Monthly Archives: March 2017

Honeymoon ideas: try the British Virgin Islands if you like cocktails, pristine Caribbean beaches and private islands – The Independent

Posted: March 6, 2017 at 3:35 pm

The mythical perfect honeymoon. Every couple has their own internal checklist, but if you're in the market for beaches so pristine you'll feel guilty about Instagramming them, private islandsand intimate hotels where you can quietly argue with your new spouse without the entire staff knowing about it, the British Virgin Islands certainly fit the bill. With around 60 islands, there's plenty of room for different types of honeymooners: white sand beaches and clear blue seas tick the relaxing boxes, but for the more adventurous there's everything from surfing and scuba diving to parachuting and canopy tours. Then there's celebrity spotting the Obamas, of course, chose Richard Branson's exclusive Necker Island for their first trip after leaving office.

What's more, a ban on franchises means that not only are there no McDonald's or Starbucks in the BVIs, but there are no chain hotels, either. So while it takes a little more effort to pick somewhere, you're in for a more interesting stay. We tried four hotels on four different islands, each offering something to make your holiday unique.

The mostly undeveloped Guanaisland: you're unlikely to stay indoors (Guana Island)

On its very own island, Guana began as the ultimate private members' club in the 1920sand, almost a centuryon, it offers a luxury travel experience without the oppressively obsequious service which so often comes with that. That doesn't mean you won't get everything you need (as well as things you didn't even know you wanted)from staff: co-managers Andrei and Antonia are happy to organise everything from spa treatments to scuba diving, but they'll also give you the space to relax and explore its unique surroundings in your own time.

As well as the opportunity to swim, snorkel, or just sit with a cocktail on the island's pristine beaches, Guana also offers incredible views from its 26 hiking trails. The island is 90 per cent undeveloped and has just a handful of staff living there, giving it an intimate atmosphere. Guests can stay in villas with their own infinity pools, or rooms which offer views over the Caribbean Sea. This is one place, though, where there's no need to splash out on an upgrade:evenhoneymooners won't want to spend too much time indoors.

Villas have private infinity pools (Guana Island)

The all-inclusive resort calls itself "a wildlife sanctuary with a cocktail hour". Three meals a day including wine at dinner are provided, but with chef Xavier Arnau using organic ingredients grown in the island's own orchard, the menu never gets samey.

'A wildlife sanctuary with a cocktail hour' (Guana Island)

With a maximum of 32 guests at any given time, three resident flamingos and a chef with a Michelin-star pedigree, it's no surprisepeoplekeep coming back we met a couple who had been holidaying there every year since the 1970s. As for location, it is just a 10-minute boat ride away from the BVIs' main airport. Guana's captain will pick you up and drop you off at your convenience.

Doubles from 570, all inclusive

Wifi: free

Access: On a case by case basis

Rooms:*****

Service:*****

Value:****

It's a 30-second roll out of bed to the beach at Surfsong (Surfsong)

Surfsong is three minutes from the BVIs' main airport and 30 seconds away from the beach but at night you'll hear the sound of waves crashing into the sand rather than airplanes landing."Intimate" is the key word at this secluded five-acre boutique resort on Beef Island, which was opened a decade ago by Canadian couple Cate and Mark Stephenson. Guests have the option to stay at one of seven uniquely designed villas: three havefour-poster beds, four face directly onto the beach and one is in atreehouse.

From four-poster beds to a treehouse, Surfsong's villas are all unique (Surfsong)

The accommodation is self-catering, but that doesn't mean you'll have to cook. Guests can organise private dinners in their villasor eat at the resort's restaurant, The Courtyard at Surfsong, where executive chef David Cioppa offers gourmet dishes made from local produce.

The villas are self-catering, but that doesn't mean you need to cook (Surfsong)

Villas from 337, room only

Wifi:free

Access: Showers are not accessible, though villas otherwise are.

Rooms:****

Service:****

Value:****

Peter Island's beaches are exceptional, even for the BVIs (Peter Island)

Peter Island has a unique sell: it provides a luxury experience while making it seem like you're discovering your very own desert island. The private island offers buzzing bars, hiking, free water sports lessons and an award-winning spa that's been tagged as one of the best in the Caribbean. The massages alone are worth a trip, but if that isn't enough to excite you, there's also the opportunity to enjoy lunch on a secluded beach or what might just be the best cocktails in a 100-mile radius at their bar. Most beaches in the BVIs are beautiful, but Peter Island's are exceptional. If you can afford it, book a Beach Front Junior Suite, where you're not only steps away from the sand but have a private hammock and hot tub too. Going all out? Villas each come with their own pool, bar, chef and butler.

No excuses here: Peter Island offers complimentary water sports lessons (Peter Island)

If you pick Peter Island, make sure you book a meal plan the rooms are relatively affordable but the food is pricey, at around $100 dollars for lunch for two with drinks. As for getting there, it's a 20-minute ferry ride from the biggest island of the BVIs, Tortola although high rollers make use of the island's very own helicopter pad.

Rooms from 356, room only

Wifi:free

Access:Two wheelchair-accessible rooms and wheelchair access at restaurants

Rooms:****

Service:*****

Value:***

Frenchmans' beach may be man-made, but that means it's truly private (Frenchmans)

Let's get this out the way: Frenchmans isn't on the beach per se, but don't let that put you off. The resort offers stunning views of Tortola and the surrounding islands, and its man-made beach means it offers one of the few truly private shores in the Caribbean, due to an idiosyncratic law which means all beachfrontsare publicly owned. The villas are pristine and gorgeously furnished, but the real reason for choosing Frenchmans is the hospitality. General Manager Peter is the perfect host,happy to cater to your every whim (even if that means driving you around the island). Not only does he know the best spots in Tortola, but he'll create a personalised itinerary for you to see them. An absolute must stay, even for a night.

Villas from 233, B&B

Wifi:free

Access:Not wheelchair accessible

Rooms:***

Service:*****

Value:*****

Getting there

There are no direct flights from the UK. The writer travelled as a guest of Norwegian, which flies from Gatwick to San Juan in Puerto Rico from November to late March from 318 return (excluding baggage, seat assignments and food). From there, it's a 40-minute flight to the British Virgin Islands' main airport on Beef Island (off Tortola). Airlines operating the route include Seabourne Airlines, InterCaribbean and Cape Air, which uses tiny nine-seater planes; fares start from 188 per person.

More info:www.bvitourism.co.uk

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Reforestation and Civil Disobedience: Aldeia Maracan Urban Indigenous Community Reclaims Olympic Parking – RioOnWatch

Posted: at 3:34 pm

Reforestation and Civil Disobedience: Aldeia Maracan Urban Indigenous Community Reclaims Olympic Parking

An intimate groupsits on two wooden benches in a parking lot. In some spotsthe asphalt has been removed and there are a numberof indigenous bamboo constructionsin beginning phases. The afternoon sun is burning, not a shadow to retreat to. The group is discussing methods of reforestation, the toxicity of tomato seeds and invasive species in Brazilian forests. This is part of a three-day workshop called Reforestation Experience held at the Aldeia Maracan. In the heart of Rios urban core, this is the name of the indigenous community occupying the terrain since 2006.

Multi-lane highways and the massive abandoned Maracan stadium encircle this heavily paved region of Rios North Zone, where about a dozenpeople are living to care for the space. They are theremaining members ofAldeia Maracan, an urban indigenous community that occupiedthe former Indigenous Museum, also on the site but declared unsafe to occupy since their last eviction. Twice they wereevicted, including in 2013 whenthe Museum was decreed to turninto a Reference Center for the Culture of Indigenous Peoples in time for the 2016 Olympic Games. In fact, from 1953 to 1977 the old building hadbeen an Indigenous Museum dedicated to indigenous culture in Brazil, the first of its kind in Latin America.

Yet the Reference Center for the Culture of Indigenous Peoplesnever materialized. Instead, the government not only left the building in disrepaira move the indigenous community views as intentional, in order to encourage the building to decay and ultimately be demolishedbut also paved over the wooded areaand historic horticulture research site next door, leaving behind an overflow parking lot for the Maracan stadium. Public resources were used forextensive modifications of the famous soccer stadium where theOlympics opening and closing ceremonies took place. The pedestrian bridge over there cost R$14 million, says Paulo Csar Vidal, a supporter of the indigenouscommunity. But no one ever uses it.

The whole Maracan stadium has become a ghost stadium, as Vidalput it. The people who built itMarcelo Odebrecht, Eike Batista, Srgio Cabralthey are all in prison. Everything is paralyzed. Before the Olympics, there used to be a swimming pool open to everyone and a public sports ground. They destroyed that, too. At least we could fight the plans for the shopping mall they wanted to build here (on the land of the Indigenous Museum).

Given the States unfulfilled promise, inNovember, the indigenous inhabitants of the Museum who had been forcibly evicted by the Military Police in 2013, and had not been among those who had taken public housing from the State, returned to the land intent on reclaiming the parking lot as an Indigenous University in the middle of Rio de Janeiros urban core. A place tospread indigenousknowledge about agriculture and sustainability.

Korubo, who arrivedin Rio five years ago from the state of Acre inthe Amazon rainforest, where his tribe still lives, explained, We want to show society that Indians are doing good things. Look at the people running around this place [Rio de Janeiro]. The air they breathe is so polluted from all the cars. If you would ask them, they sure would prefer to have some trees.

Pedro Lima, a street artist whose great-grandfather was indigenous, is another resident of the community. He came here two months ago, looking for a peaceful place and to save a bit of his ancestry. Pedro enjoys workingin the community. I dont have the impression that we are building an Indian village inside the city. To me, its more like the opposite. Indigenous people have been here long before the city came. The idea is to build a place where people can recover a bit from modern society.

Now he carries water in plastic bottles to irrigate the small plants that are shyly growing in the crevices that have been broken at the edge of the asphalt: corn, pumpkin, wild cabbage, among others. It is a difficult business, since there is no running waterand sometimes the site goes for weeks without rain. To accesswater, community members cross two major roadsand climb down a concrete channel. Sometimes a nearby gas station provideswater.That is why building a rainwater basin is part of the workshop, too.

On the second day of the workshop, the group learns about green manure, as they incorporate leaf and organic waste compost into the nutrient-depleted, packed soil dug up from under the removed asphalt. In particular, they discuss leguminous green manure, and introduce a number of hearty seeds that can be planted in such difficult conditions to reclaim the soil through intense nitrogen fixation. One of them sounds like a tiny maraca when shaken. The groups plan is to reforest the entire parking lot as a collective project, inviting more and more supporters to join then and in the process learn from this indigenous knowledge. Lessons can be taken elsewhere in the city, to help build a more sustainable Rio.

After the theoretical presentation of the workshopis over and night has fallen, participants grab a pickaxe and a wheelbarrow to get rid of more pavement. Although eviction threats are at bay,the conflict remains. And oneadvantage of the poorly executed construction works in the run-up to the Olympicsis that in some places the asphalt is already falling apart without any human influence.

Korubo points out the ant trail at his feet: Look, we have a lot of ants living here. This one is carrying a leaf. They are already helping us with the reforestation. Even if it takes some time to grow a forest here, hes optimistic: The indigenous people have more than 500 years experience resisting. We will stay.

Korubo adds that the community is looking for donations of 1000 seedlings.

Catalytic Communities, the US 501[c][3] nonprofit that runs RioOnWatch, can act as fiscal sponsor for those who would like to make a donation online here. Please write Aldeia seedlings in the earmark category. Or simply message donate@catcomm.org informing us that your contribution is earmarked for Aldeia seedlings.

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Colorado Likely To Benefit From Privatized Space Travel – CBS Local

Posted: at 3:33 pm

DENVER (CBS4) Its been 60 years since the first Earth satellite was launched into outer space. The Soviet Union sent Sputnik into orbit in 1957, triggering a space race with the United States. Now theres a new out-of-this-world mission and Colorado is helping lead the way.

More than four decades have flown by since humans were launched into space for a mission to the moon. Private company SpaceX is planning to change that by sending two people into space next year.

(credit: CBS)

I think this should be a really exciting mission that hopefully gets the world really excited about sending people into deep space again, said SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Reigniting space travel is also launching a new kind of space race no longer between countries like in the Sputnik era instead between private companies.

Theyre taking the ball from NASA, from government, which theyve partnered with, and theyre going to go do big things, said Phil Larson a former employee of SpaceX, and the assistant dean of University of Colorados School of Engineering and Applied Science.

(credit: CBS)

Larson says privatizing space travel is good news for Colorado.

New jobs, new industries, new technologies, Larson said.

Larson says Colorado is one of the main aerospace capitals of the world with numerous companies. Even schools, like CU, have developed numerous designs for NASA.

Phil Larson (credit: CBS)

Theyve launched instruments in spacecraft to every planet in the solar system and beyond, he said.

And with a new era of space exploration taking off, Colorado is on the leading edge, launching new opportunities for decades to come.

Its awesome to know that thats happening right here, in Colorado, in the United States and were helping lead the way in this new era in space. Its not just governments anymore, Larson said.

(credit: CBS)

In another Colorado space connection, students at Metropolitan State University of Denver will soon be building satellites. The school recently partnered with York Space Systems to move its headquarters into Metros new aerospace and engineering sciences building this summer.

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The Ninja Tune forum has shut down after 19 years – FACT

Posted: at 3:31 pm

Dont worry, itll live on in another form.

London label Ninja Tune isnt just known for its great releases, the labels online forum has been a tight knit community and music resource since 1998. This week, after 19 years, the Ninja Tune forum will shut down.

A gathering place for music fans, amateur producers, DJs and established artists, the forums were marked with in-depth discussions, production competitions, DJ trades and IRL meet-ups. In addition to many Ninja Tune signees such as DJ Food, artists who posted include Posthuman and Mark Bell of LFO. Many FACT writers such as John Twells, Laurent Fintoni and Tony Poland have memories of posting on the forum during its long run.

The closure has less to do with the forum than it does with internet forums in general theyre growing out-of-date. Over email, the label explained that the increasing tech issues with the forum and the decreasing amount of posts made them decide to set up a page on Reddit which will be run and regularly updated by forum members.

The label shared the news last week on the forum in a note which we have republished below.

Were sad to close the Ninja Tune Forum. Created way back in 1998, it quickly became a lively community of people with thoughts to share and a common love of music of Ninja Tune. For a while back then it was the perfect Ninja Tune community. Some highlights have been the forum marriages and relationships, the huge King Geedorah lyric threads and posts being quoted in The Guardian. Over the years there have been over 45,000 registered users! The old forum technology issues mixed with the decreasing amount of posts in this new age of internet communication means it makes more sense to set up a page on Reddit whose technology is better designed and regularly updated (run by forum members Invisible A, Kid Vector & Techdef) where the spirit can live on.

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Ascension prosecutors: Morris went off grid after initial release from jail, remains a risk for flight, further fraud – The Advocate

Posted: at 3:30 pm

Prosecutors in Ascension Parish are seeking to hold jailed Baton Rouge contractor Matthew Morris without bail, alleging he used fraudulent methods to obtain a line of credit while in jail and then "went off the grid" for four dayslast month after he posted $635,000 bail in the parish.

Prosecutors said in a motion to revoke his bail that Morris' "propensity for fraudulent conduct remains prevalent" and he is a "flight risk" who cannot be trusted to turn himself in when ordered to do so.

Morris, 39, owner of Complete Construction Contractors, has been booked on dozens of counts of contractor and insurance fraud and other counts and was expected to be in court in Livingston Parish Monday morning.

Starting in early February, six law enforcement agencies in the Baton Rouge area have accused Morris of starting home and business restoration work and then seeking exorbitant cost increases that arent justified by the completed work, according to affidavits of probable cause. Ascension deputies also allege Morris used sophisticated damage estimating software to inflate costs.

He was first arrested in Ascension Parish Feb. 8. After Morris was release Feb. 10, he was rearrested Feb. 21 at his home and booked into East Baton Rouge Parish before he was taken to Livingston Parish Detention Center where he is being held in lieu of $780,000 bail along with holds from other jurisdictions.

Ascension Parish sheriff's deputies are planning to bring him to their parish Monday afternoon to book him on counts involving four more victims, Chief Deputy Bobby Webre said.

Prosecutors with the 23rd Judicial District in Ascension allege in their motion filed in February that Morris used payments purportedly owed to his company to secure lines of credit.

But prosecutors allege that the payments were actually "false" and based on contracts that had been terminated over allegations of Morris' fraudulent business practices.

Prosecutors said in the motion that Morris, while sitting in Ascension Parish Prison last month, directed family members and his comptroller, Kerry Jones, to secure the lines of credit on his behalf.

Jones, the comptroller, told sheriff's deputies that Morris showed up at Complete Construction's office on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge after he posted bail in Ascension on Feb. 10 with $200,000 cash and a handgun, prosecutors said.

"Morris attempted to assure his employees that everything was going to be okay," prosecutors wrote in their motion.

After Livingston Parish sheriff's deputies obtained warrants against Morris, they spoke with him and his attorney and had planned to have him turn himself in Feb. 17 at the Sheriff's Office.

"Instead of turning himself in, Mr. Morris went off the grid," prosecutors said in the motion.

Sheriff's deputies had to ask Crimestoppers to put out a notice on Morris and formed a special task force to find him.

Authorities caught up with Morris at 7 a.m. Feb. 21 at his home in Mallard Lakes subdivision in Baton Rouge. He was about to leave the house with his wife when they arrived, prosecutors said.

Morris is set to appear in 23rd Judicial District Court at 9 a.m. March 20 on the prosecutors' motion. In addition to setting the hearing date, Judge Jessie LeBlanc also ordered the law enforcement agencies to hold Morris until then.

Follow David J. Mitchell on Twitter, @NewsieDave.

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Two Ascension schools move to temporary sites after flood – WBRZ

Posted: at 3:30 pm

ST. AMANT Two Ascension schools displaced from the historic August flooding finally movedfrom their temporary sites Monday morning.

Lake Elementary moved from host sites Duplessis Primary, Prarieville Middle and the old RPCC campus to temporary buildings on its home campus. St. Amant Primary movedits PreK through second grades from G.W. Carver Primary to the old RPCC campus so the entireschool is on a single site.

Both schools have been at their respective host sites since the August flood. Teachers movedtheir classroom materials over the weekend in preparationfor the start of school on Monday.

"This is yet another significant step toward our flood recovery, and we are very appreciative of all the hard work of internal and externalpartners that have madethis happen," said Ascension Public Schools Superintendent David Alexander.

St. Amant High School returned to its campus on Feb. 13 and Galvez Primary returned on Mar. 2.

The last flooded school to leave a host site will be Galvez Middle.

For more flood recovery updates, visit http://www.apsb.org.

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Ardern ascension, King exit, barely balances ledger for Labour – The Press West Coast

Posted: at 3:30 pm

LIAM HEHIR

Last updated05:00, March 7 2017

Chris Skelton

Labour leader Andrew Little and his new deputy Jacinda Ardern.

OPINION: Will Jacinda Arden's accession to the deputy leadership of the Labour Party be the "game changer" that has been heralded so often before?

Ifthe Labour-Green memorandum of understanding, the rise of James Shaw, the retirement of John Key and the Future of Work Commission have not had the prophesied effect, will this be the thing that finally tilts the balance of New Zealand politics away from National?

Many commentators are excited about the prospect, telling us that Ardern's young, hip image and undeniable media impact will supply Labour with the votes of young Aucklanders in numbers sufficient to make this year's election competitive.

This is a curious claim given that the new deputy who recently won the substantively uncontested Mt Albert by-election has twice failed to win Auckland Central.

READ MORE: *Editorial: Annette King a worthy Wellington champion *Stacey Kirk: Mt Albert win gives Jacinda Ardern near unstoppable momentum *Annette King's move from defiance to acceptance boosts Labour's chances

It's hard to see how Ardern guarantees the votes of young Aucklanders when an Auckland seat held by Labour from 1919 to 2008, which happens to have the highest concentration of young voters in the country, proved beyond her reach.

But more generally, the case for changes in party leaderships making a material difference in elections seems overblown.

We often hear that voters are overly influenced by the politics of public relations. There is probably something to this, but it pays to remember the gripes almost always comes from the losing side. While this makes sense (why would the winners complain?), the danger is that blaming the environment is an outlet for those in denial about the real causes of their defeat.

Rejection is never easy to take, and it may be easier to stomach the idea that the voters are at fault for deciding on the basis personal popularity rather than policy and competence. It's a bipartisan temptation, with ideologues on both Left and the Right being equally apt to blame the herd mentality of the "sheeple" for the unpopularity of the agendas.

In 2001, the National Party caucus despaired of its chances of winning the next election under Jenny Shipley. It deposed her in favour of her recently appointed deputy, Bill English, who had long been touted as a future prime minister. Despite being just 39 years old, English had been in Parliament for 11 years and had even served as minister of finance.

After becoming leader of the opposition, English's preferred prime minister percentage in the Colmar-Brunton poll climbed strongly before falling and then rising again in the run-up to the 2002 election. While he never came close to matching Helen Clark, his ratings were much better than those achieved by the last four Labour leaders.

But as far as the National Party's polling went, however, it didn't make much difference. Whatever the trend in the preferred prime minister stakes, National's party vote maintained a consistent downward trajectory. The party went on to receive less than 21 per centin the general election.

In recent years, John Key's personal style has been cited as an example of PR vapidity triumphing over substance. However, it is pretty clear that his government's popularity was more stable than his personal popularity.

After becoming prime minister, through to the 2014 election, Key's preferred prime minister rating was very rarely less than 50 per cent, with it exceeding more than 70 per cent at times. Prior to his resignation last year, however, the ceiling for his rating was lower than 40 per cent.

And yet through that decline, National's polling proved resilient. It certainly did not go through anything like the same decline.

But in any event, Ardern is not the leader of the Labour Party. She has become Andrew Little's deputy. If the actual leader only has a marginal impact in most cases, a deputy leader's impact will be smaller by several orders of magnitude.

Ardern was a high-profile member of the Opposition before acceding to the deputy leadership and it's hard to see what her new position adds to that. Against that, the manner and timing of her promotion have had two very certain outcomes.

First, now former deputy Annette King will retire from Parliament. This means Labour will lose an MP with experience of actually being in power, who has the respect of the other side of the aisle and who is widely admired in the provinces. For all the handwringing about the need for renewal, her retirement is not a good thing for Labour.

Secondly, assuming she wants the job, Ardern will become leader if Andrew Little fails to topple National in September.

Until now, he probably would have survived a narrow loss, as many leaders of the Opposition have done before him. Now, all the momentum is with Ardern and, like Bill English in 2001, the pressure will be on for her to complete what many have considered to be her destiny ever since she first arrived in Parliament back in 2008.

-Stuff

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Video Clip For New Song "Ascension" Issued By Voyager – Metal Underground

Posted: at 3:30 pm


TeamRock.com
Video Clip For New Song "Ascension" Issued By Voyager
Metal Underground
Australian progressive metal act Voyager issued a video clip for the new song "Ascension." The song will appear on the band's new album "Ghost Mile." A pre-order campaign is currently underway for "Ghost Mile" at this location. Check out "Ascension" here:.
Voyager Release First Video From New AlbumTeamRock.com

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Amazon Chief Bezos Expected to Unveil Further Private Space Exploration Plans – Fox Business

Posted: at 3:29 pm

The burgeoning space-transportation company owned by Amazon.com chairman JeffBezosthis week is expected to announce some customers and new initiatives, the latest step toward its long-term goal of building rockets powerful enough to penetrate deep into the solar system, according to industry officials.

The moves by the typically secretive Mr.Bezos, these officials said, are anticipated to disclose further details about Blue Origin LLC's strategy to create a family of reusable rockets initially intended to take tourists on suborbital voyages, and then propel spacecraft into Earth's orbit and eventually blast both manned and robotic missions to the Moon and various planets.

Plans for heavy-lift boosters previously unveiled by Mr.Bezos, including one version roughly half as powerful as the iconic Saturn V rockets that lifted Apollo astronauts to the moon, ultimately could emerge as rivals with powerful rockets already under development by fellow billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is working on its own version of a deep-space booster and capsule.

The initial test flight of SpaceX's long-delayed Falcon Heavy, which would become the world's most potent operational rocket, is scheduled for later this year. NASA's much larger booster, called SLS, is slated for its maiden flight in 2018.

So far, Mr.Bezoshas been less specific about timetables to demonstrate the reliability of his emerging heavy-lift rocket variant, called New Glenn, after the late astronaut and U.S. senator, John Glenn. Amazon's founder has been even less specific about a next-generation rocket on the drawing board, dubbed New Armstrong, in memory of the late astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was the first man to set foot on the Moon. That booster is intended for travel deep into the solar system.

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Both self-described "space geeks" with ambitious visions of helping humans establish large-scale settlements beyond Earth in their lifetimes, Messrs.Bezosand Musk have jousted good-naturedly on social media in the past about competing to land the first spent booster vertically back on Earth. Mr.Bezosdid it first after a suborbital mission, but Mr. Musk accomplished the feat by landing the main portion of a Falcon 9 rocket that delivered a payload into orbit.

For the first time, Blue Origin in the next few days is expected to make public specific customers, according to industry officials. A series of announcements and postings on Twitter is slated to follow a separate flurry of news reports last week about Blue Origin's bid for NASA's support to ship experiments, cargo and other hardware to the moon with the aim of setting up a permanent settlement there.

The proposal, which hasn't been acted on by the agency, was first reported by the Washington Post, which is controlled by Mr.Bezos.

Last-minute shifts could change Blue Origin's plans for the coming days, and Mr.Bezosis renowned for teasing the media with broad concepts, often without providing subsequent details. He is scheduled to speak Tuesday morning in the prominent leadoff slot at an international satellite conference in Washington.

The appearance also comes in the wake of Mr. Musk prompting headlines last week with a proposal to fly two fare-paying passengers on an automated trip around the moon by 2018.

Traditional and startup U.S. space companies are maneuvering to take advantage of the principle of public-private partnerships to accelerate manned exploration favored by President Donald Trump's administration.

With a few exceptions, Mr.Bezoshas opted to run Blue Origin since its founding at the beginning of the last decade behind a strict veil of secrecy -- and without seeking substantial federal contracts or development funding.

Last September, Mr.Bezosrocked the international aerospace community by disclosing that his New Glenn rocket would feature a cluster of seven main engines and stand more than 310 feet tall. If it flies by the end of the decade as intended, the largest version of the proposed booster could vie for commercial and military satellite launches with SpaceX, Europe's premier launch provider Arianespace and United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp.

Over the years, Mr.Bezoshas stressed the importance of creating reusable technology able to slash transportation costs by operating much more frequently than today's rockets. He also has talked about his long-term vision of "millions of people living and working in space."

Unlike Mr. Musk, who relishes making a steady stream of splashy announcements setting increasingly aggressive goals, Mr.Bezosremained virtually silent to outsiders until after Blue Origin pulled off its coup of successfully landing a New Shepard booster back at its West Texas launchpad in late 2015.

The unmanned vehicle flew a suborbital test to 333,000 feet, reached nearly four times the speed of sound, and then both the capsule and its liquid-fueled rocket separately landed safely -- ready for another flight. At the time, Mr.Bezosprojected commercial space-tourism flights could start "sometime in 2017." He also said "full reuse is a game changer" for access to space.

In November 2016, when he disclosed plans for a series of larger rockets with substantially more thrust, Mr.Bezosissued a stark reminder of how different his approach is versus that of Mr. Musk.

Noting "our mascot is the tortoise," Mr.Bezossaid "deliberate and methodical wins the day, and you do things quickest by never skipping steps."

Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com

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Nanotech may help bring frozen organs back to life – India.com – India.com

Posted: at 3:28 pm

Washington, Mar 6 (PTI) Scientists are developing a new method to safely bring frozen organs back to life using nanotechnology, an advance that may make donated organs for transplants available to virtually everyone who needs them.

The number of donated organs that may be transplanted into patients could increase greatly if there were a way to freeze and reheat organs without damaging the cells within them.

Scientists, including those from the University of Minnesota in the US, developed a way to safely thaw frozen tissues with the aid of nanoparticles.

The researchers manufactured silica-coated nanoparticles that contained iron oxide. When they applied a magnetic field to frozen tissues suffused with the nanoparticles, the nanoparticles generated heat rapidly and uniformly.

The tissue samples warmed up at rates of up to more than 130 degrees Celsius per minute, which is 10 to 100 times faster than previous methods.

Researchers tested their method on frozen human skin cells, segments of pig heart valves and sections of pig arteries.

None of the rewarmed tissues displayed signs of harm from the heating process, and they preserved key physical properties such as elasticity.

The researchers were able to wash away the nanoparticles from the sample after thawing, Live Science reported.

Previous research successfully thawed tiny biological samples that were only one to three milliliters in volume.

The new technique works for samples that are up to 50 millilitres in size. The researchers said there is a strong possibility they could scale up their technique to even larger systems, such as organs.

We are at the level of rabbit organs now. We have a way to go for human organs, but nothing seems to preclude us from that, said John Bischof, from University of Minnesota.

The findings are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

This is published unedited from the PTI feed.

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