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factors influencing the tourism competitiveness of former socialist
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HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography (2011) 5.2, 21‐30
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS OF FORMER SOCIALIST COUNTRIES Zsófia Papp*, Ágnes Raffay University of Pannonia, Faculty of Economics, Tourism Department, Veszprém, Hungary
Abstract: Tourism in the former socialist countries can be best characterised as a rollercoaster ride since the regime change around 1989‐1990. After the changes they lost their appeal for the 'Western' tourists and also a large share of visitors from the socialist countries as it became possible to travel to countries beyond the 'friendly' countries. The social tourism schemes operating in these countries have been abandoned or changed. The EU accession has helped to revive tourism and roughly at the same time the introduction of low cost airlines opened new markets for the former socialist countries. The introduction of the Euro has impacted on the tourism of some of these countries as they have temporarily become cheaper or more expensive than other (neighbouring) countries. This paper will focus on the factors that have had an impact on the competitiveness of Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. Key words: Destination competitiveness, Competitive potential, Competitive position, Influencing factors.
Introduction Since the overthrow of the old socialist regimes in the Central Eastern European countries fundamental political and economic changes have taken place. The new and freely elected governments faced the challenge of moving from central planning to market economies, and the transition took several years in each affected country, although the speed of gaining political stability and the state of the inherited economy affected the length of these transitional periods. The political and economic changes also had significant impacts on tourism in the former socialist countries. The volume and nature of domestic tourism has changed, and international tourist arrivals have also been affected by the political and economic shifts as well as the social processes that had taken place since the changes started in 1989. On the one hand, the winding down and partial disappearance of social tourism made the restructuring of the tourism offer of the former socialist countries necessary in order to be able to appeal to emerging new markets. On the other hand, new destinations have opened up for the residents of the Central and Eastern European countries therefore the previously hardly known and recognised *Corresponding author: Email:
[email protected]
‐pannon.hu DOI: 10.5719/hgeo.2011.52.21
phenomenon of competition between destinations has emerged and started to demand attention in tourism management and development in the former socialist countries (Clarke, 2010). The current paper will discuss the characteristics of tourism before the regime changes as well as the experiences of the changing demands and supply of tourism in the past two decades in four selected former socialist countries, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. The choice of countries was based partly on the interest of the authors and partly on the characteristics of the countries (Poland and Hungary with their more central location, closer to western borders and Romania and Bulgaria with their more southern locations and Mediterranean style seasides), and partly by the different phases of EU accession (Poland and Hungary joined the EU in 2004 and Romania and Bulgaria in 2007). The paper will also discuss theories of regional competitiveness and assess how the factors of competitive potential have changed in the past 20 years in these four countries.
Characteristics of tourism of the former socialist countries One of the outstanding features of tourism in the former socialist countries before the political changes of 1989‐1990 was strong domestic tourism. People were not only strongly encouraged to travel within
their own country but were also provided the opportunity to do so. Most companies (which were obviously state owned in the socialist era) had their own holiday resorts by the sea or lakes or at spa resorts where their employees could enjoy a week's holiday with their families at affordable prices. Furthermore, trade unions also arranged affordable holidays for their members (although voluntary membership was just a token gesture, employees were strongly recommended to be a member of the respective unions of their profession). Youth camps and educational trips for children were organised so that the younger generations could also participate in tourism (Light and Dumbraveanu, 1999). The tourism infrastructure was of mixed quality, high quality hotels used primarily by party leaders and highly ranked officials as well as rather basic accommodation used by the workers of factories could be found in all of the four countries examined. Two thoughts need highlighting from the strong social tourism of these countries. First, until the political (and economic) changes of 1989 the state was the provider of tourism infrastructure while in the Western countries the state gradually withdrew from being a provider of the tourism supply and focused more on the role of regulator and/or legislator of the tourism industry. Second, the state, through the companies and unions, provided holidays for the citizens but very often did not give them a choice of where to spend that holiday, therefore competition between places was virtually non‐existent. Although domestic tourism was the preferred and recommended choice, the citizens of the former socialist countries were also allowed to travel to the 'friendly' countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. In Romania for example up to 95% of the foreign tourist arrivals were realised by the citizens of the Central and Eastern European socialist countries (Hall, 1991). Travel outside the socialist countries was not encouraged, there were serious visa and foreign currency restrictions in place, people needed to have letters of invitation to be allowed to travel to a non‐socialist country, and even so the number of such trips was limited over certain periods, and only a limited amount of currency could be exchanged which would hardly cover the expenses in the visited country. With the overthrow of the old regimes political and economic restructuring became necessary. The old habit of planning centrally from a desk in an office had to be changed to a market driven economy where the needs and demands of potential customers as well as the competition had to be taken into account. The restructuring was a rather slow and painful process and has affected every area of economics as well as life. In the first 5‐6 years after 22
the change, the economic decline and the price liberalisation resulted in increased prices of commodities and services as well as inflation therefore people had less discretionary income to travel (Light and Dumbraveanu, 1999), while the state provided social tourism (in some cases only temporarily) collapsed. However, for those who could still afford to travel new horizons opened up with the disappearance of the borders. Countries on the other side of the Iron Curtain became accessible, and in some cases also become cheaper than a holiday at a domestic destination. According to Wingrove (1997) for Romanian citizens a holiday in Greece was more affordable than by the Black Sea. However, the preference of new destinations in Western countries (especiallywithin driving distance) over the traditional Eastern European ones was most noticeable in the case of Polish and Hungarian tourism (Light and Dumbraveanu, 1999). At the same time as citizens of former socialist countries were discovering new destinations outside the former socialist countries, these countries have started to lose their appeal to Western tourists. It was rather noticeable in Hungary for example which used to be a convenient meeting place for East and West German families (as East Germans could not travel to West Germany), where according to the Central Statistical Office of Hungary, the number of German tourists travelling to Hungary dropped from 5,185,666 in 1990 to 4,261,771 by 1995 and to 3,317,406 by 2005 (KSH, 1990, 1995, 2005; itthon.hu). In the case of Romania and Bulgaria this loss of foreign tourist arrivals was less noticeable as because of the longer distance and relatively poor transport infrastructure these countries received less foreign tourists. In Poland and Hungary however, partly because of the more central location and partly because of the perceived political stability and safety (compared to Romania for example), the tourism industry was more dependent on the international travellers. With the disappearance of the Iron Curtain these countries have become less interesting, less of a challenge as the distinctive character, the socialist/communist attitude and regime have gone. Until the EU accession a fluctuation could be observed in the number of tourist arrivals. The accession to the EU has given a new impetus to tourism in the former socialist countries as it opened new markets and development in the transport infrastructure making some of these countries more easily accessible. As an example, the introduction of low cost airlines often coincided with the date of the EU accession in the case of the four countries. Cheap flights have again made these countries not only accessible but also affordable.
HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography, (2011) 5.2, 21‐30
Theories about destination competitiveness In the last two decades destination competitiveness has emerged as a major focus of tourism research. It started with the adoption of Porter's seminal work (1990) The Competitive Advantage of Nations and now there are several theories about the competitiveness of various territories. Several reports and articles have been published on the competitiveness of whole countries – just to mention the most popular competitiveness index from World Economic Forum (Blanke and Chiesa, 2009; Gomezelj and Mihalic, 2008) while in the field of regional economics the focus has been on smaller entities such as regions and cities (Heath, 2002; Cracolici and Nijkamp, 2008). In tourism the most appropriate kind of territory for deeper investigation is the destination – as the competition in tourism has intensified between destinations (Jancsik and Mayer, 2010). The tourism destination as a place is hard to outline (as its borders depend more on the visiting tourists) and is hard to define. For one tourist a whole country can be a destination, while for another even a little village can be attractive enough to set off on a journey. For technical reasons many researchers (Gomezelj and Mihalic, 2008; Dwyer and Kim, 2003; Croes, 2011; Blanke and Chiesa, 2009) choose whole countries as tourist destinations, as they are easier to outline – and also much of the data and figures are more readily available at this level. For the purposes of this paper countries will be analysed as the regime changes that influence the differences between socialist and post socialist tourism are most often demonstrated at country level. The importance of being competitive is not the subject matter anymore. This must be the main goal for both the successful and the less visited countries. The exact meaning of this phrase has been to some extent clarified due to Ritchie and Crouch's valuable contribution (2003) to the topic, although this is not based at the country level. The most accepted definition from the authors suggests that a destination is truly competitive if it has "ability to increase tourism expenditure, to increasingly attract visitors while providing them with satisfying, memorable experiences, and to do so in a profitable way, while enhancing the well‐being of destination residents and preserving the natural capital of the destinations for future generations" (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003:2). This definition shows well that competitiveness is a complex term – which becomes really clear when we try to quantify, that is to measure the competitiveness of a destination. But for effective tourism management it is essential for the destination to be able to measure its successes at any time and to be able to determine the
points (factors) where certain management interventions (marketing, development, etc.) can help to achieve or maintain this success. For this reason several theories have recently been developed about destination competitiveness, aiming to identify which factors can contribute to the success of a tourist destination and focusing on building up models based on those factors.
Models and methods for research Some model developing authors aim to provide a framework for all influencing factors, like the most quoted Ritchie and Crouch (2003) or Heath (2002). Other researchers, such as Dwyer et al (2004), stand on the other side, focussing on one single aspect like the price‐competition among destinations for example – besides their own general model. The current paper does not allow for a long elaboration of all the efforts and models worked out so far. Therefore, the two most often quoted ones have been chosen to highlight the main directions and notions: the model of Ritchie and Crouch (2003) and Dwyer et al (2004). The model of Ritchie and Crouch (2003) is held to be the most detailed and comprehensive work in tourism competitiveness – and it is also the starting point for many researchers to develop and process their own model. Ritchie and Crouch tried to collect and organise all the factors and determinants that the competitiveness of a destination is dependent on. Building on Porter's well‐known framework (1990) of the diamond of national competitiveness, they organised 36 determinants into 5 components:
supporting factors and resources, core resources and attractors, destination management, destination policy, planning and development,
qualifying and amplifying determinants. The basic component consists of the core resources and attractors that include the primary elements of destination appeal. Originally all the determinants have equal weight in the model, which is still the subject of discussions. To find the importance of the determinants Crouch (2011) has carried out research finding out the ranking of all the 36 determinants. The model is also often criticised because it cannot show the connections or interference among the elements and therefore does not show a realistic picture (Armenki et al, 2011) – mainly compared to the model of Dwyer et al (2003).Figure 2.shows the model of Dwyer et al. 2004.
HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography, (2011) 5.2, 21‐30
Figure 1. Destination Competitiveness Model of Ritchie‐Crouch Source: Ritchie‐Crouch, 2003
The so‐called Integrated model presented by Dwyer et al (2004) has a lot of the elements of the Ritchie and Crouch model and also builds also upon Porter's framework as it brings together the main elements of national and corporate competitiveness into one overall model (Dwyer et al 2011). The two main elements of this model are the Resources and Destination Management. The first one is the base to attract visitors, but the second element is the one that can shape the basis for an attractive offer for tourists –to a competitive supply at the end. In addition the model groups two more determinants: Situational Conditions and Demand Conditions. The model is like a process that has two outcomes: destination competitiveness and socio‐economic prosperity – which can be given by indicators of life quality (see Figure 2.). As the main goals are competitiveness and the good quality of life the model matches to the mentioned general (by Ritchie and Crouch) definition of competitiveness. The model has a very important difference from Ritchie and Crouch: it shows causal links (Vanhove, 2010). The arrows in the model have special meaning: single direction arrows show the process, while two‐ way arrows stand for the mutual effects. Both models are successful at identifying the factors influencing tourism destination competitiveness – but do not separate the factors. We would argue that there is a cause and effect logic between certain factors: some factors explain the competitive position of the destination and others relate to the potential of destination. The models lack this logic and mix the factors from both sides in one model. This paper wants to argue that the factors 24
should be separated and should also be measured separately.
Applying the pyramid model to tourism destinations Following the above argument it is suggested to distinguish competitive position and competitive potential as a first step. The competitive position refers to the competitive performance, which is an output, and can be measured by statistical data. This shows the status of the destination based on objective measurements of what has been achieved as a result of actions already carried out in the past. This can also be called the ex post concept (Barbosa et al, 2010), or an accrual‐based approach (Sziva, 2010). Competitive potential relates to what the destination could achieve, with the appropriate development of the facilities and management activities – that is all the factors and determinants, which can influence the competitiveness of a destination. Competitive potential in other words is the ex ante concept (Barbosa et al, 2010), but others refer to it as the development oriented approach (Sziva, 2010). The pyramid model outlined below is used in regional economics to analyse the competitiveness of both cities (Parkinson et al, 2006) and regions (Gardiner et al, 2004, Lengyel, 2004). The greatest contribution was made by Lengyel (2000, 2004, 2010), who continuously developed his pyramid model both to find a way of measuring and facilitating regional
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Figure 2. The Integrated Model Source: Dwyer et al, 2004
development. This model separates the cause and effect parts, that is the competitive position from the competitive potential, as Figure 3. shows. The competitive position appears on the third level, where the basic categories are located. These categories measure competitiveness through established variables or factors including income, labour productivity, employment and openness, that is, these are the ex post indicators (Lengyel, 2004). In tourism, the competitive position can be measured by several tourism statistics. Furthermore, employment and productivity are also important, and the latter can be assessed by tourism income per visitor. The number of visitors, guest nights or even occupancy rates can also be of use for measuring the competitive position. The competitive potential can be further divided into two parts in this model: success determinants are the resources, that is, social and environmental conditions in regional economics, and primarily the attractions in tourism. The determinants in this category can be changed over a longer period of time, but are very important and have indirect impacts on the basic categories. Development factors on the other hand are the real ex ante factors that can be developed (even in the short term) and can help to make a direct impact on the basic categories (Lengyel, 2004). The factors that influence the competitiveness of a destination, in this case of post‐socialist countries as tourism destinations – are in the footings of the pyramid.
Figure 3. The Structure of the Pyramid Model
Source: Lengyel, 2004, 2010
As mentioned before, the pyramid model has been developed for regional competitiveness. In this paper the adaptation is used which is tailored it to the specificities of tourism. The pyramid model of the tourism destination competitiveness is shown in Figure 4. The suggested pyramid showing the structure of factors of destination competitiveness combines elements from the Crouch and Ritchie and the Dwyer et al. models of destination competitiveness and the Lengyel model of regional competitiveness. The footing of the pyramid comprises the building blocks of what we see as competitive potential which are mostly static elements, demonstrating relative fixity, which although can make places attractive to tourists
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and can change or be changed only over a long period of time. The notions in the boxes below the line are still factors of competitive potential but these are elements that can be changed over relatively short periods of time as they are characterised by low levels of fixity.
Figure 4. Pyramid Model for Tourism Destination Competitiveness Source: own compilation
The pyramid before the regime changes With regards to competitive position, as it has been discussed before, there was no competition to speak of in the socialist era. Although the base of the pyramid (potential part of the pyramid) was present, there was hardly any conscious development of the elements in this category. Furthermore, there was no or little connection between competitive potential and competitive position of tourism destinations (because of the reasons that we outlined earlier) – that is showed on Figure 5. Due to the lack of real competition, competitive position was not an issue and therefore there was no need to improve the destination offer for these reasons, neither in terms of attractions nor quality of services. The boxes in the pyramid were left empty deliberately to indicate that factors such as human resources, infrastructure development, etc. played a less important role in the era of socialism due to the centralised direction of tourism flows. There was no need to make the destinations more attractive as they had the 'guaranteed' flow of tourists anyway. Activities done in these areas were undertaken to maintain the status quo or to react to other policy initiatives and not necessarily to improve attractions or facilities. The link between the factors of competitive potential and competitive position was not recognised; in fact the whole notion of competition was not recognised as it is a capitalist notion denied by the socialist paradigm. 26
The pyramid after changes Reviewing the previous arguments, the significant changes in the tourism of the post socialist era will be discussed here. Competition appeared and arose between destinations, both within the countries (as people were not restricted to certain resorts where the state provided holidays for them), and between countries, which in turn had resulted in changes in the tourism market. Due to the higher quality requirements from the tourists the standard of tourism services has also risen. The higher standards could only be achieved by the improvement of the 'potential' factors of the above outlined pyramid. The noticeable developments in the field of infrastructure have been made available by EU funds and the leverage this permitted with international investors. Attraction development started to focus on visitor‐ friendly services as the masses of visitors were not guaranteed any longer, the attractions had to compete for tourists. In the area of human infrastructure the noticeable changes were the introduction of tourism and hospitality courses and the rising need for speaking foreign languages. In Hungary for example, German used to be the language of communication with tourists as the majority of them arrived from the German speaking countries (KSH, 1999), but with tourists coming from a wider range of countries English has slowly started to become the language of communication with visitors. These few examples show that the factors influencing competitive potential have started to gain importance and the link between the potential factors and the competitiveness of a destination has started to be recognised. The following part of the paper will provide examples for the changing importance of some of the potential factors from the bottom of the pyramid.
Figure 5. Pyramid Model of Socialist Era (not country specific) Source: own compilation
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Infrastructure: Accessibility With the introduction of low‐cost airlines the former socialist countries have become more easily accessible within Europe. Most flights started to operate around the time of EU accession. This can be explained on the one hand with governments entering the Open Sky European Airspace Agreement usually at the same time or around the time of joining the EU. Before the Open Sky agreement, governments were able to impose restrictive legislation to protect their national carrier from competition. With the arrival of the low‐cost airlines the options have widened and fares have become affordable to many more potential tourists. From 2004 onwards, when 10 new members joined the EU at the same time, existing (Western Europe‐based) low‐cost carriers such as easyJet and Germanwings started operating new routes to the former socialist countries, and new no frills airlines were established based in these countries like SkyEurope, which has stopped operating due to the economic crisis, and the Polish‐Hungarian joint venture WizzAir, which started on the 19th of May 2004 from Katowice. On the other hand the revival of interest in countries of the former Soviet block also helped to put them back onto the tourist map of Europe. However, it has to be noted that the ease of access made these countries more appealing to Western Europe anyway, partly because the cheap flights made these countries ideal destinations for short breaks and partly because people started to buy second homes or holiday homes in the region. Access to destinations was also improved by the development of regional airports. Some of the airports had originally been used for military purposes, and were gradually turned into civil aviation airports by the time of the regime change.
Their development was accelerated after the EU accession (Fas, 2003). These regional airports, differing in size and importance, emerged as competitors for smaller established hub airports, so we see Krakow and Katowice airports in Southern Poland emerging to become competitors for Prague (Tloczynski, without date). The smaller regional airports have quickly become popular with low‐cost airlines as they offered services at significantly lower prices than the larger hub airports, especially the ones in capital cities. Although the economic recession starting in the autumn of 2008 has impacted on air travel and low cost airlines in particular, some of the regional airports near popular destinations are still being developed, such as at Varna airport where the reconstruction of the runway will take place in the winter of 2011/12 (varna‐ airport.bg).
Tourism infrastructure: Accommodation Due to recession and lack of resources after the economic restructuring the state could no longer afford to run the hotels and other types of accommodation formerly used for domestic tourist not to mention investing in their refurbishing or development, these have also become subject to privatisation in the early 1990s. Privatisation has brought in some foreign investment, accommodation in popular resorts and destinations were purchased by larger hotel chains. Some of the hotels were purchased through management buy‐out or even by the employees (Light and Dumbraveanu, 1999). On the one hand, this type of change of ownership was welcome as continuation could be ensured this way (people who had significant knowledge and experience about running the hotel remained in
Figure 6. Changes of Accommodation Capacity in Romania Source: Comisia Nationala pentru Statistica, 2010
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place). On the other hand, the employees and even the management did not have sufficient funds to invest in the hotels to ensure high enough standards that would suit Western tourists. The number of accommodation units as well as overall capacity fell in the first half of the 1990s; especially the number and capacity of the lower standard establishments that used to cater for domestic tourism with lower acceptable standards. Only hotel capacity has remained the same or has grown slightly, in particular in hotels offering higher standards, such as hotels with three stars and above (Comisia Nationala pentru Statistica, 1998, KSH 1999). In the case of Romania for example, from the middle of the decade the number of accommodation units started to rise again but it had taken more than ten years to reach the number recorded in 1989. From 2000 onwards the approaching EU accession has accelerated accommodation development in some of the former socialist countries. Ten years after the changes the economies have stabilised to some extent and the countries have become eligible for PHARE funds to improve their tourism infrastructure. The anticipated demand for more accommodation capacity as a result of joining the EU has also contributed to the relatively slow but constant growth in bed capacity between 2000 and 2006 in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary while Poland experienced a slight decline in the number of accommodation establishments (EuroStat, 2008). Besides the growth in capacity the change in quality of accommodation has also been noticeable. The use of the term change was deliberate as the period after the regime change experienced both decline and improvement in terms of quality in the countries in question. In the first few years of the transition period the quality of accommodation in general declined as the new owners usually had just about enough financial resources to buy the property but not enough for maintenance or improvement. However, to be able to compete in a more demanding environment the refurbishment could not be put off for too long otherwise the accommodation units lost their business. The introduction of standards for tourist accommodation has also resulted in quality improvement. Legislation to ensure standards acceptable for a more demanding audience was passed, with detailed description of the necessary requirements for the different types of accommodation (Monitorul Oficial, 1998). However, standards were not equally enforced in the countries analysed. Ion‐Tudor (1997) for example reports on tourism facilities at the coastal resort of Mamaia in Romania where only about 12% of all the units held a licence in 1997. 28
Attractions: reinterpreted past The regime change has brought along changes in cultural identities as well. The societies of the former socialist countries have had to face difficult decisions in the suddenly gained freedom. The first reaction was to get rid of everything that reminded people of the past but with the anger passing people started to see the old features and old symbols in a new light. After some years they have become able to decide what to keep from the old system, and also how to show tourists where they are coming from (Czepczynski, 2010). As a first step of reconciling with the past, societies have started to realise the potential in re‐using some of the features of the old system. Icons and symbols of the socialist/communist era have become tourist attractions (such as the Lenin Monument in Bucharest, moved from the House of Free Press to a suburb, featuring in the Rough Guide to Bucharest (Richardson and Burford, 1995). Several of the former socialist countries re‐positioned some of these icons, such as statues of Lenin and Stalin. One of the best examples is the Statue Park in Budapest, visited by thousands of tourists every year, another one can be found in Kozlówka in Eastern Poland (muzeumzamoyskich.pl).
Photo 1. Memento Park, Budapest Source: szoborpark.hu
Bucharest has also got a similar dedicated space for the collection of many forms of socialist icons, in the Park of Totalitarianism and Socialist Realism. It must be noted however that the re‐interpretation of socialist or communist icons was also seen as a solution to turn a destination with limited local attractions into a competitive place, meeting growing tourist demand. Another way of using the old socialist or communist symbols was manifested in the creation of themed pubs, bars or even hotels. Some examples from Poland include the Committee in Lublin, the People's Republic of Poland in Wroclaw. The interior
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design features communist propaganda, with pictures of great socialist/ communist figures such as Lenin or Marx. Towards the end of the second decade after the changes a certain sense of nostalgia towards some of the old values has also emerged. People looking back on the bright side of the 'life before' have created the new fashion of retro products, including tourism products and services. The retro movement can be observed in various parts of the tourism industry, such as accommodation development and re‐ development, transport services and package tours just to name the most popular ones. All four countries in question have experienced the revival of styles in accommodation design that were characteristic of the socialist times. Some examples of hotels (re)furbished according to pre 1989 style even carry the term retro in their name, such as the Club Aliga Retro Resort in Hungary (www.clubaliga.hu), the Willa Olimp Retro in Poland(olimp‐rzemieslnik.pl). These retro hotels attract both people who remember the socialist era and wish to bring back memories of the time as well as younger generations who cannot remember life in the socialist times but have a natural feeling of curiosity what it might have been like in their parents' or grandparents' time. The retro idea has also penetrated into transport services. Larger cities with tramlines have introduced retro tram rides; in Bulgaria retro train tourism has taken off in the last few years. Also, a combination of tourism services have been re‐labelled as retro packages or retro products such as retro skiing in Bulgaria for example offered by the St. Ivan Rilski Hotel Spa and Apartments. We would also note that the counties have addressed the issues directly in creating marketing strategies for tourism to capture this new sense of marketisation. As examples we would attention to Petreas (2006) on Bulgaria and Nedelea (2004) on Romania. We would also note that the changes are still working through as the new marketing campaigns for Romania demonstrate (Romania Insider, 2011).
Conclusion One of the consequences of the regime changes has been the introduction of a capitalist logic of competition into all aspects of these societies. Where previously tourism had been centrally planned and directed leaving managers to deal with their allocated numbers of arrivals, the new managers have to go and find the tourists within the competitive markets. This has impacted directly and indirectly on the provision and support of tourism in these former socialist
countries. As a response to these changes. tourism managers have had to learn to recognise and appreciate the factors involved in competition both within the countries and in the wider international markets that they are involved in. This led us to consider the need for an explanatory model which we drew from experience in regional economics and largely western based tourism. The pyramid model presented here does not only identify the competitive position of tourism but also the capacity for potential development of that tourism. We believe therefore that the pyramid is not only an analytical model but also a diagnostic aid to encourage tourism managers to address the challenges they are facing more successfully. The evidence from these countries shows that the provision of tourism is being repositioned and redefined, using elements of the old to find a competitive position within the new. Our analysis suggests that it is possible to reinterpret and reposition without losing the distinctiveness of the past but reframing it as an attraction for the future tourist. Much will depend on how the tourism managers address the combination of old and new interpretations as they seek to maintain, renew and enrich the tourism offers in these former socialist countries.
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Competitiveness in Hungary', Acta Oeconomica, vol. 54., no. 3., p. 323‐342. Lengyel, I. (2000): "A regionálisversenyképességről" KözgazdaságiSzemle, vol. 47. p. 962‐987. Lengyel, I. (2010): Regionális gazdaságfejlesztés, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. Light, D & Dumbrăveanu, D 1999, 'Romanian Tourism in the Post‐Communist Period', Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 26. no. 4. p. 898‐927. Nedelea, A 2004, Marketing Strategies of Tourism in Romania Economic Review of Tourism, Vol. 3, available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1269369. Parkinson, M et al. 2006, State of the English Cities, A Research Study, Volume 1, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, London. Porter, M 1990, The competitive advantage of nations, The Free Press, New York Richardson, D & Burford, T 1995, Romania: The Rough Guide (1st ed.), Rough Guides Ltd, London. Ritchie, JRB & Crouch, GI 2003, The Competitive Destination: a Sustainable Tourism Perspective, CABI Romania Insider 2011, Romania's tourism marketing programs revealed: 'Guardian Angels', 'We Care', 'Romania Welcomes You', viewed February 17, 2011, http://www.romania‐insider.com/romanias‐tourism‐ marketing‐programs‐guardian‐angels‐we‐care‐romania‐ welcomes‐you/19086/# Sziva, I 2010, 'A turisztikai desztinációk versenyképessége. Egyedül miért nem, együtt mikor és meddig?', Turizmus Bulletin, vol. 16. no. 3. p. 40‐49. Tloczynski, D (without date), Marketing Strategies of Polish Airports: Towards European Union, available at www.konferencja.edu.pl/ref8/pdf/en/Tloczynski‐ Gdansk.pdf. Vanhove, N 2010, The Economics of Tourism Destinations, Elsevier, Amsterdam Wingrove, D 1997, 'Tourism in Romania: An Offer you CAN'T Resist?', Review Romania, vol. 18. (July/August) p. 4‐5.
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YOLA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Three protesters were killed and four others injured when soldiers opened fire on demonstrators in a farming community in Nigeria's Adamawa state, three sources told Reuters.
The protesters in the northeastern state were demonstrating against kidnappings for ransom that have plagued the area as well as what residents said was harassment by soldiers and police.
"There is serious demonstration going on now due to rampant kidnapping and excessive use of force on us by soldiers and police," local resident Musa Mallum told Reuters.
A local leader of the road transport workers union (NURTW) in the area told Reuters by phone that the bodies of those killed were being prepared for burial.
DSP Suleiman Y. Nguroje, a police spokesman in the state, confirmed that an incident had taken place, but said he was unaware of any deaths or injuries. Spokesmen for the Nigerian Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In addition to rising kidnappings and violence across Nigeria, Adamawa state is a focal point of violence between farmers and herders. In the past several years, there have also been allegations from locals and campaign groups of human rights abuses by the military. The military has previously denied all wrongdoing.
Reporting By Percy Dabang in Yola; writing by Libby George in London; editing by Chris Reese

subset: commoncrawl


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Every year the Boston Festival of Indie Games takes over MIT's Johnson Athletic Center to showcase talent from New England and beyond. It's a less high-pressure show than something like PAX and games ranging from top-tier indie to student project hang out side by side. Four aisles of booths cover a good percentage of the indoor track on the top floor of the center, with the rest of space taken up by an artist's alley and a free-play area for the non-digital games that have their showcase on the first floor. The show is a lot of fun, busy but without the incredible volume that makes PAX or E3 difficult to hold an actual conversation in. This is the third year I've gone and, just like the previous shows, the result is a series of three features going over every single game I got to play. PC, console, mobile, professional developer or student, it doesn't matter. It's all here and the only disclaimer is I wish I'd had the time to play more than this. There's a lot to cover, so-
Super Crome: Bullet Purgatory– Bullet hell is an overhwhelming place to visit, but bullet purgatory is much more… inviting? Less stressful? Something like that. Super Crome is a pure arcade shooter that's probably got some kind of reason behind the alien attack, but the important part is there's lots of them and they spray bullets everywhere. The aliens attack in waves, a small handful of ships at a time, and even the easiest enemies take a pile of shots to go down. Unlike a shooter like Mushihimesama you aren't death incarnate fighting off dense waves of attackers that spawn thicker clouds of bullets, but rather a standard rocket with a gun that will, with enough firing, eventually wear down the enemy defenses. The difference in feel is that each enemy on the screen needs your full attention, because while it may take a bit to destroy one they're going to keep firing all the while. Thankfully the ship comes with a dash that lets you zip through clouds of bullets, plus a strong charge shot to put the hurt on the tougher baddies. The definition of "tougher baddies" changes as the game progresses, though, because sometimes enemies drop a powerup and, while a single one doesn't do much, eventually they stack up enough to turn the starting pop-gun into a multi-stream death laser. Sure, the enemies get tougher and the bullets denser to make up the difference, but it always feels nice when what had been a serious effort turns into a light distraction from the newer, tougher challenges ahead.
Alike– A relatively simple puzzle game that gets rapidly more complicated. There's a maze on a grid with multiple colored dots that all move together when you hit an arrow key, which is great for the dot near an open space but not so hot for the one right near a red circle that will erase it from the board. The challenge is to get each colored dot into a while circle, which is impossible to do when you've accidentally destroyed one of your pieces. Eventually the game introduces yellow spots on the grid that turn red after a piece moves over it, blue teleporter circles that disappear after a single use, and black walls that disappear after all the little black dots on the board have been collected. It's a clever little thing but only a few levels long right now, and you can probably beat it in 20 minutes of pleasant puzzling. Seeing as the entire game that was available on the show floor is available to play in your web browser at Github (available here) there's no reason to take my word for it. Head on over and give it a look.
Trino– Being a dinosaur is generally a good thing, other than that whole "extinction" problem. Duggi's problem, though, is that he's a stuffed dino in a puzzly world patrolled by real thunder lizards, which makes getting to the level exit a bit trickier than it would otherwise be. While Duggi is more fragile than the average dino, falling apart at a touch, he does have a few tricks up his sleeve in that he can turn into one of three different forms, each with its own ability. The standard dino form can drop a small doll of itself, which can be used as a decoy to catch a t-rex's attention or as a weight to hold open the level exit. The brontosaurus can eat shrubs blocking off paths or tear off the leaves and dump them on his back to use as camouflage, plus go swimming. Finally there's a t-rex transformation that, while still as fragile as the other forms, can eat a stunned dinosaur to remove it from the playfield. Any one dino-form can turn into the others but they need to earn the ability by eating three of a different item- flowers for the base form, meat for the t-rex, and trees for the brontosaurus. While not particularly difficult, at least in the early levels I played, it was super-cute. You play as a small dinosaur who carries around a smaller doll of itself and there's no way not to find that adorable. You can check this one out at its web site.
FireFlight– This one is a mobile game featuring a bird, possibly made of fire, zipping along from one point to another lighting up lanterns as it goes. Each level is comprised of tap-points, sometimes small birds and others being the smaller lanterns it needs to light on the way to the big end-point lantern. The only control over the bird's flight you get is by tapping on one of the items, which the bird will then zip straight towards unless, of course, it's a moving target. Which is an interesting challenge in timing when there's a rock between the bird and it's goal. The firebird never stops moving, so when it reaches one point it will either glide into a wall or eventually descend in an arc off the bottom of the screen. The levels are designed so that you're constantly tapping from point to point at speed, broken up by moments when you need to use that glide to arc over or under (depending on the direction you came from) part of the scenery. It doesn't take long for the difficulty to ramp up, requiring speed and precision to avoid cratering the poor bird, but the levels are short enough and reload time nonexistent so it's easy to try again, as many times as necessary, until the big level-end lantern is finally lit up.
Squatbot- Simple but evil little platformer starring a hopping robot collecting coins. Getting through a level is all about controlling momentum, and it's helped immeasurably by the controls being super-simple. Tap the left side of the screen to jump left, the right side to jump right, and that's everything. Except for spikes, ice platforms, pits, and other standard platformer hazards, of course. While it's fairly paint-by-numbers on the surface Squatbot gets away with it by having precise controls that make movement feel good, even when you're in mid-air just knowing that you've got too much speed to avoid the coming spike ball and it's too late to stop now. While the game is designed to be played by tapping the screen, the demo unit at Boston FIG was running off a custom controller shaped like an SNES pad except with only two buttons, one per side. An alternate control method had it playable with Donkey Konga bongos, but sadly they were out of commission at the time. If any lesson can be learned from Donkey Kong's Jungle Beat it's that platformers are always better when played with bongos. The regular version can be played right now in either a free version (which is fairly kind with the way it spaces out its ad interruptions) or an ad-free paid version, iOS or Android.
Runaway- This one was early in production but has a lot of potential. You're a street punk in a hoodie running across rooftops, wall-jumping and dash-rolling through the environment in search of areas to tag with your handy can of spray paint. Honestly, this one is too early to talk about much, seeing as it only had a tutorial section plus a playground to put the moves to the test in, but I liked the feel of it both in terms of the character handling and the game's style. The mechanics and tone are there and now it's just a matter of building a 2D parkour platforming action game around it.
And that's part one of three. Fairly obviously this is only going to be a small cross-section of everything there, seeing as not only was time limited but there were a ton of games to see. I didn't even manage to get to Boyfriend Dungeon, which I'll admit that maybe I misjudged after watching other people get to play. Boston FIG may not be one of the larger gaming shows, but there's still far more on display than one person can play.


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The official launch is coming Sept. 12
Visual Studio 2012 and the .NET Framework 4.5 are build complete and will be available to Microsoft-focused developers starting Aug. 15.
Jason Zander, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President for Visual Studio, made the announcement on his blog this morning. "The engineering team is finished and is now preparing the build for our numerous distribution channels," he wrote. The official launch of Visual Studio 2012 is set for Sept. 12.
The announcement was made the same day that Microsoft released Windows 8 to manufacturing. The timing isn't coincidental; Microsoft knows it needs its army of developers to write software for Windows 8, and that's a primary focus for the changes in both Visual Studio 2012 and the .NET Framework 4.5. Those two tools together will form the backbone of Windows 8 application development, including Metro-style applications, which Microsoft hopes will help it catch up with Apple and Google in the mobile space.
A long list of the updated features in both Visual Studio 2012 and .NET Framework 4.5 can be found in a late May blog posting by Zander. One thing he cautions developers: if you want to develop Metro apps, you'll need to have some version of Windows 8 on your work machine.
Some of many Metro-specific additions found in Visual Studio 2012 include style templates; upgraded XAML and Blend designers; the Animation library; PowerPoint Storyboarding; and a new DLL project template for C++ development.
Visual Studio 2012 will be available in a number of versions:
As another inducement to upgrade, Microsoft is offering developers of the paid versions of Visual Studio 2012 (who are also MSDN subscribers) a free, one year account with Windows Store.
About the Author
Keith Ward is the editor in chief of Virtualization & Cloud Review. Follow him on Twitter @VirtReviewKeith.
Now that Visual Studio 2019 v16.4 has shipped, the dev team is turning to new priorities in the v16.5 preview round, including the IDE's "Find in Files" feature, which is getting a modernization revamp.
Xamarin mobile developers using Visual Studio gained some functionality common to other IDEs as XAML Hot Reload for Xamarin.Forms was introduced with the new Visual Studio 2019 v16.4 release.
Scaffolding support for ASP.NET Core projects heads the list of new features added to Visual Studio 2019 for Mac version 8.4 Preview 4, helping developers get head starts on projects with automatically generated boilerplate code.
Microsoft's HockeyApp -- the strange-sounding tool for continuously building, testing, releasing and monitoring apps -- has scored its last goal, being retired and sent to the permanent bench in favor of Visual Studio App Center.
Microsoft announced Azure Functions 3.0, its event-driven, serverless cloud computing platform, has reached version 3.0, ready for production -- with a catch.
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Up and at 'em.
You're the first one up, and the first one on the cross country ski track—that means fresh, unpilfered grooming, icy cold air, and nothing but the sound of the wind in the trees. Enjoy the solitude while keeping your head warm with the low-profile Patagonia Glade Beanie. Its soft and stretchy recycled blend yarn is soft and itch-free for all-day comfort.
- A classic, low-profile beanie for hikes and XC skiing
- Made with recycled polyester yarn for itch-free comfort
- Features a braided tassel and stretchy knit
- Item #PAT01J9
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- Familiarity: I gave it as a gift but have feedback to share
I bought this for my husband - who has a rather large head - and it fits perfectly. The beanie is lightweight and doesn't have a fleece lining, but he can flip up the hem to give his ears an extra layer of protection if needed.
The fabric is super soft and silky - and very comfortable. (FYI - there is no braided tassel... that's a mistake in the description..)


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'Avengers: Age of Ultron' (Marvel/Disney)
Be warned, this whole post is a giant spoiler.
At the conclusion of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Avengers as we know them have disassembled. Tony Stark drives off to parts unknown in one of his countless Audis. Hawkeye retires to the countryside to become a family man. Thor heads back to Asgard to deal with a looming Armageddon. Hulk is literally off the grid. And Quicksilver is dead.
Credits roll. And then Thanos, that familiar snarling purple space villain, whips out a golden glove. What does it all mean? Director Joss Whedon crammed in a befuddling amount of details in those waning minutes; we're here to unpack the ending for you.
Perhaps the most jarring fallout is that Earth's Mightiest Heroes are a little less mighty. Lone holdovers Captain America and Black Widow are left overseeing a lineup that includes newbies Vision and Scarlet Witch alongside hitherto sidekicks War Machine and Falcon.
Clockwise from upper left: Falcon, Vision, War Machine, Scarlet Witch (Marvel/Disney)
This retooled roster serves three functions: First, fans will see it as a wink to the Avengers' comic-book origins. After all, Hulk only lasted two issues before he quit. And while Iron Man, Thor, and Cap have been mainstays since the 1960s, the team's membership has been fluid, with myriad heroes coming and going. There have also been spinoff groups, like the West Coast Avengers and the New Avengers.
The Age of Ultron shakeup also sets the stage for next year's Captain America: Civil War, which will pit rival bands of heroes against each other, with one group working under the leadership of Iron Man, and another pledging allegiance to Captain America. At least some of the newly constituted Avengers will be forced to choose sides, but expect Thor and Hulk (and possibly Hawkeye) to sit out the conflict. In their stead, we'll get Black Panther and Spider-Man, the latter of whom will be making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. (Reports have varied to exactly how much of a role Spidey will play; while he was central to the Civil War comic's storyline, filming starts within days and the role has yet to be cast, leading to speculation that the web-slinger will only have what amounts to a glorified cameo.)
Watch our primer on what you need to know for 'Age of Ultron:'
Finally, the Avengers revamping also serves a business purpose: the changes help shuffle the decks as Disney and Marvel's contracts with several key actors, including Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) approach their expiration. The studio must find ways to creatively limit the screen time of the bigger stars while chugging along with their overarching narrative, and that entails spotlighting newer heroes and promoting the B-players.
Then there's the Age of Ultron mid-credits segment. Unlike with Marvel movies past, filmgoers don't have to hunt down comic-nerd friends to explain the provenance of some obscure character. Instead, we get our old tormentor Thanos (Josh Brolin), whom you might remember from previous appearances in Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. In Age of Ultron, the so-called Mad Titan slips on the Infinity Gauntlet, the most powerful glove this side of a Michael Jackson video.
Infinity Gauntlet at Comic-Con (Marvel/Disney)
The gauntlet, last seen in Odin's trophy room in Thor before the Destroyer went amok, has receptacles for the six Infinity Stones (aka Soul Gems); once they are in place, the wielder has virtual omnipotence.
Here's Benicio Del Toro's Collector explaining how the gems work in Guardians of the Galaxy (at the 1:15 mark):
So far we've seen four of the powerful gems: The Tesseract, or Cosmic Cube — which was coveted by Red Skull (in Captain America: The First Avenger) and Loki (in The Avengers) — is the Space Stone and has been locked up in Asgard since the end of the first Avengers. The Mind Stone, which fueled Loki's Chitauri scepter from The Avengers, has been entrusted to the Vision. The Orb, or Power Stone, was recovered by the Guardians of the Galaxy, and is under the watch of the Nova Corps on Xandar. Finally, the Aether, or Red Stone, was given to the Collector at the end of Thor: The Dark World, but its whereabouts are unknown following the destruction of his Knowhere lair in Guardians of the Galaxy. Expect the final two stones to surface in one of the next batch of Marvel films, perhaps Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, or Thor: Ragnarok.
Teaser for 'Infinity Wars' (Marvel/Disney)
As with previous MCU credits sequences, the Age of Ultron closer foreshadows an upcoming movie. In this case, it's movies: The two-part Infinity Wars will focus on Thanos's quest for the stones and his subsequent reign of doom, which wreaks havoc across the Marvel Cinematic Universe and requires an ultimate team-up that includes the Avengers (expect both vintage and newer members), Spider-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and scads of other heroes you'll get to know in the coming years. The first part, to be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, will begins production next year for a May 4, 2018 release.
Watch the actors talk about their work anxiety dreams:


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Newsletter #6: Dinner With Chip
I keep telling Matt to give Jimmy Olsen a Canadian cousin named Jimmy Molson but you know Matt! (he's a coward)
|Sep 17
| 26
This weekend I was awarded the Shuster for Best Writer, which was a true honour. For those not in the know, The Shuster Awards are for Canadian comic book creators like John Byrne and whoever did Alpha Flight after John Byrne left. A rumour was going around that "Batscribe" Tom King had applied for Canadian citizenship just so he could defeat me in this category, but apparently the Canadian government said he was TOO successful to become Canadian ("it's just unseemly" was what I heard from an inside source). Enough's enough, Tom!
Last week I was at the MARVEL SUMMIT! Now, I can't really say anything about what happened there as they tricked me into signing an NDA by telling me it was just one of those classic Hickman text-heavy comics, but it was just horrible.
It took me a while to figure it out, but basically I walked right into a "Dinner With Schmucks" situation, where I was the schmuck. Everyone had a grand old time at Chip's expense! Like, for example:
When Donny Cates started talking about Venom, he described symbiotes as beings who could bond with any fucking talentless moron, turning them into a powerful and seemingly interesting beings, like how Chip's artists bond to Chip.
After my DAREDEVIL pitch, Joe Quesada came up to me and said it sounded cool, which made my heart swell! But then he said, "So, when do you start? 'Cause the current writer fucking sucks."
With Tini Howard in the room for the first time I was excited to see someone get hazed the way I was hazed at my first retreat. But everyone treated her with respect and admiration which fucking infuriated me. To make matters worse, when I suggested that CAPTAIN BRITAIN be renamed CAPTAIN KRAKOA, she gleefully punched me in the stomach, which prompted everyone to shout "Haze him! Haze him!" which led to me wearing the stinky Robin costume again.
And Ryan Stegman just kept texting me.
Don't get me wrong, it's a real pleasure being invited to these meetings, but I just wished everyone liked my ideas more. At one point the room was talking about upcoming events, so I slammed my head into the table to quiet the room, as is my style. Then I attempted to blow their minds by smirking and saying, "Two simple words: Secret. Wars. Two." When they asked me what it was about, I said, "Four simple words: It's. A. Sequel." I thought I'd spark some discussion and win Marvel's 4th Quarter of 2022 for them, but nobody picked up the ball. The best and brightest minds just let out a collective "Duhhhh," so I got on a plane back to Canada and was declared Best Writer so fuck them.
Jonathan Hickman said that Wolverine would finally follow up on this and hunt down the shopkeeper who wouldn't let him read pornography in his shop. Maybe … it's a miniseries I can write? Jonathan?
The Italian publisher of DAREDEVIL sent me this gorgeous version of issue one! Marco's art looks even better in his original Italian! I highly recommend flying to Italy and getting yourself a copy.
Nothing. As punishment for doing "poorly" at the Summit, Marvel has decided to not publish any of my comics this week. It's a rude move and I'm wavering between nonplussed and quite plussed about it, honestly. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Every week I'll answer one POLITE and RESPECTFUL question about my life as a former Marvel writer or about my work. The email is firstname.lastname@example.com.
What do you love most about being in comics?
Thanks and I'm loving your Daredevil run,
Joshua Beckner
It's probably all the friendships.
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Ex-lovebirds Jacqueline Fernandez & Sajid Khan Extend Olive Branch To Each Other?
Six years ago, filmmaker Sajid Khan and actress Jacqueline Fernandez ended their three years of relationship and the director had indirectly blamed his lady love for the break-up. He was quoted as saying, "While we broke up in May 2013, in reality right from December 2012, it started becoming sour. So you are already preparing your mind in those five months."
Also, when you don't have a woman in your life, you don't have someone constantly nagging you, so you end up working better and are more focused. I went for a holiday with her for five days in the middle of making Himmatwala and felt so bad when the film didn't do well. For Humshakals, I have not taken a single holiday."
Ever since the duo broke up, they not only avoided bumping into each other but also cut off all contacts with each other. In fact, rumours also suggested that Jacqueline got ousted from Housefull 4 because of Sajid Khan.
Amidst all the sourness, we hear Jacqueline and Sajid have finally extended an olive branch to each other. It all happened when Sajid Khan suddenly dropped by on the sets of Mrs Serial Killer and also drove Jacqueline home after the shoot.
Karan Johar: I Have Never Been In A Really Serious Relationship
According to Mumbai Mirror, the duo is back to being friends and has even started texting each other.
Currently, Jacqueline is making waves owing to her latest song from Saaho. The sizzling actress featured alongside Prabhas in the song 'Bad Boy'. If you haven't watched it yet, watch it here..


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Ninth District/Deering Police Cmdr. Don Jerome takes chargeSeptember 6, 2019
By Patrick Butler
Since taking the helm at the Ninth (Deering) Police District in May, Commander Don Jerome has had few surprises, thanks to working a variety of jobs in the Ninth District before his promotion and filling in frequently for his predecessor, Randall Darlin, who won promotion to area chief executive officer and reports directly to the area chief.
"We have a really good district," Jerome noted, pointing to a 26% drop in homicides, a 20% reduction in reported shooting incidents, and 20% fewer reported robberies.
On the other hand, Jerome said, while "we're happy, we know we can always do better. We're not by any means taking our foot off the gas. There are still problems with street gangs, mostly conflicts over territory or drugs."
Jerome credits much of the improvement to the community itself, adding, "I've never seen more community support than in this district, where people who see something aren't hesitant to say something, be engaged in the community."
So far as he is concerned, the district enjoys a strong partnership between the community and police officers Jerome works with, and he often works the streets himself.
"I like to go out and lead by example," he said. "It fries me when I hear other commanders talking about the people who 'work for them,' rather than the people who work with them."
While he said he holds "so much admiration for the people I work with," he remains aware that "we make mistakes." He believes "most of our mistakes are true mistakes, not deliberately ignoring the rules. If somebody screws up, they'll be accountable to me, but they'll learn from it, own it, and move on," Jerome added.
Most are 'good people'
While he has worked his share of tough neighborhoods during 25 years on the job, Jerome said he has learned enough about people to realize "there's really only a small number of bad people out there. Most of the people, even in the bad neighborhoods, are just good people trying to survive and do good under hard times."
He noted he has learned that, "if you're not genuine with people—both officers and civilians—they'll know it. So I try to be fair and honest with everyone.
"It works for me because I've never been a good BSer anyway," he said, chuckling.
The 20-year Chicago Police Department veteran was honored at the White House in 2012 for his role in thwarting an armed robbery in progress, arresting two suspects who were holding six victims.
During that encounter, Jerome and one of the offenders crashed through a storefront window, but Jerome was able to hold the suspect until help arrived.
Darlin had headed up the Ninth District for about a year and a half before receiving his new assignment.
Darlin previously had served as a captain in the Englewood (Seventh) District, crediting his service there with giving him an expertise in fighting gang-related crime.
Jerome is the Ninth District's seventh commander in the past seven years.
The Ninth Police District is located at 3120 S. Halsted St. Call (312) 747-8227.


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Custom covered outdoor patio Such a unique piece Tongue and from covered outdoor patio, source:pinterest.com
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Calendar of Events
Geneseo provides residents and visitors with a wide variety of activities that appeal to all ages and interests. Please browse through our many events, which we attempt to keep as current as possible. Our sister website, www.geneseony.org, contains schedules of governmental organizations and meetings.
If you would like to submit an event, click HERE.
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Now: Dec 10 07:43 pm
4:00 pm Knitting Group @ Wadsworth Library
Knitting Group @ Wadsworth Library
Dec 9 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Interested yarn-crafters of all ages and levels are invited to join us in the library's downstairs community room (accessible by elevator). Beginners are welcome and supplies and instruction are available. Sponsored by Friends of … Continue reading →
6:30 pm Women of Mystery Book Club @ Wadsworth Library
Women of Mystery Book Club @ Wadsworth Library
Dec 9 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Join us at this book club that focuses on mysteries written by women authors and which feature a female protagonist. The program is held on the second Monday of the month. Be prepared to take a look into the hidden, … Continue reading →
10:15 am Wadsworth Writers @ Wadsworth Library
Wadsworth Writers @ Wadsworth Library
Dec 14 @ 10:15 am – 12:30 pm
Do you have a passion for writing and enjoy sharing with others? Join us for this special writing group at Wadsworth Library. Participants can write and share memoirs, poetry, or original stories with a supportive learning community of fellow writers. … Continue reading →
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Feb 21 - Day Eleven - Happy birthday, Jenna! "isn't she perdy" - said in grandma great voice It's my sister's birthday today! She's celebrating in Seattle with our aunts and cousins. Family birthdays are something I always miss about... Continue Reading →
"oh, a BOX!!! Just what I've always wanted!" "If you don't like it, or if it doesn't fit, you can take it back. I don't mind." "Is that it? Are there NO more PRESENTS for MEEEE???" During any Christmas, birthday,... Continue Reading →


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Chermin Lam
Posted on: Monday, May 2, 2016
I'm so tired.
Love yourself
Posted on: Tuesday, April 19, 2016
You have to fight for yourself - because no one's going to fight for you, and no one's going to protect you. Even people you love and trust can throw you under the bus. We can't dance in the sun forever. Love yourself - always.
Posted on: Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Food poisoning left me bedridden for 2 days. I think that was the first time in years I was that unwell and I don't want to feel that way ever again :( Thankfully I was brought to the clinic when I couldn't even pull myself out of bed.On an unrelated note, I think i'm finding myself in some sort of limbo. And something's lacking. Feel pretty unfulfilled and unhappy with where I am currently. I nee...
DB Bistro & Oyster Bar
Posted on: Sunday, February 28, 2016
Presenting the Grand Seafood Platter.....The day saw me stuffing my face with seafood and a bottle of white, followed by some shopping at my all-time fav MBS... and the night saw me going through a plate of A5 wagyu, supplemented with some fried hokkien mee, orh luak and of course a bottle of red (don't ask me why the combination but it was good - minus the fact that I felt I was swimming in oil a...
Posted on: Wednesday, February 24, 2016
2015 was challenging. I faced many new ups and downs, and many new struggles. For the first time, I truly understood the essence of "time management". It's a zero sum game really, and the struggle is real. Sometimes I look back and I wish I made better decisions. Sometimes I wish I spent more time with who really matters - and that brings me to wondering what in the world I end up doing with my ti...
Posted on: Sunday, February 21, 2016
This is me coming back to writing. I do realize that I haven't been updating as much as before and I suppose its part laziness and part lack of time. 60/40. It's quite sad too because I actually enjoy writing and going through my posts - especially years down the road, laughing or smiling fondly at the memories made. I don't have a very good memory to begin with, and because I no longer play mahjo...
Posted on: Monday, January 11, 2016
Today I took the day off just to be alone. And I had so many realizations that everything is so overwhelming right now. There's so much I need to do to make things right. And above all, Family first. For always. The biggest piece of my heart.
Posted on: Sunday, November 15, 2015
Love yourself enough to walk away and not look back.
Posted on: Thursday, November 12, 2015
Hello, it's meI was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meetTo go over everythingThey say that time's supposed to heal ya, but I ain't done much healingHello, can you hear me?I'm in California dreaming about who we used to beWhen we were younger and freeI've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feetThere's such a difference between usAnd a million milesHello from the oth...
Posted on: Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Say you'll remember me / Standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset, babe / Red lips and rosy cheeks /Say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams
Posted on: Monday, October 19, 2015
Some nights
Fr. Thought Catalog
Posted on: Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Love doesn't start off difficult to believe in.The first, even the second time you love someone, you're starry-eyed and openhearted. You rush into relationships with the unshakeable eagerness of a toddler trying their first solid food. You've been starved for real love all of your life and suddenly there it is – available to you in abundance! So you give and you take and you want and you d...
Posted on: Monday, September 7, 2015
"I hope you find a man who doesn't just give you flowers and calls you beautiful, I hope you find a man who visits your family when you're homesick. I hope he goes with you to see your sick grandma in the hospital, I hope he gives you space when you need to be alone and grace when you are not patient with him. I hope you find a good man, one who will love you for who you are and not what you c...
Posted on: Sunday, September 6, 2015
Let me tell you this, someone is gonna love you so much that it will hurt. It's gonna make them feel like their heart is a glass that is overflowing, and that they cannot contain all that they feel for you. They are gonna look up at the stars, and wonder why love couldn't just be placed in space, because the endless expanse seems like a more fitting place to store the fire that burns within th...
Posted on: Thursday, July 23, 2015
I'm so tired everyday. I used to have troubles falling asleep at night but I don't seem to ever face such issues anymore. I spend so much of my day talking that I lose all energy to engage in as much conversations as I do at night. I'm totally drained out and I often just want/need to sleep/rest.Time to reboot again.
Chasing time
Posted on: Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Cook & BrewCoast & CompanyWagyu ribeyes, truffle, butter ......... Yes please.ModestosDancing CrabOur new found fav spot: ZAKUTime passes so quickly and I slowly forget things I want to note down before I actually get down to them. Emotions are currently on a rollercoaster ride. Stress levels are totally volatile at the moment. Too little time, yup, and an insane amount of tasks to complet...
Posted on: Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Fading in, fading out.
Thinking Out Loud
Posted on: Tuesday, July 14, 2015
And I feel that with each time this happens, a part of me kind of dies along with it. Like how things get easily deleted, some things just slowly somewhat follow suit. When I reach this point, I always wonder to myself why I even chose to in the first place. I'm not at breaking point... But I'm... Hugely affected. And that's as much as I can say right now.Sweep.
Posted on: Thursday, July 9, 2015
I sat and thought, of how different my life is now from how it was a year ago. I had all the time in the world, and I often spent long hours thinking of how I was going to spend all that spare time I had. I no longer have that luxury, but no I'm not saying it's all that bad - though I'm really not saying it's all that great either. I guess, things have somewhat fallen into perspective? I feel more...
Hello June
Posted on: Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Ordered the Gyu-kaku premium set with D before we left Aussie Wagyu Thick Tongue, Aussie Wagyu Karubi, Jap Prime Wagyu, Beef with Shio-garlic, Kurobuta Pork Belly and sides etc. Makes me miss Japan!!Love this little oneAnd I cooked! Baked salmon, sweet potato fries and french fries. Buckaroo BBQ & GrillIn CBD a few days before my trip 27 May - Celebrated Karl's birthday which fe...


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In his book Start With Why, Simon Sinek asks: What is your purpose? What is your cause? What is your belief?
The 'why' that gets you out of bed every morning isn't the idea of paying off your mortgage, saving for a comfortable retirement, or donating your time or money to charity.
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Status: A
Area: FM10 - Fort Myers Area
Subdivision: ABACO
Year Built: 2015
SqFt: 1,530
Listing Office: Cornerstone Coastal Properties - MLS ID: 216051704
The data relating to real estate for sale or rent on this website comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program (BR Program) of Multiple Listing Service of Naples, Inc.
Those properties marked with the BR Program Icon and/or BR House Icon are provided courtesy of the M.L.S. of Naples, Inc.'s, BR Database.
The data relating to real estate for sale/lease on this web site come in part from a cooperative data exchange program of the multiple listing service (MLS) in which this real estate firm (Broker) participates. Detailed information about such properties includes the name of the listing Brokers. No warranties, expressed or implied, are provided for the data herein, or for their use or interpretation by the user. The Florida Association of REALTORS® and its cooperating MLSs do not create, control or review the property data displayed herein and take no responsibility for the content of such records. Federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin in the sale, rental or financing of housing. Listings last updated:. Updating occurs nightly. Some properties that appear for sale on this website may subsequently have sold and may no longer be available.
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Disney On Ice: Dream Big is an event that takes place from Nov 17 - Nov 17, 2019 and may cause room availability issues or hotel rates to increase.Hotels near NRG Stadium - Houston Texans (FKA Reliant Stadium) and hotels close to Southside Place are listed below. Search for cheap and discount hotel rates near the Disney On Ice: Dream Big Southside Place, TX for individual or group travel.
How should we direct your call?
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