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Misrepresentation of trip to South America
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GLENDSIDE, PENNSYLVANIA -- I'm a travel agent who always take the tour prior to taking a group on a tour, namely, The 9 Day Classic South America (Buenos Aires, Iguassu Falls, Rio de Janeiro) with Gate 1 Travel. I checked Gate 1 Travel references, and Gate 1 Travel is a member of USTOA, as if Gate 1 Travel should be more reputable than other tour operators who aren't members of USTOA.
I'm a very conscientious travel agent because I was a consumer of travel before I was a travel agent, and I have had some bad past experiences with tour operators. Also, I think the U.S. Government should regulate tour operators like the airlines, ete.
I have some questions and suggestions that you should ask your travel agent(s) before they book your travel. You can contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com; www.jbraxtontravel.joystar.com.
I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to resolve the problem with Gate 1 Travel because one member of the group travelled with me on the 9 Day Classic South America trip. We met up with 9 other American tourists that were also booked on Gate 1 Travel's 9 Day Classic South America tour.
When I returned from the 9 Day Classic South America tour, I wouldn't recommend any of Gate 1 Travel's trips.
As you read my formal complaint to Gate 1 Travel, you will find the nightmare that we endured on the 9 Day Classic South America trip that Gate 1 was unwilling to acknowledged and/or compensate. The following is my formal complaint to Gate 1 Travel:
"Iâm still traumatized by what happened to me directly and indirectly while I was on the 9 Day Classic South America tour booked by Gate 1. Also, Iâm traumatized by what happened directly and indirectly to the other travelers in the group that were booked also by Gate 1.
Iâve prioritized the incidents that were most traumatic to me and the other Gate 1âs travelers.
(1) Edward Salinas didnât give Varig Brazil Airlines at the time of booking Jeanette Braxton Secret and Erna Ponder-Highsmithâs United Airlines Mileage Plus. Edward Salinas assured me that he would give Varig Brazil Airlines our United Airlines Mileage Plus at the time of booking. He didnât provide the service that he promised.
(2) Edward Salinas and I discussed on several occasion the itinerary to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Also, Edward Salinas emailed me a tentative itinerary to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his tentative itinerary didnât show a stop-over in Sao Pablo, Brazil. Also, he never once stated that Varig Brazil Airlines flies to Sao Pablo, Brazil before going to Buenos Aires, Argentina requiring passengers to de-plane in Sao Pablo, Brazil to catch a connecting flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
(3) Maryâs, tour guide, daughter who was waiting for us at the Buenos Aires, Argentina airport didnât make herself accessible with a sign indicating that she was there to pick us at the airport. Maryâs daughter had a little sign in front of her chest that we couldnât see. Erna Ponder-Highsmith and myself were wondering around in the Buenos Aires Ariport with our luggage trying to find the person that should have had a large sign with our names on it in the very front row so that we could see it. If it wasnât for one of the other Gate 1âs travelers who came looking for us, we would have never been picked up at the Buenos Aires Airport.
(4) One of the desk clerks, Ivan, at the Hotel Park Chateau Kempinski, Buenos Aires, Argentina was very rued and had an attitude when he was asked by one of Gate 1 guest about converting money that Mary had to intervened.
(5) There was a lack of continuity between the tour guides in each country. Other tour operators, i.e. America Automobile Association, Tauck Agency, etc. has one tour guide that stays with the group from the beginning to the end of the tour even if the tour is in two or more countries. This is the first tour that I have been on that the travelers were always waiting for the tour guides and/or the transportation was late. There was a lack of service and accountability.
(6) Day 5, Tuesday â Iguassu Falls on the border of Argentina. There was a lot of confusion. The bus was late to the Iguassu Falls. We started out with Ilana May, but she left us with Jorge. Jorge was a nightmare. Ilana May and/or Jorge didnât tell us that we would need our raincoat and/or umbrella for the tour through Iguassu Falls. After Ilana May left us at the Iguassu Falls with Jorge and when we got inside the Iguassu Falls, Jorge tells us that we can purchase a raincoat because we would get wet. We asked Jorge why didnât he tell us before we were inside the Iguassu Falls because we all had raincoats and umbrellas in our suitcase on the bus. Notwithstanding, none of us purchased raincoats, and we all got wet at the Iguassu Falls. I and some of Gate 1 guests came down with a severe cold as a result of getting wet at the Iguassu Falls. It is the small things that count when providing first class service. Jorge had to be asked to get us maps of the Iguassu Falls from the information booth, Jorge was on his cell phone most of the time while he was supposed to be escorting us; Jorge chained smoke even none of smoke; Jorge instructed us to sit in the sun to wait for Ilana May when he left us at the Iguassu Falls. We didnât get third class service from Jorge. Jorge wasnât professional at all.
(7) Rio Othon Palace, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil is in the heart of Copacabana Beach.
Gate 1 didnât fore-warn us that Copacabana Beach has a lot of crime. Conversely, Ipenema Beach doesnât have as much crime. Also, most of the Americans stay on Ipenema Beach.
a. One of Gate 1âs guest and his daughter was almost mugged outside the front entrance of Rio Othon Palace by some Brazilianâs young men.
b. One of Gate 1âs guest was accosted by a prostitute outside the front entrance of Rio Othon Palace Hotel.
c. Twelve of Gate 1âs guests decided to walk to the flea market across the street from the Rio Othon Palace Hotel approximately after 10:30 pm after removing and leaving all our jewelry and accessories in the hotel safe. While we were waiting for the street light at the cross walk, about 50 Brazilian children between the ages of two and 12 circled us begging for money. Since I had already been mistaken as a Brazilian several times while I was in Rio, I started screaming at the Brazilian children in a couple of words that I knew in Portuguese because these Brazilian children were targeting Gate 1âs white Americans trying to get into their pockets to grab there money and wallets. Also, I noticed 100 feet away that the parents had encouraged their kids to go after the American tourists, and there was approximately another 50 kids standing around with their parents at the fence watching. The children took off, but weâll were very traumatized by what had just happen. Your blond hair and blue eyed guests stated that they would never return to Brazil, and I donât blame them if I was blond and blue eyed too.
Gate 1 has an office in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and you know that it isnât safe on Copacabana Beach. Why didnât Gate 1 book us in a hotel on Ipenema Beach which is much safer? Why didnât Gate 1 tell us about the crime on Copacabana Beach?
d. While we were staying at the Rio Othon Palace, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, one of the tourist at the hotel was mugged and robbed on Copacabana Beach while we were there. While the tourist was making a purchase across from Rio Othon Palace on Copacabana Beach when he took his money out to pay for the purchase, a gang of Brazilian men
circled around him. They took over $250 Brazilian money and his hotel safety deposit key.
(e) While guest(s) at the Rio Othon Palace, we had to pay for ice; we were asked to go purchase towels across the street when we used the pool at Rio Othon Palace; we couldnât get an iron and iron board in our room; we were accused of using water, etc. from the non-locked mini-bar when we didnât get anything out of their mini-bar; etc. Erna Poner-Highsmith has a medical problem, and she needed ice on a daily basis. It took an act of God to get ice at Rio Othon Palace Hotel. Doesnât Gate 1 provide service for their clients who has medical needs, i.e. diabetics?
The Rio Othon Palace Hotelâs staff had an attitude toward Americans. It was obvious that the staff at Rio Othon Palace Hotel donât like Americans. I was told that Rio Othon Palace Hotel is owned by a Brazilian, and isnât an international hotel. Why would you book Americans in a Brazilian hotel that only want our money, but donât want to provide us with American standard services?
(f) Gate 1 booked a Hindu couple on this tour that are vegetarians, but didnât provide vegetarian meals for them. I had ordered my own vegetarian meals on the returned flight to Miami, Florida on Varig Brazil that I gave to them. I think that it is very insensitive to book Hindu clients, and donât provide them with the service of vegetarian meals.
(g) Day 8, Friday â Illan May left us again at the Brazilian barbecue with another one of Gate 1âs staff. On the way back to Rio Othon Palace Hotel, Gate 1âs guests on the bus asked the driver to drive pass the Xmas tree floating in the lagoon. According, to Gate 1âs staff interpretation of what the driver said, âI donât have time,â the driver lost about $75.00 - $100.00 U.S. Dollars in tips that evening. Everyone on the bus was upset with the driver because it would have only taken him an additional 5 minutes to drive us to see the Xmas treeâs lights. Again, a lack of service from Gate 1. There were some other incidents that happened while we were on the 9 Day Classic South America, but they were too numerous to mention.
The purpose of my trip along with one of my clients was to do a site visit. There is no way that I would take my clients on the 9 Day Classic South America (Buenos Aires, Iguassu Falls, Rio de Janeiro). If I were to take any of my clients on this tour, I would no longer have any clients because of the way we were treated. Also, I donât feel comfortable using Gate 1 as a tour operator for any of my travel.
This 9 Day Classic South America Tour was a nightmare, and I have been traumatized and stressed out about it.
Jeanette Braxton
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frannieg on 11/26/2008:
I am sorry that you had a bad time with Gate one to South America, but I just wanted to say that I used them to travel to Egypt (Cairo,Nile cruise and Red Sea) and they were wonderful! I am vegan, had no problems with food. The guides were wonderful, knowledgeable and treated us like family. Our guide, Sam, was an Egyptologist....how great is that? This was my only trip,so far, with Gate1, but I have travelled a lot and they always tell you to be careful of pick pockets(front packs, not back pack's, etc) Don't buy from the vendors (we did anyway), cause the vendors sell you something for $1 and they see where you keep your money and then steal your wallet.
Every trip that I have been on, provide you a bottle of water a day and you are told not to drink the water in most places(in South America, I would think it would be something you as a travel agent would know) but in my SA trips, they have always warned us of the water, don't use ice in drinks and don't eat fresh veggies except in hotels.
I have not tried to get ice, but I think it would be hard to get anywhere.
The smoking would bother me if he smoked on the bus...our guides did not
frannieg on 06/06/2009:
Hey, me again....Just came back from China with Gate1travel and it was great. We went to Beijing(Great Wall), Xian (Terra Cotta Warriers),Yangtze River Cruise, and Shanghi.
The trip was great, the group was wonderful, Our guide, Maggie, was amazing. I had no trouble eating my vegan food..Maggie took great care of me. Again, I was traveling as a single and everyone was wonderful. One person in our group had mobility issues and rented a wheelchair and driver for the one day that there was lots of walking. I did not even know you could do that, but it worked out great for her. Great trip. I definitely will use Gate1travel in the future.
dreamtoys on 08/12/2009:
We just reserved a trip to Israel and the price is great. We travel around the world every year and this trip is one of my wife's dream trip. I did a search to check Gate1 Travel and to make sure they are legit but my wife used American Express which gave great protection. I then read this negative comment. Like the the other two comments, I have to say that we, the traveler, has to take responsibility on many issues and cannot blame the travel agency on everything. Most of the items she brought up are common sense and being too picky. Hey, we are traveling overseas where things are not as cool as America. Well, people gets rob and even killed here!! I stayed at the same hotel twice, walk around with my expensive large digital camera, visited the flea market, walked around the night market across the hotel, etc. and had no problem and of course, may be because I am a Chinese dressed in American style tourist clothing. My wife and I really enjoyed Rio, Iqazzu Falls, etc. Yes, crimes are high over there I heard. A bus of Chinese from China got robbed at a gas station and took lots or Rolex watches, jewelry, ten and thousands of dollars because these Chinese people like to show off their stuff at the air port. Stupid and make the Chinese the prime target! Americans are poor tourist compare to the wealthy Chinese coming over to visit.
Bottom line is to watch out for everyone, and use common sense and followup and do not take for granted. Yes, it would be great to have a tour guy to escort you for the entire trip but then that cost money and then we complaint about the cost!
If you are in HK, you can take many trips around the world as great prices. Trip Wing On which is the largest in HK.
Good traveling.
tsanglangliu on 12/19/2009:
I can see the angry and frustration on SECRET 8-19-2006'S long comments on Gate 1 Travel.
I had different experiences.
March 2006 was my first time using Gate 1 Travel to Western half of Turkey, realized many returned customer of this travel agency, I was happy with that journey, and paid handsom tips to our humourous English speaking tour guide, a Ph.D. from Ankara University, sad, he makes more in tourism than academic.
November 2006 was my 2nd time using Gate 1 Travel to Southern Spain for 2 weeks, I was happy to visit my favorite part of Europe with excellent service and a good price, I had to pay much more if done by myself.
October 2007 I used Gate 1 Travel to Adriatic cruise, as a veteran world travler, I usually question what a cruise can provide, but I was happy with this excursion to see the other part of Mediterranean I have missed 3 times.
January 2008 I returned to Gate 1 Travel to Morocco, good deal, good service,I bought 6 berber carpets, I saw everything I wanted to see since college years.
Novenber 2008 I used Gate 1 Travel to Egypt Nile river cruise, excellent tour guide, I have learned from the past many years visiting ruins, without a good tour guide, ruins are just dead rubbles, but with a good local tour guide, all the rubbles became alive and told me many informative, knowledgeable histories.
November 2009 I used Gate 1 Travel Thanksgiving in Czech and Hungary, I had been there many years ago, but missed Karlovy Vary, so I signed up, includes Szentendre Nostalgia in Hungary. Most Hungary's museums are closed on Mondays, and I didn't want to miss it on Tuesday, so I had to give up Szentendre, I had asked my hotel to call that local tour operator to cancel it for me, after I have returned to USA, Gate 1 Travel refunded me the tour cost.
December 5, 2009 I used Gate 1 Travel to Dublin for 6 days, Dublin is the paradise for students of literature, I don't think any one can beat Gate 1 Travel's price if you consider the value built in.
ted on 05/10/2013:
I had a terrible experience with Gate 1 travel. No bathroom on the bus (like promised), didn't use the air conditioning, and no water. Had to travel for long periods without even stopping for lunch. Breakfast was at 7 a.m. and no lunch......dinner at 9 p.m. or later. They tried to squeeze too much into a short time. Didn't work for me. I had an accident and they wouldn't even call a dr. for me. I wasn't impressed at all. Won't be doing their tours ever again.
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"11 Day Athenian With 3-day Cruise" Package Vastly Overrated
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I booked this package with Gate 1 Travel only because all of the Eastern Mediterranean cruises in which I was interested were sold out during the window we had available for the trip (June 20-30). My overall impression is that this is a "budget" tour at a "deluxe" price. Everything is vastly overrated.
Gate1's contract hotels are not anywhere close to 5 or 4 stars, as advertised. The best, the Royal Olympic in Athens, which is billed as 5 stars, had a single restaurant, not two as advertised, and that restaurant was closed for dinner on 2 of the 3 nights we stayed there; so we had to have dinner "poolside," which, because of the temperature, was definitely not my choice. Dinner selections were extremely limited, to essentially one entree per type (chicken, beef, veal, fish, etc.), hardly the mark of a 5-star hotel, and the prices were, in a word, outrageous ... Dinner with house wine for two came in at over 100 Euros in one case and nearly that amount in the other! The remaining hotels are worth perhaps 1 star for the Europa in Olympia and 2 for the Amalia in Delphi, and a bare 3 for the Divani in Kalambaka.
The Athens city tour was brief and rushed, included entirely too much "lecturing" by the tour guide in the hot Athens sun and the ferocious wind atop the Acropolis, while not allowing enough time for unhurried photographs, did not include a visit to the fabled National Archeological Museum, and the afternoon of the second day in Athens was basically wasted, because there would have been ample "at leisure" opportunities to explore the city on the previous (arrival) day, if our flight had arrived as scheduled (see below). However, the first really serious turn-off came when, on June 23, we had to wait in the hot sun for 30 minutes after being dropped off by the hotel pick-up bus at a so-called bus "transfer point" waiting for the tour bus to Olympia ... No seats, no shade, only standing room in the direct sun ... Unacceptable!!!
The overland bus trips of up to 8 hours were incredibly long and boring, with few stops for sightseeing, and some of those included disguised "shopping" opportunities. Once at a major sightseeing destination, visits often seemed too short and hurried, and were scheduled during the midday heat, rather than early mornings or late afternoons. In the case of Olympia and Delphi, visits to air-conditioned museums were scheduled in the morning, while the heat was still bearable, and before the visits to the outdoor archeological sites, which were scheduled in the full midday heat. It would seem intelligent, considerate, and feasible to reverse the sequence in both cases.
The cruise ship, Louis Hellenic Cruises' M/V Aquamarine, was yet another story. It was billed as 3 stars, yet it was far inferior to ships on which I had taken multi-day river cruises on the Yang Tse in China and the Nile in Egypt. Although I paid for a cabin upgrade and thought I was getting a "superior" outside cabin, I have never been forced to live in anything so small, so sparse, so cheap-looking, and so inconvenient. The tiny portholes were partially painted over! The worst part was the bathroom ... the shower stall was almost too small to turn around in (and I am a quite "normal" 5'10", 172 lbs) ... flimsy, shabby, without even any bath soap or other amenities. The in-cabin safe didn't work, or at least it didn't work for me. For the first two nights on the ship, there were diesel fumes in the cabin. After I complained to the tour director, they seemed no longer to be present on the 3d night. The restaurants were also not satisfactory to me. The main restaurant, while attractively decorated and featuring white linens and formal place settings, served lukewarm food, and it was almost impossible to get the wine steward's attention.
The "Bistro/Pub" looked like a cheap version of a McDonald's, the food on the serving line was habitually cold, one orange juice dispenser did not work, and the only reason we used that facility rather than the main restaurant for breakfast was the ease and speed of self-service versus the incredibly slow service and directed seating in the main restaurant. Then came the shore excursions sold through the cruise ship! First, they were vastly overpriced, even though the tour guides were generally competent and knowledgeable. But up to 59.95 Euros per person for a less than a half-day tour is simply too much for the experience, especially when that experience includes more disguised solicitations/opportunities to shop. In general, the escorted portions of the shore excursions were also limited and brief, with passengers left to "explore" on their own afterward. This was especially true on Rhodes, where we were literally rushed through the old city/citadel in about one hour. At least another hour should have been allotted for a guided tour of this World Heritage site.
Finally, our experience with Gate1's contract airline, Olympic Airlines! Our outbound flight (OA 412) was originally scheduled to leave JFK at 4:30 PM, on June 20. It finally took to the air at about 1:00 AM, on June 21 ... 8-1/2 hours late, causing us to miss at least a full afternoon of "at leisure" activities in Athens! Similarly, our return flight (OA 411) was scheduled to leave Athens at 11:25 AM, on June 30. It took off over 2 hours late, at about 1:35 PM, almost causing us to miss our connecting flight at JFK. In fairness to the airline, I will note that we were provided a room at the JFK Holiday Inn and two meals on June 20. A word about our connecting flight at JFK (Delta 5619): The plane's air conditioning did not work, and we sat on the tarmac at JFK sweating for over 1 hour because the flight also was late taking off. To add insult to injury, the stewardess served lukewarm water; on request, she added some ice cubes!
My advice: Avoid Gate1, if there are any other options!
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Dangerous Company to do Business With
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My boyfriend and I booked a land tour of Egypt before the political problems, giving Gate 1 a deposit of $400 each. After the violence erupted, we sent Gate 1 numerous requests to apply our deposits to a different tour or to give us a credit towards a future vacation, but Gate 1 will not make any accommodations whatsoever. With new riots nearly every day in Cairo, including right in front of the hotel we were supposed to stay at, Gate 1 plans to run the tour in two weeks as scheduled. We had to walk away from our deposits. I had been on two prior Gate 1 tours and, while they are fairly expensive relative to other tour operators, they are mostly well run. After my experience wit the Cairo trip, though, I will no longer be a Gate 1 customer.
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Alain on 04/17/2011:
Gate 1 could legitimately say that you knew, or should have known, the risks of booking any tour in the Middle East. However, check your contract with them and see what disclaimers it may contain concerning travel disruptions (weather, political upheavals, etc.). If there is a clause there saying that those problems are the travelers responsibility, then there is little you can do. If not, you may be able to get them to give you some sort of accommodation if you are persistent.
Anonymous on 04/17/2011:
I wouldn't buy the hype being sold through US media. Cairo is the area of greatest unrest in Eygpt and its fine... nothing a bit more baksheesh can't solve. In a tour group - very safe. I was there a couple of weeks ago - with tourism down 90% you get unobstructed (by hordes of tourists) views of the pyramids and the Mena house is 50% off.
Gate 1 Travel on 04/18/2011:
Hello. Please feel free to contact our Customer Service Department, as we will be more than pleased to review your concerns immediately. 1-800-682-3333.
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Overcharged And Poor Service
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5851 SAN FELIPE, SUITE 500 HOUSTON, TX 77057, TEXAS -- I used Gate1 services to travel to Egypt and they overcharged me. They hid the fact that they are using a 3rd party service( VACATIONS TO GO) agent in USA who did the booking for me. I came to know later that I have been robbed almost 1500 $ extra compared to other agents. On top of that they have not given me any clear idea on the Visa requirements which led me to postpone the travel date ( as I had to carry a Visa since I am traveling through Germany).
This led to losing 2 days of my 8 day package. Since I was paying almost 180$/day on the Shepered hotel in Cairo, I called the travel guys and asked them to cancel 1 day stay and refund me the money. They agreed to it but when I reached Cairo, I found that they have not called them and hotel had already charged me the day stay( The hotel would have refunded me the money if they had called)
2.They promised an itinerary for us but they didn't follow the itinerary which forced us to stay in a hotel in a remote place in Cairo without any sight seeing. It was more an ordeal for us as we used to get a morning wake up call for almost 3 days in a row around 5:30 AM..
3. These people r real thieves who not only robbed my money but is very comfortable doing that. I am trying to dispute the charges but these people are very bad... even my credit card agency " The great AMERICAN EXPRESS" is unable to find a solution....but I am determined to fight..
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Diabolical on 10/04/2009:
I'm not surprised they can't find a solution...as its a vacation you already took...as for the visa, well, if it were me, I would have Googled everything ahead of time because I'm so ridiculously paranoid.
Ben There on 10/04/2009:
Unfortunately it is your fault for not getting the proper visa information for your journey. There are too many variables that come into play for anyone except the consulate of the individual countries to say if you need a visa or not.
As for AmEx, charge backs are intended for fraud, not buyers remorse. You maybe have a case for the extra night refund, but for the rest of the trip you agreed to the price.
Anonymous on 10/04/2009:
I used a local travel agency for my Mexico trip. They in turn booked through Applevacations.com. This is how many many many many many local travel agencies book. Was this your first trip? They make a commission on the purchase. Did you not know this either? Your itinerary should have been given to you at the hotel in Cairo, not by the travel agency.
Anonymous on 10/04/2009:
I think the op has a valid complaint, especially since the travel agency did not inform them of the visa needed and because of their failure to cancel the reservation, as they promised. As for being overcharged, more homework should have been done, but, in light of the exorbitant amount paid for a few minutes of computer work, one of their jobs is to provide you with a detailed itinerary before you leave--not after--with instructions on anything needed before your trip. That is the whole purpose of using a travel agency (and paying extra). People use travel agencies not just to make reservations, but also to be informed of details they may otherwise miss. Not everyone is a seasoned traveler, after all.
Travel agencies have fallen out of favor in recent years because more and more people are taking matters into their own hands. If they cannot provide the full service they are charging the consumer for, there is really no need to use them.
Thanks for the post, sowp. This may help deter someone else from paying more and getting less.
Anonymous on 10/05/2009:
Kia, you are right...but I guess it depends where you travel. Our TA informed us about the need for ID and birth certificates (before the passport change came). However, our itinerary was given to us at our resort at check in.
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Gate1 Travel Is A Joke
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My wife and I are very experienced travelers, having toured all over the world with several tour companies, and never had any significant problems.
However on a recent tour of Morocco with GATE1 TRAVEL, it did not take us long to realize that the quality of their service was well below par:
1- Four days before the trip, they completely changed the itinerary of the tour, which rendered the airline reservations we had independently made totally unusable.
If it weren't for the actions of our personal travel agent, we would have been in an impossible situation.
Needless to say, we were very stressed when the trip started.
2- When we arrived at the airport in Casablanca, we could not find the person responsible for our hotel transfer.
After looking for him all over the arrivals area, we decided to change enough money to buy a phone card, in order to call the local GATE1 TRAVEL office for instructions.
It took three phone calls, and we were told by their incompetent office manager to take a taxi to the hotel.
The whole fiasco wasted about three hours of our time, and when we arrived at the hotel, the tour of the city that was included in the package had just left.
The hotel in Casablanca was very dirty and dreary.
3- At the end of the tour, we were supposed to return with the group to Casablanca.
Instead, the tour guide told us that we would be dropped in Marakesh, where we could take a train to Casablanca on our own.
We had bought an all inclusive tour from Casablanca to Casablanca, and warned him during the tour that his paperwork was incorrect. This cost us several days of arguments with the tour guide, and many calls to their incompetent office manager. In the end, we had to wake up at 2:30 in the morning to be able to catch our early morning flight in Casablanca.
Obviously, we were wrong in assuming that we would be well cared for when we bought an all inclusive tour. Not with GATE1 TRAVEL: they drop the ball and the customers are left holding the bag big time.
Belatedly, we heard from other people that these fiascoes are commonplace with GATE1 TRAVEL.
Once they collect your money, you are completely at their mercy.
There are many good tour companies around, but GATE1 TRAVEL is NOT one of them.
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dan gordon on 04/22/2009:
many tour companies include the transfers when you buy airfare from them. They coordinate arrivals with transfers. When you buy airfare independently many tour operators leave the transfers to you to arrange. This may of what happened to you.
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Israel Tour - Quality Of Guide
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PENNSYLVANIA -- I recently took a Gate1 Travel tour to Israel. It was a one-week tour, with a local guide assigned to us for the week. This guide was rude, disrespectful and obnoxious, to us in the group as well to people we encountered on the trip. He would SCOLD us for reading guidebooks while he was talking; would rush us through sites, "promising" to let us take photos, then herding us like cattle as soon as he was done talking; he admonished other, older members of the group, for lagging behind; he was dismissive about questions we asked, particularly if he didn't like them. He made bigoted, even racist remarks about other tourists; it was an awful experience. I had found Gate1 on the internet and have now learned the hard way to check Consumer Reports before signing up blind.
I complained to Gate1 Travel to at least alert them to changing the tour operator and for a refund for the costs of the guide, I never even received an apology. I strongly recommend against anyone using this tour company.
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Disappointed and Cheated by Gate 1 Travel
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We booked our 9 day Classic Ecuador and Amazon Adventure back in June 2014 for our Jan 20, 2015 departure. This is our first tour with Gate 1 Travel and we were looking forward to it.
Suddenly we got an email on Oct 29, 2014 informing us that our tour flight schedule has been changed. In fact that is NOT the whole truth. Gate 1 changed our tour from 9 days to 8 days with the flight schedule change. We spoke to their customer service and explained to her that we booked 9 days and now it is only 8 days tour so they need to adjust our tour price because there is one day short from what we originally booked for.
On top of that they changed their flight schedule and now it costs us an extra hotel stay expense in Miami and they should compensate for that. Gate 1 Customer Service told us that she understood all that but she refused to take any responsibility or compensate us for anything. This is totally wrong! We were looking forward to the trip and now we feel that we have signed up with a very dishonest company and felt cheated.
We are not sure what is really in the tour since they cannot even honor their itinerary. Can anyone help us?
Company Response 11/03/2014:
Please understand that regardless of how the flights are reserved, schedules are dictated by the airlines and are subject to change. Regrettably, these changes are out of the control of Gate 1. With that said, please know that we are currently reviewing this matter and will be in contact.
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Gate 1 Travel Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Paris - Don't go unless you're white or can speak French
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Customer service is awful. Tour guide treated Asians differently from whites on the trip. Also left many of us to starve instead of taking us to a restaurant since some of us had no idea where to go to eat in some cities. Had problems with one hotel and tour guide gave me an attitude rather than apologizing, demanding the hotel to apologize or attempting to solve the problem. My daughter bought me this trip as a present and I felt like it was a waste of thousands of dollars. I left the trip unsatisfied and angry. Don't go on this particular trip unless you are white or can speak the local languages. You will be treated like an outsider.
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bob93 on 11/10/2011:
What exactly happened?
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Possible Discrimination Against Mobility Impaired Persons
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wheelchair lady
CALIFORNIA -- My family wants to take my 76 year old dad on a GATE 1 TRAVEL Company trip to Italy. He has severe emphysema. We have asked to bring his wheelchair on the sight seeing bus, but they have refused on grounds that it is their company policy. We have been on the same tour before and understand the difficulties of wheelchairs in Europe. But he only needs it to relieve occasional stress and help him, not to hold up the tour group. We have offered compromises to space and other traveler courtesies, and have still been refused. Can they do this?
Also, my contact will not give me names of upper company administrators, President Director, Board members, etc. to appeal to. I think Gate 1 Travel is an American company... can they discriminate / deny him a device needed for his health and welfare?
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Anonymous on 12/18/2008:
I believe Gate 1 is an American company. That does not mean that they can extend U.S. law to other countries.
Soaring Consumer on 12/18/2008:
Here is some information from the ADA on Disability Rights Laws:
There are also a few phone numbers on the page. Hopefully this information can help you.
Anonymous on 12/18/2008:
S.C. I was unaware that the ADA would apply in foreign countries.
Ben There on 12/18/2008:
Gate 1 can not enforce US laws on Italian bus charter companies. My grandmother has a small chair on wheels that folds up small enough to fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane, and it has really helped her keep up her passion for travel even though her 80 something year old legs don't move like they used to. Unlike regular wheelchairs that have two big wheels and two small wheels, this is more like a folding lawn chair on 4 small wheels. It is not self propelled, so someone has to push her but that is never a problem as we always make sure a family member is with her. It is light enough that she can carry it by herself, but strong enough to carry 250 pounds. I wish I remembered where we ordered it, but I am sure with enough googling you can find one.
Starlord on 12/19/2008:
Sadly, waving anything about the ADA in the faces of people in other countries will get you precisely nowhere. They may or may not have an equivalent law, but they have no obligation to meet the requirements of the ADA. Too often we forget that when we travel in other countries, the laws of the United States and the rights of American citizens mean less htan nothing. When you are in a foreign land, you are subject to their laws, not ours.
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text: The Port Huron City Council met in their first regular session of the New Year last night, with just a few items up for action. Mayor Pauline Repp tells us an agreement was approved that lets St. Clair County lease the property at 6-19 River Street for the storage and use of a travel trailer by the Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol Division. The council last night also approved the demolition for a house along the 11-hundred block of Miller Street and gave best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery for ailing councilman and former Mayor Brian Moeller as he undergoes treatment for cancer.

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|"I'd never admit this to anyone else, but there was a time when I would have given anything to be flesh and blood. But I've come to realize that being a hologram is far superior." - EMH; the pride before the fall
When the EMH and Janeway return from an away mission, the Captain declares that a powerful alien race has ordered Voyager to surrender its warp core to them or face destruction. Much to Chakotay's amazement she has decided to comply, giving up Voyager's journey home and settling on a nearby planet. Even more erratic behaviour makes it clear that the captain is actually an impostor, with a most unusual agenda...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, February 2, 2012
COLUMBUS – Secretary of State Jon Husted has called a meeting of the Ohio Ballot Board for Thursday, February 9, 2012, at 10:30 a.m. in the Finan Finance Hearing Room of the Ohio Statehouse, located on the first floor of the Senate Building at 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio, 43215.
As required by Ohio law, the Ballot Board will meet to determine whether a proposed constitutional amendment regarding labor organizations consists of more than one amendment. The Ballot Board has 10 days from the date the certification is received from the Attorney General to complete this task.
If it is determined that there is more than one amendment, the Ballot Board will divide the initiative into individual petitions containing only one constitutional amendment so as to enable the voters to vote on each proposal separately and certify its approval to the attorney general. Petitioners would then need to resubmit summaries for each of the individual petitions to the attorney general for certification.
Petitioners will need to collect 385,253 signatures, which is equal to 10 percent of the total vote cast for Governor in 2010. As part of the total number of signatures needed to place the measure on the ballot, petitioners must also collect signatures from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties, and within each of those counties, collect enough signatures equal to five percent of the total vote cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election, 2010.
Secretary Husted serves as chair of the Ballot Board and oversees the board's proceedings. Other members of the Ballot Board include: Fred Strahorn, Vice Chair; State Senator Keith Faber; Mark Griffin; and William N. Morgan. Ballot Board meetings are open to the public.
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Lessons from Isaiah and Jeremiah
The Old Testament books of Isaiah and Jeremiah present various messages from God that were delivered to Judah and the surrounding nations both prior to and during the period of the Babylonian conquest of Judah. These two prophets faithfully represented God to the culture in which they lived. As they conveyed God's message to the people to whom they ministered, they revealed truths about God, the way He relates to people, and the way people relate to Him. In our study series for fall 2014, we will select portions of these two biblical texts, giving particular focus to these revealed truths and considering their application to life today.
Evening classes will begin Monday, September 8th at 7 p.m. and meet in classroom 244 (entrance A). Morning classes will begin Tuesday, September 9th at 10:30 a.m., and will also meet in classroom to 244. To register for this free class fill out the form below. You may also contact Anita Scroggins at (205) 970-9213 or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Sebastian Vettel makes the most of the soft tyres as he hits the front in FP2 at the Nurburgring.
Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel: "I wasn't so happy with the car this morning and Mercedes were quick, but in the afternoon we were in better shape. We'll see, but so far I am happy. To be clear about yesterday and the GPDA meeting: the general agreement was that we're happy Pirelli bought a new specification of tyre for this event and want to thank them for their flexibility and reaction times - they were able to find a solution in only a couple of days. The circumstances that we raced under in Silverstone were not what we can accept, but I don't think we will see those issues again."
Mark Webber: "It was okay today and we had dry weather, which was good - it meant we could get our runs done on both compounds and the new tyres seem okay. Pirelli have done what they can and gone back to tyres they know work here. It's impossible to tell how they will affect the performance of the car - but it feels comfortable so far."
Lewis Hamilton:"It's been a reasonable day of practice for us. This morning went pretty well and the car felt good, but then we made some changes which didn't quite work out for us this afternoon. The car felt a little off balance during P2 so we'll have a look into that overnight and probably backtrack on some of those changes for tomorrow. I'm sure we will be back on form for P3."
Nico Rosberg:"It's a great track and a lot of fun to drive here with my current Silver Arrow. It was an interesting day for us as we had to adapt to the new tyres. They are different and require a different set-up, so today was a good opportunity to learn something. We want to understand them quicker and better than the other teams. Generally it seems that we are quick again over one lap and the long run was not bad. It's difficult to predict where we are, because you never know exactly about the fuel levels of the others. Also it's going to get warmer on Sunday and this could change also the whole picture again."
Kimi Raikkonen:"We tried quite a few things today; some were good and some were not, so we have a good idea of what to do tomorrow. Our long run pace wasn't as good as it could have been as we were running with a different setup which would have taken too long to change back during the session, but we now know which setup works better so it's not a worry. The rear tyres weren't much different, but we already knew that from when we tried them in Canada."
Romain Grosjean:"We had a pretty good day today. We ran the Device in the morning to gather some data then went back to our previous package for the afternoon, where we played with the setup a little but spent most of the time analysing the new tyres. We made a step forward with the upgrades that were brought to Silverstone, and we're seeing the benefit here as well. Getting temperature into the tyres can be a bit tricky for us in colder conditions, but today it wasn't an issue which is a good sign. It's only free practice, but the car feels ok so let's see what we can do tomorrow."
Fernando Alonso:"Today went better than last Friday and even if there is still a long way to go, in general we seem to have made a step forward and returned to the level of competitiveness which we had prior to Silverstone. One of the positives was the behaviour of the tyres which worked well today and did not create any problems. Unfortunately, we lost the morning session because of a programming problem on the electronic control unit, which we then changed. That halved our work programme and this evening we will have to do all we can to make up for it, but we already have an idea of where and how to make changes, because Mercedes, Red Bull and Lotus are ahead of us and we want something better than being the third or fourth team in the classification."
Felipe Massa:"It was a particularly busy day, because we had a lot of things to test and we did as many laps as possible in order to complete the programme. We split the time between assessing the Pirelli tyres and a long run test. There is a big difference between the two compounds, caused by the high degradation of the Softs compared to the Mediums and it will be interesting to see how much influence this will have in the race. As usual, choosing the right strategy will be very important. Qualifying remains our weak point, because usually we are less competitive than in the race and that's why we will do our utmost to try and start from as far up the grid as possible. Over a long run, the car behaved well and this makes me very confident for Sunday."
Related links
FP1: Merc Dominate As Ferrari Stutter
FP2: Red Bull Hit Back
Up And Running At Nurburgring


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Unit details
HPS712 - Clinical Placement and Case Analysis 3
|2015 unit information
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HPS709 and HPS777
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1 x 2 hour class per week and 1 x 2 hour seminar per fortnight, 55 full time days of placement
Placements are aimed at providing students with a wide range of client problems, age ranges (including children adolescents and the elderly) and clinical settings. The placements are designed to equip students with a range of professional skills and to develop an awareness of professional issues.
Placements will take part in one of various mental health service agencies, including but not limited to adult, child, adolescent, acute, chronic, inpatient, community, forensic, and/or rehabilitation services. It is expected that for this unit students will undertake either an adult OR a child/adolescent placement, and complement their second placement (Placement 2) with an adult OR child/adolescent placement, depending on the second placement setting. At least two of the three placements undertaken in the Master of Psychology (Clinical) course must be regional or rural placements.
The placement program will be worked out jointly by the student, the placement coordinator, and the practitioners supervising the placement. This will include the minimum amount of face-to-face contact time with clients and the minimum contact time with the clinical supervisor. Contracts will be drawn up which will clearly specify the skills to be taught and the responsibilities of the student, the Placement Supervisor and the placement coordinator. It is expected that in the third placement students will have experience in assessment and therapy.
The unit includes a Case Analysis seminar, which is attended by all second year clinical students, and facilitated by staff. Within this seminar, students will be required to provide a case presentation from their placement experience. This is a formal presentation to peers and staff of the client's clinical symptoms, history, the assessment techniques employed, the diagnosis of the disorder using DSM 5, a case formulation and report of treatment strategies consistent with the formulation.
Assessment task 1: Placement contract submitted within 21 days of commencing placement (hurdle)
Assessment task 2: 55 full time days attendance at this placement agency (hurdle)
Assessment task 3: Placement logbook submitted with 21 days of completing placement (hurdle)
Assessment task 4: Satisfactory report from placement supervision on professional competence of student submitted within 21 days of completing the placement (hurdle)
Assessment task 5: Written placement case study of 3000 words submitted within 21 days of completing placement (hurdle)
Assessment task 6: Attendance at weekly Case Analysis seminars (hurdle)
Assessment task 7: 30 minute case presentation during Case Analysis seminar and submission of presentation slides (hurdle)
Unit Fee Information
|Student Contribution Rate*
|Student Contribution Rate**
|Fee rate - Domestic Students
|Fee rate - International students
* Rate for all CSP students, except for those who commenced Education and Nursing units pre 2010
** Rate for CSP students who commenced Education and Nursing units pre 2010
Please note: Unit fees listed do not apply to Deakin Prime students.


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Your young fan loves to cheer on the Eagles in style. Add a little glitz to her game day attire with this Glitter Land tee! It boasts printed team graphics on the front with glitter-accented "Eagles" lettering. She'll sparkle and shine with Philadephia pride every time she wears this shirt!
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We list this inexpensive printer because it is one of the most efficient in terms of ink consumption and ink price. Also, Canon has committed to eliminating lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and mercury from its printers by December 2004. Inkjet printers also use much less energy than laser printers. Notes from CNET: Canon's i560 desktop […][Read More]
Panasonic Toughbook W2
Most notebooks aren't really built tough enough. They get scratched and break if you drop them. The Toughbook W2 has a lot going for it. It's rugged (it has a magnesium alloy case & shock mounted hard drive), ultralight (2.8 lbs), thin (about 1.2"), has a long battery life (5-6 hrs), and is relatively inexpensive […][Read More]
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It is possible to produce pure drinking water from rain water using a combination of devices costing around $300 total. Here's how to do it: Install a roof washer and a rain barrel ($200). A roof washes diverts the first ten gallons or so of rain water away from your barrel — it contains such […][Read More]
Azumi Multifunctional Furniture
This chest of drawers by Azumi cantilevers with a simple action to become an occasional table. The Azumis, a husband and wife team of designers, say this reflects Japanese needs where rooms are often multipurpose and furniture and tatami mats are reconfigured as required. Another example is their wire-frame recliner that can be flipped […][Read More]
Chlorine Filter for Baths: Crystal Ball
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The project revitalizes a landmark CBD site, integrating 36,000 square meters of commercial office space and 6,000 square meters of retail, food and entertainment. The site is interesting in that it combines historical sites, major street frontages, a pedestrian mall, public transportation and loads of space for offices. One of the fundamental design principles was to blur the lines between the various programs, provide access in and around the site and improve the urban fabric. The resulting building is a collage of modern and historic, with a building block tower set upon the commercial pedestal. A number of the roofs are planted with vegetation for extra outdoor employee space and to serve as winter gardens.
The building's orientation, with most of the office space lined up to the east and west, allows it to take advantage of both light and shade. By stepping the office tower, the higher portions create shade on the north side for the lower portions, but still allow in plenty of natural daylighting. Vertical louvers on the north-facing facades cut down on direct light and overheating. Additional sustainability features include a variety of transport options, like public, bicycle, end-of-trip, and reduced car parking, along with grey water storage, high performance glazing, high efficiency low temperature VAV air conditioning, heat recovery, 'peak load' generator topping, and waterless WCs. one40william has already achieved a 5 Star Green Star Office Design rating and targeting 5 Star Green Star Office As-Built rating.
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Tamsin Woolley-Barker, PhD.The Biomimicry Manual: What can We Learn About Resilience, Weight Loss, and Kidney Disease from the Grizzly Bear?I'm off to the wilds of Montana this week, doing some in-person, up-close biomimicry research, and I've got my fingers crossed I'll see a grizzly bear. But you know, over there, not over here. With five inch long claws, massive muscular shoulders and forearms,READ MORE >
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My uncle got me into horse racing. Not the betting part but the actual racing part. He is a member of one of the best horse racing syndicates in the UK. I got started soon after I got my first job as an adult. I like horse racing. There is a certain excitement to it that surpasses all of the other sports. The competition is actually fierce. The horses and the jockeys are the athletes, and they both have status among the fans in the same way footballers do. Thought the fan base for the sport might be a bit smaller than it is for some of the other sports, it is still quite popular.
Horse racing and Britain seem to go together. It is a gentleman's sport if there ever was one. It has some very specific and long enduring traditions from the tracks to specific races to celebration of the wins. Even the naming of the horses follows a tradition. (more…)


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HOME NBA Boston Celtics Gear Boston Celtics Mens Boston Celtics Mens Shorts & Pants (63 items) Product ID: 1076289
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Complete your hoops wardrobe with the Supreme knit boxer shorts from College Concepts. These comfy shorts are decorated with your favorite NBA team's colors and logos in an allover pattern.
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text: Orchard Park, NY -- As the end of the season draws near for the Buffalo Bills, it could also mark the end of tenure for a high-profile player currently presiding on their roster. Wide receiver Stevie Johnson is an unrestricted free agent as of 4 pm on March 13, the official start of the 2012 free agency period as announced by the NFL. A source close to the situation told WGR that Stevie Johnson's asking price placed in to the Buffalo Bills during negotiations was an annual salary of $7.5 million. The source indicates that there have been no contract offers issued to Johnson from the Bills over the course of the past month. The source also said that the Bills did not mention the idea of a franchise tag for the wide receiver at any point while the negotiations were still going on, or even since they have subsided. In September, WGR Sports Radio 550 reported the two sides were $2 million per year apart when they were exchanging contract proposals at the beginning of the season. When asked for comment, a spokesperson of the Bills would not comment, citing the team's policy of not making statements concerning contracts and their subsequent negotiations. C.J. Laboy of Octagon Football, who represents Johnson, spoke with WGR's Sal Capaccio about the breakdown of talks between the two sides. "We were approached to do a deal prior to the season starting," said Laboy. "When it became clear that the two sides were too far apart, we agreed that it would be best to shelve negotiations and allow Stevie to focus on the season. Stevie never wanted his contract status to be a distraction to him or his teammates. At that time, the Bills turned their focus on getting Ryan [Fitzpatrick]'s contract done, which they ultimately did. A week or so after Ryan's deal was done, the Bills wanted to re-open negotiations, but when it quickly became apparent that we wouldn't be able to get a deal done, Stevie decided that it was best to wait until the end of the year before talking about his contract again." Since talks have broken off, and the closer Johnson has moved towards free agency, a lot of speculation has been made about exactly how much money Johnson is seeking to remain in Buffalo. Some have pegged the number to be upwards of $8 million and even up to $10 million. Laboy flatly denies that. "Stevie was more than willing to do a discounted deal with the Bills because of his loyalty to the organization for giving him his chance in the NFL, his loyalty to his teammates, and his love for the city of Buffalo. Any reports of Stevie asking for 10, 9, or even 8 million dollars a year are completely false and misleading," said Laboy. While Laboy would not divulge specific dollar amounts, a league source to Capaccio corroborates with the initial source that the Johnson camp proposals "never exceeded anything in the sevens (millions)." That source tells Capaccio the deals the two sides had discussed were all spanning "four or five years." Johnson is on the cusp of being the first Bills' receiver in franchise history to post back-to-back seasons that gain 1,000 receiving yards. He is just 36 yards away from the mark. Johnson is three receptions shy of being just the second Bills player to post 75 catches in consecutive seasons as well. Eric Moulds is the only other Bills player to do so. Week 16 against the Broncos, Johnson became only the third Bills receiver to catch 70 passes in back-to-back seasons. Moulds and Andre Reed also have accomplished the feat. On Wednesday, Johnson maintained hope that he would be back, despite the lack of recent negotiations. Since day one, he's maintained that he wants to be with the Buffalo Bills for many years to come. "Yeah, most definitely. I do want to be here," he said. "I'm still very optimistic that I will be here in Buffalo even if I was to test out free agency and all that. What brings me back here is because of the guys with like Fitz, with coach Gailey." Johnson continued: "I think we've got a good core here. We went on a losing streak and everything, but I think we've got a good core here and I think we can only get better." Laboy echoed his clients' comments. "If you know Stevie, you know that he is one of the most passionate and vocal supporters of the Bills organization," he said. "He genuinely believes that the organization is heading in the right direction and with Coach Gailey at the helm and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback that not only is Buffalo a great place to play, but that they can and will return to the glory years of the early 90s. Stevie believes he can be a big factor in the Bills return to glory." Laboy declined comment when asked if they would still consider a discount, due to both sides not speaking about a new deal in over a month. Johnson's agent went on to say, however, that his client is still willing to make a deal with the Bills before he hits the open-market in free agency. A separate agent that has a client on the Bills roster told Capaccio that he never directly dealt with General Manager Buddy Nix when it came to his client's contract. In fact, he said he dealt 100-percent with Jim Overdorf and that Nix "never involved himself in the negotiations." The level of Overdorf's involvement was also confirmed by another agent who used to have a client on the Bills roster prior to Nix taking over GM duties. "Jim has been their primary negotiator for as long as I have known," said the agent, speaking on condition of anonymity. This is not unique in the NFL. Some General Managers prefer to deal only with the personnel side of the business, then along with ownership and the budget they are given, give directives to someone else in the front office, who then handles the monetary side of contract negotiations. Laboy declined to comment on who in the Bills organization is handling the negotiations with him regarding Johnson's contract. However, each one of these agents, including Laboy, did point out that the Bills have been very professional and all three had a lot of praise for the organization when speaking about dealing with them and their clients' negotiations. The two agents who have dealt with Overdorf specifically mentioned the terrific job they feel he does and his level of professionalism whenever they've dealt with him. Johnson has 72 catches for 964 yards and six touchdowns in 2011. He made a base salary of $550,000 on the final year of his four-year rookie contract as a former seventh round pick. To read what the Bills could be looking at if they were to franchise Stevie Johnson or what he may make on the open market, click here for Sal Capaccio's column. Keep checking back to WGR Sports Radio 550 and WGR550.com for any new details on the situation. Twitter: @JoeB_WGR & @SalSports


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text: Reactions: Steve Jobs remembered Published: Oct 06 2011 11:24:24 AM EDT Small Text Medium Text Large Text People around the world react to the death of Apple innovator and founder Steve Jobs. 19 / 26 Comments The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator. Desktop and mobile versions of this site use independent comment threads.


text:
2013 will be year of phasing out for Bearcreek Farms
For much of her life, Carla (Strong) Loy has viewed the rising sun with the silhouette of the family business, Bearcreek Farms, across the road from her home.
The sounds of laughing children, music and the smells of campfires have been her joy as guests from all over the country have come to take in the sights, sounds and historic atmosphere of the family business.
Strong, whose father Don Strong founded the business in the mid-1970s, said that her dad had envisioned a destination where family and friends could escape the day to day hectic schedules and find a down-to-earth escape offering good food and a little entertainment that would leave them with a smile on their faces.
After some very difficult times of family discussion, family members have decided to phase out the business in 2013, and then, for all practical purposes, close it as a resort beginning with 2014.
"I have mixed feelings; this has been a tough decision," said Loy. "A lot of people want to point their fingers at my father regarding this decision. They say it was all his idea.
"It wasn't," Loy said. "I probably had the biggest say in deciding what's best for the family. It is time for a change; there have been lots and lots of things that have been fun that haven't worked financially. We have to face reality at some point in time."
Loy said that Bearcreek Farms has always been considered a hobby for her father and other family members. She noted that during the 37 years that the business has been in operation, money has never been important to them.
"We have enjoyed providing entertainment and good foods," Loy said. "Over the last four years as a family, we have discussed all kinds of options leading up to this time.
"My father is at retirement age. This is no longer a hobby now, it is a burden to him," continued Loy. "He doesn't want to leave it as a burden to us."
Over the years, Bearcreek Farms has been owned by Richard's Restaurant. Strong is the majority stock holder for both establishments.
"We decided that my dad is right with his concerns," Loy said. "There might be a day when Richard's can't afford to operate this facility. It has a lot of peaks and valleys. Most people only see it when they visit with their large group. There are days that the shot of a cannon would echo through the place."
Loy said that most people don't see the everyday maintenance requirements that are involved with the business's personal sewer plant, maintenance and grounds keeping.
"It was a very tough decision," Loy said. "We are going to look at other options for the property. We hope that something good can come out of all of this. We are going to take a look at other not-for-profits. The worst scenario would be to bulldoze the whole thing down. Goodness knows the price of farm ground right now.
"I live right across the street. This is not going to go to just anybody. I am going to be very partial about it," continued Loy.
Loy said that the facility will remain open for conferences, special events and organizations that have already previously booked meetings through the end of 2013.
"We wanted customers to have the opportunity to use up their gift cards," Loy said. "We hope that if they use them one more time they will leave with a positive feeling about Richard's and Bearcreek Farms. We had made commitments prior to what we are doing. We do not want to let these people down."
Loy noted that during the times that the business is open for other groups, it will also be open to the public, including the theater and the restaurant.
"We plan to end it as it is in 2014," said Loy.
But then with a twinkle in her eye she said, "We're going to be open-minded. We plan to think out of the box; we are going to look at all of the opportunities. There's no way financially that we could keep this hobby up. There are a lot of things out there that could hurt the family."
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text:
Lewis Hamilton once again produced an excellent lap after the chequered flag to claim his fourth pole position in a row.
Lewis Hamilton: "A fourth pole in a row just feels fantastic! The team did a great job to get the timing at the end of Q3 absolutely perfect and I was in exactly the right track position. I was so surprised when I came across the line to hear I was P1. I went wide in the first corner and I thought I was down on time from the read-out on my steering wheel. I just kept pushing and did a strong middle sector, then I could see I was catching Sebastian towards the end so it was a great feeling. I hope we can try and fight it out tomorrow, whatever the conditions. The Red Bulls are still ahead of us in terms of performance so results like this feel even more special because I know I've got the absolute maximum out of myself and out of the car."
Nico Rosberg: "It was a very difficult qualifying session and unfortunately luck wasn't on my side today. When I took the chequered flag, I was quickest at that time, but the track quicker and quicker for the guys who had got the extra lap and eventually ended up in the top three positions, so I must be happy with fourth place on the grid. Our car seems pretty good in all conditions here this weekend which makes me hopeful of a strong race performance tomorrow afternoon."
Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel: "It wasn't clear if the first lap we did in Q3 was the lap on intermediate tyres - so it was hard to know where we were today. We went out on slicks to start, which was quite entertaining as it started to rain pretty heavily. We then went onto intermediates and it still wasn't clear what would happen. It looked like there was more rain coming, so we all rushed to get a lap, but then it stopped and the circuit came back very quickly. The last lap tuned out to be the fastest with the circuit drying. It was difficult to know how fast you could go, I saw Lewis catching and thought I could have gone a bit quicker here and there, but in the end it was quite close across the line. In these conditions anything can happen. I'm happy today; the boys did a good job with the change from slicks to intermediates which got us an extra lap and it was a good day for the team."
Mark Webber: "It was a difficult session to make all the right calls, but in the end I think we got most things right. I think it's very easy to look stupid in those conditions, but in the end we did most things pretty good I'd say. It's a little bit bizarre with the DRS going on and off in the session, but it's the same for everyone. It was a ballsy thing to go slower on the second to last lap to save the tyres, when you're still not sure if the track will improve for the last lap, but in the end it worked out and I'm happy to be up there for tomorrow's race."
Force India
Paul di Resta: "Fifth place on the grid is a great result. At the start of Q3 I knew that I wanted to go straight out on the intermediates. It was a brave decision and the team let me go ahead with it, while the others chose dry tyres. I knew it was our best chance to get up towards the front of the grid and it paid off. It's a shame that the rain stopped a bit too early because there were only a few cars that were quicker than us in the wet and they just got ahead at the end of the session. The main thing is we are in a strong position for tomorrow and we will come back tomorrow ready to fight."
Adrian Sutil: "I'm feeling disappointed with how things ended up today because I think we had the potential to get a better result. In Q2 I was on my final flying lap a bit too early and the track was getting quicker all the time. So we should have waited a bit longer and I think that would have made the difference to make the top 10. Also, I had some traffic on my fastest lap and that cost me some time."
Jenson Button: "In the dry we were relatively happy with our pace, and in the wet I reckon it was a bit better still. I think P6 for us was an okay outcome, therefore. However, we're still lacking a little bit compared with what we'd hoped for here, which shortfall we suspect is the result of an aero efficiency issue. We'll have to analyse that thoroughly before Monza. But, going back to Spa, our timing was just a little bit off at the end of Q3, which enabled the top three guys to put in laps quicker than ours. Even so, the fact that there are three Brits in the top six is just great. Looking forward to tomorrow, if the weather is wet, or changeable, as we expect it to be, then things could get tricky for all the front-runners, because I think we've all used our supply of inters. Anyway, let's see what happens. It should be an exciting race."
Sergio Perez: "In tricky conditions like today's you have to be in the right place at the right time, and it's a pity we couldn't optimise our potential by doing that, because on a wet track our car is pretty strong and we therefore had a very good opportunity to qualify well here this afternoon. So I'm a bit disappointed, of course, because we went out a bit too late and thereby lost the 'window', preventing us from being able to put in a lap that would have moved us through to Q3. It's a pity, because the track was improving quickly at that time, and we'd have therefore been able to improve our lap time significantly. But that's racing - and tomorrow is another day - and our car should be reasonably competitive if it rains. So I'll try my best to make up for today's disappointment by scoring some good points for the team tomorrow."
Related links
Spa Qualy: Four In A Row For Hamilton
Saturday's Shots From Spa


text:
Illustration by Donald L. Malick
Endemic to oak and missed woodlands in California and northwestern Baja California, the Nuttall's is closely related to the ladder-backed. Monotypic. Length 7" (19 cm).
Identification "Ladder-back" pattern; spotted sides; barred flanks; auriculars almost wholly black; uppermost back black. Sexes similar but females lack red patch on nape and hindcrown.
Similar Species Compared with ladder-backed, Nuttall's shows more black on face; white bars on back are narrower; more extensive black on upper back below nape; white outer tail feathers sparsely spotted rather than barred. Nuttall's underparts are purer white below, more cleanly spotted and barred with black; ladder-backed's underparts are washed with buffy, and markings are finer but often extend across the breast as short streaks. Nuttall's nasal tufts are usually white (buffy to dusky in ladder-backed). Red of male is restricted on Nuttall's; in ladder-backed red covers most of crown, but is spotted with black and white on forecrown. Calls differ markedly.
Voice Call: a short, rolling prrt or pitit that may be followed by a longer trill, prrt prrt prrrrrrrrrrrrr; also a loud kweek kweek kweek series. Drum: A steady roll of about 20 taps over a second.
Status and Distribution Common. Year-round: oak woodlands, mixed oak-conifer and oak-riparian woodlands, and tall dense chaparral; sea level to about 6,000 feet. Small populations extend onto deserts along riparian corridors. Vagrant: a few wander to deserts of south-central California, casually to Imperial Valley; southwestern Oregon, western Nevada.
Population Generally stable.
—From the National Geographic book Complete Birds of North America, 2006
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text:
WASHINGTON—Majority conservatives on the Supreme Court criticized one of the pillars of 1960s civil-rights legislation, suggesting the Voting Rights Act had outlived its relevance and was imposing undue burdens on states whose practices are subject to extra federal supervision.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act targets states that historically discriminated against minorities, and Section 5 requires some localities, particularly in the South, to get approval in advance from Washington for changes to their voting laws.
Activists hold placards outside the Supreme Court in Washington Wednesday, as justices considered a challenge to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Getty Images
At the high court, Chief Justice John Roberts reeled off statistics showing that African-American turnout is now high in Mississippi and relatively low in Massachusetts, suggesting that the South has no monopoly on voting discrimination. Are "citizens in the South more racist than citizens in the North?" he asked the government's lawyer, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli.
"I do not know the answer to that," Mr. Verrilli replied. But, he said, the court shouldn't second-guess Congress's determination that certain areas require special oversight to prevent violations of the 15th Amendment's guarantee of voting rights.
Justice Anthony Kennedy suggested covered states were demeaned by the Voting Rights Act's requirement for preclearance of voting changes. The requirement effectively put some states under the "trusteeship of the United States government."
"What do you think the Civil War was about?" said Justice Stephen Breyer. "Of course, it was aimed at treating some states differently than others."
Varying Views
"This is a question of renewing a statute that by and large has worked." JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER Associated Press
"The Marshall Plan was very good, too, the Morrill Act, the Northwest Ordinance, but times change." JUSTICE ANTHONY KENNEDY Associated Press
"Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes." JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA Getty Images
Along with the 13th and 14th Amendments, the 15th Amendment was ratified following the Confederacy's defeat to cement the Union's war aims into the Constitution.
While justices' questions often indicate how they plan to vote, they don't necessarily foretell the final decision. A ruling in the present case is expected by late June.
Under Chief Justice Roberts, the Supreme Court has given a critical eye to measures intended to help minorities, with conservatives outvoting liberals to hold that such goals are outweighed by other constitutional considerations. In 2007, the court barred school districts from adopting policies that consider race in order to promote classroom diversity, finding that the practice violated white students' rights to equal protection of the laws.
In the current term, the court is deciding a case involving an affirmative-action policy at the University of Texas, and the court may reverse at least part of a 2003 ruling that allowed some consideration of race in university admissions.
Many consider the Voting Rights Act the most effective legislation of the civil-rights era, and even conservative justices acknowledged its historic role.
"There is no question that the Voting Rights Act has done enormous good. It's one of the most successful statutes that Congress passed in the twentieth century," said Justice Samuel Alito. But, he said, Congress may have failed to demonstrate that preclearance remains justifiable today—or that only some states should be selected for special scrutiny.
Mr. Verrilli argued that the act is designed to reflect changing times, allowing covered jurisdictions with clean records of at least 10 years to "bail out" of preclearance.
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in August 1965, five months after Bloody Sunday, when state and local police in Selma, Ala., attacked voting-rights marchers.
Congress repeatedly has reauthorized the act, most recently in 2006, when President George W. Bush signed bipartisan legislation extending it 25 years.
But while past high-court rulings rejected challenges to the preclearance requirement, in a 2009 decision the justices signaled that the formula for selecting jurisdictions covered by Section 5, last updated with the 1972 election results, may not reflect progress in race relations.
Although the 2009 preclearance decision was adopted 8-1, it was widely seen as a temporary compromise between the court's conservative and liberal wings, allowing Congress breathing room to amend the act. Congress took no action, and on Wednesday the façade of agreement in 2009 fell away to reveal sharp divisions between conservative and liberal justices.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the liberal wing pressed the lawyer challenging Section 5, Bert Rein, representing Shelby County, Ala. Perhaps "some portions of the South have changed," said Justice Sotomayor, but "your county pretty much hasn't." Thanks to Section 5, the Justice Department was able to block 240 discriminatory voting laws there, she said.
Justice Elena Kagan agreed, saying that while covered jurisdictions hold less than 25% of the U.S. population, they account for 56% of successful voting-rights lawsuits.
Mr. Rein said the Alabama Legislature has a proportionate number of black members, and black voter registration today is far higher than half a century ago. Forcing states to comply with Section 5 now because of a formula using 1972 data demeans their right to "equal dignity" with states whose election laws are presumptively valid, he said.
Write to Jess Bravin at email@example.com


text:
Building Works at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
31st October 2011
From now until Christmas the bridge link between the Round Room and other galleries will be closed and BMAG will operate as two separate buildings.
As of Sunday 30th October and until Christmas 2011 there will be no public access from the end of the bridge link to all galleries and spaces beyond at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. This is to allow for building works in this area to take place and will result in the building having to operate as two separate sites during this period.
Access from the Chamberlain Square entrance will be to the Round Room, Bridge Link, Industrial Gallery, shop and restaurant only. Escorted access to these areas for wheelchair users will be via the Council House. Please see the Access page for more information or view the information about entrances on a map.
Access to all other areas will be via the Gas Hall entrance and lift on Edmund Street, or the
Birmingham – A City in the Making is a £9.0m capital development project that will see the creation of innovative new galleries telling the global story of
The following work will be completed by Christmas 2011 on the second floor:
- An improved visitor orientation area
- A new family activity area
- A new decorative art gallery
Please contact us if you would like to check if something is on display before you visit or if you wish to make an access enquiry.
You can follow news from this museum through the RSS 2.0 feed.