'Cherry tree from space' mystery baffles Japan

By Shigemi Sato

TOKYO, April 11, 2014 (AFP) - A cosmic mystery is uniting monks and scientists in Japan after a tree grown from a cherry stone that orbited the Earth for eight months bloomed years earlier than expected -- and with very surprising flowers.

The four-year-old sapling -- grown from a cherry pit that spent time onboard the International Space Station (ISS) -- burst into blossom on April 1, possibly a full six years ahead of Mother Nature's normal schedule.

Its early blooming turned on its head the received wisdom of the Buddhist brothers at the ancient temple in central Japan where the tree is growing.

"We are amazed to see how fast it has grown," Masahiro Kajita, chief priest at the Ganjoji temple in Gifu, told AFP by telephone.

"A stone from the original tree had never sprouted before. We are very happy because it will succeed the old tree, which is said to be 1,250 years old."

The wonder pip was among 265 harvested from the celebrated "Chujo-hime-seigan-zakura" tree, selected as part of a project to gather seeds from different kinds of cherry trees at 14 locations across Japan.

The stones were sent to the ISS in November 2008 and came back to Earth in July the following year with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata after circling the globe 4,100 times.

Some were sent for laboratory tests, but most were ferried back to their places of origin, and a selection were planted at nurseries near the Ganjoji temple.

By April this year, the "space cherry tree" had grown to around four metres (13 feet) tall, and suddenly produced nine flowers -- each with just five petals, compared with about 30 on flowers of the parent tree.

It normally takes about 10 years for a cherry tree of the similar variety to bear its first buds.

Exposure to cosmic rays?

"It was an educational and cultural project to let children gather the stones and learn how they grow into trees and live on after returning from space," said Miho Tomioka, a spokeswoman for the project's organiser, Japan Manned Space Systems (JAMSS).

"We had expected the tree to blossom about 10 years after planting when the children come of age," she said.

Kaori Tomita-Yokotani, a researcher at the University of Tsukuba, who took part in the project, told AFP she was stumped by the extra-terrestrial mystery.

"We still cannot rule out the possibility that it has been somewhat influenced by its exposure to the space environment," she said.

Tomita-Yokotani, a plant physiologist, said it was difficult to explain why the temple tree has grown so fast because there was no control group to compare its growth with that of other trees.

She said cross-pollination with another species could not be ruled out, but a lack of data was hampering an explanation.

"Of course, there is the possibility that exposure to stronger cosmic rays accelerated the process of sprouting and overall growth," she said.

"From a scientific point of view, we can only say we don't know why."

Romania keeps ancient tradition of bee medicine alive

A Romanian village where bee honey is produced

BUCHAREST, April 10, 2014 (AFP) - Bee venom to combat multiple sclerosis, pollen for indigestion, honey to heal wounds -- the humble bee has been a key source of alternative medicines since ancient times, and Romania is working to keep the tradition of "apitherapy" alive.

The tradition goes back to ancient Greece when Hippocrates applied honey to treat wounds, and the Romans saw pollen as "life-giving".

In the past of India, China and Egypt, a resinous substance collected by bees from the buds of certain trees, known as "propolis", was popular as an antiseptic.

"The hive is the oldest and healthiest natural pharmacy," said Cristina Mateescu, director general of the Institute for Apicultural Research and Development in Bucharest.

Today in the wilderness of Romania's Carpathian mountains, honey bee products are still a familiar part of traditional medicine.

"In my village, my great-grandmother was a healer and used products from beehives. She inspired me," Dr Mariana Stan told AFP.

Having spent years as a conventional doctor, Stan now practises in Bucharest as a "apitherapist" -- using bee products "which give slower but longer lasting and more profound results".

In a country still infused with folk culture, several families continue to use propolis against sore throats, as well as honey and pollen to boost the immune system.

A bee farm in Romania

Every town in Romania has its "plafar" -- natural pharmacies selling products made from plants, honey, beeswax and propolis.

"Romania is a pioneer of apitherapy, which it recognized very early as a component of scientific medicine," said US professor Theodor Charbuliez, head of the Apimondia Commission of Apitherapy, a group that brings together thousands of practitioners from around the world.

Modules on apitherapy have started to work their way into more conventional medical classes and extracts from propolis developed by the Apicultural institute into recognized medicines.

Founded in 1974, the institute employs 105 people who look after local bee colonies and sell around 30 approved products.

A new range even seeks to treat cats and dogs with bee-related products.

Bucharest also boasts an Apitherapy medical centre, the world's first, which opened in 1984.

A bee farm in Palestine

Skepticism remains among the regular medical community in the absence of scientific studies about the effects of bee venom, but many users are full of praise and welcome the cheap costs and environmentally friendly approach.

Doina Postolachi comes twice a week to the medical center to receive injections of bee venom, or "apitoxin".
The 34-year-old poet says the injections have allowed her to "rediscover hope" in her fight against multiple sclerosis.

"For a year, I could no longer walk or get into my bath. My feet were stuck to the ground. Bu t today, the venom treatment has given me back strength in my legs. I walk, I can take baths," she said.

She said she has never wanted any regular pharmaceutical treatments "which come with numerous side effects".

There has been mounting interest across the world in apitherapy.

In 2013, Washington University in the US city of St Louis published a study on the efficacy of milittine, a toxin contained in bee venom, in countering the AIDS virus.

In France, thousands of patients have benefited from bandages treated with honey at the abdominal surgery department of Limoges hospital.

Bee products are also infiltrating the cosmetics industry, used in skin-toning and anti-wrinkle creams.
Part of the appeal rests with the natural and organic image of bee products.

"In Romania, we have the chance to maintain an unspoiled nature," said Cornelia Dostetan, a member of the National Apitherapy Society.

Under Communism, poverty meant that pesticides were rarely used and the country has never shifted to large-scale monoculture forms of agriculture. The result is that Romania retains a great diversity of flora, said Dostetan.

Certified organic, the Romanian brand Apiland, a specialist in raw pollen, has launched its products in France and Italy.

According to the last agricultural census in 2010, Romania counted 42,000 beekeepers and more than 1.3 million colonies of bees.

Postolachi says she looks on the bees with "immense gratitude".

"These miniscule beings do wonders."

World's youngest snowboarder hits slopes at just 11 months

By Sarah Ann Harris

11-month-old Aspen Haight

COLORADO, April 8, 2014 (Express) -  AT 18 months old, most children have just about got the hang of walking but one little girl is already shooting down the ski slopes.

 Aspen Haight, the world's youngest snowboarder, began learning to board at just ten months old and it's been downhill since then.

Aspen, from Colorado, USA, has her own custom-made snowboard and even got the chance to test out the world's smallest pair of ski boots.

Her parents Jill and Dominic, both 34, are keen snowboarders and had always hoped their daughter might enjoy the sport too – but they had no idea just how skilled the tot would be.

As soon as she was able to walk at 10 months they tried dragging her around the house on a board and she quickly got the hang of it, progressing to the slopes at 14 months.

 Jill said: "We are very proud of her. I was a competitive snowboarder when I was younger, and my husband was my coach, so snowboarding is in her blood.

 "Aspen was 10 months old when we put her on a snowboard without bindings, as soon as she could walk.

With parents Jill and Dominic

 "There's a great system in place here for little kids as the smallest boards come equipped with traction pads and "riglet reels". 

"Aspen started out just standing on the board and we would pull her around the house, this helped tremendously in her having outstanding balance once we put her in bindings and on the snow at 14 months.

 "We try and get her out riding at least twice a week or as often as we can."

 Aspen's parents posted videos of their daughter's amazing boarding on YouTube and they soon began to receive messages from people who were amazed by her skills.

 Jill said: "She's becoming something of an internet star and it's amazing that people around the world are seeing Aspen snowboard.

"She gets so much attention locally as well. We can't take her riding without people recognising her and stopping us to take her picture.

 "Every parent thinks their kid is special, but when you have people around the world confirming that, its quite an incredible feeling.

Click link below for vidoe:

http://bcove.me/2fm1qjnv

Two-headed snake spotted in Indian village

A two-headed snake has been spotted in an Indian village, the Express online news has reported.

The snake, believed to be a checkered keelback, was seen crawling past a house in West Bengal before it dashed into the bushes. 

The Express did not say when the snake was spotted but it posted the story on April 4, 2014.

A local resident named Apurba Ghosh was reported to have captured the unusual serpent on his camera phone. 

"It happened at the blink of an eye. The snake came across and was gliding along the surface," said Gosh, who was said to have seen the snake in the village of Burdwan where he lives and where sightings of snakes, including the mighty King Cobra, were known.

"Snakes are sighted here very often because of close proximity to the forests. But they don't attack humans," said Gosh. "Some animals, mostly dogs and other pets, are bitten once in a while."

He said some villagers worship snakes because they are regarded as highly auspicious in the Hindu religion.

According to Hindu mythology, a five-headed cobra called Sheshnag, is holding the world up on its "hoods" -  the flap of skin behind the head that the cobra puffs out when wanting to scare off potential threats. 

Though nobody has seen a five-headed reptile so far, two-headed snakes have been seen on several occasions over the years.

Dog called as star witness in French murder trial

TOURS, April 4, 2014 (Express0 - A dog has been called this week as a star witness during a murder trial in a French court.

Tango, a nine-year-old Labrador, is believed to have witnessed his master being killed during a fight in the city of Tours in the Loire Valley.

As a means of identifying the alleged murderer, Tango was called to the stand, where the suspect threatened him with a bat.

The idea was that Tango would start barking, or show some other sign that he recognized the killer.

In a preliminary hearing earlier this month, a second dog of the same breed and age called Norman was also summoned to undergo the same test.

It led to protests from the suspect's lawyer, Gregoire Lafarge, who said: "So if Tango lifted his right paw, moved his mouth or his tail, is he recognizing my client or not?

"I find it very troubling for the French legal system. If a judge ignores the demands of reason and surrounds himself with experts who are unreasonable, well the system becomes very dangerous."

However, the entire episode turned out to be a total failure, with neither Tango nor Norman showing any interest in the man with the bat, or in the rest of the court proceedings.

The idea was that Tango would start barking, or show some other sign that he recognized the killer

It is not the first time a dog has been called as a court witness in the country.

In 2008, a dog named Scooby created legal history by appearing as a witness in a murder case.

The animal's 59-year-old owner had been found hanging from the ceiling of her Paris flat.

Police believed it was suicide but her family say that it was murder, and Scooby was in the flat at the time of the death.

During a preliminary hearing in the city, the pet was led into the witness box by a vet, but his barking proved inconclusive.

Despite this, French judge Thomas Cassuto praised the animal for his "exemplary behaviour and invaluable assistance".- Express, April 4, 2014

Spring brings beautiful blossoms and hay fever misery in Japan

TOKYO, April 03, 2014 (AFP) -Spring in Japan brings explosions of pink and white cherry blossoms that provide a beautiful backdrop for picnics across this nature-loving country.

But it also heralds a mass outbreak of face masks and specialty goggles intended to fend off clouds of pollen that make noses stream and eyes itch.

"I want to take my eyeballs out and wash them," websites blare as they advertise eye clinics and remedies for hay fever sufferers.

For many, the runny nose and sneezing are a minor inconvenience, but for some, the allergy to pollen causes nasty congestion, headaches and a racking coughing. For the unlucky few, asthma and bronchitis can follow.

According to surveys, up to one out of every four people among Japan's 128-million-strong population suffers from "kafun-sho" -- literally "pollen illness".

Pharmacies are stacked with surgical masks to meet demand that has swelled five-fold over the last decade, alongside glasses, tissues and a bevvy of medicines.

Air purifiers, bed cleaners, pollen-absorbing sprays and trench coats that repel pollen and water are also among "kafun-sho" goods, a market worth an estimated $1.5 billion annually, according to the Nikkei business daily.

The latest hit is the battery-powered "Kafun Blocker" a beekeeper-like nylon hood, that its maker claims "shuts out 99.99 percent of pollen" by taking air through a fan and a filter on its top.

Tokyo novelty electronics shop Thanko has sold the $40 gear "by the thousands" this year, manager Takahiro Sasaki said. "It is really popular among people who work outdoors, such as farmers."

Weather presenters commiserate with viewers as they show special pollen maps, warning of the density of airborne particles at different locations, before they move on to graphics showing the spread of the celebrated cherry blossoms.

While these delicate blooms might appear to be at the root of hay fever-sufferers' misery, they are relatively benign compared with pollen from ragweed, birch, grasses or other wild plants.

But by far the largest source of the irritant is the swathes of man-made woodland that sprang from the nationwide program of tree planting as Japan rebuilt after World War II.

Pollen from "sugi" -- Cryptomeria japonica -- an indigenous cedar-like Japanese evergreen, is held responsible for 70 percent of pollen allergies, and is at its most rampant in March and April.

A month later, "hinoki" -- Japanese cypress -- adds to the suffering, releasing clouds of pollen across the country.

Sugi -- light, soft, fragrant and with a delicate patina -- has been systematically planted as building material for centuries in Japan.

In the aftermath of WWII, the government led a drive to plant sugi and hinoki trees to meet surging demand for fast-growing, high-quality timber.

But the 1964 liberalization of timber imports started to squeeze domestic sugi products out of the market.

Many sugi forests were abandoned over the following decades without being logged or replanted, and, says Kimihiro Okubo of Nippon Medical School, that has led to a rise in pollen, which can travel 300 kilometers (190 miles).

Pollen production peaks when trees reach maturity at 30 years old, he said, with around 70 percent of sugi trees planted after the war now that age or older.

According to the Forestry Agency, planted sugi trees -- both state and privately owned -- account for 18 percent of all man-made and natural forests in Japan. Hinoki accounts for 10 percent.

Methods of treating sugi pollen allergy have improved since the first case was reported in 1963, said Okubo, an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Leading the way is "sublingual immunotherapy", in which drops of allergen extracts are put under the tongue to be absorbed. Around a third of patients get rid of almost all symptoms through this method and 50 percent see their problems ease.

The government for its part has been reluctant to help stop planting sugi trees or cut them down.

But it has led projects since 1999 to plant saplings of sugi varieties which produce little pollen -- as little as one percent of that produced by ordinary trees.

Sugi forests "serve a variety of public purposes such as national land conservation, prevention of global warming and cultivation of water sources," said a Forestry Agency publication. "It is not desirable to log them at once."

"Air pollutants, stress and the westernization of lifestyle including eating habits have combined to worsen symptoms of pollen allergy," the ministry said in a 2009 report, a view shared by many experts.

Forestry Agency official Kiyohito Onuma said the ratio of sugi saplings of varieties which produce little pollen had constantly risen to reach 10.4 percent in 2012. About 15.2 million sugi saplings were planted in that year.

He added that experiments are under way at laboratories to develop saplings that produce no pollen at all, partly by genetic engineering.

"Sugi grows fast and it is so straight that it can be easily utilized as building material," said Onuma, himself a hay fever-sufferer. "I don't think production of sugi will ever be stopped."

Airborne sugi pollen is now several times higher than in 1965, the Sagamihara National Hospital has estimated.

"The amount of airborne sugi pollen may probably peak in 2050" along with the number of patients, said Okubo. "I believe sugi pollen allergy will be definitely eliminated in 100 to 200 years."

AirAsia withdraws inflight magazine, apologizes for 'inappropriate' article

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (AP) — Southeast Asia's top budget carrier AirAsia on Saturday withdrew its latest inflight magazine and apologized for an offending article boasting that its well-trained pilots would never lose a plane.
AirAsia Executive Chairman Kamarudin Meranun expressed "deep regret and remorse," saying the latest issue of "travel 3Sixty" magazine was printed before the Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 239 people disappeared March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Kamarudin said the article was a monthly aviation column prepared well in advance by a retired pilot, who had worked for both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines.
"This is a truly difficult time for the nation and words cannot describe how I personally feel of this incident," Kamarudin said in a statement. "It truly saddens me that this article was released at such an inopportune moment. Again, I repeatedly offer my sincere apologies for any discomfort this may have caused."
The article sparked anger on social media after an AirAsia passenger posted a photograph of the text on Twitter late Friday.
The last paragraph read: "Pilot training in AirAsia is continuous and very thorough. Rest assured that your captain is well prepared to ensure your plane will never get lost."
AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes also echoed the apology.
"As soon as we were informed on Twitter, we withdrew. Once again, apologies. It has been a difficult time for all in the industry," he tweeted.
Kamarudin said disciplinary action would be taken against the magazine's editorial team.
The fate of the Malaysian airline remained a mystery nearly a month after it vanished. A multinational search team is racing against time to find the flight recorders in the Indian Ocean where it was believed to have crashed. No floating wreckage has been found in the water so far.
It wasn't the first faux pas for AirAsia.
On the day the plane went missing, Fernandes said on Twitter that the aircraft's radio had failed and that all were safe, but later deleted the tweet.

California court revives suit claiming woman frozen alive in morgue

LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2014 (Reuters) - A California appeals court has revived a malpractice suit brought by the family of an 80-year-old grandmother they claim was prematurely declared dead by doctors then frozen alive inside a body bag in the hospital's morgue.

A lower-court judge had dismissed the lawsuit brought in May 2012 by relatives of Maria de Jesus Arroyo against White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles over the woman's 2010 death, on grounds that the statute of limitations had lapsed.

But a three-judge panel of a state appeals court sided with the family on Wednesday in agreeing they could not have known how Arroyo was alleged to have died until it was brought to light by a pathologist in an expert opinion he gave in December 2011.

"Plaintiffs had absolutely no reason to suspect that the decedent was alive rather than dead when placed in the hospital morgue," the court said in its 27-page opinion. The lawsuit now goes back to Los Angeles Superior Court.

The origins of the case date to July 26, 2011, when doctors at the hospital pronounced Arroyo dead from cardiac arrest shortly after she was brought there by ambulance.

Employees of a funeral home chosen by the family to pick up the woman's remains from the hospital morgue later discovered her lying face down in a body bag half-unzipped, with bruises and gashes to her face and a broken nose, according to the court record.

Informed by the mortuary of the body's condition, family members who had seen Arroyo's face without injuries just after she was pronounced dead assumed her corpse had been mishandled by hospital morgue workers.

The family went on to file a negligence suit in January 2011 claiming the hospital was to blame for mutilating their loved one's body.

But Dr. William Manion, a New Jersey pathologist, retained by the family as an expert witness reviewed medical records and sworn statements of hospital personnel and reached a far more horrific conclusion.

He said Arroyo had been prematurely declared dead and was placed alive in the freezer of the hospital morgue where she eventually regained consciousness due to the extreme cold and "damaged her face and turned herself face down as she struggled unsuccessfully to escape her frozen tomb."

As a result, the family dropped its original lawsuit and filed a new claim accusing the hospital of malpractice and wrongful death.

"It really has to be your worst nightmare to wake up like that, the worst way to die," the family's lawyer, Scott Schutzman, said on Thursday. "Can you imagine trying to get out of a zippered bag?"

The hospital declined in a brief statement to comment on the case, except to say that "we continue to disagree with the allegations being made."

"We followed all proper protocols in the matter, and are confident that once the facts of the case are reviewed we will prevail in court," the statement said.

Schutzman said the family has "no choice" but to go to trial, as "there has never been a settlement offer in this case."  He said he expects the case to reach trial within a year. 

Gasoline-loving spiders cause Mazda recall for the second time

WASHINGTON,  March 4, 2014 (Reuters) - For the second time in three years, Mazda Motor Corp has issued a recall for Mazda6 sedans in North America because of a spider that likes the smell of gasoline and weaves a web that blocks a vent in the engine.

Mazda told US regulators that it is recalling 42,000 sedans with 2.5-liter engines from model years 2010 to 2012 in the United States. Mazda officials were not immediately available to report recalls outside of the United States.

Three years ago, Mazda recalled about 65,000 M

azda6 sedans in North America from model years 2009 and 2010, also because of spider webs blocking evaporative canister vent lines. The same issue caused the most recent recall, Mazda told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The web weaved by a spider can lead to a restriction of fuel flow, which in turn can reduce fuel tank pressure when the emission control system purges vapors from the evaporative canister. This can put stress on the fuel tank, which may crack and leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire, a report filed with NHTSA says.

Mazda said it is not aware of any fires because of this risk.

In 2011, Reuters reported that the Yellow Sac spider was the culprit in that year's recall. It just likes the smell of gasoline, an auto analyst told Reuters at the time.

Mazda attempted to remedy the problem by adding a spring to the canister vent line to keep spiders from crawling inside.

For the most part, that solution worked, but after several reports of cracked fuel tanks in sedans equipped with the spring, Mazda engineers tried to figure out the spider's route to the canister.

After learning of nine cases in which tanks were damaged even though a spring was loaded, engineers determined that a change in the car's software would keep tanks from cracking even if a spider web blocks a vent.

Mazda will inform owners in the recall campaign to bring cars to dealers, where the evaporative canister vent line will be checked and cleared if necessary. Also, the dealerships will reprogram software.

The blockage is not present on other models made by Mazda and occurs only in cars made a plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, at which Mazda once produced cars jointly with Ford Motor Co. Mazda stopped production of cars at Flat Rock in August 2012.

Russian workers bathe in milk at cheese factory

MOSCOW, April 04, 2014 (AFP) - Russia on Friday launched a criminal investigation into breaches of hygiene at a cheese factory after footage of bare-chested workers bathing in vats of milk went viral on the Internet.
The Investigative Committee announced it was probing the factory in the Siberian city of Omsk for producing food that could cause harm to health after photographs of grinning workers bathing in foaming milk horrified Russians.
"It has already been established that the liquid that the factory workers were bathing in was the raw milk that was used for making the cheese," the investigators said in a statement.
The scandal broke after a worker at the Omsk Cheeses factory posted the photographs on a social networking site with the caption: "Actually our work is pretty boring."
One photo shows six workers posing in a vat, several wearing only shorts, and raising 
victory signs.
Video footage also emerged showing factory workers kneading the cheese bare-chested
 in a dirty-looking production area, gaining more than 300,000 views on YouTube.
Russia's food watchdog banned the factory's cheese late last month and a court on 
Thursday closed down the factory for 40 days.
The factory had sold more than 49 tons of its cheese this year in 14 cities, the Investigative
 Committee said. It specialises in string cheese.
If charged and found guilty of producing food that was unsafe for human consumption,
 the factory's managers could be jailed for up to two years.

Life is good in Chilean Antarctica

Villa Las Estrellas in Chile's Frei base in Antartica where 64 families live.
Photo taken on March 11, 2014. — AFP

The Commander Ferraz Station in Brazil's side of Antarctica..

A cute penguin

Good pay, no crime, no traffic

VILLA LAS ESTRELLAS, Antarctica, April 04, 2014 (AFP) -There is no crime or traffic and in this Antarctic hamlet paychecks can be much higher than on the Chilean mainland. Plus, the penguins are very cute.
But residents of Villa Las Estrellas also have to endure winters with howling blizzards and temperatures that plunge to -40 Celsius in winter, making it painful to even breathe outdoors.
And they don't get many visitors.
"Living here is entertaining compared with the continent," said Jose Carrillan Rosales, principal of the tiny Las Estrellas school.
"The hard part is spending many days indoors. For example, last winter we spent eight days without leaving home because of the wind and snow," he told AFP.
Villa Las Estrellas is located at Fildes Bay on King George Island on the northernmost tip of the Antarctic peninsula.
The 30-year-old hamlet, population 64, has a post office, a bank, 10 houses, a miniature mall, a gym and a school for the six children who live there. It is part of the Presidente Eduardo Frei Chilean Air Base.
Most of the residents are relatives of the military personnel on the air base.
One attraction of living so far south is the exotic fauna, especially the long tailed Gentoo Penguins, which have bright orange bills and white stripes between their eyes across the top of their heads.
To survive in this remote town one must be highly organized: the local market opens just twice a week and stock is limited. Locals stockpile their own soap, toothpaste and shampoo.
Rosales, originally from a mainland town south of Santiago, has been in Las Estrellas for two years along with his wife — also a teacher at the school — and his two children.
He's happy living in the remote outpost.
"Life here is tranquil, you're not worried about theft, or with traffic," he said. He's also happy that he can be with his children "all day".
Life in Antarctica might be bleak, but plenty of Chileans would like Rosales's job. For a teacher, the pay can be five times higher than on the mainland.
"To come here, there is a nationwide contest," said Rosales's wife Maria Cristina Hernandez.
"The first requirement is for both applicants to be teachers and married to each other," she said.
Other requirements include a master's degree and at least one year of work experience.
Single candidates need not apply, she said, because there is only one house to live in.
The school opened in 1985, and since then 290 children — sons and daughters of Chilean air force members and base support personnel — have spent time in its classrooms.
Nine year old Josefina Opaso's father is an air force officer, and her mother works at the small shopping center.
"It's fascinating to live in a place that almost nobody can come to see," she told AFP.
"It's also a challenge because living here one has to go out well protected in warm clothes. Sometimes we can't go out because of the blizzards. It's the hard part of living here in Antarctica," she said.
Francisco Fuentes, 62, is manager of the sole bank — BCI, or Banco de Credito e Inversiones— in the village.
He has two grown children and a wife of 37 years, but left them on the mainland to become the bank manager.
Fuentes's customers can withdraw Chilean pesos, transfer money, exchange US dollars, and manage their investments at the bank.
"What I enjoy doing here are things I would never have thought of when I lived in the continent, like flying in a helicopter over glaciers," said Fuentes.
And his pay is also pretty good: about 120 percent more than what he would earn back north.

British Queen gives Pope Francis eggs, whisky

VATICAN CITY, March 3 (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth met Pope Francis for the first time on Thursday and gave a bemused pontiff culinary delights from the royal estates, including a dozen eggs and a bottle of whisky.

"I've also brought something from all our estates, which is for you personally," said the queen, wearing a lavender dress and a purple hat, as she handed Francis a wicker basket full of food at the end of a 17-minute private meeting in the Vatican.

Queen Elizabeth shakes hands with Pope Francis
during their meeting at the Vatican Thursday, March 3, 2014.

The 18 items from Buckingham Palace, Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral also included two types of honey, "Coronation Best Bitter," "Grandad's chutney" and "Sandringham handmade aromatherapy soaps".

A Vatican official said the pope would likely share the food with other residents of the guest house where he has lived since his election after renouncing the spacious papal apartments or would donate it.

The Queen and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, met the pope in a modern room attached to the Vatican's audience hall without much of the ceremonial pomp that usually accompanies such visits.

A Vatican statement did not say what the two discussed. The Queen is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, which split from Rome in 1534.

The pope is Argentine and Britain went to war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas, in 1982.

To cut short any speculation that the two might have discussed the Falklands, the British embassy reminded reporters that while the pope may be Argentine, the Vatican's official position on the territorial dispute is a neutral one.

Francis also gave the queen a gift for her eight-month-old great-grandson, Prince George of Cambridge. It was a sphere made of lapis lazuli, a deep blue semi-precious stone, topped with the silver cross of St. Edward.

"He will be thrilled by it," the queen told the pope. Then she paused and added: "When he is a little older".