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Next Stop, Squalor
Is poverty tourism "poorism," they call it exploration or exploitation?
- By John Lancaster
- Smithsonian magazine, March 2007, Subscribe
The Dharavi squatter settlement in Mumbai is often described as the biggest slum in Asia. It sits between two rail lines in the northern part of the city, on a creek that once sustained a thriving fishery. The creek is now a sump of sewage and industrial waste, and the air above Dharavi is foul.
By one estimate, the slum is home to 10,000 small factories, almost all of them illegal and unregulated. The factories provide sustenance of a sort to the million or so people who are thought to live in Dharavi, which at 432 acres is barely half the size of New York City's Central Park. There is no discernible garbage pickup, and only one toilet for every 1,440 people. It is a vision of urban hell.
It is also one of India's newest tourist attractions. Since January of last year, a young British entrepreneur, Christopher Way, and his Indian business partner, Krishna Poojari, have been selling walking tours of Dharavi as if it were Jerusalem's walled city or the byways of Dickens' London. There seems to be a market for this sort of thing: almost every day during the recent December holidays, small groups of foreign travelers, accompanied by Poojari or another guide, tramped through Dharavi's fetid alleys in a stoic quest for...What? Enlightenment? Authenticity? The three-hour excursions are slated for mention in a forthcoming Lonely Planet guide, and they cost about $6.75 a head—more if you want to go to Dharavi by air-conditioned car.
Poverty tourism—sometimes known as "poorism"—did not originate in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). For years, tour operators have been escorting foreign visitors through Rio de Janeiro's infamous favelas, with their drug gangs and ocean views, and the vast townships outside Cape Town and Johannesburg, where tourists are invited to mix with South Africans at one of the illicit beer halls known as shebeens. A nonprofit group in New Delhi charges tourists for guided walks through the railway station, to raise money for the street children who haunt its platforms.
But the Dharavi tours have been especially controversial. In a lengthy report last September, the Indian English-language Times Now television channel attacked them as an exercise in voyeurism and a sleazy bid to "cash in on the Ôpoor-India' image." That report was followed by a panel discussion in which the moderator all but accused Poojari of crimes against humanity. "If you were living in Dharavi, in that slum, would you like a foreign tourist coming and walking all over you?" he sputtered. "This kind of slum tourism, it is a clear invasion of somebody's privacy....You are treating humans like animals." A tourism official on the panel called the tour operators "parasites [who] need to be investigated and put behind bars," and a state lawmaker has threatened to shut them down.
The critics, it seemed, had claimed the moral high ground. But could they hold it?
One sunny morning this past December, I met Christopher Way at Leopold's Café, a popular backpackers' hangout in Mumbai's bustling Colaba district. At 31, he is boyish and bespectacled, with a thatch of tousled brown hair and a thoughtful, unassuming manner. Over glasses of freshly squeezed mango juice, he told me that he grew up near Birmingham, England, and after graduation from Birmingham University, set off on a path to become a chartered accountant. But Way was afflicted with chronic wanderlust. In 2002, he visited Mumbai and liked the city so much that he stayed five months, volunteering as an English teacher and cricket coach in a local elementary school. He subsequently took an extended holiday in Rio, where he signed up for one of the favela tours. Although frustrated by the guide's lack of knowledge about the shantytown, Way says he found the experience fascinating. It occurred to him that he might be able to do something similar in Mumbai.
As many as half of that city's 18 million or so residents live in squatter settlements, so there was no shortage of potential venues. But Dharavi, as the largest and most established of Mumbai's slums, was the obvious choice. Way's idea was to showcase the settlement's economic underpinnings in a way that would challenge stereotypes about the poor. "We're trying to dispel the myth that people there sit around doing nothing, that they're criminals," he said after we had walked across the street to his office, a grubby, windowless space barely big enough for his desk and laptop computer. "We show it for what it is—a place where people are working hard, struggling to make a living and doing it in an honest way."
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Related topics: Poverty
Comments (9) |
Last year, I completed a junior mid-term project at my school. The assignment was to pick out a Smithsonian magazine at the library, choose an article, and write a research paper about it. Luckily, I found this article. John, your writing is absolutely captivating. Thank you for doing what you do!
Posted by Alissa on February 1,2013 | 12:32 PM
Fascinating article John. Thank you very much. Your journalistic skills are something I hope to achieve one day. I spent three months in India and spotted the Dharavi slum tour in the Lonely Planet. Needless to say, I didn't go, it seemed to make a theme park out of a serious situation. If Westerners want to experience the slums, then it should only be if they are willing to volunteer and get their hands dirty. Certainly not sitting from an air conditioned vehicle or peering through doorways in an invasive museum-like fashion.
Posted by Kiri Bowers on October 16,2012 | 04:22 PM
People in the states are terrified of losing their jobs, their way of life. There are terrified of becoming poor. But if you go visit the poor, and see poverty for what it is, maybe you won't be so terrified. The US is becoming poorer and poorer each year. If you go visit a "poor" country, maybe you can envision what the future is for the US. Maybe you can learn how to make it as a poor person. How do you live without running water, without electricity, without washer/dryers/frigerator/lights. Maybe you can plan for your future with the knowledge that you may make less money in the future. i spoke with an ethopian once, i asked him what was the biggest difference between the states and Ethopia. He said women say home and cook, its thanksgiving every day. there is someone always home, there is no mcdonalds/wendy/taco bell, and fewer shops/malls/outlets. and you don't need the shops either. He prefers ethiopia. women can stay home and watch their children and not have to rely on child care services. Much like what it was like in the US in the 1950's when women stayed home to raise families. so, in the end, you should not be afraid of becoming poorer. Mexico is a poorer country than the US. But they have everything the US has. Airports, Trains, Cars,Highway, electricity, houses, farms, universities, ect.... So, just because the US is in decline, doesn't mean you have to be afraid.
Posted by alma vasquez on April 11,2012 | 10:53 AM
I had exactly the experience described in your article. When my wife and I were working in Nairobi we were invited by a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity to spend the day assisting the residents of Kibera, one of the largest and poorest slums in Africa--a day described in my blog post "Father George, Poverty Tourism, and the Slums of Kibera." (otherguysdime.wordpress.com) It was a difficult and emotional experience but an informative one, especially for a traveler like myself who had never before been outside the developed world, and I am glad I went. I think we were the only visitors there.
However today, tourists by the thousands are snapping photos of shanty towns from tour buses, and purchasing "slum souvenirs" to show to the folks back home. This form of "poorism" as you call it is a controversial topic angering many government officials--so much so wealthy tourists who are flocking to poor neighborhoods.
I am not saying that you should not go, but you really need to balance the learning experience that you and your family will have with the possibility of exploitation of some of the neediest members of society.
Posted by G. Michael Schneider on July 1,2010 | 11:48 AM
You might do your research with a charity evaluation site like http://www.charitynavigator.org. I was satisfied with their tools to evaluate where to donate funds in a manner consistent with my desired philanthropy.
Posted by Ken on February 11,2010 | 12:48 PM
Unlike Amanda, I feel that this type of tour is beneficial. If you want to know what a town, or state or country is really like you do not look to it's afluent...you look at it's backbone...which unfortunatly is usually it's poor. We have become so immune to televised visuals, it would do us all good to have reality smack us in the face...so that we can all contribute to the welfare of our own communities and to the wellbeing of our world with a heart thats dedicated to the cause, not just because it's a "nobel" undertaking that improves our social image.
Posted by Kathy on February 15,2009 | 09:28 AM
In response to Michael, and to Jodi Pavlovich: Reality Tours has started a small education centre for people in Dharavi. http://realitytoursandtravel.com/communitycentre.html , so you could donate to that. According to the article in the Hindustan Times (halfway down the site linked above), the education centre costs 42,000 INR/month to run. (They use -and are looking for- volunteer teachers, but also rent the space, and pay their local teacher and watchman, both of whom live in Dhavari.) If you're interested, Reality Tours also publishes its accounts online. See the NGOs link http://realitytoursandtravel.com/ngos.html from their main website. (They've been running at a loss. One of the owners has not drawn any salary yet, and the other did likewise for the first year.) The education centre's run in conjunction with a Non-Governmental Organization called MESCO, but I'm not certain how/if you could target your donation specifically for Dharavi-related work. Link to MESCO from the NGO link above. -Hope this helps. I haven't been on their tour yet, but hope to when I'm in Mumbai in December.
Posted by Bookchen on November 2,2008 | 09:06 AM
Its businesses manufacture a variety of products—plastics, pottery, bluejeans, leather goods—and generate an estimated $665 million in annual revenue. In other words, Dharavi is not just a slum, it is also a node on the global economy. My question would be, how is the $665 million in annual revenue being spent?
Posted by Katherine on April 14,2008 | 02:17 PM
Will someone answer Michael?? I also would like to know.
Posted by Jodi Pavlovich on February 3,2008 | 08:58 PM
poorism is stupid. people arent animals and the poor places arent zoos. the only thing keeping you from poverty is a very thin line. you're rejoicing in someone else's troubles.
Posted by amanda on January 5,2008 | 09:58 AM
Is there a reliable organization who will accept donations to help people in Dharavi. $10.00 a month seems small compared to what we get. Can you guide us in the right direction. Thank you.
Posted by Michael on November 25,2007 | 01:18 AM


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Tag Archives: garbage
Wed, Jul 29, 2009 | 23:00 BST
Shirley Manson adding likeness and vocals to Guitar Hero 5 [Update]
Activision sent us a mailer announcing that Garbage's Shirley Manson has lent her likeness and vocal stylings to Guitar Hero 5.
Apparently, she will be preforming Only Happy When it Rains in the game.
God no, Shirley, not you too.
Game's out September 1.
Update: We have bowed down to peer pressure and added the video featuring herself chatting about being in Guitar Hero 5. We must say, the folks there did a grand job of rendering her. Watch after the jump.
Tue, Mar 10, 2009 | 15:35 GMT
Rock Band Wii adds 14 new tracks, gets KISS
Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of fourteen tracks, ranging from metal to country, for the Wii version of Rock Band.
Here's what you're getting:
- David Bowie – Moonage Daydream
- Drive By Truckers – 3 Dimes Down
- Garbage – Why Do You Love Me
- KISS – Calling Dr. Love
- Lucinda Williams – Can't Let Go
- Metallica – Blackened, Ride the Lighting
- Neko Case – People Got a Lotta Nerve
- Old 97s – Time Bomb
- Radiohead – My Iron Lung
- Sonic Youth – Kool Thing
- Steve Earle – Satellite Radio
- The Clash – Train in Vain
- Wolfmother – Joker & the Thief
Each master track will cost 200 Wii Points ($2.00).
Hooray for diversity.
Sat, Feb 16, 2008 | 09:26 GMT
Stone Temple Pilots and Garbage for Rock Band next week
According to this, Stone Temple Pilots' "Sex Type Thing", Weezer's "El Scorcho" and Garbage's "Why Do You Love Me" will be available for Rock Band in the US next week. Each track is a master track, and will cost $1.99 (160 Microsoft points).
These announcements are funny. They make us listen to all the albums we have stuffed on hard drives somewhere and forgot about years ago. Because we can't play the game, because it hasn't been released in Europe. Has it, EA?

subset: commoncrawl


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I read the cover story of Patrick in the magazine, "International Figure Skating" in 2009. To hear 15 years-old Patrick had already been said to skate like God, I was not so surprised then.
Well, I always enjoy this site. The blogger is a much devoted fan of Patrick and she intentionally avoided to include his name in the title of the video for fear that the vid might be discovered by the TV company and then deleted after its protest.
As for translating the Japanese text in her blog, perhaps I'm not the right person because of my meager writing skill in English. But I'll try my best on weekends when I have more time.
I'm so honored, emdeeI accept you as a Patrick Warrior!!!


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Diora Baird
Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Diora Baird (born April 6, 1983)is an American actress and former model for Guess who has appeared in films such as Wedding Crashers (2005) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).
Description above from the Wikipedia article Diora Baird, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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Specific Issues Reports for H.R.197 by Entergy Corp, 110th Congress
Content of Specific Issue field
H.R.2776, Renewable Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007; H.R.2305, to provide a 5 year applicable recovery period for depreciation of qualified energy management devices; H.R. 197, to amend the IRC of 1986 to provide a 5-year extension of the credit for electricity produced from certain renewable sources; H.R. 1997, to amend the IRC of 1986 to allow solar and geothermal ITC for public utility property; H.R. 2148, to amend the IRC of 1986 to provide a 15 year depreciation period for electric distribution assets; S.1617, to provide tax incentives for plug-in electric drive motor vehicles; H.R.2313/S.502, to make the tax rate reduction on dividends and capital gains permanent; H.R.2137/S.822, to extend and expand existing law tax credits for commercial buildings, new homes and appliances; S.2821, The Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008; H.R. 5140, Economic Stimulus Act of 2008; H.R. 6049, Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008; H.R. 6049, Energy and Tax Extenders Act of 2008; and SA 4419 to SA 4387 to H.R. 3221, Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008; S. 2821, Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008; S.3125, Energy Independence and Tax Relief Act of 2008.
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While farming and ranching are still the primary land uses of the Great Plains, urban areas provide housing and jobs for two-thirds of the region's people. Native ecosystems and agricultural fields intermingle with small rural communities and the expanding metropolitan centers. The region produces much of the nation's grain, meat, and fiber, including over 60% of the wheat, 87% of the sorghum, and 36% of the cotton. The region is home to over 60% of the nation's livestock, including both grazing and grain-fed-cattle operations. Recreation, wildlife habitat, and water resources are also found on the landscapes of the Great Plains. The Prairie Pothole region provides important habitat for migratory waterfowl. Surface water in rivers, streams, and lakes, and groundwater in aquifers provide water for urban, industrial, and agricultural uses, as well as riparian and aquatic ecosystems. Soil organic matter is a major resource of the Great Plains as it provides improved soil water retention, soil fertility, and long-term storage of carbon.
Climate determines many aspects of life on the Plains. For agriculture, weather determines the planting and harvesting dates for crops, livestock grazing and breeding seasons, and water availability. The high natural variability of climate is a characterizing feature of the region. Farmers and ranchers have survived by being adaptive and incorporating new technologies to buffer their production against the variable climate. For urban centers, the availability of water often constrains urban and industrial development. Dams, diversions, channels, and groundwater pumping have influenced nearly all freshwater ecosystems in the region. Ongoing social and economic changes in the Great Plains will continue to increase demands on the region's land and water resources and challenge its physical and social infrastructure. Climate change will present additional challenges to long-term planning for new infrastructure and the sustainable use of land and water.
Observed Climate Trends
Across the Northern and Central Great Plains, temperatures have risen more than 2F (1C) in the past century, with increases up to 5.5F (3C) in parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In the southern Great Plains, the 20th century temperature record shows no trend. Over the last 100 years, annual precipitation has decreased by 10% in eastern Montana, North Dakota, eastern Wyoming, and Colorado. In the eastern portion of the Great Plains, precipitation has increased by more than 10%. Texas has experienced significantly more high intensity rainfall. The snow season ends earlier in the spring, reflecting the greater seasonal warming in winter and spring.
Scenarios of Future Climate
Climate model scenarios project that temperatures will continue to rise throughout the region, with the largest increases in the western parts of the Plains. The Canadian model projects greater increases throughout the region than the Hadley model. The climate model projections, as well as other tools utilized in analyzing impacts, include a greater number of heat events -- three days in a row above 90F -- a major cause of heat stress for people and livestock. Seasonally, more warming is expected in winter and spring than in summer and fall. Precipitation generally increases in the region in the Hadley model, and in the northern parts in the Canadian model. Precipitation decreases in the lee of the Rocky Mountains in both models. This is accentuated in the Canadian model, with decreases of up to 25% in an area centered on the Oklahoma panhandle and covering northern Texas, eastern Colorado, and western Kansas. Smaller decreases are seen in the Hadley model in a band from northern Texas through Montana. Although precipitation increases are projected for parts of the Great Plains, increased evaporation due to rising air temperatures are projected to surpass these increases, resulting in net soil moisture declines for large parts of the region.
Alteration in Timing and Amount of Water
Water supply, demand, allocation, storage, and quality are all climate-sensitive issues affecting the regional economy. Farming and ranching use over 50% of the region's water resources. Ground-water pumping for irrigation has depleted aquifers in portions of the Great Plains by withdrawing water much faster than it can be recharged. Under today's irrigation demands, water table levels are thus dropping in parts of the southern Great Plains. The projected climate-induced changes in water resources are likely to exacerbate the current competition for water among the agricultural sector, natural ecosystems, and urban, industrial, and recreational users.
Adaptations: It is possible that current strategies to deal with drought, water shortages, extreme weather, and variability could help the region cope with future climate change impacts. These strategies include switching to crops that use less water, retiring marginal lands, adopting conservation tillage, and enhanced watershed storage capacity and groundwater recharge activities. Water availability for crops could possibly be improved using new and existing technologies for crop residue management, wind breaks, mulches, soil carbon management, tillage practices, precision agriculture, and more efficient methods of water application. While these strategies would improve water use efficiency, adaptive strategies would also need to include maintaining water quality. Flexible policies and institutions would help to adapt to unanticipated hydrologic changes.
Water supplies for agriculture have been decreasing in many parts of the Great Plains, partly due to increases in urban uses. Irrigation water needs for grass and alfalfa are projected to increase under both climate scenarios while those for corn rise slightly. The changes in irrigation needs reflect the seasonal shift in precipitation that favors corn more than perennial crops such as grass, hay, and alfalfa.
Lack of soil moisture can greatly reduce yield of crops and forage. Under both climate scenarios, the consumptive demand for water on grass pasture increases more than 50% while the water needs for irrigated corn change little. Perennial crops such as alfalfa experience an increase in consumptive demand for water; the size of the increase depends on the climate scenario.
Changes in Climate Extremes
Extreme climate and weather events have major effects on urban and rural lives. The April 1997 flood put approximately 90% of Grand Forks, North Dakota under water and caused over $1 billion in damages. A short-term heat wave in July 1995 caused the deaths of over 4,000 feedlot cattle in Missouri. The severe drought from Fall 1995 through Summer 1996 in the agricultural regions of the southern Great Plains resulted in about $5 billion in damages. There is some chance that the projected increase in drought tendency in the Sand Hills of the Great Plains will result in expansion or shifting of sand dunes if vegetation cover is not maintained. The potential for new patterns in climate extremes raises questions about the ability of current coping strategies to deal with future impacts.
Adaptations: Better access to more accurate and timely information about near-term weather including extreme events, and longer-term forecasts could help reduce risk and uncertainty in decision making. For example, heat stress events are projected to occur more often in the central and southern Great Plains in the future. This information can help intensive-livestock operators weigh strategic decisions about investments in cooling systems. Real-time weather information can prepare them to implement an immediate response to cool their animals.
Invasive Species Effects on Economy and Ecology
The native grasslands, shrublands, forests, and riparian ecosystems of the Great Plains are home to a variety of plants and animals. Nearly 60% of the bird species that breed in the US do so in the Great Plains. Agriculture and urban development have disrupted these native ecosystems, and invasive species are currently a serious challenge in both native ecosystems and agricultural systems. For example, leafy spurge currently reduces grazing capacity on grasslands. Field bindweed lowers crop production in Kansas by $40 million a year. Projected climate change is likely to alter the current biodiversity. A possible migration of invasive species across the Great Plains is a concern to stakeholders because the rapid rate of climate change is likely to be disadvantageous to native species. The exact social costs will depend upon the particular invasive species or type of change in biodiversity.
Adaptations: Effective coping strategies would help provide plants and animals with habitats for adaptation such as maintaining a diversity of vegetation types and connectivity between the types. Preserving intact riparian areas, wetlands, and natural areas is likely to slow or reduce future invasions and is beneficial even in the absence of climate change.
Stress on Human Communities
Rural communities, already stressed by their declining populations and shrinking economic base, are dependent on the competitive advantage of their agricultural products in domestic and foreign markets. Large corporate enterprises, the result of agribusiness modernization and consolidation, have greater resources and technology with which to buffer themselves against both economic and climatic variability. Thus, a changing climate is an additional stress that disproportionately impacts family farmers and ranchers. In urban communities, the impacts of floods, heat waves, and other climate events is a crucial emerging issue with significant economic implications. Many poorer people can not afford air conditioning, insulation, substantial housing, and other means of coping with climate extremes. Therefore, climate change impacts will vary significantly by social and economic status.
Adaptations: Diversification within enterprises and rural communities could help to reduce risk and cope with the additional stress of climate change. Community-level dialogue is vital in identifying information needed by managers and in assessing policy options for climate change.
Conservation of Soil Organic Matter
Soil carbon is vital for retaining water and nutrients. The amount of carbon stored in the soil is strongly influenced by past and present land management practices and weather patterns. Overall, soil carbon is projected to decline in response to higher temperatures in both climate scenarios. In some areas, climate changes reduce the decomposition of soil organic matter, resulting in increased soil carbon.
Increasing Soil Carbon Helps Buffer Against Climate Change Impacts
Martin Kleinschmit, a farmer and rancher in Bow Valley, Nebraska, says that farmers have a lot at risk as global climate heats up, but they also have a lot to gain by participating in the solution to climate change. By conserving soil organic matter, farmers can improve soil health and productivity as well as capture and store (sequester) carbon in the extensive crop and rangelands of the Great Plains. The higher temperatures and greater numbers of droughts and floods projected for the region could threaten crops, raise production expenses, and increase the risk of failure. To protect our food supply, healthy soils able to withstand erratic weather patterns are needed.
Increasing the carbon content of the soil will help to mitigate global warming by keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, but it will do even more to buffer the soil against the threats of climate change. Presently, most US farmland has only half or less of its historical level of organic matter. Soil scientists have established that a 6-inch (15 cm) block of soil with 1 to 2% organic matter can hold only about one inch (2.5 cm) of rain before it runs out the bottom. With 4 to 5% organic matter, that same soil can hold 4-6 inches (10 to 15 cm) of rain before it leaves the root zone and takes with it the water-soluble nutrients. Increasing soil organic matter also reduces the risks of flooding and erosion, and retains moisture longer so plants have access to it during periods of dry weather. Soil organic matter lessens the need for (and expense of) irrigation, reduces ground water pollution, and reduces the amount of run-off, lessening the threat of stream pollution. It also lowers the cost of fertilization since nutrients not lost to erosion and leaching need not be replaced. Agricultural incentives that encourage net carbon sequestration in soil provide an opportunity to promote food security in a changing climate and reduce the threat of climate change at the same time.


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Roy Hodgson has named his squad to face Brazil next week as England get back into action with their first game of 2013. The England Manager has selected a 24-man group for Wednesday's match at Wembley, which will be a tough warm-up for next month's World Cup qualifiers in San Marino and Montenegro. And Hodgson makes no real surprises with his choices, with Everton midfielder Leon Osman retaining his place in the squad following an impressive debut against Sweden last November. Ashley Cole returns to the squad after missing the game in Stockholm through injury and the Chelsea star is in line to win his 100th cap should he feature against the South Americans. Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is also back in the squad for the first time in almost a year, with injuries having kept him out since last February's game against the Netherlands. With Norwich City's John Ruddy and Celtic's Fraser Forster both injured, only two goalkeepers have been selected. All five of the nominated Men's Senior Player of the Year candidates are in the squad and the whole group will attend Sunday's FA England Awards ceremony at St. George's Park. The match is the first in a series of Wembley fixtures to celebrate The FA's 150th anniversary year in 2013, with Republic Of Ireland and Scotland to follow in May and August respectively. The Squad Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Joe Hart.
Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker.
Midfielders: Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Leon Osman, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere.
Forwards: Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Theo Walcott, Daniel Welbeck.


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Celebrate your Thanksgiving by stocking up on all your most-wanted Strange gear! Hurry, before you get sleepy and pass out in a turkey coma! This limited sale starts on Thursday 11/26 (at 12AM EST) and ends on Sunday 11/29 (AT 11:59PM PST). So before you stuff your face, stuff your closet!
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steven crow said::( god dammit im broke
thank god for unemployment! Cørpørate Avenger said:God damnit THIS
steven crow said::( god dammit im broke
They should make the size Large. All the other sizes dont fit me to good.
Site not working or loading insanely slow for anyone else? Can't get past the homepage if it even loads.
yeah man im having the same fuckin problem
Darkness1 said:Site not working or loading insanely slow for anyone else? Can't get past the homepage if it even loads.
Not sure if anyone has the basketball jersey but I see it's large or 2x wondering how it fits it u got it
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First trip to South Africa Cruiser Safaris
This is a discussion on First trip to South Africa Cruiser Safaris within the South Africa Hunting Reports forums, part of the Hunting Reports & Questions About Outfitters/PHs category; Just go back from 10 days of hunting with Cruiser Safaris. It was a fantastic trip. Photo Apr 11, 8 ...
05-06-2012, 06:54 PM #1New Member
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- Member of SCI, DSC, NRA
- Hunted USA, RSA
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First trip to South Africa Cruiser Safaris
Just go back from 10 days of hunting with Cruiser Safaris. It was a fantastic trip.
Photo Apr 11, 8 08 26 PM.jpg Photo Apr 13, 8 20 29 PM.jpg Photo Apr 15, 1 06 19 AM.jpg Photo Apr 16, 4 51 55 AM.jpg Photo Apr 25, 11 02 35 AM.jpg Photo Apr 26, 9 38 50 AM.jpg Photo Apr 26, 9 42 35 AM.jpg Photo May 02, 2 11 41 AM.jpg
- Member of NRA, ATA, PITA, NAHC, NAFC, DU, TU, DSC, SCI, RMEF
- Hunted USA - Canada -Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Africa
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Nice Pictures
James Grage - New Mexico
Hold a steady Eye & Rifle...
"Very few of the so-called liberals are open-minded...they shout you down and won't let you speak if you disagree with them." John Wayne
- Member of NRA, NA Hunt Club
- Hunted Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe (2), Namibia, South Africa
You got some nice trophies there! What cal is your CZ? Tell your PH to next time keep the power lines out of the kudu pictures! Hate it when that happens.
05-06-2012, 08:16 PM #4AfricaHunting.com GOLD SUPPORTER
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Very nice congrats
- Member of NRA lifetime, SCI Member, Longhunters LLC
- Hunted South Africa, Germany, USA
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Cograts on some nice looking trophies. Looks like you had a great time
"Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever."
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- Hunted Namibia (Otavi, Ozandjache) South Africa ( LP, KZN, NC, EC) Botswana (Ghanzi) Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB, Ont, PQ, NS) USA (MT, WA, SD, CA, CO, WY, KS, MN, NC, VG, UT, HI)
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Congratulations on your successful hunt.
Thanks for sharing the pictures.
When you get a chance please do share some more of the story of the hunt.
Here are some copies of your pictures sans power lines for Ses.Practice whispering before you leave for Africa!
A Legend in my own mind!
- Member of SCI
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Nice trophies P3!
Bonse Aba
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Real nice, congrats.
The journey is the reward.
- Member of AfricaHunting.com
- Hunted Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, France, Spain, USA
Congratulations! Thanks for the report and pictures, glad you had a fantastic trip!
Jerome Philippe, Founder of AfricaHunting.com
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If you enjoy this site then tell fellow hunters about it!
Our community is a place for seasoned African hunters and those who dream of someday hunting in Africa. I hope that you will find AfricaHunting.com a great place to spend time preparing for or dreaming about your future African hunting safari or reliving your last.
05-08-2012, 08:32 AM #10AfricaHunting.com SILVER SUPPORTER
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- Hunted Norway, Sweden, England, South Africa
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Congratulations! Nice animals.
Thanks for sharing with us.
05-08-2012, 10:02 AM #11AH Member
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Wow, Look's like you had a great time. You took some wonderful trophies. I hunted there last July with an 84 year old friend who took a 59.5 inch Kudu. Your Kudu looks very large. How Big? Who was your PH ? I hunted with Craig and my friend was guided by Hans! Was DelMarie still doing the cooking? What a sweet lady.
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Nice Pictures!
- Member of NAHC Life Member, NRA Life Member,SCI, Buckmasters
- Hunted USA(from Coast to Coast and Alaska), Germany, South Africa, Canada
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Thanks for the great pictures looking forward to the rest of the story.
Enjoy life now -- it has an expiration date.
05-10-2012, 07:46 AM #15New Member
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Looks awsome! Those are some impressive looking trophies. I'm going there in July, can't wait!
05-10-2012, 10:17 PM #16AH Veteran
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Way to go P3FE, I hunted Cruisers in 010 and Hans was my PH. Hans has moved on though and Delmarie is still there. They have a concession with huge Impala just could not make it happen plus no shooting from the truck.
Your friend must of shoot the Kudu I was after for three days.
- Member of NRA
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Nice trophies. I'm going with them in September!!! Hope I'm as lucky!!!
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The Fashion Statement: Fashion's Priciest Coffee Table Books
Filed under: The Fashion Statement
What to get the stylish woman who has everything? (And let's just say you've exhausted gifts like precious gems, haute couture and yacht excursions to St. Barths) Well, then, what about a super collectible, really expensive fashion coffee table book? Here, a list of some of the priciest tomes out there.
1. Couture Fashion Drawings by Hubert de Givenchy, published by the house of Givenchy, Paris, in 1980: This is signed by the late designer himself and includes hand-colored haute couture fashion sketch plates from the period of the '70s to the '80s including original fabric swatches. The book was part of the Estate of Nan Kempner, a New York socialite who died in 2005. Price tag? $9,000
2. Valentino Garavani (hardcover) by Suzy Menkes, Matt Tyrnauer and Armando Chitolina, published by Taschen in 2007: This is the coffee table book version of Valentino: The Last Emperor, a documentary film by Vanity Fair writer Matt Tyrnauer. It's an homage to Valentino's legendary career and includes images from his archives, drawings, advertisements, portraits, documentary photographs as well as newspaper and magazine articles. International Herald Tribune's fashion writer Suzy Menkes interviewed 20 of Valentino's closest collaborators and friends, including his life partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Price tag? $4,500
3. Russell James (hardcover deluxe edition with Gisele Bundchen photoprint) with forwards by Heidi Klum, Donna Karan, and Sharen Turney, published by teNeues in 2009: Who wouldn't pay big bucks to Gisele in the buff? This book highlights the work of Russell James, a photographer who is well-known for his nudes and fashion portraiture. The volume is encased in a clamshell box and contains one of only two numbered and signed limited-edition large prints that show his study of human beauty. Price tag? $3,250


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Logo: Polaris, ID: 504604
, Posted: Mon, 05/13/2013 - 15:46
Logo details
A unique and memorable logo with two bears!
(Keyideas: environment, resort, forest, jungle, animal, mammal, bear, grizly, negative space, creative, design, app, media, communication, travel, tourism, vacation, holidays, camping, climbing, hiking, trekking, hill, mountain, winter, wildlife, adventure, resort, hotel, motel, National Park, sports shop, gift shop, ecological, eco, nature, park, wildlife, wild)
Possible uses
This logo is suitable for a resort, marketing, nature retreat, conservation, outdoors store, camping store, landscape, retail, outdoor business, wild life protection, apparel, extreme sports, clothing, snowboard, ski, hiking gear company, outdoor theme, park, animal conservation, ski resort, resort, trail park, software company, media, technology products/ firm, webcast, app development, broadcasting, network, computer repair, storage or hosting service, computer services, production, construction, FTP servers, data IT consulting, social media, 3D design, animation, web hosting and much more.
Included in price
- Watermark removed from logo artwork.
- Full and exclusive rights. Logo sold only once.
- Various formats available: EPS, PNG, JPG and others on request.
- Designer contact information.
- Price includes text changes.
- Price includes color changes.
- Price includes minor design changes.


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Osteoarthritis (OA), a disease that causes a gradual breakdown of the cartilage in your joints, is one of the most common causes of knee pain.
Össur's Unloader One Knee brace is a safe, simple and non-surgical treatment option for the symptoms associated with osteaoarthritis (OA) of the knee.Take the first steps toward alleviating the pain and rebuild a more active lifestyle - learn about the underlying causes of knee pain and the Unloader One knee brace
Össur's latest product catalogues and brochures are available for viewing or download here to the right.
If you wish a printed version of these, please contact Customer Care.
Össur also provides other print material upon demand.
The CTi ligament knee braces provide the ultimate combination of stabilization and protection of the knee joint.
We recommend you take a look at our CTi website (www.cti-brace.co.za) and get to know the extreme sport athletes, in Action!
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Team Össur member Arnu Fourie recently competed at the South African National Championships for the Physically Disabled


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CoreComm's Privacy Policy
CoreComm respects the privacy of its customers. We do not sell, trade, or disclose to third parties any customer information derived from the registration for or use of any CoreComm service. Information collected during the registration process is used solely to manage each customer's account (such as for billing purposes).
CoreComm does not monitor email, world wide web use, newsgroup access or any other aspect of your Internet use.
Some CoreComm services may use "cookies" to allow our customers the benefit of customizing their Internet experience or to enable use of certain online customer account management features.
We reserve the right to revise, or modify this privacy policy, as well as any other policies and agreements. Notice of any revision, amendment, or modification will be posted in accordance with CoreComm's Service Agreement.


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More Ways to Take Action
Leonardo DiCaprio: Show Love for Great Apes!
Tell Leo: Have a heart for great apes!
I like peas and carrots, and my favorite season is autumn. I love to hang out with friends and my cat Marley.
Hello, I currently volunteer at a non kill shelter in my free time. I enjoy running, reading, and playing with my dogs. I also enjoy cooking and baking.
Herro gorgeous! :{D Im Nikki, 18 living the biggest little city in the world. I love to sing, act and make new friends. I live in a fantasy world, and have huge dreams. I always think way outside the box and believe that anything is possible.
Call me Gabbi SoCal Junior @ HHS Vegan Taken
Vegetarian my whole life, moving towards a vegan lifestyle. Love and peace. Animals. Creating. Dreaming.
I am a Mom and i'm engaged to a beautiful woman. I love to eat amazing Vegan food. I Love to read and listen to amazing music like The Beatles. I Love Life and everything that is in it .
I was born on Bridgeport, Connecticut and I currently reside there. I was raised on an omnivore diet and didn't even know what a vegetarian was. It was only until I was 17 on November 7, 2012. until I came upon the vegetarian lifestyle and then I turned vegan on July 27, 2013. This is so much more filling and meaningful than eating animal products. I am a vegan and proud.
Animals deserve more respect than humans, that's why I'm here to help them get that value...
Living Aloha
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. ~Albert Einstein
I grew up in the United States.My mom is white.My father is Latino. I love to save animals,even spiders.So don't kill my spiders..I love dogs,pigs,all creatures that the world has made for you and me-to protect and love/and NOT to kill. I believe in love & adventure. I believe in you have to live life to learn,LOVE life LOVE life..
Umm I don't know! I don't have a life at the moment. Sad right?
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lilianahorvath unlocked Leonardo DiCaprio: Show Love for Great Apes!52 minutes ago
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According to a Reuters report, Verizon Wireless will be revamping its data plan offerings this summer and will get rid of unlimited data plans for its smart phone users. The announcement was made by Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo at this week's Global Technology Summit in San Francisco. The change is similar the one AT&T enacted last June when it announced it would no longer offer unlimited data plans.
Any guesses what led to the change? Hmmm, could it be heavy iPhone usage?
Even though Verizon claimed to have a handle on the impending data demand in advance of releasing its iPhone, the reality has clearly proven to be more of a challenge. Like AT&T, Verizon will begin offering tiered pricing for its data users that better reflect their online consumption.
On a positive note, the company also announced that it is considering offering family data plans, similar to the carrier's family voice plans.
"We had individual minutes for individual users. Then we eventually got to what we call family share where everyone in the family shares the same minutes," Shammo said.
"I think it's safe to assume that at some point you are going to have mega-plans (for data) and people are going to share that mega-plan based on the number of devices within their family. That's just a logical progression," he said.
No further details on a family data plan were provided.


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Quote:"It could very well be that he's waiting for us to come in and get him. This is a very fluid and dangerous situation," Sheriff Steve Strachan said. Strachan said that the standoff could last hours or even days. According to court documents, Keller had been preparing for "the end of the world" and had stockpiled weapons and food in the woods. He was also described by people who knew him as a "survivalist" with a "distaste for authority." Keller owned handguns, rifles, silencers and body armor, one of his colleagues at an IT firm told detectives. Photos of the bunker "don't do it justice," SWAT officers told sheriff's spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West.
The documents also state that Keller reportedly told co-workers on April 18 that he "may not come back to work the next week... or maybe ever." Court documents also reveal that: The fire was set by placing a plastic gas can into a skillet on the stove and turning on the burner Keller was known to have a gun collection and body armor - all the weapons were missing from the home Keller had withdrawn $6,200 in cash from his bank account on Friday The safe in the home was left open, as was the door of a shed Keller purchased a new laptop computer within the last two weeks Keller's mountain bike is missing "Based on the facts that we have right now, we believe that violent death came to Lynnettee and Kaylene unexpectedly in their home from a family member who had been familiar and trusted," Sheriff Steve Strachan said at a news conference. "The obvious question is how much danger does Keller present for hikers, campers and the public," said Strachan. "I don't think we need to be fearful, but we do need to be aware and use common sense to stay safe. If you're hiking or using areas of the mountains carry a cell phone, do not confront Keller, and let us know if you see or know anything about his location," said Strachan. http://www.king5.com/news/local/Peter-Ke...67865.html
So you spend 8 years building an elaborate endoftheworld survivalist bunker that will sustain you through the worst that could happen... and you kill your family (whom you would assume you were building it for to protect them) and then go there alone?
Peter Alex Keller Patriot! Certification of Probable Cause-- Peter Keller North Bend (WA) Homicides: http://www.scribd.com/doc/91287142


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Weddings - South Pacific Style
Every idyllic word written about the South Pacific Island's brilliant blue skies, swaying palm trees, endless white sand beaches and tropical nights can't compare to reality.
One has to experience walking barefoot along a deserted island shore, fine white sand between your toes, the fresh smell of wild tropical flowers and the feel of warm turquoise waters.
To have the beach all to yourselves in the most spectacular tropical settings on this earth is something you must experience first hand.
Wedding Resort List |
For love is the South Pacific. You can not help but be in tune with each other, as island life flows with a relaxed ease. Treat yourselves to some personal indulgences: a glass of champagne as you lean over your treetop balcony; sit at the end of a pier; watch a surreal sunset with your total focus on that someone special. In the distance you will hear nothing but the gentle sounds of nature as a total sense of wellbeing comes over you. In this world, you will have to pinch yourself every day. At this point, you will start to realize that all the daily stresses of your job and normal life have melted away, and that you have been forever touched by the magic of the South Pacific...
With over 15 years of experience, South Seas Adventures' staff is your wedding and honeymoon specialist to the South Pacific.
Take advantage of our experience, and let us share with you why we think the South Pacific is the perfect wedding or honeymoon destination.
Many couples have sought out these special idyllic locations, and have discovered that here in the Pacific islands, you can fulfill all of your tropical wedding and honeymoon dreams.
We have romance and wedding packages that have bonus "expressions" of love from the resorts to you both. These range from matching sulus to sunset dinners for two, to a bottle of complimentary champagne, and a romantic private picnic.
South Seas Adventures has planned and organized many weddings to the South Pacific.
Some are on short notice, but most are the culmination of many months of wedding planning to make sure all details are perfect.
Your wedding can range from just the happy barefoot couple on the beach, to a full wedding entourage in formal dress, or full traditional local custom dress.
It is quite the thing these days to make your wedding day something unique, relaxed and very intimate, with a few of your close friends helping you celebrate.
If you want to escape the family pressures, you can plan your wedding day as a very private affair, just the two of you at a tropical South Pacific resort, where the local villagers become involved to make your day perfect!
Take the stress out of your wedding plans and let us plan your romantic wedding in paradise.
Cost - In many ways it is simply less expensive to get married in the islands, away from all of the western world's involved processes of a full ceremony at home. The resorts we work with offer a full range of services, from a simple sunset beach ceremony to a grand affair that includes warriors, canoes, feasts and drama!
Stress-Free - Let us worry about wedding planning and leave the stress behind. Imagine your wedding day in paradise - you can snorkel in the warm clear waters in the morning, hike up to a breathtaking waterfall in the afternoon, and then enjoy your romantic, barefoot wedding on the beach at sunset. Simply paradise.
Plan your perfect, tropical wedding in either Fiji or the Cook Islands.
We work with special wedding resorts in both destinations that offer romantic, memorable weddings. Unfortunatlely, weddings in Tahiti are not legally recognized - but it's the perfect destination for your renewal of vows!
Original or certified copies of:
If you have too many family and friends to have a wedding in the islands, consider your honeymoon on a tropical island resort. Well who wouldn't?
There is no experience that comes close to that feeling of the anticipation of leaving for the airport after your wedding, and taking a flight to your chosen destination, and being embraced by the sensuous feeling of the warm tropical breezes, and totally pampering each other with your new love for a week or two.
Please see our Honeymoon and Romance category on our Special Places! page for a list of our recommended honeymoon resorts.
Consider an occasion many couples around the world are doing - renewing your marriage vows. Sometimes organized, or as a surprise by a very caring spouse... as I did for my husband in the Cook Islands on our 20th anniversary.
Renewing your vows in a personal, romantic setting, is just the tonic that every marriage needs. You can renew your vows throughout the South Pacific, including Fiji, the Cook Islands, and Tahiti.
Below are our wedding resorts. They have been chosen for their expertise in planning weddings, and the special ways they cater to honeymooners. We especially recommend our "Featured" and "Favorite Places" resorts.
Click on the resort name to see detailed wedding resort information, pictures and a link to any specials currently on offer.
To plan your special day call us at South Seas Adventures at 800-576-7327, or contact us via our request form. We'll help you plan this very unique way to begin your new life together... or if renewing your vows on a special anniversary trip is in your plans, let us assist in helping plan that ceremony. So remember, when "this time is going to be for us", call our full service agency and special event planners.
Linda Gutekunst, President
South Seas Adventures
77 RESORTS and CRUISES FOUND | ||||
Searched for pWeddings Available; displaying page 8 of results |
Lagoon Breeze Villas on Rarotonga Island sit in 5 acres of lush gardens opposite its own white sand beach fronting Aroa Lagoon. Perfect for families, couples or groups, each of the 18 detached or semi-detached villas offers a kitchen. Special rates for children!
Lagoon Breeze Villas Special
Lagoon Breeze Villas webpage & pictures >> |
Lagoonside and beachfront units are fully self-contained, with cooking facilities and a barbeque area... quaint resort on an expansive white sand beach. Recently completely refurbished bungalows, restaurant and bar.
Little Polynesian Travel Package
Little Polynesian Wedding Package
Little Polynesian webpage & pictures >> |
The Magic Reef Bungalows, are beautifully located on the western side of the island of Rarotonga, Cook Islands, where the golden sunsets are magical. Come enjoy the magic of Rarotonga. Sit back, relax, and take in the breathtaking sunsets at the Magic Reef Bungalows on your own balcony with an ocean view.
Magic Reef Bungalows webpage & pictures >> |
Manuia Beach Resort offers discerning guests a tranquil and romantic getaway with '4 Star' amenities and service. Located on the sheltered sunset coast of Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Located on the beach with mountains as a back drop. The Pacific Ocean,lagoon and barrier reef are some of the views here. An all adult resort with water sports and cultural activities.
Manuia Beach Resort webpage & pictures >> |
On the beach at the deepest part of Titikaveka Lagoon... three-story structure has rooms on its first two levels and five new suites on the top floor.
Moana Sands Hotel webpage & pictures >> |
Telephone: 800-576-7327, Colorado, USA
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(Harvell & Fort Crook Road)
The experienced therapists and friendly staff at Excel provide the highest levels of physical therapy and service in Bellevue.
To schedule an appointment or to learn more …
Call: 402.291.1963
Fax: 402.291.1966
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
We're here to help
Stacy Kersten, PT
Director & Physical Therapist:
Additional Physical Therapists:
Ken Williams, PT
Jana Roughead, PT
Chad Jacobson, PT
2206 Longo Drive, Suite 211
Bellevue, NE 68005
Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30-6:00
Stacy Kersten, PT, ATC, Director
Bellevue (Ft. Crook & Harvell)
A native of Carter, South Dakota, Stacy completed her undergraduate studies at Dakota Wesleyan University. She then went on to The University of Nebraska Medical Center to graduate with a degree in Physical Therapy in 1992.
Stacy is also a certified Athletic Trainer. She has been the Clinic Director at the Bellevue since 1999. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the Nebraska Physical Therapy Association.
Injuries. Nagging pain. Surgery rehab.
Back & Neck | Shoulder | Elbow | Hand & Wrist | Hip | Knee | Ankle & Foot


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Patricia McCormick Biography
Patricia McCormick is a journalist and writer. She graduated from Rosemont
College in 1978, followed by an M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of
Journalism in 1986 and an M.F.A. from New School University in 1999. Her
first novel for teens was Cut, about a young woman's troubles with self-injury. This was followed by My Brother's Keeper in 2005,
about a boy struggling with his brother's addiction, Sold in 2006, and Purple Heart in 2009.
Her awards include the
American Library Association Best Book of the Year,
New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenaged and the
Children's Literature Council's Choice. This biography was last updated on 08/15/2011.
A note about the biographies


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This editorial piece was written for the GICIA October, 2012 newsletter.
BY KATE GOODERHAM - It has been five years since the Gasparilla Island beach restoration project was completed. For five years, island property owners have had the storm protection they needed. Many people have forgotten where the eroded shoreline was; even those who knew surprise themselves with how close it used to be.
Although there are many benefits to a beach restoration project, the most important one to property owners is storm protection. A University of Florida study authored by Dr. Robert Dean was the first to quantify the storm protection benefits for a variety of beach restoration projects in Florida. It concluded that a 100-foot-wide beach reduced damage substantially. In a 25-year storm event, the reduction was 51 percent, in a 50-year storm event the reduction was 39 percent, and in a 100-year storm event, the change was 25 percent.
During the past five years, you've had the opportunity to see that in action. The comparatively minor storm events that used to cause great concern are no longer an issue. You've seen that in storms, the beach is sacrificed, not your homes. People along the Gulf have not had to worry about the potential of waves breaking on their doorsteps. The beach has been your storm protection insurance. It not only helps to avoid the costs of damage, but also the inconvenience.
Although the Gasparilla Island beach restoration project had been approved in 1970, it took until December 2006 to begin construction. The project included removing 27 derelict coastal structures and placing 1,072,781 cubic yards of sand on 16,390 feet (3.1 miles) of shoreline. Stone from the removed structures was placed on an artificial reef 12 miles offshore of Boca Grande as required by the project permit.
The beach was also re-vegetated to help retain the upland sand. The project was completed in April 2007.
Originally, the project included constructing two-T-head groins and a segmented breakwater in key locations to protect the new beach. These were not constructed for several reasons. First, the budget estimate for the cost of the structures was $2.5 million, while the low bid was $5.6 million - more than double the budget estimate. Second, the structures would only benefit small areas: the two T-head groins would primarily benefit the state park area south of Belcher Road, and the segmented breakwater would benefit the south end of the island through the Seagrape state park area. To put this in perspective, for $5.6 million (using the $11 a cubic yard net for the 2007 project), the county could buy 509,000 cubic yards of sand. That amount is about 75 percent of the rough estimate for the future maintenance project cost.
Finally, the federal government would not agree to any reimbursement for the structures, so the entire cost would have been borne by the state, county and property owners.
In the meantime, construction of the revetment at the Belcher Road seawall and the various agencies' better understanding of the island's littoral transport system resulted in a change in the design objectives.
Then the three-year monitoring results arrived in 2010. The good news was that the beach was performing as expected with 86 percent of the sand remaining in the system. The other discovery was that the structures were not as necessary in retaining sand as originally thought. This was most dramatically shown in the beaches near the Boca Grande lighthouse that continued to grow through the third year after construction without the structures.
With high cost and limited benefits, the county had to reconsider the west coast of Florida.
Over the years, attention has focused on the intensity, storm surge and size of tropical events. Tropical Storms Debby and Isaac have added additional considerations: duration and direction. Slow-moving Debby resulted in wind-driven waves and a three-foot surge that lasted for three days. As a result, sand was moved onto a nearshore sand bar where it provides a protective function as a natural breakwater.
The good news is that some of it will return to the lower beach over the next few months as winds and waves push it back toward shore.
The beach restoration project has a design life of seven to 10 years before we expect it will need to be maintained. Right now the project is on Lee County's project list for 2014-15. The county has begun the preliminary effort of preparing for the maintenance project (which is also called renourishment), and will adjust that timing as necessary based on the ongoing monitoring.
The major issue that must be sorted out with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is whether this project can continue to be a federally funded project and, if so, how it can be accomplished. The federal government committed to reimbursing $5.9 million for the 2007 project. They have only paid $4.2 million. Because Congress is no longer considering earmarks, $1.7 million from the last project has not been reimbursed. It appears Lee County will have to absorb that loss.
Corps officials must also determine if the maintenance (renourishment) can be deemed a Corps project. Discussions have moved to the division level and may move up for consideration at headquarters, but this does not bode well for federal participation in the future renourishment project. This may affect how future costs are allocated between property owners, the county and the state.
Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC, is president of Gooderham & Associates, Inc., a Fort Myers, Florida, consulting firm established in 1986.


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SOURCE Diageo North America
Diageo Honored for the Fifth Consecutive Year
NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlighting the top companies with progressive workplace programs, today Working Mother magazine named Diageo North America as one of the 2013 Working Mother 100 Best Companies. Diageo is recognized as a committed advocate of family-friendly workplaces with progressive programs including flexible work arrangements, paid family leave, backup childcare and health and wellness programs.
"We are honored to be recognized as a leading family-friendly company for the fifth year in a row," said Larry Schwartz, President, Diageo North America. "We firmly believe that it is good business and the right thing to do to create an environment that fosters success for all employees. One way we do that is by offering programs that help our employees balance their work and family commitments."
Diageo offers a variety of flexible working arrangements including job share, flextime, compressed hours and opportunities to work from home. The company subsidizes back-up daycare and adult/elder care, matches employees' flexible spending accounts for dependent care and reimburses a percentage of the cost for in vitro and fertility treatments. Pregnant women and new moms can take advantage of nutritional education, smoking cessation programs and access to private pumping rooms for nursing mothers. Programs for employees with tweens/teens include college preparation and placement assistance as well as counseling for substance abuse, emotional support and families. Many office locations offer on-site timesaving services such as a health club and dry cleaning dropoff/pickup, and all employees have access to a concierge service. Employees are granted up to 5 days per year of paid time off to volunteer, which can be used to be active in their children's schools or elsewhere in the community. The company also supports new ideas from employees, particularly parents and mothers who face unique challenges.
To build up a future leader pipeline, Diageo offers early career programs to attract and hire a diverse workforce and provides coaching initiatives to help employees succeed in their careers. Diageo's Spirited Women's Network employee resource group supplements these efforts by hosting regular networking receptions and career talks by female Diageo executives to inspire others and encourage diversity of thought in the company.
Carol Evans, president of Working Mother Media, says, "Now in its 28th year, the Working Mother 100 Best Companies are leaders in building initiatives that truly support all employees. They are the vanguard of successful companies, with modern policies for American families."
The 2013 Working Mother 100 Best Companies application included more than 550 questions on workforce representation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and more. It surveyed the availability, usage and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them. This year, particular weight was given to flexible work arrangements, women's advancement programs and paid maternity leave. The 100 Best Companies are profiled in the October/November issue of Working Mother and on the Best Companies channel on workingmother.com.
About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Windsor, Buchanan's and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray, Guinness, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards Wines.
Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.


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The character I'll be using for this fight would be Aero, located within my signature is the link to his CS. He is intended for T3 fights, but I am more than able to power him up to anynecessary level. My character would be considered a notorious mass murderer who has a rather large bounty placed upon his head.
My character is based heavily in the fantasy genre, but it doesn't matter where any opponents would reside in the genres. The fight would be preferred to have a participant capable of posting at an advanced level.
Specifics of the fight can be determined later on.


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Friday 20 December 2013 03:47 UTC |
Latest FLYER headlines:
It IS good value.
2 Days... full briefings, de-briefings, 4 flights in total. It is enough to allow you to go away and practice, and do so safely, includes breaks and how to joins safely. And each sortie usually has a tailchase to end with, just for FUN! Also includes my personal favourite - formation take off and landings and how to do them safely. The standard of instruction is exemplary, they teach the RAF based SOP's. No - Im not connected with them but I am a very very satisfied customer from several years back After completing the basic course and having had a lot of fun putting what I learnt with my formation buddy into practice, Ive been back and done the intermediate formation course at UH too. (if anyone wants to go do advanced formation at UH with me, drop me a PM). It enabled me to do some special things. This is one of the highlights of my flying to date, leading in a 2ship formation to an airshow. Here we are landing at Waddington, Im leading with with Paul Sengupta as my 2.
Moli is right, but arguably doesn't fully capture the key issues. What is anybody paying for here? Experience of a something different? No - you can do that almost anywhere. The 'delta' operating cost of a new aircraft type? No. A brand name? God help us, No. What you are paying for - and what you want, surely? - is knowledge. From the Instructor's brain into yours. Knowledge is rare. Credible knowledge is even more scarce. So knowledge is valuable. The hourly operating cost of a Bulldog is irrelevant to how you should value the cost to you of a course such as this. Disclaimer: I know Greeners. I have met some of the other Instructors, and I have some general knowledge of their background, expertise and teaching skills. I have paid for an experience flight in a UH Extra 300. That's the full extent of my involvement with the company.
The main thing that UH have going for them (aside from good marketing) is the quality of their military instructors. I did the basic formation course with them, mainly with Roger Milburn who was great. I would recommend them to anyone.
I have some ideas about doing basic formation training at Redhill, lead by an ex-military instructor, if there is a market for it. Is there?
I did my formation training with ex and current military instructors. Not at UH, but somewhat more independently and in my own aeroplane...being fortunate that I own such an aeroplane...though formation flying was one of the reasons I bought a Bulldog in the first place. I suspect there is a demand for this, but it's a bit more logistically challenging as you need pairs of people coming to you in pairs of similar aircraft. If you're a member of Skysport, they also do formation training weekends in the Bulldog (and Pup). I suspect the UH training is a bit more structured though. Formation training was probably the single most attention grabbing, not to mention white knuckle stick grabbing, thing I've ever done in an aeroplane. Possibly in anything, anywhere. The concentration is immense when you first start. You *will* get a sweaty back! It does get easier though with practice. Ridders will tell you that I can do it reading a newspaper! (I wasn't reading The Times, I was folding a map!)
I would like to mirror Ridders' views completely. My LinkedIn recommendation for Mark Greenfield reads:
"Mark taught me formation flying. His skill in conveying critical information in a high-tension situation is nothing short of superb. His technique ensured a steep learning curve and a relaxed confident student. Mark is tireless in the running of his business, with an apparent bottomless pit of ideas for promoting advanced flying skills, thus creating a safer flying community." Ditto for Griggsy. Worth every penny. Give me a Chipmunk and I'll show you a good time.
WF Wilco but don't expect anything for quite a while, booked onto the course for 01 October. Moli
I'm glad that you got sorted Moli. I was very tempted by the invitation yesterday, but weekdays would have been difficult for me. I look forward to your report.
Iceman You are still dangerous! You can be my wingman anytime.
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text: There are many songs that were made available for download before the release of Rockband 3, and thus, do not have key parts in them, even though they should. There should be a game update that adds key parts to these songs. For example, Baba O'Reilly could have an amazing keys part, and I believe it should be added for free since the song has already been purchased once.


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More than a century ...
SPRING VALLEY — The year was 1909.
In Central America, Columbia recognized the independence of Panama, and the last American troops had left Cuba after being there since the Spanish American War.
And on Feb. 5, in a little old farmhouse north of Tonica, Leslie Boers was born.
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Arts Funding Information
When I was artistic director of Sheffield Theatres, the first play I directed was The Romans in Britain. I'd wanted to revive this for lots of reasons, but one was that the first line of the play is "Where the fuck are we?"
It seemed like the right question to ask at the beginning of an artistic tenure. I've been asking it ever since. If we're lucky enough to be in work as actors, or to be able to make work as directors, it's a question which we should ask.
So where the fuck are we?
Well, we're somewhere unfair. We're in a world where it no longer raises eyebrows to say that the richest 400 Americans own as much as the poorest 150 million Americans.
We're in a world where in 1978, two years before The Romans in Britain was first performed, the chief executive of British Aerospace was paid £29 000 a year and where in 2010 he got £2.3m; that's a rise of 8000%. Meanwhile, BAE is making 3000 workers redundant.
We're somewhere hypocritical. Somewhere where as Pete Sinclair says, "MPs fiddle expenses, journalists hack phones, bankers lie and defraud us - and the poor get blamed for the 'fabric of society' crumbling."
We're somewhere where false benefit claims costs the government £1.5bn a year and tax avoidance £70bn a year and the government goes after the benefit claimants first.
And we're somewhere where satire is dead. Satire is dead when Rebekah Brooks says the coverage of her arrest for perverting the course of justice felt like an invasion of her privacy. Satire is dead when our Eton-educated Prime Minister, a man who owns four houses and whose father left a will of £2.7m in offshore accounts, cuts the benefits of young people and then lectures them on their 'culture of entitlement'.
That's where the fuck we are.
So where shall we go next?
Well, we could go somewhere much worse.
Charities tell us that we no longer relate to each other because our values are changing. Twenty years ago, a picture of a starving child in Ethiopia was enough to produce a flood of donations. Nowadays, people just see it as a situation that has to exist: to quote Howards End, "the poor are poor; one is sorry for them, but there it is."
The trouble with the increasing gap between rich and poor in this country is that it threatens to grow so big that neither party is able any longer to understand the other. The life of the very poor to the very rich is so alien that they simply cannot understand how cutting five pounds a week from benefit could make a difference. The life of the very rich to the very poor is so alien that they can't see how someone who earns billions doesn't think that billions are enough.
Once the two camps hit mutual incomprehension and are no longer able to recognise each other as human, the door is open to real exploitation and hatred.
And that's where we, as artists, come in. Because that alienation isn't just a failure of government, it's a failure of imagination.
What is happening is that austerity is driving wedges between us. And what is at risk is society itself; the connections that make us human; the opportunities to become the people we can. Art can and must make those connections stronger.
Touring a show like Close the Coalhouse Door to York, as we did last week, might not be very different from touring it to Durham, as we did last month. But it's quite different from touring it to Guildford, which we also did.
The constituency of Guildford doesn't see many plays about mining Unions, especially ones that quote great wodges of Marx in act three. They may not like them, but they certainly come. And it's arguable that at the end of the show their ignorance of the history of the North East is a little bit exploded. That a Geordie miner seems a little less like an alien being.
Now mining is dead; other industries, particularly service industries, have grown up in the meantime, and though they don't breed communities or community spirit, or certainly Unions in the same way, many people make their living in them.
Those people might like to know that it was once different; that our predecessors fought to make things better. Revivals of plays are important, because they chart what has been robbed. Coalhouse is set in 1968. In 1968, within a few years of Harold Wilson becoming Prime Minister, we had comprehensive education, legalised abortion, legalised homosexuality, the end of capital punishment and the Pill available to unmarried women; an extraordinary rate of change. In the autumn of 1968, we're only nine months from landing on the Moon. As Close the Coalhouse Door begins we've had twenty years of the National Health Service; twenty years of nationalised coal; Frank, the younger son of a miner, travels to a free university on a nationalised train; calls home on a nationalised phone. We must remind ourselves that nowadays a nationalised industry is a museum piece. This year it looks like we've lost the Royal Mail. I'm a stamp collector, with a standing order at the Philatelic Bureau that goes back decades. I cancelled it last month.
In Theatre of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal says "let us, in the present, study the past, so as to invent the future." Reviving plays allows us to study the past; allows us to ask "what sort of society do we want to live in?"
This government is keen to push what it calls "retail solutions". Samira Ahmed tells us that "its consultant, Mary Portas, is rolling into towns like Margate, promising to revive the high street with her boutique-brand of advice. She has a TV crew in tow, and shopkeepers are required to sign strict contracts in return for the bestowing of her magic touch."
What happens in the evenings, when the shops close? What makes a city live then? Stories. People; food; drink; but mostly stories. Government ministers and civil servants must understand that culture can and should be at the centre of urban life. That nothing is as good as a story which belongs to its audience.
I'm not often in agreement with Jack Straw, but one thing he said about London winning the Olympics made me cheer. London was a city of so many colours and cultures, so many languages and communities, he said, that you could guarantee that during the Olympics, no matter what the event or who won it, somewhere in London there would be a party. That's why I love my city. That's why the telling of stories, the appreciation of difference, the ending of fear and ignorance is so joyful and so necessary. We can all play our part.
I want us to make the case for the state, because the greater the role it plays, the more stable and civilised a nation becomes. I want us to take pride in the NHS, schools, museums, libraries, Universities, the BBC. And of course, in local theatres.
What, frankly, is the use of a day like this? It takes a lot of organisation, a lot of cash, a lot of petrol to get people together like this. How on earth can we justify it?
When I called Marcus last week to discuss what I might say this afternoon, he pointed out that we'd never met. That through a shared interest in the arts, through the arts funding website he'd set up and through being in York most of last summer filming a telly series (when we very nearly met) we had corresponded, but today was our first face-to-face meeting.
Doing things face to face is important. We can't do everything via twitter. As Dick Penny has just said, digital can't replace the analogue of coming together. Perhaps that is our justification.
But a caution, from the screenwriter Nora Ephron who died last month (a sad loss). A few years ago she wrote two lists - one of things she wouldn't miss, which included:
Technology in general
And lower down the list
Email. I know I already said it, but I want to emphasize it.
The list of things she would miss included:
A walk in the park
The idea of a walk in the park
Shakespeare in the Park
"The idea of a walk in the park"; that's not some wishy-washy Hallmark Card phrase. It's filling; it's actual. It's a vote of confidence in public imagination. Just as the idea of that first martini always tastes better than that first martini, we are sustained and nourished by imagination.
And imagination belongs to all of us; not just those who can afford to pay for it.
Laura Wade is a playwright. This is how she became one:
Laura's Sheffield-born and bred. She's wanted to write for The Crucible since she saw The Railway Children there when she was seven. The youth theatre put on her first play in the Studio when she was 18. The Crucible inspired her, nurtured her, and finally employed her: she did an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland on the main stage in 2010. Now her play Posh is in the West End, and she recently discovered that Jessica Ransom, who is in the West End cast of Posh, was a member of the Crucible Youth Theatre and operated the sound on Laura's first play there all those years ago.
So that worked. How long will it go on working? How long will keen young amateurs living near a theatre which no longer produces its own work find their ambitions supported? How long before theatre, or art in general, becomes the province of the provinces, and the only people we hear from are those who can afford to live with their parents? In twenty years' time, where will the plays be that those keen young amateurs might have written? Not in the West End, making money for the Treasury.
And who's going to be in these plays? How will we turn out people to populate our repertoire, this 500-year history of dramatic literature unrivalled anywhere in the world? James Grout was one of our best supporting actors. His obituary was in yesterday's Guardian. The son of a Wood Green shopkeeper, he went from grammar school to a scholarship to RADA, to the RSC and finally to Inspector Morse (he played Morse's boss Chief Superintendent Strange); he was equally at home in JB Priestley, Shakespeare or Simon Gray. Where will we get our future Jimmy Grouts from?
Some people may be good at football - and they might grow up to be footballers. Some may be good at physics - and we need more physicists. But some could be good playwrights, or actors, or designers. Those skills are no respecter of postcodes. All of us must have the chance to become who we can, no matter where we live, where we went to school and how much our parents earn.
So where next?
I want to answer that in two parts: where do we go in public and first, where do we go amongst ourselves?
Three things: Amongst ourselves, we should keep artistic directors at the helms of theatres. Our most successful – indeed our most bankable - directors (Richard Eyre, Trevor Nunn, Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Thea Sharrock) all started out running theatres. The producing tail mustn't wag the artistic dog. With too much attention paid to how much the thing costs and how we sell it rather than what it actually is, theatre begins to look expensive, and even 'unsustainable'. It's not long before the whole idea of putting on a play becomes imprudent. After all, what do you get for it? Just a show running for a few weeks, that local people don't have to pay a fortune to see. Sounds fiscally irresponsible to me.
If commercial theatre thinking is allowed to influence the subsidized agenda, this view of short-run shows in regional playhouses as indulgent, of limited appeal and no commercial viability will grow. We must fight against this, or the collapse will head upwards. The National Theatre, as the nation's showcase, works on a subsidised repertory model. But if the regional repertory system goes, the National will have pressure put upon it to 'live in a more commercial world', just as the free-marketeering of Rupert Murdoch and Sky has infected and weakened the BBC.
Amongst ourselves, we should oppose a theatre based primarily on patronage. Patronage has an inherent conservatism at its heart that can sit badly with art's main purpose – to ask questions, to challenge, to be a thorn in the side of our established ideas.
And finally, amongst ourselves we should occupy. The Theatres Trust this morning published its Buildings at Risk register; 49 threatened theatre buildings across the UK without statutory protection. Look it up. I call for sit-ins; we should occupy those buildings threatened with demolition, and those working theatres threatened with closure.
And where do we go in public?
I'm vice-chair of the National Campaign for the Arts, a lobbying organisation devoted to improving arts funding. But arts funding isn't going to improve. The government is committed to reducing the size of the state. The same thing that is happening to art is happening to health and schools.
The NCA is trying to doing something that it is not possible to do. We have to find other ways to survive - principally by collaboration. Other ways to talk - not only of troubles but in celebration. We may be a long way from the German ideal of kunst, where every medium-sized town has a theatre and an opera house to rival London's finest, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep it up there as an ideal - particularly if Germany decides, as they well might, that they can no longer afford to be that idealistic. The pendulum is swinging away. All we can do is be part of the movement to stop it quicker than it would otherwise stop, and make it come back quicker than it would otherwise come back.
The problem is we haven't persuaded the electorate. There's still a lot of that 'poncy artist living off the state' mentality. What we need is to get punters in - people who have found the arts made a difference to their lives - and together with the professionals who inspired them, say "this is how the arts changed my life". Every funded organisation should have dozens, or hundreds of people they can call on to sing their praises, and to say why their existence makes life less boring.
And at the same time we mustn't WHINE. We mustn't, though I loath the phrase, be whinging luvvies. Let's fight the pragmatic fight and pick our winnable battles. Let's have a campaign to celebrate the arts, with culture and communication at its heart. Without being aggressive and confrontational - let's bring the emotional and social forces together. Let's fight the idea that the financial sector is the only dynamo driving the economy (that shouldn't be hard in a week like this); actors, directors and designers are centres of energy too. Let's get that message across.
Harriet Harman says: "tourists come to the UK for the culture" But that's not the reason you shouldn't cut it.
It's not "art for art's sake" - that's not the reason you shouldn't cut it. Art for art's sake is a circular argument; that's just what art IS.
What it is, really, is art for our sake. We are about to lose something as valuable as the forests: potential. It's not about a bold new season of Howard Barker plays. It's about the way people live together. We must protect that, or our social foundations will disappear.
Thank you.
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