Urien) beat GRPT|Haitani (Necalli) 2-0.

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CPT Online Asia/Oceania Two results feat. Daigo, Bonchan, Kazunoko, Poongko, Nemo, Fuudo - EventHubs

Otago athletes to face the heat in Oceania champs – Otago Daily Times

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Ten of Otagos top athletes are preparing for a break from winter.

The athletes, plus two Otago coaches, are set to head to Suva, Fiji, and its mid-20degC weather.

There they will compete as part of the 56-strong New Zealand team at the Oceania Area Championships.

The group includes decathletes Felix McDonald and Cameron Miller, middle distance runner Nathan Hill, 400m and 800m runner Sam Gouverneur and thrower Hamish Mears.

It also includes Southland athletes Anton Schroeder and Liam Turner, who both attend Otago Boys High School.

Local coach Megan Gibbons will travel with the team and is responsible for helping the sprinters and hurdlers.

As well, para-athletes Anna Grimaldi, Holly Robinson and Jess Hamill will use the meeting as part of their preparation for Julys world championships.

Otagos Raylene Bates is the high performance manager of that group.The championships are a development meetingin which New Zealand athletes wear white singlets.

Such meetings help them on to the pathway to silver singlet meetings and, ultimately, world meetings, at which they wear black.

They allow youngsters to get a taste of international competition and compete in a different environment.

Aside from the para team, the Otago athletes attending are young, either at school or not long left. However, Gibbons felt they could go well and said it would be a good experience.

"I think theyll go OK. They do have medal chances, absolutely.

"There will be some challenges for them, like Felix and Cam are doing the combined events, so competing in a decathlon in 30-degree heat might be a bit of a challenge for them.

"But I think for the likes of Hamish and Anton and Nathan, its their first competition outside of New Zealand really, unless theyve been to Australian champs, so its sort of that next step up."

The heat represented a big challenge for Dunedin athletes coming from a cold winter, as did going into the competition out of season.

While the temperature was often a nice change, it was the humidity that Gibbons said could be hard to adapt to.

However, many of the group had been aqua jogging in the heated physio pool to try to simulate that.

The standard of competition varied.In some events, the standard could be high and competition for medals stiff, but others were at a lower level.

The championships begin on June 28 and go through to July 1.

Originally posted here:

Otago athletes to face the heat in Oceania champs - Otago Daily Times

Seychelles | history – geography | Britannica.com

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Alternative Title: Republic of Seychelles

Seychelles

National anthem of Seychelles

Seychelles, island republic in the western Indian Ocean, comprising about 115 islands. The islands are home to lush tropical vegetation, beautiful beaches, and a wide variety of marine life. Situated between latitudes 4 and 11 S and longitudes 46 and 56 E, the major islands of Seychelles are located about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) east of Kenya and about 700 miles (1,100 km) northeast of Madagascar. The capital, Victoria, is situated on the island of Mah.

Seychelles, one of the worlds smallest countries, is composed of two main island groups: the Mah group of more than 40 central, mountainous granitic islands and a second group of more than 70 outer, flat, coralline islands. The islands of the Mah group are rocky and typically have a narrow coastal strip and a central range of hills. The overall aspect of those islands, with their lush tropical vegetation, is that of high hanging gardens overlooking silver-white beaches and clear lagoons. The highest point in Seychelles, Morne Seychellois (2,969 feet [905 metres]), situated on Mah, is located within this mountainous island group. The coralline islands, rising only a few feet above sea level, are flat with elevated coral reefs at different stages of formation. These islands are largely waterless, and very few have a resident population.

The climate is tropical oceanic, with little temperature variation during the year. Daily temperatures rise to the mid-80s F (low 30s C) in the afternoon and fall to the low 70s F (low 20s C) at night. Precipitation levels vary greatly from island to island; on Mah, annual precipitation ranges from 90 inches (2,300 mm) at sea level to 140 inches (3,560 mm) on the mountain slopes. Humidity is persistently high but is ameliorated somewhat in locations windward of the prevailing southeast trade winds.

Of the roughly 200 plant species found in Seychelles, some 80 are unique to the islands, including screw pines (see pandanus), several varieties of jellyfish trees, latanier palms, the bois rouge, the bois de fer, Wrights gardenia, and the most famous, the coco de mer. The coco de merwhich is found on only two islandsproduces a fruit that is one of the largest and heaviest known and is valued by a number of Asian cultures for believed aphrodisiac, medicinal, mystic, and other properties. The Seychellois government closely monitors the quantity and status of the trees, and, although commerce is regulated to prevent overharvesting, poaching is a concern.

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Wildlife includes a remarkably diverse array of marine life, including more than 900 identified species of fish; green sea turtles and giant tortoises also inhabit the islands. Endemic species include birds such as Seychelles bulbuls and cave-dwelling Seychelles swiftlets; several species of local tree frogs, snails, and wormlike caecilians; Seychelles wolf snakes and house snakes; tiger chameleons; and others. Endemic mammals are few; both fruit bats (Pteropus seychellensis) and Seychelles sheath-tailed bats (Coleura seychellensis) are endemic to the islands. Indian mynahs, barn owls, and tenrecs (small shrewlike or hedgehoglike mammals introduced from Madagascar) are also found.

Considerable efforts have been made to preserve the islands marked biodiversity. Seychelles government has established several nature preserves and marine parks, including the Aldabra Islands and Valle de Mai National Park, both UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Aldabra Islands, a large atoll, are the site of a preserve inhabited by tens of thousands of giant tortoises, the worlds oldest living creatures, which government conservation efforts have helped rescue from the brink of extinction. Valle de Mai National Park is the only place where all six of the palm species endemic to Seychelles, including the coco de mer, may be found together. Cousin Island is home to a sanctuary for land birds, many endemic to the islands, including the Seychelles sunbird (a type of hummingbird) and the Seychelles brush warbler. The nearby Cousine Island is part private resort and part nature preserve, noted for its sea turtles, giant tortoises, and assorted land birds. Bird Island is the breeding ground for millions of terns, turtle doves, shearwaters, frigate birds, and other seabirds that flock there each year.

The original French colonists on the previously uninhabited islands, along with their black slaves, were joined in the 19th century by deportees from France. Asians from China, India, and Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) arrived later in smaller numbers. Widespread intermarriage has resulted in a population of mixed descent.

Creole, also called Seselwa, is the mother tongue of most Seychellois. Under the constitution, Creole, English, and French are recognized as national languages.

More than four-fifths of the population are Roman Catholics. There are also Anglicans, Christians of other denominations, Hindus, and Muslims.

More than four-fifths of the population live on Mah, many of them in the capital city, Victoria. The birth and death rates, as well as the annual population growth rate, are below the global average. Some one-fourth of the population are younger than age 15, and about one-half are under age 30. Life expectancy for both men and women is significantly higher than the global average.

Seychelles has a mixed, developing economy that is heavily dependent upon the service sector in general and the tourism industry in particular. Despite continued visible trade deficits, the economy has experienced steady growth. The gross domestic product (GDP) is growing more rapidly than the population. The gross national income (GNI) per capita is significantly higher than those found in most nearby continental African countries.

Agriculture accounts for only a fraction of the GDP and employs an equally modest proportion of the workforce. Arable land is limited and the soil is generally poorand the country remains dependent upon imported foodstuffsbut copra (from coconuts), cinnamon bark, vanilla, tea, limes, and essential oils are exported. Seychelles has a modern fishing industry that supplies both domestic and foreign markets; canned tuna is a particularly important product. The extraction of guano for export is also an established economic activity.

The countrys growing manufacturing sectorwhich has expanded to account for almost one-sixth of the total GDPis composed largely of food-processing plants; production of alcoholic beverages and of soft drinks is particularly significant. Animal feed, paint, and other goods are also produced.

Seychelles sizable trade deficit is offset by income from the tourism industry and from aid and investment. Although the countrys relative prosperity has not made it a preferred aid recipient, it does receive assistance from the World Bank, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and a variety of contributing countries, and aid obtained per capita is relatively high. The Central Bank of Seychelles, located in Victoria, issues the official currency, the Seychelles rupee.

Seychelles main imports are petroleum products, machinery, and foodstuffs. Canned tuna, copra, frozen fish, and cinnamon are the most important exports, together with the reexport of petroleum products. Significant trade partners include France, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Germany.

The service sector accounts for nearly four-fifths of the GDP and employs the largest proportion of the workforce, almost three-fourths of all labourers. After the opening of an international airport on Mah in 1971, the tourism industry grew rapidly, and at the beginning of the 21st century it provided almost one-fourth of the total GDP. Each year Seychelles draws thousands of tourists, many attracted by the islands magnificent venues for scuba diving, surfing, windsurfing, fishing, swimming, and sunbathing. The warm southeasterly trade winds offer ideal conditions for sailing, and the waters around Mah and the other islands are afloat with small boats.

The majority of Seychelles roadways are paved, most of which are on the islands of Mah and Praslin; there are no railroads. Ferry services operate between the islandsfor example, linking Victoria with destinations that include Praslin and La Digue. Air service is centred on Seychelles International Airport, located near Victoria on Mah, and the smaller airports and airstrips found on several islands. Seychelles has air connections with a number of foreign cities and direct flights to major centres that include London, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and Bangkok. Scheduled domestic flights, provided by Air Seychelles, chiefly offer service between Mah and Praslin, although chartered flights elsewhere are also available. The tsunami that reached Seychelles in 2004 damaged portions of the transportation infrastructure, including the road linking Victoria with the international airport.

Telecommunications infrastructure in Seychelles is quite developed. The country has a high rate of cellular telephone useamong the highest in sub-Saharan Africaand, at the beginning of the 21st century, the use of personal computers in Seychelles was several times the average for the region.

Under the 1993 constitution, since amended, Seychelles is a republic. The head of state and government is the president, who is directly elected by popular vote and may hold office for up to two consecutive five-year terms. Members of the National Assembly serve five-year terms. A majority of the available National Assembly seats are filled by direct election; a smaller portion are distributed on a proportional basis to those parties that win a minimum of one-tenth of the vote. The president appoints a Council of Ministers, which acts as an advisory body. The country is divided into 25 administrative divisions.

The Seychellois judiciary includes a Court of Appeal, a Supreme Court, and Magistrates Courts; the Constitutional Court is a branch of the Supreme Court.

Suffrage is universal; Seychellois are eligible to vote at age 17. Women participate actively in the government of the country and have held numerous posts, including positions in the cabinet and a proportion of seats in the National Assembly.

The Peoples Party (formerly the Seychelles Peoples Progressive Front) was the sole legal party from 1978 until 1991. It is still the countrys primary political party, but other parties are also active in Seychellois politics, including the New Democratic Party (formerly the Seychelles Democratic Party), the Seychelles National Party, and the Seychelles Movement for Democracy.

Seychelles defense forces are made up of an army, a coast guard (including naval and airborne wings), and a national guard. There is no conscription; military service is voluntary, and individuals are generally eligible at age 18 (although younger individuals may serve with parental consent).

In general, homes play a highly visible part in maintaining traditional Seychellois life. Many old colonial houses are well preserved, although corrugated iron roofs have generally replaced the indigenous palm thatch. Groups tend to gather on the verandahs of their houses, which are generally recognized as social centres.

The basis of the school system is a free, compulsory, 10-year public school education. Education standards have risen steadily, and nearly all children of primary-school age attend school. The countrys first university, the University of Seychelles, began accepting students in 2009. The literacy rate in Seychelles is significantly higher than the regional and global averages for both men and women.

Seychellois culture has been shaped by a combination of European, African, and Asian influences. The main European influence is French, recognizable in Seselwa, the Creole language that is the lingua franca of the islands, and in Seychellois food and religion; the French introduced Roman Catholicism, the religion of the majority of the islanders. African influence is revealed in local music and dance as well as in Seselwa. Asian elements are evident in the islands cuisine but are particularly dominant in business and trade.

Holidays observed in Seychelles include Liberation Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the 1977 coup, on June 5; National Day, June 18; Independence Day, June 29; the Feast of the Assumption, August 15; All Saints Day, November 1; the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8; and Christmas, December 25.

Because of the exorbitant expense of the large and lavish wedding receptions that are part of Seychellois tradition, many couples never marry; instead, they may choose to live en mnage, achieving a de facto union by cohabitating without marriage. There is little or no social stigma related to living en mnage, and the arrangement is recognized by the couples family and friends. The instance of couples living en mnage increases particularly among lower income groups.

Dance plays an important role in Seychellois society. Both the sga and the moutya, two of the most famous dances performed in Seychelles, mirror traditional African customs. The sensual dances blend religion and social relations, two elements central to African life. The complicated and compelling dance movements were traditionally carried out under moonlight to the beat of African drums. Dances were once regular events in village halls, but these have largely died out in recent years; now dances take place in modern nightclubs.

Seychellois enjoy participating in and watching several team sports. The national stadium, located in Victoria, offers a year-round program of events. Mens and womens volleyball are popular, and several Seychellois players and referees participate at the international level. Football (soccer) is also a favourite, and Seychellois teams frequently travel to East Africa and India to play in exhibition matches and tournaments. The Seychelles national Olympic committee was established in 1979 and was recognized that year by the International Olympic Committee. The country made its official Olympic debut at the 1980 Moscow Games, but its first Olympic athlete was Henri Dauban de Silhouette, who competed for Great Britain in the javelin throw at the 1924 Paris Games.

Much of the countrys radio, television, and print media is under government control. There are several independent publications, including Seychelles Weekly and Vizyon.

The islands were known by traders from the Persian Gulf centuries ago, but the first recorded landing on the uninhabited Seychelles was made in 1609 by an expedition of the British East India Company. The archipelago was explored by the Frenchman Lazare Picault in 1742 and 1744 and was formally annexed to France in 1756. The archipelago was named Schelles, later changed by the British to Seychelles. War between France and Britain led to the surrender of the archipelago to the British in 1810, and it was formally ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1814. The abolition of slavery in the 1830s deprived the islands European colonists of their labour force and compelled them to switch from raising cotton and grains to cultivating less-labour-intensive crops such as coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon. In 1903 Seychellesuntil that time administered as a dependency of Mauritiusbecame a separate British crown colony. A Legislative Council with elected members was introduced in 1948.

In 1963 the United States leased an area on the main island, Mah, and built an air force satellite tracking station there; this brought regular air travel to Seychelles for the first time, in the form of a weekly seaplane shuttle that operated from Mombasa, Kenya.

In 1970 Seychelles obtained a new constitution, universal adult suffrage, and a governing council with an elected majority. Self-government was granted in 1975 and independence in 1976, within the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1975 a coalition government was formed with James R. Mancham as president and France-Albert Ren as prime minister. In 1977, while Mancham was abroad, Ren became president in a coup dtat led by the Seychelles Peoples United Party (later restyled the Seychelles Peoples Progressive Front [SPPF], from 2009 the Peoples Party [Parti Lepep]).

In 1979 a new constitution transformed Seychelles into a one-party socialist state, with Rens SPPF designated the only legal party. This change was not popular with many Seychellois, and during the 1980s there were several coup attempts. Faced with mounting pressure from the countrys primary sources of foreign aid, Rens administration began moving toward more democratic rule in the early 1990s, with the return of multiparty politics and the promulgation of a new constitution. The country also gradually abandoned its socialist economy and began to follow market-based economic strategies by privatizing most parastatal companies, encouraging foreign investment, and focusing efforts on marketing Seychelles as an offshore business and financial hub. As Seychelles entered the 21st century, the SPPF continued to dominate the political scene. After the return of multiparty elections, Ren was reelected three times before eventually resigning in April 2004 to allow Vice Pres. James Michel to succeed him as president.

In late 2004 some of the islands were hit by a tsunami, which severely damaged the environment and the countrys economy. The economy was an important topic in the campaigning leading up to the presidential election of 2006, in which Michel emerged with a narrow victory to win his first elected term. He was reelected in 2011. One of Michels ongoing concerns was piracy in the Indian Ocean, which had surged since 2009 and threatened the countrys fishing and tourism industries. To that end, the Seychellois government worked with several other countries and international organizations to curb the illegal activity.

In October 2015 Michel called for an early presidential election, rather than wait until it was due in 2016. Michel was standing for his third term, again representing the Peoples Party. The election was held December 35, 2015. For the first time since the return of multiparty politics in 1993, the Peoples Partys candidate did not win outright in the first round of voting. Michel garnered 47.76 percent of the vote; his nearest challenger was Wavel Ramkalawan of the Seychelles National Party (SNP), who took 33.93 percent. Ramkalawan was an Anglican priest who was the leader of the SNP and had run for president in previous elections. The runoff election was held December 1618. On December 19 Michel was declared the winner by a very narrow margin, taking 50.15 percent of the vote, with only 193 votes between him and Ramkalawan. Michel was quickly sworn in the next day for his third term. Ramkalawan voiced allegations of voting irregularities and filed two petitions with the Constitutional Court with the goal of having the election results nullified: one claiming that neither candidate had received an absolute majority of the votes cast and another alleging that voting irregularities and electoral noncompliance had occurred. In May 2016 the court dismissed both petitions and upheld Michels victory but did note that there had been instances of voting irregularities and noncompliance with electoral laws.

In April 2016 the constitution was amended to change the number of consecutive terms that a president could serve. The number of terms was reduced from three to two.

Legislative elections were held September 810, 2016. For the first time since independence, the Peoples Party did not take a majority of the legislative seats. Instead, a coalition of opposition parties took control of the National Assembly, winning 15 of the 25 directly elected seats and receiving 4 of the 8 proportional representation seats while the Peoples Party won and received the rest of the directly elected and proportional representation seats. The new legislators were sworn in on September 27, 2016. Later that day Michel announced that he would step down as president, citing the need for new leadership. He formally resigned on October 16, and vice president Danny Faure was sworn in as president to complete the rest of Michels term.

Seychelles | history - geography | Britannica.com

Germany leads the way in visitor arrivals to Seychelles – eTurboNews

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Almost halfway through the year 2017, Germany has taken the number one spot as the Seychelles main tourism market.

According to latest statistics the National Bureau of Statistics released on Thursday, Germany has sent 21,642 visitors to the island nation up to Sunday June 18, 2017. The figure is 29 percent above that recorded for the same period last year.

This means Germany has surpassed its closest contender, France, which has long been the main tourism market for Seychelles. France, which was number one since the beginning of the year is now second, having sent 20,922 visitors to the island destination. This trend was last observed in 2014, when Germany outperformed France in terms of visitor arrivals before France regained its position in 2015.

Air links between the Seychelles archipelago and Germany received a huge boost this year, which is surely contributing to the increase in German visitors. The national airline, Air Seychelles started twice-weekly direct flights to Dusseldorf in March 2017. In recent years, the route was primarily served by German leisure airline, Condor, which also started to charter a second direct weekly flight to Seychelles last year.

Commenting on the latest trend in visitor arrival statistics, the Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Mrs. Sherin Francis said: Seychelles today is more connected to its source market than ever and that is especially for Germany. More airlines to the destination also means more marketing support for Seychelles as well.

With Austrian Airlines scheduled to operate a once-weekly nonstop service to Seychelles in October this year, it is expected that this will further boost visitor arrivals from Germany and other German-speaking markets, including Switzerland and Austria.

It is to be noted that the Seychelles Tourism Board has been increasing efforts to create awareness of the destination among German travelers with the support of its partners, including the national airline and other international carriers that bring visitors from German-speaking markets to Seychelles.

It is important to always look at the big picture where growing the tourism number for the country. Where we see opportunity for growth, our team always look to capitalize on it. The team out there with our faithful partners has done a tremendous job and should be commended, added Mrs. Francis.

Visitor arrivals from Europe as a whole is also encouraging having increased by 21 percent so far compared to the same period last year. Aside from France, which has so far recorded a decrease of 4 percent, other European markets have recorded positive results so far Italy (6%), Russia (31%), Germany and UK & Northern Ireland (29%).

Ranked fourth among the leading markets, the United Kingdom is one that has also shown remarkable progress in recent years.

We also acknowledge the exponential growth of the UK Market over the last 2 years which has also allowed it to rise to the fourth position on the rank. The growth has been really encouraging. Again this has been possible through the consistent effort of our small team in UK and its partners, said Mrs Francis.

Generally, theres been positive results from the Seychelles tourism markets in Africa, America, the Middle and Asia in spite of a 17 percent decrease in arrival figures from China. To date, the total number of holidaymakers that have disembarked in Seychelles stands at 159,659, representing a 21 percent increase compared to last year, already positioning the island nation to record a tourism upswing in 2017.

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Germany leads the way in visitor arrivals to Seychelles - eTurboNews

Manchester United target Alvaro Morata goes snorkeling in the Seychelles as he relaxes on honeymoon with stunning … – The Sun

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Real Madrid and Spain international is chilling out after his glamorous wedding in Venice

ALVARO MORATA looks to be having the time of his life while enjoying his honeymoon with his wifeAlice Campello.

The newly-wedded couple recently got married in Veniceand are now relaxing on the luxury Seychelles islands.

It has been reported the Spain international and his wife have booked to spend their honeymoonthe Four Seasons Resort worth between3,000-7,000 a night.

The pair have posted a number of pictures of their time away while Morata continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United.

Theres an image of Alice giving her new husband a peck on the cheek while he has a snorkel mask and tube on his head as they let their hair down.

It was recently reported Man Utd are making progress on the signing of Morata while Chelsea are also chasing his signature.

The 24-year-old impressively netted 20 goals for Los Blancos last season, despite playing second fiddle on the bench to Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema for large parts of the campaign.

It is believed that despite the Red Devils progress, they are yet to agree a fee for the striker who is valued at 80million.

A post shared by ALICE (@alicecampello) on Jun 23, 2017 at 6:43am PDT

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Manchester United target Alvaro Morata goes snorkeling in the Seychelles as he relaxes on honeymoon with stunning ... - The Sun

It’s a wrap! Tropika Island of Treasure ends, boosting Seychelles tourism – eTurboNews

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

The grand finale of the 7th season of South African series Tropika Island of Treasure wrapped up Monday evening, after 12 weeks of spectacular coverage of the Seychelles islands.

Screened on South Africas SABC 3 channel, Tropika Island of Treasure Season 7 filmed in Seychelles was beamed to millions of viewers who tuned in for the one-hour weekly show.

TV personality Minnie Dlamini was the host of the season and equally well-known Jonathan Boynton-Lee starred as the Games Master.

Tropika Island of Treasure season 7 has subsequently been dubbed the best so far, since the start of the Tropika series. The picturesque powder-white beaches, clear turquoise waters and lush tropical vegetation of the Seychelles archipelago provided the perfect settings for the different challenges, while the contestants also got to enjoy one of the most desired tourist destinations in the world.

The PR value Seychelles has generated from this massive exposure is estimated at over 10 Million Rand, which is one of the biggest coverage the islands have ever received on international television in South Africa.

The Director of the Seychelles Tourism Board office in South Africa Mrs. Lena Hoareau said, This is a major boost to our marketing efforts on the South African market and the coverage was just incredible, touching many aspects of Seychelles as a destination.

During a Tropika Island of Treasure Reunion Special episode on Monday the contestants spoke about their unforgettable experiences while filming in Seychelles and how they were blown away by the beauty of the islands and warmth of the Seychellois people.

Several South African celebrities including actors, singers, musicians and professional dancers were recruited as contestants for the competition and they had to choose a partner through a series of auditions.

Once all teams were finalized, they headed to Seychelles for the challenges which saw them competing on several beaches, swimming and racing in the clear turquoise ocean, running through the streets of Victoria, cooking the famous nougat a local dessert made from coconut, making the perfect cocktail using the locally produced Takamaka Bay Rum and sorting out puzzles at the National Botanical Garden, among many other games filmed at several other breath-taking locations.

It was several weeks of fierce competition and battle of wits as viewers tuned in on a weekly basis to see the end product, which saw teams progress or eliminated along the way in their quest to take home the prize of one Million Rand.

Favorites Siv Ngesi and Khabonina Shabangu could not hold their lead in the final minutes of the competition. It was the team made up of singer Anga Makubalo and Bonginkosi Ndima who became one Million rand richer, after emerging as proud winners of the trophy.

Several local partners, including the national airline Air Seychelles, hotels, restaurant owners, private and government agencies, also supported the filming in return for coverage and credits. Air Seychelles also collaborated on a viewers prize at the end of the show for a holiday to the Seychelles, with accommodation sponsored by Savoy Resort and Spa.

Mrs. Hoareau who attended the filming of the show in Seychelles last year, has described the 12-week exposure of the islands on South African TV as something she has never seen before. She believes that this will undoubtedly contribute immensely towards raising the profile of the island destination on that market.

Ive never seen so much of Seychelles on international TV (from one project) like what I have enjoyed over the last three months with Tropika. It was stunning and without a doubt this will hugely complement our efforts in putting Seychelles out there, especially with the consumers, she added.

Mrs. Hoareau said that she has met a lot of people who have followed the show and have also been receiving a lot of queries at the tourist office.

People are excited and have been talking about the show and Seychelles a lot. We have also done our own social media campaign around the show, featuring snippets of the islands or running small competitions, to build a greater interest in the destination, she said.

South Africa is already Seychelles top market in Africa having sent 6,190 visitors to the island nation up to June 22nd this year, which represents an increase of 21 percent when compared to last year.

As the island nation continues to receive encouraging feedback from the market, other projects that will put the destination in the limelight are already emerging.

Im happy to say that weve had several other proposals for filming in the Seychelles in the next six months which will put Seychelles back on South African TV, notably on DSTV and the SABC channels, said Mrs. Hoareau.

Meanwhile, the 12 episodes of the Tropika Island of Treasure season 7 can be viewed on Tropikas Facebook page or on You Tube.

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It's a wrap! Tropika Island of Treasure ends, boosting Seychelles tourism - eTurboNews

College grad from San Jose drowns in Bahamas – The Mercury News – The Mercury News

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Ryan Nguyen had the world by the tail.

After several years of hard work, the San Jose native recently graduated from UC Riverside with a bachelors degree in business administration and a job already lined up back home.

First on his agenda, however, was a fun-and-sun-filled vacation with his family in the Bahamas a place hed never been and was eager to experience.

But on Tuesday, during an afternoon snorkeling trip with his family, the 20-year-old apparently lost consciousness and drowned.

It was a freak accident, said his older brother, Shawn.

His family remains in shock, he said, still hoping for answers about what Shawn, 22, characterized as an unexplained drowning. Ocean conditions at the time, he said, were ideal.

Ryan had graduated on Friday, June 16 following in the footsteps of his big brother, also a UC Riverside business administration grad. Both of them were members of the same fraternity, Phi Kappa Sigma.

He was the most genuine guy you could ever meet, said Shawn, a consultant for a software company in Orange County.He always put a smile on peoples faces, and he knew how to take a joke. He was just a really great kid. He had his whole life ahead of him.

The second son of parents Vivian and Thuy Nguyen, who later divorced, Ryan like Shawn had played football at San Joses Leigh High School, where both brothers were running backs for the Longhorns.

When Ryan got accepted to UC Riverside, Shawn looked out for him, proud to introduce him to members of his fraternity, where they bonded with so many others.

Im glad we got to do that, Shawn said. It was the best decision of both our lives.

On June 17, just hours after they had finished celebrating the graduation ceremony, the brothers flew from Southern California to Houston. They met up with their mother and stepfather Michael Than, and two stepsisters, 8-year-old Madelyn Than and 10-year-old Makayla Than, then headed to Nassau.

By Tuesday, the family had signed up for a day of snorkeling, all of them piling onto a boat headed out to sea. Everyone was fitted with a life vest.

We all know how to swim, Shawn said. There were kids of all ages out there swimming, and adults. I was by his side the whole time.

Every time the brothers went to a new snorkeling site, Shawn said, it was a 30-minute session. But at some point in the mid-afternoon, the two got separated.

When it was time to go, the guide blew a whistle, calling us to get back into the boat, Shawn recalled. But Ryan didnt return. We were yelling his name and couldnt find him. Then we saw his bright green vest, about 80 to 100 yards away.

By the time they reached Ryan around 3 p.m. in waters off Rose Island, he was floating, lifeless.

We brought him onto the boat, but he was already unresponsive, Shawn said.

The guide immediately began CPR, turned the boat around and headed back to land, calling ahead for an ambulance to meet them as soon as they arrived.

Ryan was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A report in the Bahamas Weekly the next day said police were investigating the circumstances and that an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of death.

Back in the U.S., Shawn is still trying to make sense of the loss.

There is no reasonable explanation for why this happened, except that it was his time to go, he said, haltingly. Theres a reason for everything, and it may not be clear now, but God had bigger plans for him.

And somewhere, behind the grief and tears, is a lesson, the brother said.

Hopefully, it lets people know not to take things for granted and to hold your family even closer, Shawn said. Because you never know when things will happen. You can never plan for it, or expect it.

Ryan Nguyen is also survived by his stepmother, Phung Nguyen, and 10-year-old twin stepsisters, Haley and Kaley Nguyen, all of San Jose.

A visitation and prayer service will be held Friday at the Darling-Fischer Garden Chapel, 471 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose. A mass will be held Saturday morning at Holy Family Parish, 4848 Pearl Ave., San Jose, followed by interment at Oak Hill Memorial Park, 300 Curtner Avenue, San Jose. The times of the services are pending.

A candlelight vigil will be held at 8 p.m. Sunday at the UC Riverside bell tower.A GoFundMe page has also been established for Ryan.

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College grad from San Jose drowns in Bahamas - The Mercury News - The Mercury News

Iowa City author’s attraction to ruins in the Bahamas leads to first novel – The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

By Laura Farmer, correspondent

Jun 24, 2017 at 1:32 pm | Print View

When Iowa City writer Rebecca Entel first traveled to San Salvador, Bahamas, for an academic workshop, she learned about small ships carved into plantation ruins throughout the island. Hundreds of ships, some very basic, others far more detailed.

Its really haunting to see, she said in a recent interview. Youre on this tiny island and everywhere you look theres this gorgeous view of the water. But imagine youre someone who cant leave what a ship in the distance might represent to you. There are also interpretations that the drawings could be of slave ships not necessary indicating a dream of freedom.

How drastically different perspectives can simultaneously coexist is the foundation for Entels debut novel, Fingerprints of Previous Owners, out this month from Unnamed Press.

The story takes place at a resort in the Caribbean thats been built over the ruins of a slave plantation a ripe juxtaposition. The books narrator, Myrna, works as a maid at the resort, and secretly tries to excavate the ruins, risking both her job and her ties to her community, as citizens rarely discuss the islands history.

Entel, who is associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Cornell College, first began writing this novel while teaching Caribbean Literature in San Salvador. For the last six years, she has returned to the island about every 18 months to teach and conduct research for her novel.

I was really fascinated by the fact that the plantation ruins were not being preserved, she said. The only people who were interested in them were people like me who were coming from the U.S. to research or teach. People seemed really curious about why I wanted to go there and why I wanted to take students there.

The ruins were so overgrown, in fact, that Entel had to learn a new skill in order to access them. When I told someone at the research station I was going to the ruins, they gave me a machete. I thought they were kidding.

They were not.

Entel quickly learned the most effective way to use a machete was not to hack her way in, but to go with the angle of gravity. This experience quickly served as a metaphor for Entels approach to writing about a culture and geography outside her own.

It was tricky. I wanted to be as historically and factually grounded as possible, especially when writing about a place that is not my place and my culture. And knowing how fraught that can be and wanting to get it right.

In her novel the island is fictionalized, but the questions of preservation and personal history are rooted in truth, both from Entels extensive academic research, and her personal familial research.

Its an interesting situation for people like me who popular genealogy services just cant help. Entels maternal grandparents are holocaust survivors, and her mother was born in a refugee camp. They came to the U.S. when she was a baby and never went back, and never had an interest in going back.

While Entel was writing this book, she traveled to Eastern Europe twice, becoming the first family member to do so.

When I was going to Poland, where my grandparents were from, my grandmother did not want me to go to Auschwitz thats where my grandfather was during the war. She said, Why would you go there? And then a family friend who was also a survivor was upset that I wasnt going, which was really interesting.

When I thought about it in relations to the Bahamas, it wasnt that my grandmother thought Auschwitz shouldnt be preserved, its that she didnt see any reason for me to go. For her it was for people who dont know the history or dont believe the history to go see that, and thats why it should be preserved. But she really didnt want me to go. And I didnt.

Her trips to Eastern Europe, coupled with regular research trips to the Bahamas, secured Entels interest in public memory and commemoration.

I found that in the Bahamas Im thinking as a researcher, that these sites need to be preserved, and then when I was in Lithuania at a mass gravesite, I could understand the perspective of another grandchild of survivors who said: Dont you think they should just bomb all this out of existence?

I definitely have more questions than answers about what I think about all of this, but its made me question how I think about other peoples histories, and my personal history.

Up until this point she had always considered herself to be a short story writer, having published works in Guernica, Joyland Magazine, and other top literary journals, as well as landing on the shortlist for awards from Glimmer Train, Southwest Review and the Manchester Fiction Prize.

But she found inspiration for her novel in an unusual place: a pile of garbage. The beach in the book where the garbage washes up thats a true detail. Its really crazy to see. Theres one side of the island where its very calm and peaceful and the beaches look the way Caribbean beaches look in resort brochures. And then theres this other part of the island where theres something about the current that brings garbage from all over the world.

She started jotting down notes and ideas about the beach, and eventually, after working on a short story for years, found herself writing a scene in the voice of a character.

This voice just kind of came out of nowhere. I hate it when writers say that, but its true! This voice describing how to get to these ruins that no one will talk about. And thats Myrna, the narrator.

Entel decided to focus her sabbatical on writing a novel. When she got stuck, she pushed herself to keep writing using exercises she shares with her creative writing students.

And while Entel still writes short stories, she has another novel in the works. My next book is set in Cleveland where I grew up. Its not autobiographical, but its about a community where there are a lot of survivors, and what that means for the children and grandchildren.

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Iowa City author's attraction to ruins in the Bahamas leads to first novel - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

Messages, Maps Indicated Missing Florida Teens Wanted to Head … – The Epoch Times

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Two Florida boys who disappeared on a fishing trip two years ago near Florida left behind a map and sent messages right before they set off, according to a new report from the Palm Beach Post.

Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, who were both 14 when they disappeared, messaged at least one friend if he wanted to join the day before.

Me and Austin r (siq) crossing to the Bahamas tomorrow come with us, Cohen wrote in an Instagram message to a friend, according to recently unsealed court documents, as reported by the Post.

Another friend of Austin Stephanos told officials that the boys were thinking about going to the Bahamas but said it was too rough to sail.

On Thursday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released a report saying a weather-related incident was the cause of the pairs disappearance, while noting that the boats engine was working when it took on water. The evidence (is) not conclusive enough to confirm any particular scenario on what happened that tragic day, other than the fact that the vessel took on water and capsized, stated the report, Weather.com reported.

The new details were unveiled as part of a civil court filing in December over Austins cellphone, which was found when the boat was recovered last year.

On Monday, Cohens family said its considering a civil lawsuit after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement released a report saying Stephanoss mother, Carly Black, was negligent. It, however, didnt recommend charges against her.

Black filed a likely pre-emptie lawsuit against the Cohens to prevent a wrongful death lawsuit, NBC2 reported.

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Messages, Maps Indicated Missing Florida Teens Wanted to Head ... - The Epoch Times

Travel deal: The Bahamas – NorthJersey.com

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

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Coral towers at Atlantis.(Photo: Atlantis)

The deal: Get away with the whole family to The Coral at Atlantis Paradise Islandin the Bahamas. The newly-redesigned family-friendly section of the resort features amenities for all ages, like a swim-up ice pop bar for children, a cocktail bar for adults and access to activities.

Cost: Starting at $1,077 ($359 per night).

Whats included: Three nights accommodation at The Coral; a choice of two shallow-water dolphin experiences, two kids' adventure evening escapepasses, or a combination of both; $150 resort credit.

When: Package available through Aug. 31.

Information: 1-866-285-2684, atlantisbahamas.com.

Sophia F. Gottfried

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Travel deal: The Bahamas - NorthJersey.com

Trump’s Bahamas ambassador-designate escapes judgement – San Diego Reader

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Awaiting Senate confirmation as the nation's next ambassador to the Bahamas, known for its tax-sheltering proclivities, Doug Manchester, ex-publisher of the Union-Tribune and million-dollar donor to president Donald Trump's January inaugural festivities, can boast a victory in San Diego federal court.

Chief United States District Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz nominated to the federal bench here by president Bill Clinton in 1995 and elevated to chief judge five years ago has ruled that the developer's Manchester Financial Group, Inc. can't be held liable for the $466,310-plus judgement, along with costs and interest, awarded in 2013 against never-opened Manchester Financial Bank.

As reported here in July 2014, the deep-pocketed former U-T owner began dodging 21st Century Financial Services, a provider of data processing to his ill-fated banking start-up, following a ruling against the proto-bank by a federal court in Texas, later upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Manchester's eponymous financial institution began as a gleam in the developer's eye in February 2008, just months before Wall Street's legendary meltdown.

"Rick Mandelbaum, a longtime bank executive who is helping launch the new venture, said 95 percent of the $20 million to capitalize the bank will come from Manchester himself." the Union-Tribune, then owned by fellow La Jollan David Copley, reported that month.

"Officers and directors are expected to put up the remaining $1 million thus eliminating the need to raise money from investors."

As with many of the developer's deals, the would-be bank involved a byzantine mesh of partnerships and corporations.

"A group of individuals, including Doug Manchester, Richard Gibbons, and Steve Strauss, sought to charter a bank to be called Manchester Financial Bank," recounts Moskowitz's June 7 order denying 21st Century's motion to name Manchester Financial Group, Inc., the developer's holding company, as an additional judgement debtor in the case.

During the crash, Manchester pulled out of the deal, "based on 'current economic turmoil', leaving 21st Century holding the bag, court records show.

Complicating the cast of characters is the relationship between Manchester Financial Group, Inc. referred to in the order as Manchester, Inc. and a related but separate entity, Manchester Financial Group, L.P., which during the bank's start-up process "issued two deposit checks to 21st Century," the order notes

After the deal fell apart, 21st Century "issued invoices for amounts it claimed were due under the Agreement. In email exchanges between Mandelbaum, Gibbons, and Doug Manchester, Mandelbaum recommended that payment be issued to 21st Century on behalf of the Bank." When the money failed to materialize, the creditor undertook its thus-far futile legal slog.

"21st Century bears the burden to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Manchester, Inc. was an alter ego of the Bank," writes Manchester's home town judge, adding, "Imposition of alter ego liability is 'an extreme remedy, [to be] sparingly used' and 'approached with caution.'

"Although 21st Century contends Gibbons and Manchester were both owners of Manchester, Inc., there is no evidence of this in the record. Nor does the Court find any evidence in the record submitted by 21st Century identifying any of the shareholders of Manchester, Inc."

As a result, says the ruling, the Court agrees with Manchester, Inc. that adding it to the judgment would violate its due process rights.

Whether the creditors case figures into Manchester's yet-to-be scheduled ambassadorial confirmation proceedings remains to be seen.

The more pressing issue of who is going to finance his controversial downtown Navy Broadway complex is likely to come up, including Manchester's solicitation of Chinese investors for an Austin hotel project ultimately backed by fellow California Trump supporter Thomas Barrack, Jr.

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Trump's Bahamas ambassador-designate escapes judgement - San Diego Reader

Why offshore wind turbines can’t handle the toughest hurricanes – PBS – PBS NewsHour

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Heavy seas engulf Rhode Islands Block Island wind farm, the first U.S. offshore wind warm. Photo by Energy.gov/Flickr

Offshore wind developments are rapidly expanding. But most wind turbines are not built to withstand a direct hit from the strongest hurricanes, according to a new study in Geophysical Research Letters that models the worst-scenarios caused by category-5 storms.

Researchers predict new offshore turbines would face hurricane wind gusts of more than 223 miles per hour but the turbines can only manage gusts of 156 miles per hour based on current engineering standards. Part of the problem: Offshore turbine designs often draw from onshore wind turbines in Europe, where hurricane conditions are essentially nonexistent.

We need to make sure offshore wind energy is successful the first time around, said Rochelle Worsnop, doctoral candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder, who spearheaded the project. We believe that this research can help guide those standards to help turbines placed in hurricane prone regions survive these major hurricanes.

Offshore wind energy development is growing along U.S. coasts. The first U.S. commercial offshore wind farm went into operation in December, and many more are on the horizon. Offshore wind energy generation could expand the nations energy supply with potential to provide 160,000 jobs and low-cost energy for millions of Americans, according to a government report.

Worsnop and her colleagues started this project by looking into where hurricane winds cross paths with offshore wind farms. At first, getting this kind of data proved nearly impossible.

Hurricanes that come within striking distance of offshore wind turbines are infrequent. Plus, at the moment, offshore wind developments are few and far between. Most wind measurements she could find in public databases were recorded too high above the water or too far from shore to reflect what a wind turbine might experience.

So, Worsnops team member George Bryan of the National Center for Atmospheric Research recommended she use a computer simulation driven by hurricane data from the last 15 years. Bryan used this high-resolution model to recreate the worst of the worst a category-5 hurricane eyewall, where winds can exceed 220 miles per hour to see how wind turbines would hold up. The team also investigated how wind characteristics, such as changes in direction and turbulence, might affect turbines.

Researchers found the extreme wind speeds they modeled would cause structural damage to wind turbines and possible failure of turbine parts. When wind speeds from typhoon Usagi in southern China exceeded turbine specifications in 2013, for instance, blades bent and towers toppled over.

Large and fast changes in wind direction could be problematic too, based on Worsnops model. Wind turbines work best when facing directly into the wind, so turbine rotors swivel about the tower to maintain a wind-in-the-face orientation. The researchers found most turbines would not twist fast enough to respond.

We are learning more about the anatomy of a hurricane, which is improving the design resilience of future wind turbines, Walt Musial, an engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and a senior author on the study, told NewsHour via email.

Their model also predicted wind direction changes up to 55 degrees between the ground and the tip of a blade a measurement called veer. As a result, these category-5 winds could bend a turbine blade in one direction say, at the tip as it simultaneously applies stress on another portion, causing the blade to malfunction or break.

One of the benefits of this study is that you can get a much better global, spatial quantification of that veer and thats fabulous, thats exactly what a wind turbine designer needs, said Sandy Butterfield, chairman of the International Electrotechnical Commission Renewable Energy (IECRE), the organization that writes the standards for wind turbines and other renewable energy equipment.

The researchers behind the study are now guiding a revamp of turbine engineering standards. Musial said they may take three years to implement.

The simulation is the best estimate we have. Its more accurate than any other estimate for the kinds of winds that could really damage a wind turbine, Butterfield, who was not involved in the study, said. Its going to help us update the standards to reflect wind turbine design criteria for hurricanes.

Originally posted here:

Why offshore wind turbines can't handle the toughest hurricanes - PBS - PBS NewsHour

Greece Okays Exxon-Total Bid To Explore For Offshore Oil – OilPrice.com

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Greece has approved an application by a consortium of ExxonMobil, Frances Total SA, and domestic oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum, to drill for oil and gas off the island of Crete, Reuters reported on Friday, quoting the Greek energy ministry as saying.

Greece has also approved another application, by local company Energean Oil, to start drilling for oil offshore western Greece.

The countrys oil and gas resources management body will launch a tender for exploration licenses in the blocks by the end of June, with the goal to award licenses by the end of this year.

Last month, the energy ministry held talks with Exxon and Total to discuss the potential of offshore gas exploration. Back then, a government official told Reuters that a consortium of ExxonMobil, Total, and Hellenic Petroleum was expected to file an application to explore south of the island of Crete.

Greece, which has been struggling with a severe debt crisis in the past few years and has received billions of euros of EU- and IMF-backed bailout support, is trying to resume efforts to search for hydrocarbons both onshore and offshore and possibly lessen its dependence on energy imports in the future.

In October last year, Greeces energy ministry named a consortium led by Total SA and comprised of Italys Edison and Hellenic Petroleum as the preferred bidder to drill for gas in an offshore block in the Ionian Sea west of the country.

Related:Underperforming Energy Sector May Soon See M&A Wave

The head of the Hellenic Hydrocarbons Resources Management (HHRM), Yannis Bassias, said last month that the country would start opening new onshore oil and gas blocks for exploration in 2018.

As of next year, and perhaps earlier, we will begin announcing that we are opening the door to whoever is interested in onshore sites, according to the head of Greeces oil and gas resource management body.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

Sonoma’s WomenServe helps women, helping their communities – North Bay Business Journal

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

s s

Sections

Traditional Medicinals Nioma Sadler helps women lift up their communities

Women in Business Awards: Katie Evans La Tortilla Factory

Women in Business Awards: Cheriene Griffith, CHEVOO Inc.

Critics: RateBeer a sellout?

Dried winegrapes catch on as a snack

SMART awards $36M Larkspur-extension deal

CYNTHIA SWEENEY

NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL | June 23, 2017, 6:25PM

06/23/2017

From a young age, Nioma Narissa Sadler knew what she wanted to do with her life. What she didnt know was that her unusual upbringing, and challenging life experiences, would prepare her to do the work she does.

Sadler is the founder of WomenServe, a nonprofit based in Sonoma, that improves the lives of impoverished women and girls throughout the world, and subsequently their communities, by providing basic needs like water and health care.

In Rajasthan, India, women and girls walk up to 10 hours a day carrying water on their heads from a pond back to their communities. WomenServe, in collaboration with Traditional Medicinals, the wellness tea giant with products sold in more than 60,000 stores, has contributed to the construction of six large community ponds and more than 400 taankas (tanks to collect rainwater) providing water to 12,000 people.

With Sadlers guidance, five primary schools in rural India have been built, and female health workers have been trained to provide basic health services there.

WomenServe is about telling women and girls stories to create change and awareness, to draw in more interest and bring change towards equality, she said.

In addition to founding WomenServe, Sadler is the Goodwill Ambassador for Traditional Medicinals and is co-founder of the Traditional Medicinals Foundation. As ambassador, she travels the world working directly with farmers and producers to improve the quality of the herbs used in the companys tea. All three organizations work together in improving the communities that grow them.

The company works on the quality piece and the foundation works on the social piece, Sadler said. It is very unusual and is connected to the social business piece which is a big part of what TM is leading in which is to show the world how you can use capitalism to do good if youre intentional about it.

Sadler was born in Michigan, but grew up traveling the country. Her father was a college professor and a psychologist, however, My parents were gypsies. We spent a lot of time in California, Oregon, and Colorado. Theyre very esoteric people, studying the Earth as a living being. They were also isolationists. They didnt like to have the impact of outer world, TV, artificial things affect their children, she said. They wanted their children to just be affected by nature mostly.

As a result, Sadler was life-schooled. Every time the family drove by a school, her heart ached with longing for a traditional education.

I just remember driving by and feeling how much I wanted to be in that school. I had a deep longing for knowledge and learning as much as I could, she said.

Libraries were her saving grace. She checked out as many books at one time as she could, and read her brother and sisters books as well. Her obsession grew around stories and biographies of women and girls, and the common issues they face, like inequality, abuse, and not being allowed to receive an education.

One in particular was the biography of Meena Keshwar Kamal, a feminist crusader in Afghanistan, who was assassinated in 1987, and subsequently became a martyr.

I was very fascinated with her mission, and how, when she got murdered, her mission grew as all these other women and girls took it on, she said.

Syfy Orders George RR Martin’s Space-Travel Novella ‘Nightflyers’ To Pilot – Decider

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

The space flight is dark and full of terrors: Syfy on Friday officially issued a pilot order toNightflyers, a sci-fi drama based on a novella by Game of Thrones scribe George R. R. Martin.

The story takes place aboard The Nightflyer, a ship with a small, tightknit crew and a reclusive captain, per the series official logline.

The craft staffed by eight maverick scientists and a powerful telepath travels to the outer reaches of the solar system to find new alien life. Cool! Because that usually goes so swimmingly, right? Nope. But when terrifying events begin to take place, the description continues, the crew beigns to question each other, and surviving the journey proves harder than anyone thought.

Martins novella was previously made into a film; James Avery (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) was among that cast. A rep for Syfy confirms to TVLine that the author is not a producer or consultant on the potential series.

Nightflyers will be executive-produced bySuits Gene Klein and David Bartis, among others. Jeff Buhler (Jacobs Ladder) wrote the TV adaptation.

We are looking forward to diving deeper into George R.R. Martins chilling world ofNightflyer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment exec Bill McGoldrick said via statement. The script that Jeff delivered encapsulates this classic sci-fi horror story and adapts it to a platform where we can truly explore the depths of madness.

Where to stream Game of Thrones

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Syfy Orders George RR Martin's Space-Travel Novella 'Nightflyers' To Pilot - Decider

Why We’re Probably Living in a Computer Simulation – Inverse

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Philosopher Nick Bostrom published a rather convincing argument in 2003 that insisted that were probably living in a computer simulation. Read it and youll understand why Elon Musk says the odds that were living in base reality is one in billions.

In short the argument goes like this:

A lot of people think were on the brink of creating super-powerful computers and A.I.

If we are, then well soon have the ability to create vast simulations of reality, populated with simulated people who are conscious yet dont know they are simulated.

If we can create real-world simulations, we probably will.

Scientists might run simulations of history with different variations to see how things play out. Gamers might do the same. Wealthy people might create fantasy worlds for themselves. If its cheap enough, many people might do it. Who knows; conscious machines might do it to distract the humans whose bodies they are using to generate power. Whoever creates these simulations, its fair to assume they might create very many.

Given that one base reality (the reality that developed this technology) would lead to countless simulated realities (populated, again, with conscious beings), then odds would be that we currently live one of the simulated realities.

There are some ways around this conclusion, but they range from unnerving to unsatisfying.

On one hand, we might be overestimating the likelihood of mankind reaching that super-computer-powered posthuman state.

If we are probably not on the brink of a computing breakthrough either because the technology is unexpectedly complicated or because weve underestimated the existential risks facing mankind then the odds shift back in favor of us living in base reality. A naive, overoptimistic, and possibly doomed base reality.

Another argument against us living in a simulation is that, even if a posthuman state is likely, posthumans wont have much interest in simulating reality.

Futurist and Age of Em author Robin Hanson made this case in a recent exchange with Inverse. We are not actually very eager to simulate our past, except for the few parts of the past that have the most cultural resonance to us, Hanson wrote. Pick a person in the past, and we do almost nothing like simulating their world. Not in novels, in plays, in video games, nothing.

But, uh, count us among the people who would eagerly create simulated realities to play around with and if there are many people like us, and this technology is realistic, then yeah, were back to probably living in a video game.

So what if we do live in a simulation? It might actually be a moot point, Bostrom argues. After all, the reality we live in appears to follow predictable rules, and our way of living and understanding of the universe is built around those rules.

Properly understood, therefore, the truth should have no tendency to make us go crazy or to prevent us from going about our business and making plans and predictions for tomorrow, Bostrom writes.

Dont Miss: Experts Predict When A.I. Will Beat Humans in Everything

Why We're Probably Living in a Computer Simulation - Inverse

House party turns into murder scene in Ascension Parish overnight – WBRZ

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

GONZALES A man was shot and killed at a large house party in Ascension Parish overnight when groups of people from out of town showed up and two started fighting.

Joshua Harris, 19, of Thibodaux, was arrested for the shooting death of Jerrod Brown, 25, also of Thibodaux. Deputies said bus loads of people from Lafourche, Terrebonne and Assumption showed up at the party on Superior Wood Avenue after midnight Saturday when a fight started between Brown and a girl. The girl's brother, Harris, got involved and opened fire with two guns, killing Brown, deputies said in a news release Saturday.

Harris was arrested after fleeing back to Thibodaux. As of Saturday morning, he had been returned to Ascension Parish where he was booked into jail on charges of second-degree murder, illegal discharge of a weapon, and possession of a firearm by convicted felon.

Harris has a lengthy criminal history with charges stemming from attempted second-degree murder, obscenity, armed robbery, aggravated second-degree battery, and simple robbery. Harris is currently on probation until July 2021.

More charges may be pending as this case is still under investigation.

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House party turns into murder scene in Ascension Parish overnight - WBRZ

Ascension reaches goal to reduce systemwide energy consumption 3 years early – FierceHealthcare

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. and the worlds largest Catholic health system, has met the federal governments Better Buildings challenge goal of 20% energy reduction three years ahead of schedule.

From July 1, 2008, through December 1, 2016, the system has reduced energy usage by 21.4%, saving $53.3 million in costs and cutting more than 1.1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions across 141 healthcare facilities, according to a recent announcement from Medxcel Facilities Management, a subsidiary of Ascension.

As a Catholic health ministry, environmental stewardship is part of Ascensions DNA, said Robert J. Henkel, president and chief executive officer of Ascension Healthcareand executive vice president of Ascension, who was an original sponsor of the energy efficiency initiative. Our mission calls us to sustain and improve the health of individuals and communities, and we know caring for the environment is an essential piece of that. From a mission standpoint as well as a value standpoint, it was the right thing to do.

The organizations Environmental Stewardship Program focuses on leadership and infrastructure, education and communication, food systems, energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable site and transportation, chemical management, and environmentally preferred purchasing and waste management.

Ascensions initiative began during the 2008 recession, when the incentive to reduce costs motivated the system to track energy use as the first environmental stewardship metric. After the system met its initial 5% energy-use reduction goal in 2011, Ascension committed to a 20% reduction in energy use by 2020 as part of the Department of Energys Better Buildings Challenge.

Ascension, which was then composed of 68 acute care facilities spread across 30 million square feet, joined 60 founding members and was one of two health systems originally involved in the program.

As hospitals became conscious of the value that came with improved energy efficiency, they began to ask about related strategies such as recycling programs, safer chemicals and environmentally preferred purchasing, Dan Scher, Ascension's senior director of planning, design and construction, said in the announcement. Energy efficiency is one of nine strategies the Ascension Environmental Stewardship Program has put in place to impact the health and wellness of the communities it serves.

Although the accomplishment is an achievement, just as significant is sustainability of the program, said Michael Argir, chief executive officer and president of Medxcel FM, in the announcement. We are leading the transformation of healthcare facilities management by offering a model that has a focus on ensuring an efficient and safe healing environment that positively impacts the communities we serve, said Argir. By achieving these goals ahead of schedule with our Environmental Stewardship Program, we are demonstrating that we take our impact on the communities seriously and strive to continue to improve the environmental footprint of the healthcare facilities we serve across the country.

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Ascension reaches goal to reduce systemwide energy consumption 3 years early - FierceHealthcare

Neil deGrasse Tyson is Developing a Space Exploration Video Game – Big Think

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

What if a video game could teach science in a way that didnt put gamers to sleep?

Thats the idea behind a new game called Space Odyssey, which aims to be a virtual universe governed by real scientific laws where players can build planets and solar systems and explore the cosmos. Neil deGrasse Tyson is helping to develop the game and is planned to be the narrator who guides players through space.

Space Odyssey, as Business Insider reports, would feature buildingactivity similar toMinecraft, space colonization akin to that in Civilization: Beyond Earth, elements of exploration like No Mans Sky, and echoes ofElon Musks favoriterocket-building simulator,Kerbal Space Program.

What would set this game apart, however, is its educational bent and insistence on using real-life science to inform the mechanisms of the game. On this point Tyson won't budge.

I have no patience for people who say, I dont want the laws of physics to constrain me, Tyson said at a recent E3 convention.

The game is in early stages of development and at the time of writing has received just more than a third of its $314,159Kickstarter goal.

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If the game receives full funding (which wouldn't solely come from the Kickstarter) players will be able to develop planets, colonize worlds, nurture species, mine elements, build robots, and discover unique life-forms as you coordinate with others in an intense game of real-time strategy, according to the Kickstarter video.

The first stage of the game would take place onProxima B, which, at 4 light years away, is the closest known exoplanet to our solar system. Players would explore the planet and acclimate themselves to the game with Neil's voice helping them learn the ropes. They would then move to a space station where they'd be able to create, terraform and protect a home planet. Other major activities, missions, and narrative arcs are planned, as well.

Players would also be able to explore systems created by other online players or prominent scientists and fictional world-builders like Tyson, Bill Nye, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, and Peter Beagle, according to the Kickstarter page.

Space Odyssey co-creator elaborated in an interview with Digital Trends:

Part of the gameplay will allow you to grow a planetary system, Murphy said. Its size and scope is relative to the level of challenge you would like to undertake. You can grow and mature these planets as much as youd like, creating colonies, ports, mining structures, undertake trade of elements you discover/mine or invent or innovate. We are adding strategic partners that will consult with us on design and tech possibilities, including Bigelow Aerospace and the National Space Society to name a couple.

Murphy said Tyson has played a creative and scientific role in the game's development.

Hes helped create challenges in the game, and has challenged our creative team to entertain and inspire, Murphy said. He has also brought forward some incredible collaborators to our efforts, an incredible team of scientists, astronauts and explorers.

Accordingto a fact sheet for the game, Space Odysseyis being designed for PC and will target the Steam market but plans also call for virtual reality missions that will be playable on Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear.

Its a departure from what the core game feels like when you play it, but thats okay. Our goal with the VR missions is to take things to an even more educational level, Murphy said.

It remains to be seen if Space Odyssey can fuse science education into its ships and terraformed planets, and end up with gameplay that's compelling to mainstream gamers.Minecraft,one of the most widely played video games ever, is one of the few games that's bridged the gap of education and playability some teachers even use it to teach lessons in the classroom.

Space Odyssey reportedly borrows some ofMinecraft'sbuilding-blocks applications. Add that to Tyson's narration and preternatural ability to get the masses absolutely hyped for science, and this new game might just have a chance at taking off.

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2 Nations Are Vying To Be The New Heavyweights Of Space … – ABC2 News

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Danzig

Power players of space exploration are relativelyfew and far between, but the list is growing. India and China are making strides to keep up with and even surpass mature programs like those in the U.S. and Russia.

India recentlysent 31 satellitesfrom 15 different countries into orbit. And in early 2017, it sent 104 satellites into orbit at once the most everfor a single rocket. It surpassed the previous record of 37 setby Russia in 2014.

China is set to send an unmanned probe to the moon to bring back thefirst soil samplesin more than 40 years. By 2018, it's expected to be the first country to soft-land a probe on thefar side of the moon.

India and China are also two of six space agencies in the"heavy-lift" rocket club. China joined at theend of 2016, and in June, Indiasuccessfully launchedsatellite into orbit that's several tons and 13 stories tall.

SEE MORE: A NASA Engineer Has A Creative New Way To Find Missing Rockets

And it doesn't look like they're ready to slow down, either. In the next five years, Indiaplans to send25 rockets into space and spend $6 billion on its space program.

Meanwhile, China is set to build its own space station. Constructionwill start in 2019, and it's expected to be done by 2022. That's two years ahead of thepossible retirementof the International Space Station.

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2 Nations Are Vying To Be The New Heavyweights Of Space ... - ABC2 News

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