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Dorine Reinstein
United Airlines announcement this month that the airline would be launching direct flights from the New York area to Johannesburg, South Africa, was a reason for great celebrations for the tourism industry. However, just days after the airline revealed news, the U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 travel advisory for South Africa placing the country in the same league as nations such as Afghanistan and North Korea. Luckily, the unrealistic travel advisory is unlikely to deter Americans enthusiasm for travel to Africa, tourism leaders say.
United will be launching new nonstop daily service between Newark and Johannesburg starting June 3, subject to government approvals. Operated on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the flight will leave from Newark at 8:45 p.m. and arrive in South Africa the next day at 5:45 p.m. Return flights will leave South Africa at 8 p.m. and arrive in Newark the next day at 5:45 a.m.
Image credit: ESA/ATG medialab
A cursory glance at the genre makes it clear that Randall Garrett did not invent Belters, those stalwarts of the asteroid belt. Examples abound in older SF, in the works of Smith, Heinlein, and Leinster. But Randall Garrett’s Belter stories seem to have been the strongest influence on Larry Niven, who lifted the Belter culture wholesale for his Known Space series. After this, Niven’s Belters seem to have had the greatest influence on later authors.
But enough literary history! Let’s just note that the Belt and the riches it might hold are irresistible for authors looking for rugged frontiers in which to set their tales. Consider these five comparatively recent works.
2-for-1 gardens – Wakehurst photo Jim Holden
Discover the woodlands of the world in Kew’s wild botanic garden, from giant Californian redwoods to rare Australian Wollemi pines, South American monkey puzzles to white-stemmed Himalayan birches. The woodlands and meadows are carpeted with wildflowers and full of wildlife, offering shady walks, sunny glades, secluded seats and picturesque views. With over 450 acres to explore, there’s plenty of space for long leisurely strolls and lots to enjoy in every season. Azaleas, rhododendrons and magnolias adorn the landscape in spring and early summer, while autumn foliage lights up the woodlands and reflects in the ponds. There are wetland boardwalks, lush water gardens and a nature reserve, while more formal areas include a fragrant winter garden and a walled garden brimming with colourful sun-lovers.
Residuum (the final instalment in Dominic Dulley’s epic space opera
The Long Game series), Orry Kent just wants a quiet life. But even a little R&R on the holiday planet of Halcyon turns wild when she accidentally sparks off a revolution amongst the downtrodden native workers. But that’s small beer compared with the news footage being broadcast across the Ascendancy, showing Orry murdering the man she saved just six months earlier and destroying the Halstaad-Mirnov Institute, the heart of research into the aeons-dead alien race called The Departed.
With her brother Ethan, the irascible spacedog Captain Mender and his intelligent spaceship Dainty Jane, not to mention the Kadiran exile Quondam, she sets off to prove her innocence. It’s just a shame that means teaming up with the woman she loathes more than anyone else in any universe: the space pirate and criminal mastermind Cordelia Roag. For it’s not just Orry’s freedom at stake now: a long-dormant planet-eating plague