New ‘time-slip’ book that’s a must-read for His Dark Materials fans

Arts & Culture, Books

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreA new book is on the cusp of being released that is an essential read for fans of His Dark Materials.Phillip Pullman’s fantasy series, which featured titles including Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, was suitable for all ages, doubling as a coming-of-age tale focused on teenagers Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry as well as a more mature read with allusions to philosophical and theological concepts.The new book in question is Fallen Feathers, Adam Howorth’s exciting time-slip adventure merging past and present.While it has shades of Kazuo Ishiguro (Never Let Me Go, Klara and the Sun) and Angela Carter (The Magic Toyshop, Wise Children), the novel is very much its own thing, with the author’s highly original work “exploring the nature of faith and existence, through the dual lens of childhood innocence and increasingly desperate parenthood”. But Fallen Feathers, whose plot is anchored by a mysterious book that changes the course of many lives over several time periods, is a highly original read. The central character is Elizabeth Fairchild, a child who goes missing during a rare lunar eclipse known as a super blood moon. The synopsis reads: “The race is on to find her before the eclipse is over and she is lost forever. From the discovery of another local girl that went missing years before and a book revealing an ancient prophecy that Elizabeth is a special, golden child, the past collides with modern day life in this spellbinding, epic tale of family, love and dangerous secrets.”Among the book’s fans are Stephen Fry, who described the “enthralling” book as “a serious achievement”, and The Independent editor Geordie Greig, who called it “original and arresting”.Fallen Feathers is being published on 28 October. ‘Fallen Feathers’ is an essential read

Tourism Minister Hopes Share of Inbound Tourism Will Continue to Grow

Travel

On the second, closing day of the Annual Meeting of the European Committee of Tour Operators and Travel Agents Associations (ECTAA), held in Sofia, Minister of Tourism Evtim Miloshev expressed hope that the share of inbound tourism in Bulgaria will continue to grow. For the period June – July, 2024, a total of 29.2% of inbound tourism in this country was organized through tour operators, as well as 35.1% of Bulgarians’ personal trips abroad in Q2 of 2024. 
The forum is hosted and organized by the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents (ABTTA), in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and the two largest municipalities in Bulgaria – Sofia and Plovdiv.
Minister Miloshev pointed out that in the last few years tourism in the world has experienced an unprecedented crisis. “All the dramatic events in the world and Europe – COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East – have confronted the tourism sector in Bulgaria with new challenges, which fortunately we have managed to overcome and come out of the crises stronger, more resilient and more competitive,” he said.
According to him, for the period January-August 2024, the total number of tourist registrations is close to 7 million. Bulgaria’s tourism is currently performing better than in 2023 and the pre-pandemic 2019 by this indicator. There is a slight slowdown in the rate of recovery of inbound tourism from abroad, Miloshev commented.
He expressed satisfaction that the share of tourism in the country’s GDP has increased from 4.9% in 2021 to 7% in 2023.
The Minister briefed the participants in the forum on the idea of a new tourism product with a working title “Destination Balkans” or “Brand Balkans”, and told them about the signed bilateral documents in tourism with his colleagues from Romania, Albania and Montenegro. Miloshev pointed out that he is also expecting meetings with the tourism ministers of Greece and Turkiye. “We want to improve the air connectivity in the Balkans and present this new product, which I believe will upgrade the tourist services offered and will be very interesting, especially for tourists from America and Asia,” the Minister said, noting that this would also be of commercial interest for business.
/NZ/

The invitation is now open to become WA’s next Chief Scientist

Science and Health

Cook Government is now looking for a new State Chief ScientistCurrent Chief Scientist Professor Peter Klinken AC to conclude his term in June 2025The Chief Scientist provides key advice on science, technology and innovationThe Cook Government is now looking for a new State Chief Scientist and has opened registrations of interest (ROI) for the position.Science Minister Stephen Dawson commended the current State Chief Scientist, Professor Klinken AC, following a decade of service in the role and who will finish up in June 2025.As Chief Scientist, Professor Klinken provides independent advice to the State Government on matters regarding science, technology and innovation throughout the State.This includes advising on the ways in which science and technology assist in the diversification and decarbonisation of WA’s economy, as well as supporting the State’s thriving regions and sustainable environments.Professor Klinken first began his tenure in 2014 as WA’s third Chief Scientist since the role was established in 2003.The role is also crucial in providing advice to government on many of the key priority sectors that support Diversify WA and Future State: Accelerating Diversify WA outcomes.Key responsibilities of the Chief Scientist include:promoting science and technology across government, communities and businesses;inspiring young people, and supporting diversity and inclusion in science and technology fields;representing WA and contributing to national thinking at the Forum of Australian Chief Scientists; andchairing the assessment panels for the annual Premier’s Science Awards.The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation is coordinating the ROI and appointment process for the next Chief Scientist.The three-year fixed term role will commence in June 2025 (or as agreed). For more information and to register your interest visit: Chief Scientist of Western Australia: Registrations of interestAs stated by Science Minister Stephen Dawson:“The Chief Scientist of Western Australia plays a crucial role in providing important and strategic advice to the Government on matters to do with science, technology and innovation.“On behalf of the Cook Government and Western Australians, I want to pass on our thanks to the outgoing Chief Scientist Professor Peter Klinken AC, a man who has served tirelessly in the role for 10 years and has done amazing work for Western Australia.“I encourage anyone with the relevant experience, achievements and commitment who is interested in taking on this prestigious role to put in a registration of interest.“I know our State has some of the greatest minds available and I am looking forward to seeing who takes up the mantle next at this great time of change and innovation.” Source & references /Public Release. View in full here.

Bad day for letter “X” as study shows teens rejecting Twitter, sex in movies and TV

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Potentially igniting the latest front in the ongoing discourse war over sexually explicit content in film and movies (and whether the up-and-coming generations are too boring to think it kicks ass), a new study from the University of California’s Los Angeles’ Center for Scholars & Storytellers suggests that younger viewers are getting ever more weary of both sex and romance in TV shows and films. Also, Twitter: The Youths do not like Twitter.
The 2024 installment of the Center’s Teens And Screens report surveyed 1,500 young people between the ages of 10 and 24, asking them several questions about their media interests. (Respondents 13 and under weren’t asked the sex questions, to be clear.) When asked whether they wanted “to see more content that focuses on platonic relationships/friendships,” 63.5 percent of survey respondents said they did, with that number jumping up 12 percentage points from the same survey last year. Sex took an even harder hit than love; 62.4 percent of respondents said that sexual content “isn’t needed as a plot device”; in the similar survey from last year, just “47.5 percent said the same thing. (All of this, per Variety, although you can read the study for yourself right here.)

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The “is sex in movies and shows ‘necessary’?” discourse has, of course, been borderline overpowering (and way past borderline exhausting) on the internet in the last few years. Opinions about those opinions are just as diverse, firmly held, and likely to get loud—we’ll confess, the original draft of this story’s headline was just  “Study reveals teenagers no longer cool,” but our mentions don’t need the stress—but the data itself seems at least moderately clear: Teenagers, or at least the kind of teenagers who participate in media surveys, aren’t surreptitiously seeking the horny stuff anymore. (For the record, the exact statement they were rating was “I feel that sex and sexual content is not needed for the plot of most TV shows and movies”; 62.4 percent strongly agreed, 16 percent strongly disagreed, and 21.6 percent came down in the middle.) Also: They prefer fantasy stories (36.2 percent) to stuff about rich and famous people (7.2 percent), or personal issues (24.2 percent), actually still like going to the movies, and prefer “Hopeful, uplifting content with people ‘beating the odds’.”
We actually got our biggest shock of the whole survey when we got to the part about social media consumption: While teens obviously favored social media as the “media space” that made the most authentic-feeling content, they apparently reported that YouTube was doing a better job of serving it up these days than TikTok. (It was close, 38.8 percent to 36.3 percent, but still a shift from 2023.) Twitter, meanwhile, came in dead last on that particular metric, with only 18.1 percent of respondents saying it produced authentic content. (Oh, and they hate how social media use is depicted in TV and movies, by the way; get on that, Hollywood.)

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Image Science & Exploration ‘Alien’ signal decoded 22/10/2024 1856 views 16 likes View

Science and Health

White dots arranged in five clusters against a black background. This is the simulated extraterrestrial signal transmitted from Mars and deciphered by a father and a daughter on Earth after a year-long decoding effort.On 7 June 2024, media artist Daniela de Paulis received this simple, retro-looking image depicting five amino acids in her inbox. It was the solution to a cosmic puzzle beamed from ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) in May 2023, when the European spacecraft played alien as part of the multidisciplinary art project ‘A Sign in Space’.After three radio astronomy observatories on Earth intercepted the signal, the challenge was first to extract the message from the raw data of the radio signal, and secondly to decode it. In just 10 days, a community of 5000 citizen scientists gathered online and managed to extract the signal. The second task took longer and required some visionary minds.  US citizens Ken and Keli Chaffin cracked the code following their intuition and running simulations for hours and days on end. The father and daughter team discovered that the message contained movement, suggesting some sort of cellular formation and life forms. Amino acids and proteins are the building blocks of life.Now that the cryptic signal has been deciphered, the quest for meaning begins. The interpretation of the message, like any art piece, remains open.  Daniela crafted the message with a small group of astronomers and computer scientists, with support from ESA, the SETI Institute and the Green Bank Observatory. The artist and collaborators behind the project are now taking a step back and witnessing how citizen scientists are shaping the challenge on their own. Could this sign of extraterrestrial intelligence be a recipe for destruction or a peaceful message? Are we ready for a first contact with an alien civilisation?Join the community and contribute your ideas on the online Discord platform.  

The art and science of aging well

Science and Health

Open this photo in gallery:Illustration by Drew ShannonThere is widespread apprehension that as we age, we lose our hearing, sight and balance. We lose our independence and are confined to spend our “golden years” in a long-term care facility. Not an enticing prospect.There is no denying that like the soles of the shoes we wear daily, the cells in our bodies gradually wear out. At the same time the body’s garbage collection mechanism – the immune system – deteriorates. As a result, dysfunctional cells and proteins start to accumulate in the body and affect negatively many tissues and organs.While there are no surefire ways to avoid these processes and the afflictions they may cause, there are scientifically supported lifestyle choices and measures that have been found to increase your (and my, we are in this together) chances to stay fit, healthy and happy to a ripe old age.Healthy aging and longevity are modulated by a lucky combination of genetic and non-genetic factors. Studies have demonstrated that about 25 per cent of the variation in human longevity is due to genetic factors. [1, 2]. And, of course, luck also plays a role. Keeping that in mind, let us to look at factors we can control.A diverse dietA study conducted in Sydney, Australia, revealed centenarians typically derived 57 to 65 per cent of their energy from carbohydrates, 27 to 31 per cent from fats, and 12 to 32 per cent from proteins. Their diet consisted of rice, wheat, fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish, and legumes, with a moderate intake of red meat [3]. This eating pattern, like the Mediterranean diet, is associated with reduced risks of physical decline and mortality [4].Most centenarians also chose a low-salt diet. Those who favoured salty foods or added extra salt to their meals had a 3.6 times higher risk of impaired physical function compared to those who didn’t have a salt preference.These findings suggest that our diets should include plenty of whole grains, root vegetables, beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables, while limiting red meat consumption, sweets, sodas, refined grains such as white bread or rice, fried foods, fast food, and mindless snacking. Choose lean poultry, fish, and plant-based proteins. Also, be mindful of portion sizes.How you eat also matters. Eating should engage the parasympathetic nervous system, focusing on “rest and digest.” Don’t drive and eat or eat while on the phone. Sit down, breathe, and smell your food. Eat mindfully. Enjoy a meal with a friend.Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.—

New Scientist recommends documentary Hunt for the Oldest DNA

Science and Health

Eske WillerslevHandful of Films Inc
Stories about science can be a tough sell to friends and family, particularly if they lack the human-centred narratives of a political scandal or court case. Luckily that isn’t so a documentary that had its UK Iaunch recently. Hunt for the Oldest DNA is a tight, well-produced work that focuses on a competitive, adventurous, rule-breaker called Eske Willerslev (pictured above), who bet his career on finding prehistoric DNA in Arctic permafrost. There are some flaws – the harm Willerslev’s ambition causes to others deserved more attention – but the overall result is a thought-provoking character study.…

Sarawak Book Fair returns in collab with Sarawak Authors Festival

Arts & Culture, Books

(From fourth left) Japri and Dr Sim show the event flyers joined by officials at Wisma Bapa Malaysia today. – Photo by Agnes Tugong
KUCHING (Oct 25): The Sarawak Book Fair, previously called the Kuching Book Fair, is returning for its third edition in collaboration with the Sarawak Authors Festival (SAF) 2024 this Oct 28 to Nov 3.
To take place at The Hills Shopping Mall here, the festival will feature 60 exhibitors and a dynamic programme of activities for visitors throughout its seven-day run.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian emphasised the importance of the book fair in fostering a culture of reading among the public.
“Our Premier (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg) is well-informed because he reads extensively. We too must read more to enhance our knowledge.
“With Sarawak on its way to becoming a developed state by 2030, we need to transform our people through education, and reading is essential to that,” he told a press conference at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here today.
Also present was Sarawak State Library CEO Japri Bujang Masli.
Organised by Sarawak State Library, the fair would be officiated by Dr Sim on Oct 30 at the exhibition venue.
This year’s event promises over 70 engaging activities, including the book fair, Authors Festival, free membership drive campaign, Special Needs Open Day, blood donation campaign, engaging talks, u-Pustaka Literacy sessions, Global Media and Information Literacy Week, author meet and greet sessions, hands-on experiences in the Makerspace, and more.
The fair aims to promote Sarawak’s book and publishing industry at national and international levels, provide a platform for local authors to collaborate with publishers, and showcase the publications and services of the Sarawak State Library.
Among the exhibitors would be Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Sarawak, Popular Book Co (M) Sdn Bhd, My Bookstore Sdn Bhd, Benzamine Book Center Sdn Bhd, Firdaus Press Publications, Penerbit USM, Buku Fixi Sdn Bhd, and Penerbit Mardi.
Also exhibiting would be Yayasan Sarawak, the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), the Librarians Association of Malaysia, Sarawak Chapter (PPMKSAR), Agro Bank, and US Education among others.

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Brazil Crowned World’s Top Adventure Tourism Destination

Travel

Brazil has claimed the top spot as the world’s best country for adventure tourism. This recognition highlights Brazil’s diverse landscapes and thrilling outdoor activities.The award comes from a global ranking by US News & World Report. The study considered factors like destination quality, safety for extreme sports, and tourism infrastructure.
Brazil outshone traditional adventure hotspots such as Italy, Greece, Spain, and Thailand. This achievement showcases Brazil’s natural wonders and adventure offerings.
Brazil’s varied ecosystems provide a playground for thrill-seekers. From the Amazon rainforest to Iguazu Falls, the country offers unique experiences.
The Pantanal and Chapada Diamantina add to the mix of breathtaking landscapes. Adventure enthusiasts can enjoy rafting, hiking, climbing, diving, and surfing across Brazil.
Brazil Crowned World’s Top Adventure Tourism Destination. (Photo Internet reproduction)
Cities like Brotas and Bonito have become adventure hubs, drawing visitors from around the globe. Brazil’s 7,000-kilometer coastline is perfect for water sports like kitesurfing and stand-up paddling.
Brazil’s Adventure Tourism Boom
The growth of adventure tourism has boosted local economies throughout Brazil. Small businesses such as guesthouses, tour agencies, and restaurants have flourished.
This sector has become a vital source of income for many communities. Recent years have seen significant investments in adventure tourism promotion.
Both the government and private sector have focused on developing these destinations. They’ve also trained professionals to ensure quality service and safety for tourists.
Environmental preservation policies play a crucial role in maintaining Brazil’s natural attractions. These efforts ensure sustainable experiences for visitors.
The country’s commitment to conservation has strengthened its appeal to eco-conscious travelers. Brazil’s new title as the top adventure destination has caught international attention.
However, this recognition is expected to increase foreign tourist numbers in the coming years. The timing is perfect, as global demand for adventure tourism has grown post-pandemic.
Many travelers now prefer destinations offering nature experiences and outdoor activities. Brazil’s vast array of natural landscapes and unique adventures make it an ideal choice.
The country caters perfectly to those seeking to avoid crowded tourist spots. In addition to leading in adventure tourism, Brazil ranks well in other categories.
It’s 11th in cultural influence, 12th in agility, and 12th in heritage. Overall, Brazil ranks 30th among the world’s best countries. The survey involved over 17,000 people worldwide and evaluated 89 countries.
In short, it considered ten subcategories to determine the rankings. This comprehensive study reflects Brazil’s growing appeal in global tourism.