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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Ali El Hendy Coffeehouse in Alexandria, Egypt
In the heart of labyrinthine streets and back alleys in Alexandria’s El-Mansheya area, about as hidden as can be, an antique coffeehouse captures the city’s classical charm. Established in 1882, the Ali El-Hendy Coffeehouse is both a lesser-known but locally beloved gem, and a stunning work of Art Nouveau architecture. At the time of its founding, the coffeehouse was run by a Greek woman named Maria Khritiobas. Her partner, an Egyptian named Ali El-Hendy, later bought the place from her...

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Roman Baths of Sliema in Sliema, Malta
The shoreline of much of the island of Malta is rather rocky, so it could be difficult or even dangerous to go swimming in many places. However, the shore of the urban area of Sliema (which is located just northwest of the nation’s capital, Valletta) features a series of pools cut into the rock with narrow channels or underwater channels connecting the pools to the sea. Most of these pools are square in shape and are only a couple...

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The Oldest Guy Fawkes Effigy in Battle,...
In 1646, St. Mary’s Church, in the town of Battle, spent “2 shillings and 6 pence”—an average day’s wage for a skilled tradesman—on Guy Fawkes Night, marking the earliest record of such celebrations in Battle. Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, is a traditional British celebration that takes place annually on November 5. The night marks the thwarted Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in which a group of Catholic conspirators planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament,...

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IHG Hotel Brands: List of InterContinental Hotels...
IHG Hotel Brands (InterContinental Hotels Group) encompass various hospitality options within over one hundred different countries. Because of its significance, as you learn about IHG you learn about the larger hotel ecosystem as a whole. Understanding the IHG hotel brand is especially important because of its wide reach. The full scope of the IHG encompasses The post IHG Hotel Brands: List of InterContinental Hotels Group Brands appeared first on Revfine.com.

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Pilchowice Hydroelectic Dam in Pilchowice, Poland
Despite lying less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) north of Jelenia Góra, Poland‘s tallest stone and arch dam at Pilchowice gives the impression of being located in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps it’s the narrow, winding forest roads that occasionally abandon pavement for cobblestones, or the abandoned train tracks that crisscross the road and the river with rusty bridges and stone tunnels. Although the reservoir is a popular recreation spot for locals, it’s never truly busy. The massive stone dam and...

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Cijin Shell Gallery in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Cijin Island in Kaohsiung is popular among daytrippers in Kaohsiung for its black sand beaches and the 19th-century lighthouse on its northern tip, which has become a minor tourist attraction. The island also boasts Taiwan’s largest collection of shells at the Cijin Shell Gallery, a museum on the second floor of the island’s tourist center overlooking the beach. The more than 3,000 shells were donated to the city by local collector Huang Ko-Liang and the local tourism bureau built...

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Crawford Castle in Crawford, Scotland
The earliest version of Crawford Castle consisted of a motte and bailey, with a surrounding ditch. On the remains of the motte stand the ruins of a square enclosure surrounded by a curtain wall. Researchers believe there may have been round towers at each corner of the enclosure dating back to the 16th or early 17th centuries. A range of buildings on the southwest were also constructed around the 16th or 17th century. This tower-like range was three stories...

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Il Fatidico Sgabello in Florence, Italy
The François Vase is one of the most notable pieces in the National Archaeological Museum of Florence’s collection. Dated to circa 570-560 B.C., this Attic black-figure krater, the oldest of its kind known today, was discovered in an Etruscan necropolis in Chiusi in 1844 and sent to Florence for restoration. The pottery bears two inscriptions: “Ergotimos made me” and “Kleitias painted me.” Both are fairly well-known artists in antiquity, with several of their works exhibited at museums around the...

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How to Make Friends With a Bird
You’re kicked back in a camp chair, daydreaming about flapjacks and watching the breeze blow through the leaves, when you catch movement in your peripheral vision. You cautiously turn your head to see the prowler. It has feathers, and it’s looking right at you. Quick, what do you do? Start by resisting the urge to reach for your cell phone, says naturalist David Mizejewski, with the National Wildlife Federation. “You’re only going to see this animal for just a...

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Lake Lenexa Dam and Spillway in Lenexa,...
Nestled in the suburbs, you can find the dam and spillway constraining Lake Lenexa, and the life that flourishes around it. Completed in 2006 as part of the city’s Vision 2020 Project, the outfitted dam serves as a functional piece of art. Embellished with fountains, sculptures, and flowing reservoirs of water, the dam’s adornments each symbolize a different part of the water cycle. They also serve as commentary on the role humans play in the ecosystem. The spillway from...

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Why a Night in the Woods Can...
For many, the ambient sound of the woods—birds chirping, streams gurgling, and leaves rustling in the trees—is one of the main draws of spending a weekend camping. The natural symphony of the forest floor is not just a delightful combination of sounds; it’s been scientifically linked to improved focus and relaxation. Often replicated on white noise machines, the low-decibel hum of nature can quieten the human mind better than artificial noise, further proving the link between calm, well-being, and...

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African Jew Museum in Jacksonville, Florida
A pharmacist by profession, Phillip Brown moved to Jacksonville in the 1970s and, while operating a pharmacy, began collecting art in his spare time. Eventually, this art collection superseded the pharmacy, and he began focusing on buying, selling and, sometimes, making art full-time. The focus of his gallery has evolved over time. It began as a more traditional collection of pieces he enjoyed, with an emphasis on the “spirit” or spiritualism of a piece. As time went on, he...

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Bench Avenue in Chattanooga, Tennessee
In October of 2022, the local government of Chattanooga began removing public benches from bus stops and parks because business owners complained that Chattanoogans experiencing homelessness were utilizing them. A group called the Chattanooga Urbanist Society was formed and began building their own benches to replace what the city had taken away. They continued pushing forward with the help of other community organizations like ChattaTransit in placing multiple benches every month throughout 2023. In May 2024, both organizations collaborated...

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In the Siberian Arctic, New Year Comes...
Many cultures celebrate the New Year twice: once on January 1, and once on a culturally-specific date. Persians have Nowruz, Thais have Songkran, and some Russians celebrate New Year on January 13 or 14, following the old Orthodox Christian calendar. But for the Sakha (or Yakut) people of Russia’s far north, New Year falls on June 21, the summer solstice, resulting in a unique dual holiday known as Yhyakh (pronounced like “uh-hukh”). “When I was growing up, it was...

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In India, Music Helps Spread the Message...
At the behest of the Indian government, the United Nations declared 2023 to be the “International Year of Millets.” It was just one of many initiatives India has undertaken in the last decade to promote millets, sometimes known as the country’s “forgotten” or “orphan” crops. In fact, the passion for millet revival was referred to as “millet madness” as early as 2013. Millets are grasses with small, hard, round seeds, and nine different species have been cultivated in India...

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