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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.

 
For Hundreds of Years, People Thought California...
In 1971, Glen McLaughlin came across a strange map in a London map shop. Americæ Nova Descriptio, produced by Anne Seile (1) in 1663, showed California as a big, carrot-shaped island, floating off the coast of North America. McLaughlin, a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, bought the map and hung it on a wall at home. It turned into a popular talking point with visitors, and California-as-an-island became McLaughlin’s decades-long obsession. Over the next 40 years, he collected more...

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In Defense of Eating Brains
“It’s normal now for people to say, ‘I can eat a steak, but the cow’s brain? That’s the most extreme thing I’ve ever heard,” says health coach and offal cookbook author Ashleigh VanHouten. “Throughout history, this was never a question. It wasn’t like, ‘In what culture was the brain eaten?’ Everybody ate all of it.” Traditionally, many cultures have regarded animal brains as a delicacy, and not just because of an ethos of zero waste. Brain’s texture and flavor—rich,...

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'Il Risveglio' ('The Awakening') in Viterbo, Italy
A silver, screaming giant is emerging from the ground at Viterbo’s Parco Valle Faul. His outstretched right arm towers above the ground, and his bent left leg and knee rise above the earth, while his left hand and right foot just break the surface. Where his bearded face breaks through the ground, you can see his mouth opening wide, as if to unleash a primal scream. this is Il Risveglio (The Awakening), a fiberglass version of a sculpture created by John...

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The Women Who Overcame Insults and Even...
In Atlas Obscura’s Q&A series She Was There, we talk to female scholars who are writing long-forgotten women back into history. From soccer player Mia Hamm to gymnast Simone Biles to tennis champion Serena Williams, many female athletes are household names today. But for centuries, their predecessors were banned from participating in—or even watching—sports. In ancient Greece, women caught attending the original Olympic Games could face the death penalty. In the Victorian era, it was believed women who exercised...

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Red History Museum in Dubrovnik, Croatia
The Red History Museum offers a distinctive interactive journey through the daily life of communist Yugoslavia—a significant era in Croatian history. Spanning 400 square meters, this innovative space combines modern and traditional technologies, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the art, design, politics, secret agencies, and the Non-Aligned Movement of that period. Explore, listen to iconic music, witness historical moments recreated, and uncover the personal narratives of individuals living under the vigilant gaze of the Communist Party.

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Bà Nà Hills in Hòa Vang, Vietnam
After being abandoned as a French resort built in 1919 in colonial Vietnam, Bà Nà Hills was rebuilt and redesigned as a theme park. The beauty of Bà Nà Hills is unmatched. Majestically rising from the Da Nang region below, the only way to access this place is through a cable car ride. Make no mistake, as this is one of the best and longest cable car rides in the world, offering a 360-degree view overlooking the greenery below....

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Abandoned Casino in Hammam Lif, Tunisia
Hammam Lif is a lively town a stone’s throw south of Tunis. A thick network of narrow, crisscrossing roads run between old and new buildings. Along the beach there is an iconic casino, a testament to a time when Hammam Lif was a thriving multicultural center that attracted important events. The French administration commissioned the building of a casino in Hammam Lif toward the end of the 19th century to attract visitors. The structure’s Moorish design radiated elegance and opulence....

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Heksestein (The Witch Stone) in Bergen, Norway
In the quiet Nordnes neighborhood of Bergen, there is a small stone memorial known as Heksestein, or the Witch Stone. It remembers where 350 people condemned for witchcraft were burned at the stake during the country’s bloody witch trials in the 16th and 17th centuries. Located on a peninsula between Vågen and Puddefjorden, west of the city center, Nordnes is a neighborhood defined by religion, merchants, and the Norwegian royal court. Originally home to a monastery, Nordnes became a neighborhood...

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Basílica Santuari de Nostra Senyora de Meritxell...
The name “Meritxell” is well known throughout the little nation of Andorra. Even by microstate standards, it is a small village, with only 75 people. However, this village has one very notable feature: It is home to the patron saint of the country. Known as Our Lady of Meritxell, she’s a wooden statue that was very insistent on living in this little town. The legend goes that while villagers from Meritxell were traveling to mass in Canillo, they discovered...

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Wonder Is Everywhere: Vanilla Queens, an Ancient...
Wonder is everywhere. That’s why, every other week, Atlas Obscura drags you down some of the rabbit holes we encounter as we search for our unusual stories. We highlight surprising finds, great writing, and inspiring stories from some of our favorite publications. The Vanilla Queens of Mexico by Leila Miller, Los Angeles Times In Papantla, Mexico, the queen is crowned with vanilla. To celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi—May 30 this year—the stems of the Vanilla planifolia orchid are...

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How to See Where Lunar X Marks...
The Moon is waxing now, culminating in a full micromoon at the end of this month. This is the opposite of a supermoon; a micromoon is a full Moon at its most distant location from Earth. Though brand-new crescents and glittering full Moons get the most attention, there’s something especially interesting to see this week, when our satellite is half-lit by the Sun. On Friday, Feb. 16, the Moon is at first quarter, and this month, the phase gives...

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The Obscure Presidential Cocktail That Made You...
Enough was enough. Someone had to challenge the current president for the Republican nomination, and it was going to be him. “My hat is in the ring,” former president Theodore Roosevelt told W. F. Eirick, a local politician in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 21, 1912. And thus began Roosevelt’s run for an unprecedented third term for the presidency. Eight years earlier, Roosevelt had soundly won the 1904 presidential election and thought he wouldn’t consider running again. He even issued...

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Interview with CEO & Co-founder Tiago Araújo...
In this article, we interview Tiago Araújo, the CEO & Co-founder of HiJiffy. Araújo launched HiJiffy in 2016 to enhance hotel guest communication. Today, HiJiffy leverages AI-driven technologies for direct bookings, new revenue streams, personalized communication with guests, and more. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? The post Interview with CEO & Co-founder Tiago Araújo of HiJiffy appeared first on Revfine.com.

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Best Practices for GDS Optimisation in Hotel...
Question for Our Hotel Marketing Expert Panel What is your advice for using GDS as part of a hotel’s overall distribution strategy? What tips or best practices can you share for getting the most out of your GDS? (Question from Nicole Sideris) Our Marketing Expert Panel Tamie Matthews The post Best Practices for GDS Optimisation in Hotel Distribution Strategy appeared first on Revfine.com.

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How Do You Take Your Hotel’s Data...
So, you are interested in hospitality data? In the current world of hospitality, data has become the cornerstone of strategic and tactical decision-making. This article explores how data and data tools can help transform operations across the hotel, improve communication and efficiency, and drive revenue and profit growth. Uncover the first steps to integrating analytics The post How Do You Take Your Hotel’s Data Game to the Next Level? appeared first on Revfine.com.

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