SUMMARY

I enjoy traveling around West Africa, especially around culturally rich regions blending nature with modern infrastructural developments. Both my air and road travels around this ECOWAS subregion in the last 15 years has been both instructive and enriching for me. I have been culturally immersed with diversity in languages, religion, culture, food, architecture, climate, economic life, flora and fauna.

The knowledge acquired, cannot be quantified in monetary terms, and i will recommend this educational tours to our youths to enable them appreciate and tolerate other cultures, thus reducing conflicts and disputes among neighboring countries. Somewhere else, i have written and held several seminars on working and living in Ghana about 11 years ago.

Today, the success story of Ghana is evident to all and this country Ghana, has emerged as one of the best economies in the subregion. Again, i am introducing another emerging great economy to you, The Gambia.

Before the whole world flood here, and you’ll be left out, why not take my advise seriously and invest, work, live or holiday in this beautiful country to experience what I’m talking about? I love this peaceful country blessed with hospitable people. Gambians welcome you with natural inspiring smiles. The Gambia is bounded round by an historical river, rich in natural resources of sea foods, animals and healing powers. Welcome to The Gambia, the smiling coast of West Africa.

From the natural beauty of Makasutu Village, historical sites of Kunta Kinteh village, James Island, Kachikally Crocodile pool, Kanilai Farm, and so many other sites to the beaches and people, you will hardly want to leave. Little wonder, there are so many repeat tourists coming to The Gambia for the past 10-15 years that I’ve met. They come from all over Europe, Americas, Asia and Africa. At the beach, the beauty of the Sea, the sand and sun will remind you of Mother Africa.

How about the investment climate, very favorable and investor friendly.With a stable economy with a single digit inflation rate and currency exchange of US$1.0= GMD26 (As at 9th April, 2010). The Gambia is a multicultural country with a lot of immigrants from West Africa, Europe, America, Middle East and Asia permanently living as investors, working with several NGOs, some retired investors while many others are engaged in importation businesses and owned several shopping malls.The Gambia is home to investors, volunteers, professionals pursuing their career, and holiday makers who has made this peaceful country their destination. Welcome to The Gambia, where there is no discrimination based on religion, creed, color, race, gender, social status, disability and with zero tolerance to corruption. Read on! Alsamadeh!

MARKET

The major markets are in Banjul, Serrekunda and Brikama. Here, you can shop for staple foods like fish, meat, vegetables, clothings, jeweleries and fashion accessories. The locals welcome people with natural smiles after exchanging the religious greetings: “Asalamalekun”, meaning, peace be unto you. Traditionally, Gambian women go to market daily to buy what to cook.They can be seen with the plastic baskets with holders thronging to the busy markets to shop for fresh fish, meat, vegetables and take time to greet each other asking after each others’ families, relations and get updated about current social events and other women gossips. Some of the elites, however, prefer to shop in shopping malls around Kairaba Avenue, and buy foods in large quantities to store at home.

Mini-markets, or what some call supermarkets are all over the Greater Banjul area competing with the traditional markets. There are also the neighborhood shops, called “Fulah Shops”, owned mostly by Mauritanian citizens and in some cases by Guineans. This is the place to get the locally made bread called, “Tapalapa”. This is usually a long banana shaped clay oven baked bread that is usually transported on bicycles by the suppliers early in the morning, mid-day and sunset time. I prefer buying this, when fresh, it’s soft and more appealing than the stale hardened and uninviting ones. A full one goes for D5 and the half is D2.50. The bread is usually sold with a nice spread of butter, mayonnaises, egg, potato and spiced with jumbo or Maggi sauce depending on the buyer’s preferences.

There is also “Senfu”, which has a crumb nature and much cheaper, being sold for D3 for a full roll. However, i noticed the “Senfu” is not as filling as the “Tapalapa” that can keep me going for the whole day, like a bowl of “Fufu”, which is the energiser for most Nigerians, Ghanaians and Sierra- Leoneans in The Gambia. The local “Fufu” unlike the ones found in Ghana and Nigeria are made from “Saddam Rice”, as it is called locally, by milling it into powder and cooked into a solid paste in a pot. The most popular lunch meal, among Gambians, is the jollof rice, locally referred to as ” Benechin”. Different types of stew are prepared to eat the rice meal like”Plasas”, “Super ganja”, “Damoda”,etc. I enjoy the Gambia breakfast meal of “Thura Girthe”, which is very rich in protein. This is a mixture of well pounded rice cooked with milled groundnut and eaten with a spread of yogurt “Sour Milk”.

Gambians eat together. Small groups of between 5-8 people are usually seen eating from the same bowl, and yet, when a visitor appears, he or she is beakoned to still join them and share out of it. This is the true love, i’m yet to see anywhere. If you think there is no free meal anywhere, you’re wrong; come to The Gambia! This explain the reason for very low or non-existent crime rate. At least, a lunch meal is guaranteed for anyone living in The Gambia. Food is shared, no one goes home hungry. The women also waste a lot of food by always preparing a lot expecting visitors to join them when serving their meals. They package the rice meals in large wide bowls with a cover and wrap it in a traditional manner with cloth, that will secure the food from spilling and carry to their husbands at their respective working places for them to eat with colleagues. Sometimes, they go travel long distances, to deliver the foods, like a family living in Lamin and the husband working in Serrekunda.

WORK HOURS

The official working hours is 8am- 4pm from Monday to Thursday. Friday is half day. Most of Gambians are Muslims, and they go for the Friday Special prayers in the afternoon. Although, the “African time” concept is still prevalent among the people, this is common with the government workers, the private sector is better. Most serious business appointments start from 9am, even though, they are scheduled for 8am.

The major reason sometimes for arriving at work late, can be as a result of unavailability of commercial vehicles to transport workers to their respective places of work. Even, at places of work, Gambians do not forget to take their Chinese herbal tea called ” Atire”.

GAME OF FOOTBALL

A first time visitor, to The Gambia will think the game of football has it’s origin from here, because of the love and passion attached to this game. There are quite a number of playgrounds that are never kept idle because of the teeming youths that religiously train and play daily matches, especially in the evenings after work or school. Similarly, on weekends, first thing in the morning, you will notice everyone exercising or playing the game they love most; football.

The discussions of most of these youths that constitute half of the country’s population is centered on the European matches. Teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and other big teams have passionate fans in The Gambia.

There are many Football Viewing centers that are making a fortune showing the live matches to most Gambian. Although, some of these youths might not know the capital of Nigeria, they often tell me it’s Lagos, but they certainly know all the European Club Managers, first line ups and transfers of these key players, not to talk about the latest scores in the premiership or championship.

The Gambia’s national team, called the “Scorpion” is adored and you dare not say anything bad against this team in order not to incur the wrath of my football lovers. A loss in game when “Scorpions” play, will turn the entire country into a grave yard, “a mourning period”. But with a win; the Brazilian samba dancers will envy the dance steps of both the young boys and girls singing: “ho, ho ho ho, ha,ha,ha,ha..haleyomii”. Therefore, to make friends with Gambians is so easy, just pick up a football topic!

BEACHES

The climatic conditions of The Gambia is slightly different from other ECOWAS countries. There is only one cycle of rainfall which starts around June and ends around October. It is usually hot during the raining periods, unlike other countries that experience cold periods.

The Hamattan period starts from November to February. However, the weather experiences erratic changes sometimes. The beaches are clean and provide succor to visiting tourists that want to experience the beauty of the sun, the sea and the sand of The Gambia.

There are several beaches to visit. From Banjul beach to Palma Rima, Senegambia and up to Sanyang. There are so many private beaches along this line. Most white tourists called “Toubabs” are usually welcome at these beaches that have attractive traditional bars with natural juice, canned drinks, barbecue and special packages for visitors.

The menace of “bumsters” have been curtailed and there are tourist police patrolling most of the busy beaches to deter the “unsolicited friends”. The beaches are besieged by almost all Gambians during festive periods or during major musical concerts or shows.

FESTIVE PERIODS

A visitor arriving The Gambia around Easter or Christmas will think all Gambians are Christians, with the celebration and partying. Similarly, around the Muslim festivals of “Koriteh or Tobaski” will give one the impression that there is no single Christian in town.

This is the beauty and diversity of the Gambian hospitality and tolerance of other religions in The Gambia. The people enjoy good music. The local artists are adored, some of whom are Jalibah Kuyateh, Titi Kololi, Freakie Joe, Asan Njie, Olugander and Sambou to mention a few.

The women, both young and old, enjoy dancing. The very physical dances of jumping and kicking the air is common and i often wonder where the women get the extra energy and strength from. Some young men that are not used to these dances, dare not challenge these women in a dancing competition, if they do not want to be hospitalized.

The entertainment industry is therefore very vibrant. Most people relax by watching Nigerian, Senegalese and Ghanaian home videos. There are several video rental shops to pick the latest Nigerian films from. Most of the banks and hotels show foreign channels like DSTV, CNN, AlJAZEERA, EUROSPORT etc.

PAID WORK IN THE GAMBIA

Except for ECOWAS nationals, that are allowed to work freely in some key government sectors like Education and Judiciary, other nationals are only allowed to work as expatriate and have to go through a scrutiny and get approval from the immigration department, before they can be permitted to work with the government.

However, investors are allowed to bring in their work force, provided they abide by the immigration laws of obtaining a work/residential permit. Openings exist all year round for qualified teachers in Senior secondary schools all over the country.

Most of the vacancies are usually filled by Nigerians, Ghanaians, Senegalese, Sierra-Leoneans, Liberians and a handful of other ECOWAS nationals. Openings also exist for lecturers in University of The Gambia, several professional training institutes and other tertiary institutes like Management Development Institute (MDI), Gambia College and Gambia Technical Training Institute (G.T.T.I).

Although, the private institutes remuneration is higher than the government pay scale. Most of the secondary schools in the provinces are in need of teachers, most teachers rather prefer to transfer to the urban cities leaving the rural villages without qualified teaching force.

Government subsidized schools remuneration package for non-Gambian teachers are between D3,500-D4,000 per shift (Morning or afternoon) depending on the entry level experience and qualification. The private schools pay between D4,500-D10,000, depending on the school and experience of the teacher.

Most schools prefer teachers that have gathered “Gambian experience”, meaning, they must have taught in The Gambia for some years to understand the system. Combining both shifts means more income. Most government schools prefer to pay full salary for the morning shift and half salary for the afternoon shift. There are other several opportunities of income earning, by organizing study classes for the students after close of school by some teachers. Most teachers often change school to those paying more, and every term witnesses a mass drift of teachers around.

The coveted schools are: Marina International, SBEC, Zenith, SOS, Scanaid and West African International. Linguistics and sciences are the preferred subjects often in high demand. English language, English Literature, Mathematics, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agric Science, Applied Electricity etc, are “hot cake” subjects for most schools.

ECOWAS qualified teachers (M.Sc, B.Sc & HND holders in the subjects listed above) are usually being employed in secondary schools in The Gambia.

Other professionals needed to work in the private sectors are:

1. Lawyers with LL.b degree that have successfully completed Law school and called to Bar to work as

Magistrates/Judges with the Ministry of Justice.

2. Professional Graphic & Website Designers.

3. Professional Advertisers.

4. Desktop & Laptop Repair Technicians.

5. Automobile Technicians.

6. Theater Arts & Dramatic artists.

7. Film Directors & Producers.

8. Professional Actors & Actresses.

9. Radio & T.V Programme Presenters.

10. Fish Breeding & Farming

11. Aquarium Making & Gold Fish Rearing.

12. Leadership Development Trainers.

13. Trainers in unique skills & vocations.

14. Cottage Industry set-up trainers ( Body creams, soaps, cartons, shoe polish etc.)

The financial industry has witnessed a phenomenal growth with addition of more banks joining the league recently, bringing the total number of banks to fourteen in The Gambia. Most of these Nigerian banks are opening up branches and will need more staff.

Although, it is far cheaper to hire the locals than expatriate by the banks, because of the special tax paid for not hiring Gambians. The same rule applies to the Hotel and Tourism industry. The Non Governmental Organizations, NGOs are allowed to bring in their personnel.

Volunteers are also welcome in The Gambia. Volunteers can have a cultural immersion and gain international experience in this peaceful country. For holiday makers, i will recommend visiting this small but unique country for those in search of a Peaceful, Affordable and Memorable African Retreat (PAMAR!)

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

1. ECOWAS CITIZENS

The government welcome investment in all sectors, special attention is, however, given to Agriculture because of the importance of food security to any nation. Other sectors like Real Estate & Properties, Mining Industry, Hotel & Tourism, Health, Education, Manufacturing and Agro- allied Sectors are key areas to go into and get government incentive, in tax relief and total support.

ECOWAS citizens enjoy free movement of persons and goods within the 16 countries block, the required capital needed to re-locate to the Gambia to work, live, invest or holiday is far less than what is required to settle down in other ECOWAS countries. With the electricity tariffs coming down (thanks to the government initiative), NAWEC, the electricity company is doing her best to guarantee stable supply of electricity and many businesses solely rely on this stable electricity supply.

Incidences of armed robbery attack are very rare. I have not noticed or witness or hear about armed robbery attacks in the last six years. I only read in one of the newspapers, one or two times, about such attacks in the provinces some few years ago. People move about without fear of molestation or attack. Petty mobile phone theft are usually common.

The residential houses are affordable, and rents of one to three months advance payments, are demanded. The people are warm and hospitable. For as little as D500 per month, a room can be rented around the busy areas like Brikama, Latrikunda, Lamin,Tabokoto, Wellingara and Coastal road areas.

The 2-bed room apartments with all the conveniences goes for between D1,500-D2,500 per month in these areas depending on the finished taste and proximity to the busy highways. ECOWAS citizens can enter and settle in the country with opportunities to start small businesses.

For these wise residents in the country, there are several businesses to choose from and do effortlessly in this investment friendly country. Anyone coming to The Gambia for the first time, must first of all plan and prepare, knowing what to do and where to stay and having adequate information about the culture and business climate.

2. WORLDWIDE INVESTORS ( MEDIUM/ LARGE SCALE BUSINESSES)

The specific areas, wise investors, can rush into to invest presently, from our detailed research findings are:

A) Setting up a private University with residential campus to attract all ECOWAS citizens.

B) Eateries like MacDonald’s, Chicken George, Mr. Briggs, Sweet Sensation, Tantalizers, TFC, etc

C) Botanical Garden/ Love Garden around the Tourist areas.

D) Building low Cost Homes to be sold or rented out to people.

E) Ground nut processing factory.

F) Feed Mill for Poultry, Rabbitry and Turkey Production.

G) Cashew Processing Factory (CNS Oil, brake oil, glue, rubber,electrical wires etc).

H) Natural Juice canning factory ( Fruits like mangoes, orange, lime etc abound).

I) Fresh Flower production and export.

J) Fish Canning/ Food packaging for export.

There are other 90 businesses we have surveyed to be potential instant money earners for wise investors to take on. Kindly request for a detailed project profile on this. The Gambia Investment Promotion and Free Zones Agency, (GIPFZA) welcome investors with unique offers of tax relief, government support and non-bureaucratic processing of necessary documents to allow for quick set-up and investment in The Gambia.

To have a fair idea of the business climate, i recommend that all potential investors read the latest business directory (The Gambia Business Directory).

INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT & BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

The Gambia, though small, but has a robust economy with fourteen commercial banks, four GSM companies, a good number of airlines plying the subregion and the outside world. There are more than five daily newspapers, around eight radio stations and many hotels of international standards including the 5-star Sheraton Hotel.

The major roads from the airport to most busy commercial centers like Kairaba, Brufut, West Field, Senegambia, Brikama, Latrikunda and Banjul are all tarred with well lighted street lights. Clean, fresh and treated pipe borne water is available to most homes 24hrs uninterrupted.

Communication and internet services are quite cheaper than most other countries. The cost of starting a business in The Gambia is far cheaper both in the short term and long term. The real estate business is enjoying a great boom with 30% return yearly on investments, and the Meltdown phenomenon is not easily noticeable in The Gambia.

The Gambia is a tourist destination and repeated visitors are common in this wonderful and peace loving smiling coast of The Gambia. Although, The Gambia is a tax based economy, the government makes substantial earnings from Tourism and exportation of agricultural commodities like Groundnut, Fishes, Cotton and solid minerals.

It is mandatory for every resident to have a TIN number(Tax Identification Number) before a bank account can be opened. New buildings are coming up daily and it is common sight,to see most of the property owners advertising their phone contacts for those interested in renting or leasing these properties from high rise buildings in Senegambia axis, Kairaba, Fajara, West Field, Tallinding, Tabokoto, Abuko, Lamin, Yundum etc.

Gambians in diaspora are rushing home to invest in this high yielding property sector. A visitor that last visited the country a year ago, will notice a remarkable difference in this infrastructural developments. The Gambia is a clean country, especially with the introduction of the monthly cleaning exercises, called “SETSETAL”, which is a special cleaning day for everybody on the last Saturday of the month between the hours of 8-1pm and thereafter there is free movement.

Municipal officials go around to ensure the wastes are properly disposed and ensure compliance to the law, that all shops and businesses most be closed and no movement of commercial vehicles, until the end of the cleaning exercise.

Health wise, it is safe to live in The Gambia, because the health delivery system is very efficient and well equipped with the best medical personnel in The world. There are various health centers, well spread around the country with ambulances standing by to quickly evacuate emergencies to Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital, RVTH, Banjul where complicated cases are usually taken.

Visitors coming for the first time, therefore, are advised to take the appropriate vaccinations recommended. ECOWAS citizens must take vaccinations against yellow fever, meningitis, Polio etc and ensure these are stamped on their Yellow Card, this is even taken more seriously, when traveling by road through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal to The Gambia. Not having a valid Yellow Card could cost you a fortune in fines you’ll be asked to Pay!

Medical services is free to Gambians, except the registration card which is D5 only. ECOWAS citizens are, however, required to pay for cost of treatment and hospitalization, depending on the treatment. Tourist visiting The Gambia are advised to have a Travel Insurance when visiting

Transportation within the country is affordable. Moving from one location to another is quite easy. There are three categories of commercial road transportation. One, is the commercial Bus, that only allow maximum of three passengers on a row which is convenient, unlike four on a row in several other countries. This type of buses go around the major destinations like Banjul to Serrekunda (D6), Banjul to Tabokoto (D10), Banjul to Brikama (D15), Serrekunda to Senegambia (D5) etc.

The second category is the yellow and green painted taxis that take people for D5 a drop or chartered services for most tourists and locals, called “Town Trip”. The last category, are the green painted and branded “Tourist Taxis” for tourists from and to the airport, hotel areas, most beaches and historical sites for new visitors. They are more expensive than the yellow painted ones.

Except when it is very important, first time visitors are, however, encouraged to avoid going out around the rush hours, like 7-8am and 4-6pm, especially when commuters are going to or returning from work. From Tabokoto, Lamin, West field, Serrekunda and Brikama in the morning to Banjul and returning back home in the evening is always very hectic and expensive to take a taxi. The bus-stops are usually congested and the traffic chaotic around these periods.

There are many well organized tour operators with luxurious air conditioned buses to pick from and to the airport all visitors and tourist that arrange their visits through them. They also partner with most hotels on tours to historical sites and around the cities.

There area ferry services available to transport people across the River Gambia. From Barra to Banjul is D25 only. Visitors can come in to the country either by land through The Gambian border with Senegal at Hamdallah, or from Guinea and Cassamace, Senegal through Basse. By air is through the only airport at Yundum. The Banjul International Airport, one of the best in the subregion with the longest run-way and modern radial facilities installed.

The airport is not always busy and travelers should always inform someone to pick them at the airport, especially during the weekends when commercial activities are low. However, tourist taxis are available at any time for between D500-D800 depending on the distance, usually between 15-30km from the airport.

There is a Bureau de Change at the airport to change money from other currencies like Euro, dollars, pounds and CFA to Dalaisi. For Visa Card carriers, there is ECO Bank ATM at the airport. Bank PHB and Trust bank also have their ATMs at the airport.

On arrival in the country, when you hear “Nagadef?”, meaning how are you, just answer “Jamarek”, meaning i’m fine. After a hand shake, say “Jerejef”, meaning thank you.

Jerejef, Jarama, Baraka (meaning thank you in 3 different local languages).

Langston Hughes stands as a literary and cultural translation of the political resistance and campaign of black consciousness leaders such as Martin Luther King to restore the rights of the black citizenry thus fulfilling the ethos of the American dream, which is celebrated universally every year around February to April.

Hughes’ overriding sense of a social and cultural purpose tied to his sense of the past, the present and the future of black America commends his life and works as having much to learn from to inspire us to move forward and to inform and guide our steps as we move forward to create a great future.

Hughes is also significant since he seems to have conveniently spanned the genres: poetry, drama, novel and criticism leaving an indelible stamp on each. At 21 years of age he had published in all four (4) areas. For he always considered himself an artist in words who would venture into every single area of literary creativity, because there were readers for whom a story meant more than a poem or a song lyric meant more than a story and Hughes wanted to reach that individual and his kind.

But first and foremost, he considered himself a poet. He wanted to be a poet who could address himself to the concerns of his people in poems that could be read with no formal training or extensive literary background. In spite of this Hughes wrote and staged dozens of short stories, about a dozen books for children, a history of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured Peoples (NAACP), two volumes of autobiography, opera libretti, song lyrics and so on. Hughes was driven by a sheer confidence in his versatility and in the power of his craft.

Hughes” commitment to Africa was real and concretized in both words and deeds. The fact of his Negro-ness (though light-complexioned) has aroused in him a desire to challenge those from the other side of the color line that reject it:

My old man’s a white old man

And my old mother’s black

My old ma died in a fine big house

My mad died in a shack

I wonder where I’m gonna die

Being neither white nor black?

His search for his roots was given impetus when in 1923 Hughes met and heard Marcus Garvey exhort Negroes to go back to Africa to escape the wrath of the white man. Hughes then became one of the poets who thought they felt the beating of the jungle tom-toms in the Negroes’ pulse. Their verse took on a nostalgic mood, and some even imagined that they were infusing the rhythms of African dancing and music into their verse like we could sense in the reading of this poem: ‘Danse Africaine’:

The low beating of the tom toms,

The slow beating of the tom toms,

Low …slow

Slow …low –

Stirs your blood.

Dance!

A night-veiled girl

Whirls softly into a

Circle of light.

Whirls softly …slowly,

Born in Joplin, Missouri in 1902, Hughes grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and Lincoln, Illinois, before going to high school in Cleveland, Ohio in of which places, he was part of a small community of blacks to whom he was nevertheless profoundly attached from early in his life. Though descending from a distinguished family his infancy was disrupted by the separation of his parents not long after his birth. His father then emigrated to Mexico where he hoped to gain the success that had eluded him in America. The color of his skin, he had hoped, would be less of a consideration in determining his future in Mexico. There, he broke new ground. He gained success in business and lived the rest of his life there as a prosperous attorney and landowner.

In contrast, Hughes’ mother lived the transitory life common for black mothers often leaving her son in the care of her mother while searching for a job.

His maternal grandmother, Mary Langston, whose first husband had died at Harpers Ferry as a member of John Brown’s band, and whose second husband (Hughes’s grandfather) had also been a militant abolitionist. instilled in Hughes a sense of dedication most of all. Hughes lived successively with family friends, then various relatives in Kansas.

Another important family figure was John Mercer Langston, a brother of Hughes’s grandfather who was one of the best-known black Americans of the nineteenth century.

Hughes later joined his mother even though she was now with his new stepfather in Cleveland, Ohio. At the same time, Hughes struggled with a sense of desolation fostered by parental neglect. He himself recalled being driven early by his loneliness ‘to books, and the wonderful world in books.’ He became disillusioned with his father’s materialistic values and contemptuous belief that blacks, Mexicans and Indians were lazy and ignorant.

At Central High School Hughes excelled academically and in sports. He wrote poetry and short fiction for the school’s literary magazine and edited the school year book. He returned to Mexico where he taught English briefly and wrote poems and prose pieces for publication in The Crisis the magazine of the NAACP.

Aided by his father, he arrived in New York in 1921 ostensibly to attend Columbia University but really it was to see Harlem. One of his greatest poems, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” had just been published in The Crisis. His talent was immediately spotted though he only lasted one year at Columbia where he did well but never felt comfortable.

On campus, he was subjected to bigotry. He was assigned the worst dormitory room because of his color. Classes in English literature were all he could endure. Instead of attending classes which he found boring he would frequent shows, lectures and readings sponsored by the American Socialist Society. It was then that he was first introduced to the laughter and pain, hunger and heartache of blues music. It was the night life and culture that lured him out of college. Those sweet sad blues songs captured for him the intense pain and yearning that he saw around him, and that he incorporated into such poems as “The Weary Blues”.

To keep himself going as a poet and support his mother, Hughes served in turn as: a delivery boy for a florist; a vegetable farmer and a mess boy on a ship up the Hudson River. As part of a merchant steamer crew he sailed to Africa. He then traveled the same way to Europe, where he jumped Ship in Paris only to spend several months working in a night-club kitchen and then wandering off to Italy.

By 1924 his poetry which he had all along been working on showed the powerful influence of the blues and jazz. His poem “The Weary Blues” which best exemplifies this influence helped launch his career when it won first prize in the poetry section of the 1925 literary contest of Opportunity magazine and also won another literary prize in Crisis.

This landmark poem, the first of any poet to make use of that basic blues form is part of a volume of that same title whose entire collection reflects the frenzied atmosphere of Harlem nightlife. Most of its selections just as “The Weary Blues” approximate the phrasing and meter of blues music, a genre popularized in the early 1920s by rural and urban blacks. In it and such other pieces as “Jazzonia” Hughes evoked the frenzied hedonistic and glittering atmosphere of Harlem’s famous night-clubs. Poetry of social commentary such as “Mother to Son” show how hardened the blacks have to be to face the innumerable hurdles that they have to battle through in life.

Hughes’ earliest influences as a mature poet came interestingly from white poets. We have Walt Whitman the man who through his artistic violations of old conventions of poetry opened the boundaries of poetry to new forms like free verse. There is also the highly populist white German Émigré Carl Sandburg, who as Hughes’ ” guiding star,” was decisive in leading him toward free verse and a radically democratic modernist aesthetic

But black poets Paul Laurence Dunbar, a master of both dialect and standard verse, and Claude McKay, the black radical socialist an emigre from Jamaica who also wrote accomplished lyric poetry, stood for him as the embodiment of the cosmopolitan and yet racially confident and committed black poet Hughes hoped to be. He was also indebted to older black literary figures such as W.E.B. Dubois and James Weldon Johnson who admired his work and aided him. W.E.B. Dubois’ collection of Pan-Africanist essays Souls of Black Folks has markedly influenced many black writers like Hughes, Richard Wright and James Baldwin.

Such colour-affirmative images and sentiments as that in “people”: The night is beautiful,/So the faces of my people and in ‘Dream Variations: Night coming tenderly,/ Black like me. endeared his work to a wide range of African Americans, for whom he delighted in writing,.

Hughes had always shown his determination to experiment as a poet and not slavishly follow the tyranny of tight stanzaic forms and exact rhyme. He seemed, like Watt Whitman and Carl Sandburg, to prefer to write verse which captured the realities of American speech rather than “poetic diction”, and with his ear especially attuned to the varieties of black American speech.

“Weary Blues” combines these various elements the common speech of ordinary people, jazz and blues music and the traditional forms of poetry adapted to the African American and American subjects. In his adaptation of traditional poetic forms first to jazz then to blues sometimes using dialect but in a way radically different from earlier writers, Hughes was well served by his early experimentation with a loose form of rhyme that frequently gave way to an inventively rhythmic free verse:

Ma an ma baby

Got two mo’ ways,

Two mo’ ways to do de buck!

Even more radical experimentation with the blues form led to his next collection, Fine Clothes to the Jew. Perhaps his finest single book of verse, including several ballads, Fine Clothes was also his least favourably welcomed.

Several reviewers in black newspapers and magazines were distressed by Hughes’ fearless and, ‘tasteless’ evocation of elements of lower-class black culture, including its sometimes raw eroticism, never before treated in serious poetry.

Hughes expressing his determination to write about such people and to experiment with blues and jazz wrote in his essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.” Published in the Nation in 1926

‘We younger artists…intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves Without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they Are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful, And ugly too.’

Hughes expressed his determination to write fearlessly, shamelessly and unrepentantly about low-class black life and people inspite of opposition to that. He also exercised much freedom in experimenting with blues as well as jazz.

The tom-tom cries and the tom-tom laughs. If coloured people are pleased we are glad. If they are not their displeasure doesn’t matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how and we stand on top of the mountains, free within ourselves.

With his espousal of such thoughts defending the freedom of the black writer Hughes became a beacon of light to younger writers who also wished to assert their right to explore and exploit allegedly degraded aspects of black people. He thus provided the movement with a manifesto by so skillfully arguing the need for both race pride and artistic independence in this his most memorable essay,

In 1926 Hughes returned to school in the historically black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania where he continued publishing poetry, short stories and essays in mainstream and black-oriented periodicals

In 1927 together with Zora Neal Hurston and other writers he founded Fire a literary journal devoted to African -American culture and aimed at destroying the older forms of black literature. The venture itself was short-lived. It was engulfed in fire along with its editorial offices.

Then a 70 – year old wealthy white patron entered his life. Charlotte Osgood Mason, who started directing virtually every aspect of Hughes’ life and art. Her passionate belief in parapsychology, intuition and folk culture was brought into supervising the writing of Hughes’ novel: Not Without Lauqhter in which his boyhood in Kansas is drawn to depict the life of a sensitive black child, Sandy, growing up in a representative, middle-class.mid-western African-American home.

Hughes’ relationship with Mason came to an explosive end in 1930. Hurt and baffled by Mason’s rejection, Hughes used money from a prize to spend several weeks recovering in Haiti. From the intense personal unhappiness and depression into which the break had sunk him.

Back in the U.S., Hughes made a sharp turn to the political left. His verses and essays were now being published in New Masses, a journal controlled by the Communist Party. Later that year he began touring.

The renaissance which was long over was replaced for Hughes by a sense of the need for political struggle and for an art that reflected this radical approach. But his career, unlike others then, easily survived the end of that movement. He kept on producing his art in keeping with his sense of himself as a thoroughly professional writer. He then published his first collections, the often acerbic and even embittered The Ways of White Folks.

Hughes’ main concern was now, the theatre. Mulatto, his drama of race-mixing and the South was the longest running play by an African American on Broadway until Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun appeared in the 1960’s. His dramas – comedies and ramas of domestic black American life, largely – were also popular with black audiences. Using such innovations as theatre-in-the-round and invoking audience participation, Hughes anticipated the work of later avant-garde dramatists like Amiri Baraka and Sonia Sanchez. In his drama Hughes combines urban dialogue, folk idioms, and a thematic emphasis on the dignity and strength of black Americans.

Hughes wrote other plays, including comedies such as Little Ham (1936) and a historical drama, Emperor of Haiti (1936) most of which were only moderate successes. In 1937 he spent several months in Europe, including a long stay in besieged Madrid. In 1938 he returned home to found the Harlem Suitcase Theater, which staged his agitprop drama Don’t You Want to Be Free? employing several of his poems, vigorously blended black nationalism, the blues, and socialist exhortation. The same year, a socialist organization published a pamphlet of his radical verse, “A New Song.”

With the start of World War II, Hughes returned to the political centre. The Big Sea, his first volume of his autobiography work with its memorable portrait of the renaissance and his African voyages written in an episodic, lightly comic style with virtually no mention of his leftist sympathies appeared.

In his book of verse Shakespeare in Harlem (1942) he once again sang the blues. On the other hand, this collection, as well as another, his Jim Crow’s Last Stand (1943), strongly attacked racial segregation.

In poetry, he revived his interest in some of his old themes and forms, as in Shakespeare in Harlem (1942).the South and West, taking poetry to the people. He read his poems in churches and in schools. He then sailed from New York for the Soviet Union. He was amongst a band of young African-Americans invited to take part in a film about American race relations.

This filmmaking venture, though unsuccessful, proved instrumental to enhancing his short story writing. For whilst in Moscow he was struck by the similarities between D. H. Lawrence’s character in a title story from his collection The Lovely Lady and Mrs Osgood Mason. Overwhelmed by the power of Lawrence’s stories, Hughes began writing short fiction of his. On his return to the U. S.. by 1933 he had sold three stories and had begun compiling his first collection.

Perhaps his finest literary achievement during the war came in writing a weekly column in the Chicago Defender from 1942 to 1952. the highlight of which was an offbeat Harlem character called Jesse B. Semple, or Simple, and his exchanges with a staid narrator in a neighborhood bar, where Simple commented on a variety of matters but mainly about race and racism. Simple became Hughes’s most celebrated and beloved fictional creation. and one of the freshest, most fascinating and enduring Negro characters in American fiction Jesse B Simple, is a Harlem Everyman, whose comic manner hardly obscured some of the serious themes raised by Hughes in relating Simple’s exploits in the quintessential “wise-fool’ whose experience and uneducated insights capture the frustrations of being black in America.. His honest and unsophisticated eye sees through the shallowness, hypocrisy and phoniness of white and black Americans alike. From his stool at Paddy’s Bar, in a delightful brand of English, Simple comments both wisely and hilariously on many things but principally on race and women.

His bebop-shaped poem Montage of a Dream Deferred (1991) projects a changing Harlem, fertile with humanity but in decline. In it, the drastically deteriorated state of Harlem in the 1950s is contrasted to the Harlem of the 20s. The exuberance of night-club life and the vitality of cultural renaissance has now gone. An urban ghetto plagued by poverty and crime has taken its place. A change in rhythm parallels the change in tone. The smooth patterns and gentle melancholy of blues music are replaced by the abrupt, fragmented structure of post-war jazz and bebop. Hughes was alert to what was happening in the African-American world and what was coming. This is why this volume of verse reflected so much the new and relatively new be-bop jazz rhythms that emphasized dissonance They thus reflected the new pressures that were straining the black communities in the cities of the North.

Hughes’ living much of his life in basements and attics brought much realism and humanity to his writing especially his short stories. He thus remained close to his vast public as he kept moving figuratively through the basements of the world where his life is thickest and where common people struggle to make their way. At the same time, writing in attics, he rose to the long perspective that enabled him to radiate a humanizing, beautifying, but still truthful light on what he saw.

Hughes’ short stories reflect his entire purpose as a writer. For his art was aimed at interpreting “the beauty of his own people,” which he felt they were taught either not to see or not to take pride in. In all his stories, his humanity, his faithful and artistic presentations of both racial and national truth – his successful mediation between the beauties and the terrors of life around him all shine out. Certain themes, technical excellencies or social insights loom out.

“Slave in the Block” for example, a simple but vivid tale reveals the lack of respect and even human communication, between Negroes and those patronizing and cosmetic whites.

Hughes also took time to write for children producing the successful Popo and Fifina (1932), a tale set in Haiti with Arna Bontemps. He eventually published a dozen children’s books, on subjects such as jazz, Africa, and the West Indies. Proud of his versatility, he also wrote a commissioned history of the NAACP and the text of a much praised pictorial history of black America The Sweet Flypaper of Life (1955), where he explicated photographs of Harlem by Roy DeCarava, which was judged masterful by reviewers, and confirmed Hughes’s reputation for an unrivaled command of the nuances of black urban culture.

Hughes’s suffered constant harassment about his ties to the Left. In vain he protested he had never been a Communist having severed all such links. In 1953 he was subjected to public humiliation at the hands of Senator Joseph McCarthy, when he was forced to appear in Washington, D.C., and testify officially about his politics. Hughes denied that he had ever been a communist but conceded that some of his radical verse had been ill-advised.

Hughes’s career hardly suffered from this. Within a short time McCarthy himself was discredited. Hughes now wrote at length in I Wonder as I Wander (1956), his much-admired second volume of autobiography. about his years in the Soviet Union. He became prosperous, although he always had to work hard for his measure of prosperity. In the 1950s he turned to the musical stage for success, as he sought to repeat his major success of the 1940s, when Kurt Weill and Elmer Rice had chosen him as the lyricist for their Street Scene (1947). This production was hailed as a breakthrough in the development of American opera; for Hughes, the apparently endless cycle of poverty into which he had been locked came to an end. He bought a home in Harlem.

By the end of his life Hughes was almost universally recognized as the most representative writer in the history of African American literature and also as probably the most original of all black American poets. He thus became the widely acknowledged “Poet Laureate” of the Negro Race!

According to Arnold Rampersad, an authority on Hughes:

Much of his work celebrated the beauty and dignity and Humanity of black Americans. Unlike other writers Hughes basked in the glow of the obviously high regard of his primary audience, African Americans. His poetry, with its original jazz and blues influence and its powerful democratic commitment, is almost certainly the most influential written by any person of African descent in this century. Certain of his poems; “Mother to Son” are virtual anthems of black American life and aspiration. His plays alone… could secure him a place in AfroAmerican literary history. His character Simple is the most memorable single figure to emerge from black journalism. ‘The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain’ is timeless, “it seems as a statement of constant dilemma facing the young black artist, caught between the contending forces of black and white culture’

Liberated by the examples of Carl Sandburg’s free verse Hughes’ poetry has always aimed for utter directness and simplicity. In this regard, is the notion that he almost never revised his work seeming like romantic poets who believe and demonstrate that poetry is a ‘spontaneous overflow of emotions”.

Like Walt Whitman, Hughes’s great poetic forefather in America’s poetry…, Hughes did believe in the poetry of Emotion, in the power of ideas and feelings that went beyond matters of technical crafts. Hughes never wanted to be a writer who carefully sculpted rhyme and stanzas and in so doing lost the emotional heart of what he had set out to say.

His poems imbued with the distinctive diction and cadences of Negro idioms in simple stanza patterns and strict rhyme schemes derived from blues songs enabled him to capture the ambience of the setting as well as the rhythms of jazz music.

He wrote mostly in two modes/directions:

(i) lyrics about black life using rhythms and refrains from jazz and

blues.

(ii) Poems of racial protest

exploring the boundaries between black and white America. thus contributing to the strengthening of black consciousness and racial pride than even the Harlem Renaissance’s legacy for its most militant decades. While never militantly repudiating co-operation with the white community, the poems which protest against white racism are boldly direct.

In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” the simple direct and free verse makes clear that Africa’s dusky rivers run concurrently with the poet’s soul as he draws spiritual strength as well as individual identity from the collective experience of his ancestors. The poem is according to Rampersad “reminding us that the syncopated beat which the captive Africans brought with them “that found its first expression here in “the hand clapping, feet stamping, drum-beating rhythms of the human heart (4 – 5), is as ‘ancient as the world.”

But what Hughes is better known for is his treatment of the possibilities of African-American experiences and identities. Like Walt Whitman, he created a persona that speaks for more than himself. His voice in “I too” for instance absorbs the depiction of a whole race into his central consciousness as he laments:

I, too, sing America

I am the darker brother.

I, too, am America.

The “darker brother” celebrating America is certain of a better future when he will no longer be shunted aside by “company”. The poem is characteristic of Hughes’s faith in the racial consciousness of African Americans, a consciousness that reflects their integrity and beauty while simultaneously demanding respect and acceptance from others as especially when: Nobody ‘/I dare Say to me, Eat in the kitchen.

This dogged resistance and optimism in facing adversity is what Hughes’ life centred on.thus enabling him to survive and achieve in spite of the obstacles facing him. as Rampersad affirms:.

‘Toughness was a major characteristic of Hughes’ life. For his life was hard. He certainly knew poverty and humiliation at the hands of people with far more power and money than he had and little respect for writers, especially poets. Through all his poverty and hurt, Hughes kept on a steady keel. He was a gentleman, a soft man in many ways, who was sympathetic and affectionate, but was tough to the core.

Hughes’s poetry reveals his hearty appetite for all humanity, his insistence on justice for all, and his faith in the transcendent possibilities of joy and hope that make room as he aspires in ‘I too’, for everyone at America’s table.

This deep love for all humanity is echoed in one of his poems: ‘My People” some lines of which were earlier referred to:

The night is beautiful,

so the faces of my people,

the stars are beautiful,

so the eyes of my people

Beautiful, also, is the sun

Beautiful also, are the souls of my people

Arnold Rampersad’s last word on Hughes’s humanity, is anchored on three essential attributes: his tenderness; generosity and his sense of humour.

Hughes was also tender. He was a man who lovse other people and was beloved. It was very hard to find anyone who had known him who would say a harsh thing about him. People who knew him could remember little that wasn’t pleasant of him. Evidently, he radiated joy and humanity and this was how he was remembered after his death.

He loved the company of people. He needed to have people around him. He needed them perhaps to counter the essential loneliness instilled in his soul from early in his life and out of which he made his literary art.

Hughes was a man of great generosity. He was generous to the young and the poor, the needy; he was generous even to his rivals. He was generous to a fault, giving to those who did not always deserve his kindness. But he was prepared to risk ingratitude in order to help younger artists in particular and young people in general.

Hughes was a man of laughter, although his laughter almost always came in the presence of tears or the threat of the surge of tears. The titles of his first novel Not Without Laughter and a collection of stories Laughing to Keep from Crying. indicate this. This was essentially how he believed life must be faced – with the knowledge of its inescapable loneliness and pain but with an awareness, too, of the therapy of laughter by which we assert the human in the face of circumstances. We must reach out to people, and one should not only have an astounding tolerance of life’s sufferings but should also exuberantly complete the happy aspect of life.

His sense of humour is again credited by a writer from Africa who was like Hughes also faced with fighting racial discrimination and deprivation, Ezekiel Mphahlele.

Here is a man with a boundless zest for life… He has an irrepressible sense of humour, and to meet him is to come face to face with the essence of human goodness. In spite of his literary success, he has earned himself the respect of young Negro writers, who never find him unwilling to help them along. And yet he is not condescending. Unlike most Negroes who become famous or prosperous and move to high-class residential areas, he has continued to live in Harlem, which is in sense a Negro ghetto, in a house which he purchased with money earned as lyricist for the Broadway musical Street Scene.

In explaining and illustrating the Negro condition in America as was his stated vocation, Hughes captured their joys, and the veiled weariness of their lives, the monotony of their jobs, and the veiled weariness of their songs. He accomplished this in poems remarkable not only for their directness and simplicity but for their economy, lucidity and wit. Whether he was writing poems of racial protest like “Harlem” and “Ballad of the Landlord” or poems of racial affirmation like’ Mother to Son’ and ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers,’ Hughes was able to find language and forms to express not only the pain of urban life but also its splendid vitality.

Further Reading:

Gates, Henry, Louis and Mc Kay Nellie, Y. (Gen. Ed) The Norton

Anthology of African American Literature, N.W. Norton & Co; New York & London 1997

Hughes, Langston, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” 1926. Rpt

in Nathan Huggins ed. Voices from the Harlem Renaissance Oxford

University Press, New York, 1976

Mphahlele, Ezekiel, “Langston Hughes,” in Introduction to African

Literature (ed) Ulli Beier, Longman, London 1967

Rampersad, Arnold, The life of Langston Hughes Vol. 1 & 11 Oxford

University Press, N. York, 1986

Trotman, James, (ed), Langston Hughes: The Man, His Art and His

Continuing Influence Garland Publishing Inc. N.

York & London 1995

Black Literature Criticism

The Oxford Companion to African American Literature., Oxford University Press,.1997

Author’s Note: The scenarios within are those of a timeframe from roughly 13,000 to 200,000 years before the present, and thus way before the era of agricultural settlements. We’re dealing with our nomadic hunter-gatherer ancestors here. Key dates are: African origin of modern humans, Homo sapiens, at about 200,000 years ago; an Out-of-Africa migration started roughly 70,000 years ago; our global colonization (except for Antarctica and Oceania) was completed by 13,000 years ago.

When it comes to humans, here defined as Homo something or other, not necessarily just Homo sapiens, colonizing the world from Ground Zero, that’s Africa, well several problems arise.

Humans (as in Homo sapiens) originated in Africa and some ultimately did, slowly, ever so slowly, migrate Out-of-Africa (not that they actually were aware of this), eventually spreading out and colonizing the world (apart from Antarctica and Oceania east of Australia and west of South America) by at least 13,000 years ago. Exactly how is not fully understood, least of all by me. The central, but not exclusive, issue I have is with respect to our ways and means of trading in being exclusively nomadic land-lubbers for acquiring sophisticated maritime abilities as well; abilities required if our global colonization scenario is to be believed.

Problem One: Boats Required but No Show-Boats Found

When it comes to human migrations, there are certain lands that have been colonized by both Homo sapiens and Homo erectus that involved crossing reasonably vast expanses of ocean – vast at least for those cultures that existed over 60,000 years ago, when, for example, Australia was colonized by what’s today known as the Australian Aborigine. Even earlier, Homo erectus island-hopped the numerous Indonesian islands as attested to by fossil evidence. In both cases, these ancient cultures had to have acquired rather extensive boat-making, sailing and navigation skills that would allow a large enough population to cross over the ocean waters, since even during Ice Age conditions, these Indonesian islands, and Australia, were still isolated by oceans.

Sailing the oceans blue: that’s a pretty big ask for primitive humans all those tens upon tens of thousands of years ago. But, there’s another way of crossing the ocean blue – we do it all the time today. We don’t sail, we fly. Perhaps our ancient ancestors were flown to Australia and the Indonesian isles! Since aerial technology is even more outlandish than maritime technology, well, perhaps the aerial technology belonged to advanced beings – ancient aliens or ancient astronauts. One other observation in favour – there are fossil finds of this or that hominid species at A, B & C. Alas, geographical points A, B, & C are separated by thousands upon thousands of miles. No fossils are found at any points in-between A & B, or B & C. An obvious explanation, they didn’t migrate between A & B and B & C at several tens of kilometres per generation; they were flown from A to B to C, thus explaining the lack of fossils in-between – but more about that shortly.

Sooner or later in your nomadic hunter-gatherer wanderings you’re going to intersect the seashore! Rivers and streams you can wade across or swim across, maybe use a buoyant log to hold on to if need be. Lakes can be walked around. But the ocean!!! The oceans offshore must have been terrifying to our very ancient ancestors, and rightly so. The ocean is nothing if not unpredictable and dangerous: from huge waves, gales, riptides, strong currents, razor-sharp rocks and shoals, sharks, jellyfish, hypothermia, and just all sorts of unknowns lurking beneath the surface to add to your terrors. The tides must have seemed to be a purely supernatural manifestation, without natural explanation, an unexplainable action of the gods somehow saying “this is our domain, keep away”.

Would you rather be high and dry 10 miles inland or 10 miles out to sea trying to keep your head above water and not ending up as fish-food? It takes way less effort sit on the beach than to swim or sail in or on the ocean, and it’s a lot safer too!

Further, in most cases with no other land in sight, you haven’t a clue what’s on the other side of the ocean, if anything (maybe it goes on forever and forever), or how far across it is to the other side, and in any event you and your band of nomadic hunter-gatherers have more pressing needs, like finding today’s food and tonight’s shelter. The coastlines and seashores offers an abundance of food stuffs and resources: shellfish, crabs, turtles, seals, seabirds, fish, even seaweed (dried for fuel). Coastlines and seashores are good.

Are you really going to stop, make a raft and go sailing out into the pure unknown out of pure curiosity, though curiosity you probably have? No, in the daily hunt for survival you’ll probably ignore the ocean and just follow the coastline – which eventually will bring you to most places. If you come to an impassable barrier, it’s probably easier and far safer to trek inland for awhile than divert resources to swimming or rafting around the barrier with all the dangers that could entail. In any event, it’s not all that east building and sailing and navigating a seaworthy boat or raft from scratch without any handy-dandy how-to manual available. Further, you can’t drink the seawater so freshwater would have to be carried on any hypothetical voyage. Do you have leak-proof containers? If so, how much do you need to take? Who knows?

There are four possible or realistic routes out of Africa. Even during the Ice Ages when sea levels were lower, three involve an ocean crossing, which, I suggest our ancient ancestors would avoid. I think it is far easier, and safer, to just follow the coastline, so I opt for the sole land route, up the west coast of the Red Sea and on up either into the Levant, or back down the east coast of the Red Sea and on into Arabia. You can follow the African coastline ‘Out of Africa’ and eventually reach China, but not Australia, or Japan, or lots of S.E. Asian islands, the Channel Islands (off Southern California), Sri Lanka, etc. Yet you find ancient human and human artefact remains in these places, so our migrating nomadic ancestors obviously did build boats or rafts and sail the ocean blue and satisfy that curiosity, but the real why is unexplained – curiosity is not motive enough to put yourself in harms way. The fly in the ointment, in any event, and alas and alack, there are no boats or rafts to be found, actual remains or pictorial representations, in the prehistoric archaeological record. Boats and rafts are all probable boats and rafts; boats and rafts are assumed but not proven by any actual evidence. It’s a sort of ‘Catch-22’. Boats and rafts must be, yet we can’t find them!

It must be said that because of the Ice Ages, ancient coastlines then are now underwater and presumably relevant telltale archaeology (as in remains of boats) is therefore also underwater. Even so, the issue remains that I find it difficult to believe our ancient ancestors would have been brave enough to stick their toes in the oceans without a damn good reason, yet, there were places colonized by early man that even at the height of the Ice Ages there existed no land bridges for them to cross over, say to Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, Japan, lots of S.E. Asian islands, and presumably lots of other islands, large and small. Conclusion: That’s a big anomaly that needs a resolution.

Problem Two: Paradise Lost

Crossing the oceans blue is just the start of anomalous migration issues. If money, language barriers, cultural differences, political systems, passports and visas, etc. were of no concern and you could travel to and live anywhere you wished, where would it be? Well, probably somewhere not too hot, not too cold, not too wet, nor too dry, a place where there are abundant natural resources of food, fresh water, wood, stone, and probably some sort of ascetically pleasing scenery, etc. With the exception of the scenery, all those other geographical and climatic factors would be even more pressing for our ancient ancestors with no access to supermarkets, hardware stores, air conditioning, central heating and tap water on demand. So the question arises, given a lack of population pressure way back when, a lack of pressure not driving migration away from paradise and toward hell, why did some of our ancient ancestors adopt a nomadic lifestyle in what we’d consider extreme environments, like arid regions, the tundra, etc.?

Unlike today’s travellers, when our very remote ancestors roamed the plains of Africa, their nomadic wanderings or migrations were not geography directed. In an era where there was no radio and TV, newspapers and magazines, GPS and the Internet, encyclopaedias and travel agents, there was no knowledge of what was over the hill, beyond the horizon. Food availability directed your travels and migrations. You exhausted one patch of turf – you moved on to the next, and the next, and the next in a sort of random drunkards walk. Logic dictates that even so you didn’t wander out of paradise or a reason facsimile thereof. But eventually, like a drop of ink diffusing through a glass of water, the rest of the world, paradise, hell and points in-between, got invaded by our African out-of-towners – an invasive pest species that was to bring total death and destruction in their wake, but that’s another story. Anyway, why we colonized extremely hostile environments when more pleasant alternatives were available needs a resolution.

Problem Three: Connect the Dots

There are two main types of clues that reveal our likely migration patterns. Firstly, there are those archaeological sites and from those trained professionals one can usually deduce what hominid species was present and from various dating methods, when. The problem is that such sites are all too few and far between. So, maybe you have an Australian Aboriginal site around the Perth area (S.W. coast) dated to say 30,000 years ago. Then say you have another site around the Sydney area (S.E. Coast) dated to 20,000 years ago. So the conclusion is that some Aborigines migrated from Perth to Sydney over the 10,000 year interval. But there is no sites in-between, so you don’t really know if they migrated in a straight line between the two areas or was it all just a total zigzag. Maybe neither if there is yet an undiscovered third site, say in Darwin (mid-North Coast) from 40,000 years ago, and some Darwin Aborigines followed the west coast route to Perth taking 10,000 years and some others the east coast trek to Sydney taking a span of 20,000 years. You can just about connect the dots anyway you damn well please if it gives evidence to your pet theory.

The second line of evidence is using mitochondrial DNA found in modern humans to try and work back migration routes. For example, if mitochondrial DNA in modern Australian Aborigines has a closer mitochondrial DNA match to modern Indonesians than to modern Fijians, then one might conclude that the Aborigines migrated to Australia from Indonesia and not from Fiji. I personally don’t like this sort of genetic evidence. Firstly, DNA mutates over time. Evolution would be screwed if it didn’t. Secondly, there’s been an awful lot of comings and goings since these initial Out-of-Africa migrations commenced. Thirdly, there’s been an awful lot of breeding between the races so that by now hardly anyone is ‘pure’ anything. Still, the experts put a lot of faith in the testing, so who am I to dispute their ways and means?

So, how do you get from Point A to Point B tens of thousands of years ago when Points A and B are separated by vast ocean distances? Why do you go from Point A to Point B when Point B is relatively undesirable? How in fact do we really know that Points A and B are the be-all-and-end-all of start and finish?

Let’s say Point A is lovely Hawaii, and Point B is the vast arid desert of outback Central Australia. How do you get from A to B? You can’t walk and follow the coastline. You can’t drive or ride a horse. You could build a boat and sail but that’s a hell of a leap of courage you’ve got to master, and in any event you haven’t any idea what direction to head in or that Australia even exists. And even if you did, why would you want to leave Hawaii (Site A) for the Australian Outback; and if you did reach the Outback (Site B) why wouldn’t you turn right around and head back to Hawaii again?

Well, you could be flown non-stop from Hawaii to Central Australia. We crossed over ocean barriers because we were airlifted over them. You could be flown to Central Australia and stranded there. For the same reason, we didn’t voluntarily adopt the tundra as home – it was forced on us as an adapt do-or-die experiment. Flight would also explain the lack of relevant archaeological sites between A and B. If our ancient ancestors nomadically walked thousands of miles between Point A and Point B, you’d expect archaeological evidence to be found along the assumed connect-the-dots route. But if you fly, or are flown, then of course you wouldn’t find any in-between sites containing any relevant archaeological evidence.

Resolutions

Right about now every physical anthropologist reading this is sticking very long and very sharp pins in J.P. voodoo dolls and calling me all sorts of unprintable names. Of course our ancient ancestors didn’t have the technology at hand to fly, so of course no flying machines have been found in the prehistoric archaeological record either. My obvious suggestion here is that ancient astronauts, the ‘gods’ of old (and there’s some evidence that even 30,000-50,000 years ago our ancient ancestors had grasped the concept of the supernatural and of supernatural entities), genetically engineered all of the various Homo something or other from earlier hominids which in turn were artificially selected and bred from African primates, like the chimpanzee. We collectively, Homo something or other, were genetically engineered and given all those anomalous traits associated with Homo something or other, like a super-high IQ, bipedal gait, racial facial and individual facial uniqueness.

From their central African laboratory, Homo something or other was then dispersed over thousands of years as specific and individual experiments in colonization. We were transported here and there, left to our own devices to survive or not – sink or swim. In most cases it was sink and extinction. But, now and again, it was survival – we floated and we swam. Ultimately nearly all of the Homo something or other went kaput, but Homo sapiens achieved a positive result. We were that robust species (us – modern humans) the end product of all of the engineering and colonization experimentation. At that stage, we were given or taught the gifts of civilization, especially agriculture roughly 10,000 years ago then left petty much alone and to our own devices, with only at-a-distance surveillance – modern UFOs – though some experimentation continues – alien abductions.

There are, IMHO, a couple of other anomalies supporting this wacky idea.

One other anomaly, if we are so crash-hot good to colonise the world (apart from Antarctica and Oceania) and cross some ocean barriers to get to some parts, hence completing the job in the Americas by 13,000 years ago, maybe even way earlier, why didn’t we colonize the Pacific Islands, Oceania east of Australia and west of South America, until really quite recently – starting only some roughly 4000 years before the present, finishing off with New Zealand (except for Antarctica), last cab off the rank way after the start of the Common Era, or A.D. to some. Australia was first populated 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, and New Zealand is just across the road and over the hill, at least compared to the distance back to our African point of origin. Depending on source, it took but 10,000 to 20,000 years to get from Africa to Australia, yet some 70,000 years to get from Africa to New Zealand. Something’s screwy somewhere, but that reinforces the idea that ocean voyages are a relatively recent ability of ours, and therefore, way back when, we didn’t sail across the oceans blue to Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka, etc. but were taken there.

Another apparent anomaly – while it takes but roughly 60,000 years to colonize the world once we’re Out-of-Africa (except Antarctica and Oceania), it took roughly 130,000 years just to get Out-of-Africa, as if something or someone was blocking our path until they were good and ready to release us into the global wild!

Now reports of aerial machines, flight technologies, are not unknown in the archaeological and/or historical record, albeit not prehistorically far back, rather in the era of recorded ancient history, say the last 10,000 years or so. From the ‘Star’ of Bethlehem, to the Wheel of Ezekiel, to the ‘Sun’ and ‘Moon’ that Joshua stood still (Biblical Mythology); the ‘flaming cross’ of Constantine, to Vimanas which are Hindu mythological flying machines (mythical self-moving aerial cars, a flying chariot of the gods) as related in various Sanskrit epics; to ‘airplane’ models discovered in both ancient Egypt (dated to about 200 BCE) and little gold model ‘airplanes’ from Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican and South American regions, dating from roughly 500 to 800 CE. Scaled-up replicas of these American and Egyptian ‘aircraft’ have found them to be aerodynamically flight worthy. There are also no shortages of art works from antiquity that at face value appear to show what today would be called Flying Saucers, or Daylight Discs, or just plain Unidentified Flying Objects. Finally, aerial ‘chariots’ and extremely large ‘birds’ that ferry the ‘gods’ around are more the norm than not in many mythologies.

Part III of III in this series of articles on Ponzi schemes will examine a real world, ongoing scam, the con man behind it and a few of the hundreds of investors victimized by his criminal enterprise, Millennium III Corporation.

History: At an early age, Gregg Scott Luce was falsely led to believe that his Maine based blood line was directly connected to the storied Time-Life Henry Luce legacy. It’s unclear whether this fallacy was instilled within him by personal dementia or a collective familial dementia. Luce fled his highly dysfunctional family at age nineteen and began trafficking in marijuana. Within a five year period, petty trafficking grew to major distribution: cargo planeloads of product, much of it brought in directly from Jamaica.

Ten years into this venture, Luce realized that a much greater profit margin was to be realized in trafficking cocaine. It was the early 1980’s and cocaine was a popular and accepted recreational drug amongst the establishment. There wasn’t the stigma attached to the narcotic that exists today. Luce was driven to the quick fix by impatience, an entrepreneurial spirit, ruthless and boundless ambition, and an insatiable craving for the recognition, cash and cache that had eluded his family for the better part of a generation as it strived, futilely, to identify itself with the gilded Time-Life Luce lineage.

Sociopathology, single minded focus and indifference to the body count in his wake, both literally and figuratively speaking, allowed Luce to establish a port of entry distribution hub in Seattle, Washington, and rapidly dominate the unclaimed US Northwest territory. Coming from a family of commercial fishermen, Luce was well versed in nautical maps. The Pacific Northwest’s unsettled, remote coastline allowed inconspicuous ingress and egress of transport planes from Colombia. Luce leased a pier and houseboats off Lake Washington, hosting cocaine fueled parties frequented by prominent area artists, business leaders, attorneys, politicos and bankers.

Within a five year period of time, the distribution network extended north to Canada and as far Southwest as Aspen, Colorado, where his cartel’s administrative team oversaw operations. The growing business invested in a Nascar race team. Product was transported to merch drop points in trailers used to ferry cars and pit equipment from city to city.

As with most narco-centric businesses, Luce’s venture operated on borrowed time. When the DEA and Feds broke up the drug ring, all senior personnel, save for one individual, escaped. The captured operative refused to turn state’s evidence, permitting his associates to quietly seek out other business opportunities. Luce took a two year hiatus lying low and pored over recent economic trends. It was the early nineties and the Nasdaq bubble had begun to gestate. Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin and Seattle were the new Wild West. Greed and green were in the air. In the fast paced world of new media startups, the “cocktail napkin to boardroom” paradigm ruled, as did drugs, violence, treachery, and legal manipulation: otherwise known as Twenty-First Century corporate best practices. Easy deals were the currency of success; futures contracts and penny stocks were the new blow. The careful vetting of business plans demurred to the haste of being first to market with a given product . Venture capitalists indiscriminately showered IT neophytes and veterans alike with more seed money than most could realistically hope to match in profits. Boom-bust high tech gold fever was in full force. Luce couldn’t have scripted a better entree into legit business.

Ponzi Scheme: Thus marked Gregg Luce’s emergence from the organized crime of drug trafficking to the organized crime of Wall Street. The founding of Millennium III Corp. (MIII) commemorated Luce’s introduction to Fortune 500 society at the VC cotillion. In order to fly under the radar of SEC regulations and regulators, the newly minted CEO of MIII, a broadband media streaming company, limited his initial investor pool to thirty-five non-accredited shareholders. He later violated the SEC Rule 505 exemption provision with inclusion of an additional ten investors. Rather than issue shares to investors, Luce issued “convertible note loan agreements”: an instrument convertible to either buybacks or shares in MIII at maturation. Luce took his tortured business model a step further, arguing the corporation maintained a non-profitable trust that secured investor monies. In this and subsequent cons, Luce argued, with poetic license, that the initial corporate form would somehow morph into a “bank”, thereby ensuring the liquidity of MIII’s capital funds and the security of investor monies.

In keeping with Millennium III’s smoke and mirrors business structure, its CEO was functionally illiterate in New Technology: the company’s core product offering. Luce was able to successfully pass himself off as an IT avatar by surrounding himself with experienced, genuine technology specialists, providing the Ponzi scheme with a patina of legitimacy. He maintained an entourage of tech savvy advance people, lest his shareholders and clientele realize that the emperor had no clothes.

Seven years after the founding of MIII, I was retained to review intellectual property issues. Approximately twelve months into my work, original note holders began contacting me, expressing concern that they had received no annual statements from MIII — for that matter, no communication at all from the board of directors or corporate officers for several years. More troubling, to a man, every investor had demanded buyback upon maturation of their convertible note loan agreements. Luce refused to honor the promissory notes. The paper trail showed Luce used money from the non-accredited investor pool to line his own pockets, and money from new investors to pay contracted employees that held stock options; thereby, perpetuating the ruse. A textbook definition of the classic Ponzi scheme with a slight twist: using money from new investors to pay dividends to original investors.

I approached the CEO with my concerns. He was non-responsive, as was the board. The newly enacted Sarbanes-Oxley Act provided new remedies for attorneys caught in this dilemma, allowing them the ability to whistleblow without fear of reprisal for breach of attorney-client privilege. The new law permitted me to alert the shareholders and law enforcement to Luce’s misuse of corporate funds. Attorney-client privilege was a lesser concern, as Luce had long since waived any privilege enjoyed when he actively solicited me, demanded actually, that I launder corporate receipts for his conversion to personal use. As I dug deeper into the CEO’s history, unearthing a deep list of accounting firms, law firms and contractors owed money, I came to learn that this was one of Luce’s tricks: secreting money in his attorneys’ client trust accounts, knowing that the lawyer would be obliged to release the funds to Luce as client, regardless of whether the money was dirty. In addition to confronting shareholders with Luce’s malfeasance, I reported his actions to attorney general offices in two states. Formal investigations into Millennium III and its CEO were underway.

With heat turned up by law enforcement and shareholders, Luce did a money grab, embezzling from his own corporation, and fled the state to set up shop in Arizona. Luce didn’t see running off with investors’ money as theft. His mindset was such that he was constitutionally incapable of distinguishing between corporate assets and personal assets. As he saw it, MIII’s assets were his assets; hence, there was no theft in this distorted world view. This would be a recurring theme in his subsequent Ponzi schemes. His flight left dozens of investors in Washington State, Nevada and Idaho holding the bag — out all their money. To this day they have not recouped a penny, despite two eighteen month long concurrent investigations by AG offices in both Washington and Arizona.

A good con man seldom remains static in product or presentation. This is particularly true after a Ponzi scheme has been exposed. After Luce was chased out of Washington State and started anew in Arizona, he changed his entire business model to cater to the New Age Sedona crowd. Con men gravitate towards products and services where performance cannot be measured empirically. New Age meditations, administrations and potions proved a market ripe for exploitation, since it was largely faith based and not governed by the FDA or AMA. Under the banner of a MIII Corp. foreign corporation registered in Arizona, Luce began to solicit investors for ventures ranging from the mundane — self-improvement courses — to the fantastical — space tourism. He held out his partner’s Flagstaff real estate as his own, using it to collateralize investments. His shotgun approach to offering a multiplicity of services failed. After five years without seeing a return and suffering a loss in excess of $500,000 USD, Luce’s partner gave him the boot, forcibly evicting him from the property. To this day, Luce holds out the property as his own, despite the fact his name is not on the title and a court order was awarded for unlawful detainer.

Luce then ventured further south to Santa Fe, New Mexico, this time altering his physical appearance to a startling degree: Luce retired the Brooks Brothers suits and button-down conservatism for ‘aging rock star’ couture and a metaphysical slant in pitching his “marks”, completely changing his look and product. The man looked like Rod Stewart. On a bad day. Where he was reserved and presentable while working and living in Seattle, Luce now came across as a raving lunatic without someone knowledgeable, articulate and balanced fronting him at the bargaining table. These handlers were defecting in lockstep with their CEO’s deteriorating psyche; Luce’s entourage of competent advance men was rapidly thinning; the patina of legitimacy appearing more trompe l’oeil. To see just how “crazy” crazy is, peruse the nonsensical manifesto that appears on his MySpace page: myspace.com/duraingo. Video clips and photos of Luce executing his various cons are linked to his homepage. Courtesy of his formidable ego, this is a rare opportunity to see a con man in action.

Near Los Alamos, the MIII CEO tapped into a group of retired physicists and businessmen working on new encryption technology. Luce managed to convince them he was an Information Technology visionary with the ability to pair product developers with financiers. Despite his new eccentric look, he nearly pulled this off, mesmerizing a young, naive investor from Los Angeles that ponied up $75,000 USD with the pledge of a much greater, second angel investor check. Before proffering this second check, the investor had the belated good sense to run the attendant paperwork by his attorney. The attorney had the joyless task of informing his client that, not only was his money gone, there was no basis for criminal or civil suit due to the nebulous nature of the “services contract” he entered into with MIII. The contract did not bind the con man to any identifiable, legally binding specific performance. As a legal document the contract was meaningless. It was convoluted enough to convince the investor to part with his money: that’s where its value ended. In short, from a legal standpoint, the $75,000 was no more than a “gift” from one individual to another.

Present day: Word of Luce’s reemergence in New Mexico reached my law offices this past month. I was put in contact with lawyers representing both investors and innovators to the deal. Neither attorney was surprised to find Luce was a con man, as they had arrived at that conclusion without my help. They were, however, shocked that he had such a prolific and recidivist history as an experienced confidence man. I provided them with documentation outlining Luce’s Ponzi schemes in Washington and Arizona. A mere week later, Luce surfaced in Santa Monica, California, where he had settled in as interminable house guest at the demi-mansion of a successful, well-intentioned New Age marketer. In short order he had tapped into the marketer’s professional network where he succeeded in both co-opting and alienating business contacts.

Like a parasite seeking out a host body, Luce would not only insinuate himself into the business lives of his marks but their personal lives, as well. The key to his con — and that of many confidence men — was to appropriate the professional and social networks of his victims in order to feed his scam. If one investor dries up, another in the network is primed and can be approached.

As a consequence of his relationship with Luce, the marketer was losing credibility, standing and relationships within the tight knit naturopathic community. Further fomenting discord was Luce’s volcanic temper. He had a history of violent outbursts, lashing out at those that would question him, particularly minorities and women. Not exactly consistent with the New Age humanist perspective. Luce’s true character was revealed when his temper flared. Despite the grave liability he presented his host, the businessman was so taken in by the scam artist’s charisma that he was in denial.

The marketer’s good friend, another prominent businessman in Los Angeles’s homeopathic community, was not so enamored by Luce or deluded by his charisma. In fact, when introduced to the con man at a Hollywood Hills party, he found his pitch too good to be true and Googled Luce’s name on his Blackberry: up popped my name with a warning to prospective Millennium III investors. He called my office the following day, sharing his concern for his friend’s well being. It took repeated sit downs and patient conversations with the marketer, armed with documentation I provided him, to objectively layout Luce’s history and machinations. Even with hard, tangible facts in front of him, the marketer remained incorrigible. It took a second round of documents and direct correspondence from my desk to the marketer’s in order to shake him free from the con man’s Svengali-like choke hold on his reasoning capacity. The marketer kicked Luce to the curb.

In the past five years, Luce has successfully mounted three separate financial scams, even being so brazen as to threaten law suits against investors who severed ties with him after realizing they had been swindled. Consistent with all successful con men, Luce has a keen eye for identifying a need in his mark, then convincing the mark that he is uniquely positioned to satisfy that need –despite lacking the intent, ability or desire to deliver on his promises.

Luce is beginning to unravel and grow ineffectual. The con man has become entangled in his own web of deceit. Unable to keep his lies straight, he contradicts and exposes himself at every turn. His temper, misogyny and racism have surfaced repeatedly as the intensifying scrutiny of law enforcement, bilked investors, lawyers and accountants attenuates stress by directing klieg lights on his various Ponzi schemes.

Con men are often difficult to apprehend, because they are not driven by monetary gain, alone. They are sustained in large part by the adrenalin rush experienced moving in for the kill, gutting then hanging their prey to bleed out. Luce is particularly skewed in this respect, often forfeiting the big score in order to slink away and mount another scam in another state. Stealing just enough cash to continue the ruse, but not so much bounty that criminal or civil suits are filed as a matter of course.

Introduction

In all businesses today, aligning human resource management with business strategy has become an important element to succeed. Organisational restructuring, managing key resource requirements, performance management systems, career and succession planning have all been re-aligned to form synergy with the company’s overall business strategy.

With increased competition, changing workforce demographics, talent shortages and increased globalization, many organizations are now proactively studying leadership, demographic and economic trends, to prepare for their future workforce needs. HR departments are developing comprehensive workforce plans and talent management strategies centered on attracting, assessing, selecting, engaging, and retaining talent

The practice of Talent Management is more important in today’s economy than it has ever been. Now in the new millennium, we find ourselves in the talent age. In the new millennium the only unique asset that many companies have to maintain a competitive edge is their people. In the global market place and every industry around the world, it is the talent and its management that differentiates and sets the tone for success or failure

To achieve organizational goals, one must synchronize their business strategy and human capital strategy. Successful organisations have the right talent in place at all levels – people who look beyond the obvious and take the business into the future. The basis for ensuring this is an integrated approach to talent management.

Finding and keeping the right people has an enormous effect on one’s organization’s financial performance. Identifying these talents and hiring people whose talents are similar to those of top performers are crucial steps toward achieving individual and organizational success Talent management and leadership development remain the biggest Human Resources challenges. The two issues are rated “highly critical for success” Talent management means aligning talent strategies with organisational needs; attracting and selecting the right people, identifying and shaping their potential and fuelling their enthusiasm and commitment

Effective talent management is a critical business goal for all leading organisations in today’s economy. Human resource management is a process of bringing people and organizations together so that the goals of each other are met. The role of Human Resource manager is shifting from that of a protector and screener to the role of a planner and change agent. The knowledge age moved the basis of economic value to information assets through integrated communications and computer technology. Now the competitive battlefront is for the best people because they are the true creators of value. PEOPLE provide unique knowledge, an inherent component of the value-proposition that PEOPLE bring to an organization; knowledge gained through education, training, and experience. Investment in PEOPLE will position organizations for continual innovation in an increasingly diverse, competitive and ever-changing climate

Human capital is the most vital resource in any organization and also the most difficult to manage. Today the success of Human Resources professionals is directly linked to the quality of talent and its productivity and they are being held accountable to deliver on stringent and measurable performance metrices. Building a competitive talent pool is a function of attracting, engaging and retaining the right mix of competencies. Companies are also increasingly hiring employees whose personalities and values reflect those of the organization

Talent Management is more and more business critical to organizations, bringing with it, new visibility and challenges. For Human resources people, employees are the face of company’s brand and the most vital asset of one’s business. They drive organisation’s productivity and profitability. Aligning Talent Acquisition to the organization’s strategic objectives is imperative to the success of the organization and Human Resources tend to concentrate in recruiting those key people and focus their attention and resources on developing them. Indian organizations are also witnessing a change in systems, management cultures and philosophy due to the global alignment of Indian organizations. There is a need for multi skill development.

It would be apt at this juncture to recapitulate on the nuances on Talent Acquisition and Recruitment

Recruitment and Talent Acquisition are used synonymously but there is quite a lot of difference between the two. Recruitment involves the process of filling up of the vacancies where as talent acquisition shows the strategic hiring of talent not only for the current requirement but also planning for future. McKinsey & Company (1997) that coined the term ‘the war of talent’, predicted that there is high demand for managerial talent in future. The survey report insisted on five elements for tapping the successful talent such as talent mindset, growing great leaders, employee value proposition, continuous top talent recruitment and differentiation. Hence the companies need to be forearmed to anticipate and determine the talents.

Recruiting- been viewed as a transactional, commodity based business function to fill job openings with qualified people. In contrast, Talent Acquisition is distinct elements of the Talent Management continuum, a proactive, strategic function, procuring talent for the organization’s value add. Talent Acquisition is no longer a silo in the human resource function, but collaboration with specialists from other functional areas within Talent Management to posture a company for talent who will evolve and become strategic partners within the organization. Talent Management/Acquisition asks: do we have a strategy in place to attract and retain qualified employees; do we know what business is in the pipeline, what the staffing needs are for the next six-twelve months, bill rates that determine potential candidate salaries, etc

On moving to a Talent Acquisition model there is a significant difference between those organizations that practice recruiting and those that have a talent acquisition practices

Recruiting- To identify & select a person for a position.

Talent – A special often creative, artistic or mental gift.

Acquisition – To gain possession of something as a result of effort or experience.

Strategic Talent Acquisition takes a long-term view of not only filling positions today, but also using the candidates that come out of a recruiting campaign as a means to fill similar positions in the future In the most enlightened cases of Strategic Talent Acquisition, clients will recruit today for positions that do not even exist today but are expected to become available in the future. Recruiting is involved on the front end of the process; Talent Acquisition would be as a collaborative business partner. Aligning Talent Acquisition to the organization’s strategic objectives is imperative to the success of the organization

Role of Consultancy in Talent Acquisition and Talent Management.

The Talent Acquisition needs of companies are becoming more and more intricate – which means more focus and effort for proper functioning. Cross location, multiple skills, blend of technologies and personal attributes makes the hiring process a very involved effort

By outsourcing Talent Acquisition function, the organisation can focus on core business issues, while they have a reliable framework of Talent supply. This is a new emerging paradigm which is making a lot of companies tread this path. Nurturing Human Capital via Talent Management, would be the focus of Talent acquisition and recruitment. Recruitment Support includes activities from pre- and final- screening, interview management, Offer Management and Data Management. Recruitment is integral to talent management and requires considerable executive management mindshare. Recruiting is changing fast, with myriad challenges facing those responsible for attracting, hiring and retaining top talent.

The role of human resources has shifted within most leading organizations and Human Resource practitioners are now required to demonstrate value to the business. Talent acquisition platform can be configured to fit the size and structure of any recruiting organization Working closely with the business, Talent Acquisition Consultant- would manage all Experienced Hire Recruitment

Talent Acquisition Consultancy would work in cohesion and coordinate with the respective & assigned business function(s) to source, recruit and select the best Talent for the organiation

Talent Acquisition Consultancy – would work in the role of a partner to align strategies that would support business objectives and create processes, tools and cultures that attract, motivate, engage and retain strong, high-potential Talent.

Talent Acquisition Consultancy- with the background and exposure of global competence in executive recruiting, and also country specific knowledge; will be in position to play a critically important role in identifying high profile executives and recruiting top global talent. Talent Search Service would range from single assignment to regional or global and could include multiple positions in various locations

Talent Acquisition Consultancy Would Play A Significant Role In

Identifying Top/Senior level Talent for all business groups and be responsible for identification, recruitment and on-boarding of senior level leaders throughout the organization utilizing direct sourcing techniques including personal networking, online search, and leveraging internal tools and resources

Responsible for providing creative sourcing solutions to customers in a consultative role. Recruiting through a variety of sources, including Internet, professional associations, networking, advertisements, job fairs, university relations, etc. Function as a full business partner to develop staffing processes, identify business issues and recommend innovative solutions.

Find, assess, engage, hire, and on-board the highest quality candidates, especially in the critical skill areas. Assess candidate skills, background and fit so as to predict performance levels and styles with a high degree of accuracy.

Manage the full life-cycle of the recruiting process – Recruit / Source, contact, screen candidates.

Assess candidate’s competency to include job fit, motivational fit and culture fit.

Source, identify, and screen candidates to determine if their technical ability, attitude and personality make them a fit for the Client’s culture

Develop candidate talent pipelines through sourcing channels, recruitment campaigns, internet searches, networking groups, social media, database search

Talent Management

Once the Talent Acquisition process is completed the human resource professionals have to concentrate on the next level of Talent Management- Talent Development. It is necessary to develop the skills of the employees through Training and Development Talent Management in organizations is not just limited to attracting the best people from the industry but it is a continuous process that involves sourcing, hiring, developing, retaining and promoting them while meeting the organization’s requirements simultaneously

Talent Management, as the name itself suggests is managing the ability, competency and power of employees within an organization. The concept is not restricted to recruiting the right candidate at the right time but it extends to exploring the hidden and unusual qualities of one’s employees and developing and nurturing them to get the desired results. Hiring the best talent from the industry may be a big concern for the organizations today but retaining them and most importantly, transitioning them according to the culture of the organization and getting the best out of them is a much bigger concern

To achieve success in business, the most important thing is to recognize the talent that can accompany one in achieving one’s goal. Attracting them to work for you and strategically fitting them at a right place in your organization is the next step. It is to be remembered that placing a candidate at a wrong place can multiply one’s problems regardless of the qualifications, skills, abilities and competency of that person

Talent Acquisition and Talent retention are like the two sides of a coin that are critical in the human capital management. Innovative technologies are to be adopted to enhance the process of Talent Management. With the dynamic situation prevailing in the global employability status, the role of human resource managers is very imperative in maintaining the talent balance. Holistic cum participatory approach is to be followed for harnessing the real benefits of Talent Management system. The Talent Management system that acts as a driver to performance excellence has to be integrated with the rest of the areas in the company and through effective Talent Management strategy.

The practice of talent management would involve no of strategies used in the management of human capital resources and their application. We shall dwell on few critical issues that are imperative in the management of talent and their significance:- i. e for Talent Management Best Practices:-

Key points & factors

Talent Acquisition

• Assessing organizational talent readiness and execution capability
• Identifying talent gaps
• Identifying mission critical positions
• selection- identification- & recruitment- of right people
• assessment- assessing competencies of apt profile

Retaining Talent

In the current climate of change, it’s critical to hold onto the key people. These are the people who will lead the organisation to future success, and the organisation can’t afford to lose them

Employees are more likely to join stay within an organization if they believe the prospects are good for longer-term career and leadership development

To realise this and to attract and retain Talent -Organisation need to have a

Workforce planning ·building a road map for implementation

Diversity programmes designed to develop, retain and promote diverse Talent

Career Planning- – scope of advancement in career for employees- their effort being valued and recognized-

Selecting Talent:- Management should implement proven Talent selection systems and tools to create profiles of the right people based on the competencies of high performers. It’s not simply a matter of finding the “best and the brightest,” it’s about creating the right fit – both for today and tomorrow.

• Coaching and Mentoring- development of-new competencies.
• Using development to drive business objectives
• Building an effective development plan
• Development of employees – for a elevated and key position

Developing processes for Succession Planning and Talent pipelines

Managing Succession: Effective organisations anticipate the leadership and Talent requirement to succeed in the future. Leaders understand that it’s critical to strengthen their Talent pool through succession planning, professional development, job rotation and workforce planning. They need to identify potential Talent and groom it.

The cost of replacing a valued employee is enormous. Organisations need to promote diversity and design strategies to retain people, reward high performance and provide opportunities for development.

It’s imperative to assess existing talent within the organization. Talented and ambitious people are more likely to stay with their current employer if they receive positive development, motivation and encouragement to reach their potential

Organisation need to focus on managing the needs of individual employees, in alignment with organizational objectives, while identifying and deploying top performers accordingly.

a) For the individual: Coaching and mentoring based on discovered needs.

b) For the work team: Identifying top performers, or “stars,” and capitalizing on their talent.

c) For the organization: Maximizing return on investment by putting the right person with the right skills in the right job at the right time

Identification & selection of – high performers- represent the requisite competencies of the organisation and also inspiration to others to follow suit.

Focusing on Core Talent

Companies are increasingly looking at bringing exceptional talent on board for those roles that are core to their business and·building a business case for inclusion in the organizations strategic policy

In an increasingly global business world, where teams work across borders, understanding different work cultures is the key to success.

In India, there is a high demand for good talent and hence a lot of attention is being given to retaining and engaging that talent. Retaining talent for Indian companies has become a key factor in their growth strategies.

We shall just give a brief sketeh of talent management systems adopted in an Indian organisation.

Mahindra and Mahindra — A US $12. 5 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, with more than 137,000 people in over 100 countries, in the business of utility vehicles, information technology, tractors, and vacation ownership- – created a robust Talent Management system to attract, nurture and promote employees.

Anand Mahindra, the group’s 57-year-old vice-chairman and managing director has been grooming some key leaders to replace the ageing stars. A Talent Management programme conceptualised in 2004 to chart out the succession plan for top executives, has already produced eight key leaders.

For the group, organisational restructuring posed the greatest challenge keeping in mind the changing dynamics in the business especially the tractor and automotive division. the re-alignment was necessitated by changing dynamics in the business environment. the objective was to grow leadership positions in the UV and tractor market and developing successful businesses in relatively new business areas like IT, financial services, realty and infrastructure development and also service industries like Time share (Club Mahindra). “Keeping in mind the new business objectives the challenge was to re-orient the human resource management towards these objectives. “

To achieve these objectives the company began a full reassessment of organisation and management structure with the help of consultants like Mckinsey’s, Arthur Anderson and Korn Ferry. The outcome was, clear roles and responsibilities were identified and the competency required for each role was mapped. The officers went through individual assessments of competencies against the requirement of each role. External consultants as well as internal assessors ran assessment centres and each individual was then placed based on competency and role fitment

THE RETIREMENT OF ARUN NANDA (Executive Director – 2 Years ago) marked the beginning of the end of a long reign of stalwarts. New leaders are already rising and showing every sign that the group’s succession planning initiatives will help fill the void. Most are in their forties, rising rapidly and are being thrown into different roles in the group – clues that they are being groomed for greater responsibilities.

Many emerging leaders were inducted onto the group’s apex-decision making body Group Executive Board in 2010 in preparation for the retirement of six members on the board.

Anita Arjundas, the 44-year-old head of the real estate business and the lone woman member of the group executive board, mirrors the emergence of a quiet transition that is taking place inside the automobile-to-aviation group.

Conclusion.

Today, companies have become fiercely competitive when it comes to attracting and retaining Talent. The present scenario with abundant opportunities has triggered a wave of employees, perpetually “on the move”, forever seeking better opportunities whenever, wherever and however they can

Talented people want to be a part of something they believe in and not just a fat pay package. A culture of commitment is the key to employee retention- a culture that concentrates on vision, mission, values and ambitious goals to attract and hold on to talented people. This culture of commitment can only set in if there are guiding principles or core values that are of intrinsic importance to those in the organisation.

Cultural dimensions as a tool to retain talent zeroes in on functional, technical and control aspects, while simultaneously dealing with inspiration, emotion, energy, enthusiasm, collaboration and camaraderie, openness and a sense of belonging

At the end of the day, creating and delivering a great employee value proposition is clearly the best way to retain good people. Research shows that companies which have recognised the need to give priority to its people management-driven strategies are the winners

Gas has gotten more and more expensive over this past year. I’m sure that we can all remember, even 6 months ago, our horror at the possibility of a gallon of gas hitting $4.00. As prices stand today, the average is currently $4.00 here on the East Coast and there is no end in sight. For those of us who love taking summer vacations with our friends, family, and loved ones, this is a depressing thought. It’s impacting not only the price of filling up our own personal gas tanks, but also the price of airfare, cruises, and all other forms of transportation to get us out of town on our vacations.

However, there is no need to worry! Here in Boston, we live in a world-class city, and in all of our travels around the country and world, we have really taken that fact for granted. Mayor Menino himself feels our pain and has created a campaign called “Visit the Pin” and he has chosen 10 attractions around the city at which to place giant, 12-foot, red “push pins”. The pins have been created to grab our attention and alert us to all the wonderful attractions that Boston has to offer. However, while the places he has chosen are pretty great, they are also very touristy and if you have lived here for a while, you have probably already been to them – maybe even several times.

I have created a list of some of the great, under appreciated spots in Boston that you should visit for the first time, or visit again! I’ve organized them into 10 can’t-miss “day” trips. This list is chock-full of ideas. You may find that each “day” trip contains more than you would be able to accomplish in one day, so you might have to choose the attraction(s) that appeal most to you. Be sure to visit the websites for each of the suggestions for more information. I have tried to choose cost-effective suggestions so that your week off won’t break the bank. All you need is your T pass (and not an ounce of gasoline) for a wonderful “Staycation” week in Boston!

1. Day Trip #1: Fine Arts and Culture

If you live here, you have probably spent time at the Museum of Fine Arts and Symphony Hall at some point, but there are MANY other ways to explore arts and culture in Boston. Stop by two or three of these lesser known spots for a very enriching day! I would suggest an art museum or two in the morning and afternoon and a performance in the evening. You could even head over to the waterfront to have lunch at the Channel Cafe (food and drink/art gallery). Be sure to click below and visit the various websites ahead of time for hours, special show and exhibit info.

* Take in some art at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

* Visit the new Institute of Contemporary Art now on the waterfront

* Get tickets to a show at or take a tour of the newly restored Boston Opera House

* See a show at Emerson College’s Cutler Majestic Theater…

* … or at Harvard’s American Repertory Theater

* … or at Boston University’s Huntington Theater

* … or at the exciting Boston Center for the Arts

* Watch some Shakespeare on the Common presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

* Catch some amazing music at the Berkelee Berformance Center

* Support music of the 20th century through the Boston Modern Orchestra Project

2. Day Trip #2: Sports Appreciation

It seems that Boston is the center of the sports universe at the moment – the Red Sox moved into the All-Star break in first place after winning two World Championships in the past 4 years. The Patriots had an undefeated regular season this year after winning the Super Bowl in ’01, ’03, and ’04. This year, the Celtics won the NBA Finals in dramatic fashion. Even the Bruins and the Revolution made great showings in the playoffs. When thinking about what to see in Boston, sports appreciation is at the top of the list! While watching a major sports game might be out of your price range, there are countless ways to appreciate sports in this city. Check out a few of these options:

* Take a tour of historic Fenway Park and check out the famous Citgo Sign

* Run the Boston Marathon (or at least up Heartbreak Hill!)

* Visit the Sports Museum (in the TD Banknorth Garden)

* Attend a game at BC, BU or Northeastern (some are easier to get tickets to than others!)

* Visit the site at Northeastern that was once Huntington Avenue Grounds (original Red Sox home)

* Stop by the historic Boston Braves Field (Now BU’s Nickerson Field)

* Catch a horse race at Suffolk Downs

* Visit Harvard Stadium

* Watch a Boston Lobsters Tennis Match

* Visit the Science Museum’s current Exhibit: “Baseball as America”

I would suggest lunch/dinner at the Sports Depot, Game On, The Fours, or Boston Beer Works for the full Boston sports experience!

3. Day Trip #3: City of Learning

Above all else, when people think about Boston, they think of the rich academic culture that our city embodies. Boston has more colleges per square mile than any other city in the world. Naturally, we are a city that is overflowing with learning opportunities. Why not spend some time appreciating those opportunities? Here are some wonderful ways you can spend the day learning in Boston. Break for lunch at Novel, the Boston Public Library restaurant!

* Visit the historic and beautiful Boston Public Library

* Stop by the Boston Anthenaeum

* Take a free walking tour of Harvard University or MIT

* Spend an afternoon in one of many used book stores in Boston or Cambridge

* Take a class at the Boston Center for Adult Education

* Learn about how beer is made! Take a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery

* Visit the Mary Baker Eddy Library and it’s famous Mappariam

After your intense day of learning, you’ll need to kick back – stop by the Thirsty Scholar Pub for some dinner and a drink and give your brain a break!

4. Day Trip #4: History

It can easily be argued that there is really no city in the United States that is more historically significant than Boston. The city wears this identity well while still looking toward the future, mixing centuries-old beautiful buildings with modern towering skyscrapers. If you work downtown, unless you walk slowly and read the signs you pass each day (and who does that around here?) you may not realize the significance of the buildings around you. I’m sure that if you grew up around here, you have walked the Freedom Trail once or twice, but there may be more obscure historical landmarks that you have never even noticed! Take a day to walk around a little more slowly, visit some of these interesting landmarks, and look up once in a while! While you are at it, stop by Boston’s oldest restaurant, the Union Oyster House, for dinner.

* Learn about the lives of a well-to-do family in historic Boston at the Gibson House Museum

* Visit the headquarters of Historic New England at the Otis House Museum

* Pay your respects to our forefathers and foremothers at Granary Burying Ground and King’s Chapel Burying Ground

* Visit the Museum of African American History and take the Black Heritage Trail

* Talk a walk along the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail

* Tour the historically and architecturally significant Trinity Church

5. Day Trip #5: Island Hopping

If you are anything like me, you have never taken full advantage of the fact that we have an amazing National Park right off the coast of Boston. The park is comprised of 34 small islands (11 of which are open to the public) just minutes away by boat. The islands vary as far as what you can do on each of them, so use this list as a guide to get you started. The National Park Service recommends picking no more than two islands to visit in one day, so take a look and choose one or two that look interesting to you. Concession stands are available at Georges and Spectacle Islands, but why not bring a picnic lunch for your visit to the islands! It’s a perfect excuse for a picnic!

* Camp overnight on Grape, Bumpkin or Lovells Island – Permits are required

* Visit Lovells Island for the day for trails that pass by dunes and woods, picnic areas, an unsupervised swimming beach, and the remains of Fort Standish

* Visit and explore Deer Island and learn about its fascinating history

* Visit popular Georges Island, the transportation hub for the system of islands, its open fields, paved walkways and gravel beach – be sure to tour historic Fort Warren while you are there

* Check out Little Brewster, home of Boston Light, the country’s oldest continuously running light house

* Experience a wide range of natural beauty and check out historic Fort Andrews at Peddocks Island

* Visit Spectacle Island, which features a marina, visitor center, cafe, a life-guarded swimming beach, and five miles of walking trails that lead to the crest of a 157 foot-high hill, offering panoramic views of the harbor and the city

* Take a tour and enjoy nature at Thompson Island, which is a particularly good choice if you have a large group (like a company or school)

* Picnic, fish and enjoy walking trails at Webb Memorial State Park

* Enjoy Hingham Bay, rocky beaches, ledges, cliffs, patches of salt marsh and an area of freshwater marsh at Worlds End Reservation

6. Day Trip #6: Beach Bum

If the only great vacation you can imagine is one in which you are lying on a beach for at least a day, there are many great options for you around here! You might assume that you have to drive down to the Cape or up to the North Shore for great beach experiences, and if so, you will be pleasantly surprised by the following recommendations. There are several great options easily reachable in or very near the city by subway or bus. A day at the beach requires beach food, in my opinion, and so I suggest a stop at Sullivan’s at Castle Island or Kelly’s Roast Beef in Revere. I’ve also suggested a few options that are outside the city, but easily accessible from the commuter rail, if you really want to get out of the city for the day.

* Take the Blue Line to America’s First Public Beach, Revere Beach

* Throw on your swim suit and take advantage of The Boston Harborwalk

* Take the Red Line to JFK and visit Carson Beach, L & M Street Beaches, Pleasure Bay and Castle Island, which are all connected

* Take the Commuter Rail north to Ipswich Station, then board the Ipswich-Essex Explorer Shuttle to Crane Beach

* Take the Commuter Rail north to Manchester-by-the-Sea and walk a short way to Singing Beach

* Take the Amtrak Downeaster to Old Orchard Beach in Maine

7. Day Trip #7: Appreciation of Unusual Things

If you are someone who enjoys exploring the unique and unusual aspects of a vacation destination, you have plenty of options to appreciate the quirky – right here in Boston! As you are exploring a few of the following unusual spots in Boston, a couple of well loved, but certainly unique, Boston restaurants worth your time during this day would be Fire & Ice Improvisational Grill for a fun, interactive experience and the Beehive, for some great food, atmosphere and live jazz.

* Visit America’s oldest car collection at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum

* Learn history from a unusual perspective on New England Ghost Tour!

* Experience Boston’s most interactive entertainment at Tomb by 5Witz

* Appreciate some art that’s too bad to be ignored! Visit the Museum of Bad Art

* Explore invention, ideas and innovation (including holograms!) at the MIT Museum

* Visit the Harvard Bridge and count how many Smoots long it is!

* Take a Duck Tour (come on… you know you want to!)

* Visit the spots where your favorite movies were filmed on one of the Boston Movie Tours

* Discover the secrets of Boston through an Urban Interactive sight-seeing adventure

* Find out what is so special about the Scarlett O’Hara House

8. Day Trip #8: Nature

If you are stuck in Boston, but prefer a more serene, natural vacation, there are many options for you, even within the city limits! There are many opportunities in the city that will allow you to spend time appreciating the nature around you. I recommend exploring some of the following recommendations. If you want a fully natural day, take a break and visit Grezzo Restaurant for lunch, Boston’s 100% organic, raw food restaurant.

* Take a ride on the Swan Boats while visiting the Boston Public Garden

* Hang out with the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo in the heart of Franklin Park

* Visit Arnold Arboretum, the oldest public arboretum in North America and one of the world’s leading centers for the study of plants

* Spend some time at the Harvard Museum of Natural History (especially great if your “nature” themed day turns out to be a rainy one!)

* Go for a peaceful and quiet run in the Fens nature trails

* Visit the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary

* Find a Boston area State Park near you for everything from hiking to mountain biking

* See “Day Trip #5” (Above) for info about the Boston Harbor Islands – spend a while at one!

9. Day Trip #9: On the Water

We are so lucky to be living right on the water here in Boston. As I mentioned above, this opens up many possibilities as far as enjoying wonderful beach days, as well as visiting the Boston Harbor Islands right off the coast. However, a huge benefit to having so much water nearby is the opportunity to get out on it for the day. Whether you are an accomplished sailor or have never stepped food in a boat, there are options here for you. Read through this list and choose an adventure or two just for you! During the day or evening, if you are hungry, stop by Tia’s On the Waterfront for a bite, a drink and a chance to enjoy the view of the water!

* Contact Community Boating, Inc. to find out how you can learn to sail – Use your vacation day to get started on the Charles River

* For a relatively inexpensive chance to spend time in a boat on the water, take an Inner Harbor Ferry or Commuter Boat or the Rowes Wharf Water Taxi

* Take a sunset or sightseeing cruise through the Charles Riverboat Company

* Take a Boston Light Tour and experience first-hand the oldest lighthouse site in the U.S.

* Join in on a sail aboard the 125′ Schooner Liberty Clipper

* If you can’t bear to actually get out on the water, you can enjoy WBZ’s Free Friday Flicks at the Hatch Shell – enjoy the breeze of the Charles from safely ashore, and watch a movie under the stars!

10. Day Trip #10: Festivals

Summer in Boston always reminds me of all the neighborhood parties and celebrations in the city. Every weekend throughout the summer, there is at least one festival somewhere in the city that is an excuse to enjoy Boston and its cultural diversity. A day at any of these festivals would be worth building into your “staycation” week schedule. I don’t need to recommend a restaurant for you, since the mark of a great festival is the amazing food it serves. Enjoy!

* Choose a weekend this summer and stop by the North End for the North End Festivals of Saints

* Stop by Government Center on August 2 from 4:00-8:00 for the Peace Hip Hop Festival

* Spend August 17 in Chinatown for the August Moon Festival

* Head to Dorchester on August 23rd for the Caribbean Carnival Parade & Festival

* Show off and add to your ink from September 12-14 at the Boston Tatoo Convention

* Settle in from September 12-18 for the Boston Film Festival

I hope that you enjoy all my suggestions and that they inspire you to rediscover our great city in these times of high gas prices! These are also great suggestions for you if you are visiting Boston from out of town. If you are stuck in another city, and these suggestions sound fun to you, look for similar ideas near your home. I bet you will be surprised by what you will find!

Please respond and let me know what you love to do when you are spending time in Boston – I am very interested to hear!

Australia is an absolute paradise for those looking for encounters with exotic animals or plant life like none other in the world. Since it has been an isolated continent for approximately 50 million years, the plants and animals have been able to develop unusual and intriguing characteristics while trying to survive in a challenging, unique habitat. Forests cover five per cent of Australia’s land mass, and it has amazingly picturesque green regions, many of which are easily accessible from various big cities.

In these forests you can see some of Australia’s 20,000 species of plants, including amazing living fossils like the Wollemi pine and the grass tree, as well as vibrant carpets of some of the 12,000 species of wild flowers that bloom in this continent. Or you could watch animals like the platypus, the kangaroo, wallabies, possums, bandicoots—the list is almost endless, and includes fascinating marine animals like sea lions, seals, whales and dolphins, and you could even possibly interact with some of them.

The oceans surrounding Australia contains one of the finest examples of marine biodiversity on earth, and host nearly 4,000 varieties of fish, and almost innumerable species of invertebrates, plants and micro-organisms, and almost 80% of Australia’s southern marine species are not found anywhere else in the world. These can be seen firsthand at nature resorts on Australian beaches, while swimming and snorkeling around its many beaches.

Australia is home also to around 800 species of birds, 400 of which are only found on the continent. The 55 species of parakeets found here are a riot of color and other birds like large kingfishers, brightly plumed rainbow lorikeets, the staid emus are all a treat to watch, and hearing the boisterous laughter of the kookaburra is an experience you will be unlikely to forget.

In order to protect its wildlife heritage and allow regulated interactions with enthusiasts, Australia has established a number of national parks and protected areas all across the country which help showcase the incredible diversity of flora and fauna with which nature has blessed this continent. Here are a few of the prominent places to visit, but this list is the proverbial tip of the iceberg, because Australia is practically chock full of such places.

Kangaroo Island is a mere half an hour by air from Adelaide or you could opt for the scenic 45-minute ferry ride from the mainland. It contains the sprawling Flinders Chase National Park, where you can watch kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koalas, platypus, fur seals and a variety of birds, including the rare Cape Barren geese. Activities on the island include wildlife observation like watching sea lions, right whales and penguins at Seal Bay beach or bird watching at Lincoln Bay Park and Gawler Ranges Park.

If you like adventure, you could try wading in the wetlands, exploring the longest cave systems at Murrawijinie Caves or walking on the spectacular Nullarbor Plain above them, snorkeling near the coasts, or scuba diving. For those who want to take it easy, there’s fishing or farm visits to taste Ligurian honey and sip Chardonnay and Riesling from the local wine producers, or try the fresh lobsters, local cheese and crisp farm produce.

The Blue Mountains near Sydney is one of the recent most World Heritage areas in Australia where you can go for bush walks and see exotic animals like swamp wallabies and myriad species of birds against a background of dramatic canyons, steep valleys, thundering waterfalls and gum forests. You could step into the Mount Tomah Botanic Garden or explore the Jenolan caves. In short, there is more than enough to do at Blue Mountains for a day trip and more. Close to this are the forests of Wollemi Pine that form the Wollemi National Park. If you want to watch Humpback whales in winter, Byron Bay is the place for you where you can also do a spot of surfing, diving, shopping, clubbing or pubbing.

The Daintree Rainforest north of Cairns in Queensland is an incredible hundred and thirty-five million years old and is remarkably stocked with unique birds, reptiles and marsupials. A spectacular national park, it is a wonderful document of the process of evolution itself. You can enjoy the untouched beauty of a tropical forest, put up at camping sites, go for hiking, trekking trips, picnics, scenic tours, loll about on golden beaches and sample local cuisine.

A completely captivating sight at sunrise and sunset, Uluru(Ayers Rock) is an enormous monolith at the absolute heart of Australia. Rising majestically out of the desert, it has been held in great veneration by the aboriginals throughout living memory, and aboriginal beliefs do not recommend climbing the rock. In fact, only the very fit should even attempt it, because heart attacks while climbing the rock are not uncommon. The paintings in the surrounding caves will fascinate you or you could explore the surrounding smaller monoliths called the Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). In sum, the Uluru and its surroundings are a feast of visual delight.

The Great Barrier Reef is a 2000km long structure that hosts a carnival of corals, polyps, sea urchins and an array of marine life unparalleled anywhere in the world. Snorkeling, scuba-diving, watching coral and marine life in a semi-submersible and a host of other activities make this a paradise on earth for all sea-life enthusiasts. Ningaloo Reef is the smaller than the Great Barrier, but is quite spectacular as well, and you can swim with a whale shark in its aquamarine waters. You can spot Humpback whales and manta rays here or head over to Shark bay to meet its bottle nosed dolphins at Monkey Mia and catch a glimpse of school sharks and dugongs.

Fraser Island, Rottnest Island and a host of other beaches like Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, Cable Beach near Broome in WA, Four Mile Beach near Port Douglas in Queensland will have you entranced with their sunny weather, astonishing surf, sapphire blue waters and an overwhelming choice of outdoor activities.

Other places worth a visit are the Kakadu National Park, with its spectacular waterfalls, sandstone embankments and abundance of wildlife, including extraordinary birds from jabirus, to magpie geese and egrets. The temperate rainforest combined with alpine trees in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage shelter a host of rare and endangered species of wildlife, from the Tasmanian devil and pademelons, to oystercatchers and pelicans. Fur seals, dolphins and whales can be spotted along the coasts.

And if you are headed towards Western Australia, you can’t miss the Bungle Bungle Range, in Purnululu National Park, a geological site with orange and black stripes of silica and algae across beehive-like mounds, deep gorges and hidden pools. All of Australia is dotted with nature preserves, and a genuine nature lover would never run out of wildlife destinations on this continent—Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve near Canberra, the Moreton Island near Brisbane— the list just goes on.

Tips for wildlife watching:

Keep recommended distance from wild animals, do not deviate from specified roads, and do not feed animals in the wild.

Do not deplete the environment, especially the coral reefs, because they cannot be easily replenished.

Take all precautions against insects and other critters; Australia has a host of venomous animals and insects. It is the only country in the world with more venomous than non-venomous snakes, and is home to the deadly Taipans and brown snakes.

Before going for a swim, make sure it is safe to do so, because there are saltwater crocodiles in the inland waters, and box jellyfish, sharks, stonefish and an assortment of other poisonous creatures in the seas around Australian coasts.

Be aware of the nature of wildlife you can expect in an area by reading written matter or browsing the internet, before you plan a trip.

Sport

As the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Melbourne proved yet again to the world, Australians are ardent sports enthusiasts and excel at a whole lot of outdoor sports. It is a country where more than 25% of the population are registered sport participants. Every Australian child knows how to swim, and takes part in some form of organized sport like football, cricket, tennis or softball, and grows up into a sports-loving youth. Fishing, boating, bush walking, horse-riding and golf are popular pastimes for adults.

This is because of the wide open outdoors, beaches, waterways and grounds available to Australians, with a suitable climate and easy access to sporting facilities. Being devoted sports-watchers, Australians run up high numbers as audiences of Rugby League, Rugby Union , Australian Rules matches, International cricket matches, and at Australian Football League matches, not to mention the annual Melbourne Cup horse race. So if you are a sports fan, you will feel naturally at home in Australia.

Urban destinations

The cities of Australia are modern, vibrant, cosmopolitan and offer great opportunities for shopping, food and entertainment. Their easygoing ambience and sophisticated lifestyle makes it very easy for a tourist to blend in and have fun. Each has its unique charm, history, tradition and lifestyle, one maybe famous for its excellent dining fare, another for fashion or art.

Sydney of course is the best known of the lot, for the stunning Sydney Opera House which does not require an introduction; and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which you can climb in order to catch a breathtaking view of the marble-white Opera House against the sparkling dark waters of the vast ocean. A city that never sleeps, Sydney can dish up any cuisine you fancy, from Greek and Lebanese to Indian or Japanese, a legacy of its immigrated population. This gorgeous capital of New South Wales dazzles with its beaches, water and land transport, exquisite hinterlands and a whole host of eateries that serve rich wines and all other manner of liquor.

Also famous for its award-winning epicurean delights and elite dining precincts is Melbourne, the trend setting city: it sets the style for lifestyle, food and fashion for the rest of Australia. It is a clotheshorse’s delight. Designers who retail here include the likes of Collette Dinnigan, Akira Isogawa, Lisa Ho, Jodie Boffa and Robert Burton, to name but a few, who fashion a varied range of clothes for men and women. There are also clothing artists who capture the spirit of Australia, like Ken Done and Jenny Kee. Melbourne is also renowned for its arts scene, with hosts of private galleries, theaters, the NGV International – the National Gallery of Victoria’s headquarters and the Federation Square where art, architecture and events meet at a unique public space. Those who have been to the recent Commonwealth Games held in the city vouch for its hospitality, its friendly people its spreads of food and wine, and how cuisine here is made fashionable by the avant-garde chefs.

Or you could choose to experience a laid back outdoors life style in Brisbane, gorge on exotic sea food platters, check out the weekend markets at Riverside, South Bank, and Fortitude Valley and absorb the gregarious street theater and live music scattered across the city. Brisbane has a lot of adventure to offer, and you can explore Moreton Bay with its 155 islands. Alternatively, head over to Perth, and enjoy its sophisticated, picturesque beauty. Visit the famous Kings park with its 400 acres of green, or sample the wines at Swan Valley. You could drive down to the Cottesloe Beach for street food or up to Subiaco for a formal dinner.

Adelaide is another must-see. Steeped in art and culture, the Adelaide Festival of Arts and the Fringe Festival, among a host of other dos, keeps the arts scene in the city bubbling with energy. Make sure you shop till you drop for artifacts in stone, leather and metal, because galleries like JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design, Metal and Stone and Gray Street Workshop are simply irresistible. The city has charming examples of architecture, which you can admire when on a drive, and for the more active, on a walk. It is also famous for its fresh farm produce, grown at the Adelaide hills and sold at the Central Market, where one can have a scrumptious breakfast. Other hot urban destinations include the capital of Australia, Canberra, and cities like Darwin and Cairns which can be fun to explore under the hot Australian sun, and the balmy, starry nights.

Places to stay

Australia is very well geared towards tourists with different budgets, from camping caravans and bed and breakfasts to resorts and five-star hotels and the entire range in between, which can be pre-arranged as part of travel packages or individually chosen as you blaze your own trail.

5-star hotels are for those who like to travel in luxury and will spare no expenses in order to have the best the market has to offer. From excellent furnishings to dining services and every modern convenience imaginable are all available for a price in these hotels. These are specially suitable for you if you want to make a particular city your headquarters and take short trips around it for adventure and exploration, combined with lots of shopping, good dining and exceptional night-life experiences.

4 to 4 1/2 stars are also good as great quality establishments at an affordable price, and also come as parts of great travel packages at reasonable rates. Serviced apartments and resorts are often a good idea in this category, as they are usually located in areas outside major cities and are closer to natural locations, and offer an experience that is part of the entire ambience of the place: you can enjoy a poolside drink, cool off at your own private beach-front, relax at spas, or enjoy a barbecue as the night around you comes to life. You can even find well-equipped single or double-storey cottages, with great furnishings, wood-burning stoves and up-to-date kitchens that provide great views, or opportunities to watch the local fauna.

You can find yourself a Bed and Breakfast accommodation that could include your breakfasts in the tariff and feature communal dining and lounge rooms, or go for a Self-contained version where you can cook your own breakfast, and separate dining areas. In similar categories are the Guest houses, which however, rarely include breakfasts in their tariff. Each Bed and Breakfast has its own little piece of Australian history or uniquely regional feature, and can add to the experience of your trip. These could be budget accommodations or luxury premises, depending on your choice.

If you love the big outdoors and want to experience it up close and personal, Tourist Parks are the choice for you. They feature powered and unpowered tents, on-site caravans, and cabins– you can take your pick. They can be self-contained or serviced, depending on how you like it, and in every kind of budget. They overlook stunning locations: bushlands and beaches, coastlines, hills and forests, depending on your location and interest, and can be great if you are driving out on your own.

There are even fully furnished yachts and houseboats available for hire, where you can stay for the duration of the trip, taking advantage of Australia’s beautiful waterways, lakes and oceans. You can skipper your own craft or find someone with the right experience for a sail guide: learn about the marine life, snorkel, drive and swim. It is a safe yet intimate way to explore places like the barrier reef of Queensland, the virgin beaches and mangroves of Western Australia, to take in the grandeur of the Twelve Apostles or watch the sailors on the docks and marinas of Sydney Harbor.

Australia also has the most number of Backpacker Hostels, for all sorts of budgets and locations, starting from the very well-heeled rooms with spacious guest kitchens and swimming pools to others which simply provide a warm bed, hot shower and efficient staff. These are great places to meet new people, exchange stories, get excellent tips for onward travel or simply enjoy the general bonhomie of a pancake breakfast or a barbecue cookout.

In short, Australia welcomes all kinds of age groups, budgets, preferences and caters to each one of them, presenting them in affordable yet unforgettable combinations. On a trip to Australia you can be assured of an accommodation that is just to your liking.

Communication Australia is well known for its efficient communications which consist of well-connected nationwide postal services, Internet as well as cellular coverage. Media services like cable and network television stations and a wide variety of magazines and newspapers inform as well as entertain, so while on a trip to this country you never feel out of touch.

You can access the Internet from Internet cafes, hotels, hostels and libraries, and there are a variety of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia who can provide log-on numbers, so your e-mail goes with you where you go. Australia uses RJ-45 telephone plugs and Telstra EXI-160 four-pin plugs, which can also be found as part of multi-plugs from various companies all over the world. If your connection is not a match, the local electronic shops will have the right one. To be sure that your PC-card modem works in Australia, purchase a ‘global’ modem before you leave home, which is compatible to a variety of locations.

All major hotels provide access to fax machines and international calling services. Local calls from public pay phones are not timed and are very cheap, private phones are even cheaper. Public pay phones accept all Australian coins and a variety of credit and phone cards. Australia’s has an extensive cell phone)network with a range of carriers and call rates. You can bring your own phone after getting international roaming service activated by the local carrier when you leave your country. Australia’s mobile network operates on the 900 and 1800 bands for GSM, and 800 for CDMA, so your SIM will have to be unlocked for these frequencies, and your phone set needs to be compatible for you to use a local SIM card. Phones and SIM cards are also available for rent and sale in America from http://www.planetomni.com . This service offers free incoming calls from all countries at all times and calling the states is just US $.27 / minute. Of course you can call anywhere in the world. That same company also has SIM CARDS and phones for use in 98% of the world always with incredibly low call rates.

In conclusion, Australia has something for everyone: the history buffs, art lovers, sports enthusiasts, outdoor lovers, adventurers, shopaholics and leisure seekers will all find something right up their street. Accommodation, transport and communication are all a phone call or mouse click away, the people are friendly and cosmopolitan, there is an unmatched variety of wines and cuisines, the weather is mostly favorable, and crime rate is low. All you really need to do is decide what you want from your trip, make those bookings, pack your stuff and catch a plane to experience some of the most unforgettable moments of your life in Australia.

Grab your Mouse Ears, sunscreen, and a pair of comfy shoes-you’re headed for Orlando!

Orlando is the most popular vacation destination in the world. Every year, tens of millions of people arrive by plane, car, and train to hit the theme parks, restaurants, and many other attractions of this once-rural Florida city. With so much to do and so many ways to do it, it can be easy for you-and your wallet-to get overwhelmed. But don’t worry! We are here to help.

This Disney World Savings article is the perfect way to minimize problems and maximize fun. Inside, you’ll find great tips on many of the top destinations, plus helpful information about the Orlando area. From theme parks to shopping, this is your source for vacation information for the whole family.

Disclaimer: Orlando is a constantly-changing, dynamic destination. Attractions, restaurants, rides, and more close and open throughout the year, sometimes with little to no notice. This travel guide was accurate at the time of publication and may be subject to updates throughout the year. If you have any questions or concerns about any information in this guide, please feel free to email us or call the theme parks directly.

The Walt Disney World® Resort

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, visited by millions every year. What was once a swampy patch of Florida soil is now the Walt Disney World Resort (WDW)-a massive vacation and entertainment wonderland with four main theme parks, two water parks, 23 hotels, seven golf courses (five championship and two mini), a racetrack, sports complex, ten marinas, more than 140 places to eat, and more.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff that WDW offers. Let’s take the resort one world at a time so you can plan your trip, your way.

The Magic Kingdom®

You walk through the gates and there it is, like the opening scene of your very own fairy tale-a beautiful castle at the end of a picturesque village street. Welcome to Main Street USA, the beginning of your Magic Kingdom (MK) experience.

Main Street USA is where it all begins, a perfect shop- and restaurant-lined thoroughfare that leads you to the five worlds beyond. Along the Street, you will find delightful shops featuring all the Disney merchandise you can handle, plus some specialty items like hand-blown glass ornaments (with working artisans who you can watch). Guest Services is also on Main Street; remember to stop there for dining reservations (always a good idea) and information on attractions that may be down for maintenance, parade times, special events, and anything else you might need. This is also the place for stroller and wheelchair rental.

While Main Street USA is primarily thought of as the gateway to the “real” attractions, there are some great things to do here as well, especially for those times when you need a break from the crowds and the heat. Here are our Main Picks for Main Street:

Get a haircut! No, seriously-for just under $20, you can say you got your haircut at a real, old-fashioned Barber Shop. You can even include some “magical” touches, like highlights.

Send a postcard! Stop by City Hall and mail a postcard to the folks back home. It will be stamped as coming from The Magic Kingdom; mail it to yourself for an inexpensive souvenir.

Grab your ears! The Le Chapeau shop is the best place to get those iconic ears. Now you can customize the design and build your own hat, so everyone can have their own personal set.

Ride the rails! This is a great way to relax. Use the Walt Disney World Railroad to wind your way around the park or take a trip to Frontierland. It’s a particularly great way to end the day, especially if you can time it for sunset.

Main Street USA is also the place for parades. Check with guest services for parade times and types; they can change throughout the year and for special events. Remember that the best viewing spots get taken early, so stake your concrete claim and use the time to relax.

Beyond Main Street USA, five additional worlds await: Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Tomorrowland. Each world has its own attractions, restaurants, and shops; let’s take them one at a time so you can plan your stops.

Adventureland: Pirates and jungle adventures are the order of the day! Explorers and swashbucklers of all ages come here for exotic entertainment, including street performers and the pirate training camp (ask a cast member where the next “class” will be). Here’s what you shouldn’t miss:

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Enchanted Tiki Room

Jungle Cruise

Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Frontierland: This Old West land is where you will want to grab your first FASTPASS tickets-send one member of your party over as soon as you arrive and get your reservation for either Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain. If it’s getting near lunchtime, hit Peco Bill’s for reasonably-priced (for a theme park) burgers. Then saddle up for these must-do’s:

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Splash Mountain

Country Bear Jamboree

Liberty Square: This is one of the smaller lands but it’s also one of the most loved. There are only three attractions here, and every one of them is a definite do:

Haunted Mansion

The Hall of Presidents

Liberty Square Riverboat

Fantasyland: Currently undergoing a massive expansion that will double its size, plenty of Fantasyland is still open for fun and more will debut throughout the year. The entire place is due to be ready by 2014, so don’t be surprised by all the walls and scaffolding you may see until then.

Families with younger kids will find themselves spending a lot of time here, but older visitors can still find plenty to love. For many visitors, this land is the very essence of the Magic Kingdom; here are a few reasons why.

Mad Tea Party

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

It’s A Small World

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

Under The Sea:Journey of the Little Mermaid

Ariel’s Grotto

Enchanted Tales with Belle

Tomorrowland: This is a nostalgic look at what we once thought the future would look like, with great rides and a very fun atmosphere.

Stitch’s Great Escape!

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Space Mountain

What a Character!

Throughout the entire WDW Resort are plenty of chances to meet and greet your favorite

Disney characters. While there are reservations-only places for guaranteed

meetings – such as character meals – there are also locations throughout

the resort where you can stand on line to shake hands or get a photo. For example, MK has

several specific areas set up for character greetings, including City Hall at

Town Square, the Adventureland Congoasis, and Ariel’s Grotto.

Characters are also know to make appearances near the rides associated with

them, as well as other places throughout the park. Check with Guest Services to

find out when and where your favorites will be meeting and greeting.

EPCOT®

Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow-it was Walt’s dream city, but it opened instead as the theme park known as EPCOT. If you want your vacation to include rides, technology, world cultures, and street performers, you’ve come to the right place.

While MK is heaven for little ones, EPCOT is ideal for older kids and adults, especially tech-savvy teens and ‘tweens. This park is also known for having some of the best food on Disney property, along with some of the hardest reservations to nab-if you’re heading over during a high-capacity time of year, plan accordingly by calling 1-407-WDW-DINE

EPCOT is split into two areas: Future World and the World Showcase.

Future World: This is the place for most of the rides, interactive exhibits, and constantly-changing technology. Things are nice and organized here, so it’s easy to see everything in one day. But if you want to know just the must-do’s, we’ve got the list for you.

Spaceship Earth

Soarin’

Test Track

Mission: SPACE

Journey Into Imagination with Figment

Living with the Land

World Showcase: This is the place for culture, shows, food, and a few rides. The World Showcase is a way to see some of the most famous destinations in the world without a passport.

Each country – or pavilion – features food, goods, and cast members from the country itself. Shows and movies round out the experience. The permanent World Showcase Pavilions are Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. Mexico and Norway both feature boat rides – Gran Fiesta Tour featuring The Three Cabelleros and Maelstrom.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

It’s time for the magic of the movies, Mouse-style. Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS) is the WDW tribute to “the Hollywood that never was, and always will be.” this is the place for movie faves, tv greats, and three of the best thrill rides anywhere. DHS is also where you will find most of the newer Disney characters, including monsters inc and both new and classic muppets.

DHS is a well-organized, compact park, which makes it easy to do in one great day. If you find yourself with time to spare, though, be sure to see as many shows as possible; DHS is known for some of the best. and be sure to stay late for Fantasmic! It’s considered the best of the nighttime shows, and it’s the only regular park event that features the disney villains. Grab seats early, no matter what time of year, or enjoy dinners and a show by making reservations for the Fantasmic! Package at either The Hollywood Brown Derby, Mama Mellrose’s Ristorante Italiano, or Hollywood & Vine.

Here is your list of absolute musts for DHS:

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Aerosmith Rock n roller coaster

The Great movie ride

Toy story mania

Indiana jones stunt spectacular show

Muppet vision 3D

Star tours

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Animal Kingdom (AK) may be the youngest of the WDW parks, but it’s popularity is right up there with its sibling amusements. This “Natazu” (say it out loud and you’ll get it) features live animals, good food, great rides, and some truly stunning architectural touches, even by Disney standards.

AK is divided into lands (like MK). Some are based on world regions, with theming and animals native to the region, and others are more imaginative. Here’s the rundown of what’s where

Oasis: Many people make the mistake of rushing through this entry point; don’t be one of them. Take your time and see miniature deer, sloths, macaws, iguanas, and more.

Discovery Island: the park’s center is dominated by artistic wonder The Tree of Life. The Tree stands 14 stories tall, is 50 feet wide, and has a carved “bark” tapestry featuring 325 different animal likenesses. Wildlife trails surround the tree as well, with viewing areas for lemurs, flamingos, red kangaroos, and massive Galapagos tortoises. Inside the tree is a theatre where you can experience It’s Tough To Be A Bug, a creepy crawly interactive movie show-it’s a park fave!

Camp Minnie Mickey: take the little ones here for small-size fun and most of AK’s character meet and greets. This is also the home for The Festival of the Lion King show, which inspired the award-winning Broadway musical.

Africa: welcome to Harambe, a beautiful African village that is your path to Kilimanjaro Safari and a ride through African animal territory. Once you descend from your safari vehicle, you exit to the Paganini Forest Exploration Trail for a look at lowland gorillas, including a magnificent 500-lb silverback male and his family. Take your time through these trails-this is one of the few places in the world where you can observe these amazing primates. After, take the little ones to Rafiki’s Planet Watch after, as a reward for their patience-they’ll love the Affection Section petting zoo.

Asia: You’ve discovered the kingdom of Anandapur, which means “place of delight.” The Imagineers did an amazing job of creating the feeling of a crumbling, archeological wonder, so be sure to keep an eye open for intricate details. Of course, that might be hard to do since your whole party will be running to get to Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, Disney’s newest thrill ride. FASTPASS it for sure-this coaster is worth your entire visit. On a hot day, head next to Kali River Rapids, where the churning waters guarantee a soaking good time for all. More up-close animal viewing can be had at Maharajah Jungle Trek, including Bengal Tigers.

Dinoland U.S.A.: It might not be the best dinosaur attraction in the world, but it’s still good Disney fun. The Boneyard is a place for kids to dig, climb and slide while parents get some time to sit and watch. Then take the whole family to Dinosaur, a fun, fast-paced race against time. Finally, grab a seat for Finding Nemo-The Musical. This gorgeous, visually-stunning reimagining of the popular film is considered THE must-see show of the entire Walt Disney World Resort.

Our Tips for the WDW Parks

FASTPASS: It’s like making a reservation for your favorite WDW attraction. Just insert your admission ticket, annual pass, or resort ID, and the machine prints out a pass with the time you should return to the ride. You can’t choose your time, and you can only have one active FASTPASS at a time, but that doesn’t matter — on a busy day, it can save you hours of waiting on lines.

A FASTPASS Tip: If you miss your scheduled time, don’t worry. Your FASTPASS is good for any time after the time on your ticket.

Ride while other guests are busy: Mealtimes, parades, and fireworks often take people away from the major attractions. Ride while everyone else is distracted and you may experience far shorter wait times.

Don’t rebuy-refill! WDW has water fountains throughout the park. Bring your own water bottles (the park allows them) and refill throughout the day.

Snack to save time: Snack stands offer quick, light options for meals on the go-remember that a heavy meal is likely to slow you down, especially in hot weather.

The WDW Water Parks

Blizzard Beach

Welcome to the 66-acre ski resort of Mount Gushmore! Blizzard Beach features a white sand beach and a tropical lagoon. This is the youngest of the Disney water parks, but it’s also the most popular; in fact, it’s the most popular water park in the country. It’s got great rides for all ages, from thrills and speed to lazy and relaxing. Here are a few highlights:

Cross Country Creek

Melt Away Bay

Tike’s Peak

Teamboat Springs

Summit Plummet

Typhoon Lagoon

Slightly smaller and a bit more relaxed in both theme and thrills than Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon is WDW’s second water park. Crowds tend to be a bit smaller here, since it is the older of the two parks, but you can still expect long waits and crowded pools during high attendance times of year. Typhoon Lagoon’s waters are kept at a warm – but still refreshing – 75-80º F all year round, making this a water park of choice even in Orlando’s short winter.

The story of Typhoon Lagoon centers around Miss Tilly, a shrimp boat that ended up stuck atop volcano Mount Mayday after “the storm of storms.” On the half hour, Miss Tilly still blows her whistle, as Mount Mayday tries to dislodge the ship by sending a geyser of water straight through her and up into the air.

The most well-known attraction at Typhoon Lagoon is probably the Shark Reef. Here, you can snorkel and even scuba with live sharks (leopards and bonnetheads), as well as stingrays and assorted tropical fish. Those visitors not quite brave enough to get in the water (the sharks are not dangerous!) can view the fish via the portholes of a “sunken tanker.”

There are nine waterslides as well, running the gamut from thrills to pure laziness. Here’s the rundown on some of the favorites:

Castaway Creek

Crush ‘n’ Gusher

Gang Plank Falls

Humunga Kowabunga

Surf Pool

Sports, Shopping, and More

Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex

This is Disney’s homage to sports and the people who both play and love them. It’s a 220-acre megacomplex with a baseball stadium, ten baseball and softball fields, six basketball courts, 12 tennis courts (fully lighted), six volleyball courts (sand, of course), a track and field complex, driving range for golfers, and even two indoor roller hockey rinks. The multisport auxiliary Josten Center offers another six basketball courts, 12 more volleyball courts, and two more roller hockey rinks.

Sports fans should know that big names often make appearances here, too. The Atlanta Braves come for Spring Training every March, and the NBA, PGA, NCAA, and Harlem Globetrotters all host events and games here. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also use the Sports Complex as their training camp in July and August.

Call 407-WDW-GAME for more information, including a calendar of events and also ticket information.

DisneyQuest

This interactive, indoor theme park is the perfect choice for the tech- heads in your group or for the whole family on a rainy day. It features five levels of cutting-edge games, where virtual reality meets adventure, all with a touch of that special Disney pixie dust. Teens will LOVE it, but there is something for everyone. Don’t miss virtual versions of popular MK rides, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold, Virtual Jungle Cruise, CyberSpace Mountain, and Aladdin’s Magic Carpets.

CyberSpace Mountain is a particular fave, where Bill Nye the Science Guy helps you create the coaster and then lets you ride it-it’s truly a customized ride experience. Artistically-inclined guests should check out Animation Station for a crash-course in Disney-style animation. Get here at opening for the most action with least wait-afternoons and evenings here can become unbearably crowded.

Golf Disney

WDW features 99 total holes of golf, spread over six courses. There are also two mini-golf complexes, competing with similar sites all over Orlando. While big golfers in your party might want to plan big outings with their buddies (tee times can be booked 60-90 days in advance), Oak Trail is the best place to get in a quick nine holes. It’s a lovely and quiet walking course suitable for beginners, expert linksmen, or even families. There are some great challenges, notably at holes 5, 6, and 7. Other courses and mini-golf include:

Magnolia

Palm

Osprey Ridge

Lake Buena Vista

Fantasia Gardens (mini)

Fantasia Fairways (mini)

Winter Summerland (two mini courses: Winter and Summer)

And remember, spikeless golf shoes only! Sneakers or similar athletic shoes are also permitted.

Downtown Disney

If shopping, dining, and a state-of-the-art multiplex are part of your dream vacation, this is where you’ll want to spend some time. It’s split into three areas: West Side, Pleasure Island (soon to be Hyperion Wharf), and The Marketplace.

West Side has DisneyQuest and amazing dining experiences, such as Bongos Cuban Café, the House of Blues, Wolfgang Puck’s, and Planet Hollywood. There is a 24-screen AMC movie theater, featuring all your first-run needs in a beautiful art deco setting. West Side also features Cirque du Solei La Nouba, a Disney-exclusive show by the world-famous avant-garde troupe. Buy tickets early if you want to see the show – its popularity is nearly unrivaled. And new for 2013 is Splitsville, a two-floor, 30 lane bowling and entertainment complex featuring live music and great dining.

Pleasure Island was once the over-18 center of Downtown Disney, with clubs and restaurants catering to an all-adult crowd. That ended in 2008, and the area has been partially unused since. But things are changing! Disney announced plans in late 2010 to transform Pleasure Island into a brand-new shopping and dining area, Hyperion Wharf. Construction is expected to take three years; some shops and restaurants will remain open during the long renovation, including Raglan Road Irish Pub & Bar, Fuego by Sosa Cigars, Paradiso 37, and Orlando Harley-Davidson.

Disney Marketplace has great restaurants, too, notably Fulton’s Crab House for succulent seafood on a beautiful riverboat. Captain Jack’s (no connection to the Johnny Depp character) is the place for oysters and cold beer, in a casual waterfront restaurant that also has a great childrens menu. Kids will also love the Rainforest Café, where there are often live animals (mostly parrots) on display outside. Marketplace is also home to the World of Disney. No trip is complete without a visit here, though parents trying to stick to a budget might want to corral the kids once they get through the door!

Getting Around The Mouse: Transportation at the Walt Disney World® Resort

Monorail: The Walt Disney Monorail system has been in place since the park opened in 1971. It originally ran around the circumference of the Seven Seas Lagoon but was expanded in 1982 to offer monorail transport to EPCOT. If you are staying in one of the Magic Kingdom hotels

– The Contemporary, The Polynesian, or The Grand Floridian – the monorail goes right through your hotel. Everyone else picks up the monorail at either the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, or the Transportation and Ticket Center, known as the TTC.

The TTC is the central point for Disney transportation. In addition to monorails, the TTC is also where you can find Disney (and other area hotel) resort buses, ferry boats, water taxis, and a massive parking lot for cars, taxis, and buses.

Buses: Disney resort buses run to all the Disney hotels, the main parks, water parks, Downtown Disney, and the Wide World of Sports. There are dozens of buses for each location, but the routes are not always the most direct. Also, the buses can be extremely crowded at peak periods, such as opening, closing, and meal times. Be aware of time – if you are in a hurry to get somewhere, the buses may not be your best option.

Parking: While the monorails, ferry boats, water taxis, and Disney buses are complimentary, if you prefer to use your own car, the daily parking fee is $14 for cars and motorcycles, and $15 for trailers and campers. Your parking pass is good for the entire day, no matter how often you move your car. Disney Resort Hotel Guests and Annual Pass Holders do not have to pay for parking anywhere in the Walt Disney complex. It is always complimentary.

Fun for all ages

WDW attracts guests of very ages, from families with young children to retirees and spring breakers. Everyone has their own favorites, but if you’re looking for some planning help, here are our picks for the best options for the most common age groups: Kids, Teens and Adults.

Please note the following abbreviations for each park:

MK = Magic Kingdom® Park

EP = Epcot®

DHS = Disney’s Hollywood Studios™

AP = Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Park

Best for Younger Kids

Attractions: Voyage of the Little Mermaid (DHS), Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (MK), Finding Nemo: The Musical (AK), Buzz Lightyear (MK)

Eats: 50 Prime Time Café (DHS), Cosmic Ray’s (MK), Coral Reef Restaurant (EP), Toy Story Pizza Planet (DHS)

Best for Teens

Attractions: Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (DHS), Philharmagic (MK), Phantasmic (DHS), Rock n Roller Coaster (DHS), Haunted Mansion (MK), Space Mountain (MK), Splash Mountain (MK), Mission: Space (EP), Expedition Everest (AK)

Restaurants: Pecos Bills (MK), Via Napoli (EP), Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (DHS)

Best for Adults

Attractions: Muppet Vision 3-D (DHS), Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (DHS), Test Track (EP), Soarin’ (EP)

Restaurants: Victoria and Albert’s (Grand Floridian Resort), California Grill (Contemporary Resort), Narcoosees (Grand Floridian Resort), Chefs du France (EP), Jiko (AK Lodge), Rose and Crown (EP), Le Cellier (EP)

We sincerely hoped you enjoyed reading our guide to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Have a great trip!

CORNWALL: beaches, buckets, spades, pasties and lashings of clotted cream – yes? Well, no.

In fact these days Cornwall is as far from the traditional seaside holiday destination as you can possibly imagine.

In 2007, Cornwall is a surfing Mecca, a foodie haven, a centre for family fun, a cultural hotspot, a gardening paradise, an outdoor enthusiasts’ dream – and so much more.

It’s at the centre of a world-wide environmental mission to combat the effects of global warming with cutting-edge research led by the famous Eden Project and by teams working on wave and wind energy.

It’s even ranked alongside the Taj Mahal and the Grand Canyon by the United Nations as a designated World Heritage Site because of the remains of the Victorian mining industry that once was the industrial power house of the world (didn’t you know the Cornish invented the car? Richard Trevithick’s ‘Puffing Billy’ ran up Camborne Hill, literally under its own steam, independent of rails, on Christmas Eve 1801). Oh – and there are still beaches, buckets, spades, pasties and lashings of clotted cream.

But in 2007, visitors to Cornwall who simply head for the sand are missing out on so much. Many are, instead, choosing to base themselves in the heart of Cornwall: the beautiful, largely unspoilt central area that provides the perfect link between moor and sea, town and country.

From the Heart of Cornwall, you can be on the beach on the South coast in 25 minutes or on the North coast in less than 45 minutes. From here you are 80 miles from the furthest borders of both Devon and Cornwall and 20 miles from each coastline, North and South. You’re in the heart of the countryside – in the Tamar valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – yet only half an hour from the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Plymouth with its historic attractions, its fabulous restaurants and its award-winning Theatre Royal with shows direct from London’s West End.

If you want to explore the wild, remote moors, then that’s easy too: walking, riding, climbing and even abseiling are literally a few minutes away.

The Heart of Cornwall covers a central location between Bodmin Moor to the West and Dartmoor to the East, just over the border of the Tamar River which separates the ancient nation from England.

Our holiday cottage gives an example of the attractions of the Heart of Cornwall. We’re in Golberdon, bordered by the main links between the historic towns of Launceston, Bodmin, Liskeard, and Callington with moorland to the West and rolling countryside to the East.

Walking holidays

If you just want to laze on your holiday, the immediate area offers great walks (whether to somewhere, or circular), an ideal way to take in some beautiful countryside. The River Lynher runs past the outskirts of the village and provides some great walks along the river bank.

Some of our own favourite walks end or start from some of the characterful local pubs in the area, such as The Church House Inn in Linkinhorne.

Even walking along the narrow roads will immerse you in the countryside, but if you’re feeling more adventurous then you could turn off and go cross country through such places as Wagmuggle and Browda.

The nearby Tamar Valley offers some stunningly beautiful scenery.

Once known as ‘the market garden of England’, a boat trip on the Tamar Ferry between historic National Trust-held Cotehele (a land that time passed by), the Victorian mining port of Morwellham and the riverside village of Calstock is the ideal way to experience the valley, although there are many walks too.

A great walk starts from The Royal Inn at Horse Bridge and travels along the Cornish side of the Tamar river before turning off through the villages of Luckett and Hampt, before you meander back to the Royal Inn for a well earned shandy!

This whole area was once a haven for early daffodils, strawberries and other Tamar Valley delights: an entire industry existed to transport early produce created by the idyllic growing conditions to customers in London and there are remnants of that industry throughout.

It’s ironic, because just decades before that explosion in rural skills the Tamar Valley was one of the engine houses of the Victorian world, a centre for mining now commemorated at fascinating Morwellham Quay, where families can actually take a train ride deep underground. This open-air museum is host to two music festivals each summer, for jazz and folk fans.

If you’re up for a more energetic walk, then perhaps you might venture onto the moors. Kit Hill provides a spectacular panorama of the surrounding countryside. From here you can see Brentor Church in Devon, perched atop a Tor, not far from spectacular Lydford Gorge which can be accessed from either end via National Trust car parks. This is a rewarding walk for the more sure-footed hikers and the Castle at Lydford offers a cosy retreat for food and refreshments.

Or you could join the many ramblers who tackle the entire length of the famous 600-miles-plus South West Coast path – but in stages.

Many use short-break holidays to tackle small parts of this stunning long-distance footpath, taking in the absolutely stunning cliffs and beaches of Cornwall.

Outdoor activities

Devon and Cornwall have a growing network of cycle paths which offer a great way of enjoying the countryside.

Most of these are based on disused railway lines so you can enjoy a ride without the normal ups and downs. The Camel Trail is a particular favourite of ours. It stretches from Bodmin Moor and follows the picturesque River Camel valley through Wadebridge and on to Padstow on the North Coast, home of TV chef Rick Stein and, of course, some superb restaurants – and Rick’s own fish and chip shop.

Most cycle paths have cycle hire shops at either end if you don’t want to bring your own and most will hire trailer buggies which will accommodate two young children, and baby car seats so the whole family can take in the countryside.

If you venture into Cornwall, the Plym Bridge cycle path just the other side of Plymouth takes you quickly from the city into the peace of the countryside and onto Dartmoor. Lydford has the start of the Granite Way. Again, a former railway line provides most of the cycling from here to Okehampton.

Gardeners’ paradise

Devon and Cornwall boast some of the finest gardens in the country, many within easy distance of Rose Cottage. The mild climate means plants bloom early here in the far West, and Spring is an enchanting season amid the unrivalled magnolias and rhododendrons, camellias and daffodils.

The Eden Project has stolen a lot of the limelight in recent years and rightfully deserves a full day’s exploration. Its futuristic biomes replicating some of the world’s climate zones are truly one of the wonders of the modern world. Nearby is the Lost Gardens of Heligan, a recreation of a working Victorian estate that was the first project of Eden founder Tim Smit (The Times called it “The garden restoration of the century”).

Half an hour from Rose Cottage, across the Tamar and Tavy rivers, lies The Garden House, chosen by The Independent as one of the best 50 gardens in Europe and home to a stunning mingling of formal planting in the romantic terraced Walled Garden, created around the tumbling ruins of a medieval vicarage, and stunning modernism blending wild flowers with a recreated landscape in the Ten Trees garden beyond. Other garden attractions near us include the National Trust highlights of Saltram, Cotehele and Lanhydrock.

Heritage holidays

In fact, some of the National Trust’s finest properties are within half an hour of Rose Cottage. Cotehele, on the banks of the Tamar, really is the land that time forgot – the house is basically unaltered since the 15th century when its owners moved to Mount Edgcumbe, opposite Plymouth. There isn’t even electricity. Each year, the marvellous Christmas garland stretching around the medieval Great Hall draws visitors to this traditional evocation of the Christmas spirit of days gone by. The estate is surrounded by beautiful walks.

Cotehele also has an historic quay and impressive sailing barge of the type often used to transport materials before the days of congestion charges!

Lanhydrock was home to the Cornish Agar-Robartes family, Victorian entrepreneurs made fabulously wealthy by the mining boom of those years. It has lovely gardens and a stunning Gothic home, and each July hosts a spectacular music and fireworks picnic with some of the biggest names in jazz, blues and rock’n’roll.

Saltram House, on the outskirts of Plymouth, is such an unrivalled remnant of Georgian grandeur that it was used as the main location for Emma Thompson’s famous movie adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.

On Dartmoor, Castle Drogo, perched high above the beautiful Teign Valley on its lonely crag, was the last Castle to be built in England. With its battlements, towers and turrets it may look like a medieval relic, but in fact it was completed by American business baron Julius Drewe in only 1937.

But there’s more to the heritage of this area than the National Trust. Morwellham Quay is a unique open-air museum of a Victorian mining port, and you can even take a train ride deep into a copper mine, while the children can enjoy dressing as Victorian pupils, shopping in period shops – and even trying lessons in a schoolroom of the period.

And who cold fail to enjoy the nostalgia of a steam train? Half an hour away in Bodmin there’s the Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway – so popular even Thomas the Tank Engine pays regular visits.

The great outdoors

Beaches are not far: Whitsand Bay and Looe on the south Coast are popular spots – take the cliff walk from Hannafore Point at Looe and dare to tackle the steep steps, and you can soon find yourself far from the madding crowds in quiet, unspoilt coves even at the height of the summer season. The walk is worth it.

The North Coast offers the beaches around Bude and Widemouth bay and the dramatic rocky coastlines around Tintagel, where the romantic castle ruins offer an evocation of the Arthurian age.

There’s canoeing on the River Tamar, surfing on the north or south coasts, or a wonderful choice of riding opportunities: Lower Tokenbury is only minutes from our cottage and offers the ideal way to explore our countryside on horseback.

At nearby Siblyback Lake, there’s canoeing, windsurfing and angling.

If golf is your pursuit of choice, the Jack Nicklaus-designed St Mellion international, home of the Benson and Hedges Masters in the 90s and soon to host the English Open, is one of the finest courses in the country.

Family fun

There are some great family attractions nearby. Children of all ages enjoy the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, the country’s biggest and best such attraction, while very close by are attractions such as Trethorne Leisure farm, Hidden Valley Country Park (both near Launceston), the Tamar Valley Donkey Park (and yes, as well as indoor and outdoor playgrounds there are donkey rides).

Evenings out

The very best of professional, big-scale, big-budget theatre is at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, while more intimate delights are on offer just minutes away at Sterts, an open-air theatre on the edge of Bodmin Moor which offers a mixture of amateur and professional music and drama, including popular family shows.

Carnglaze Caverns is another unusual venue for music – again just half an hour away. Concerts are performed underground in the Rum Store – used by the Navy as a storehouse and so hidden away it was used to secure the Crown jewels during the Second World War!

Fowey, every May, is home to the Du Maurier Festival, a month of fantastic entertainment. Stars heading to Cornwall this year include everything from Jethro Tull to Humphrey Lyttelton to provide an exotic mixture of music and drama, talks and comedy.

Eating out

One of the great benefits of Cornwall’s expertise in hosting visitors is the extraordinary range on offer when it comes to eating out.

You can choose from Michelin Star standard just minutes away in Callington, or further afield in Padstow or Plymouth. You can take an invigorating walk to the nearby Church House Inn for bar meals or fantastic cuisine in the restaurant using the best of local ingredients, or visit any of the many other nearby pubs that offer Cornish food and Cornish ale – the Caradon Inn in Upton Cross, the Royal at Horsebridge, the Manor in Rilla Mill, the Racehorse at North Hill, the Springer Spaniel at Treburley.

If you would like to know more about staying in our part of Cornwall, please visit our web site. http://www.rosecottage.srv2.com

Bedford, a pocket of preserved past, offers the visitor a living history experience, enabling him to walk the paths his forefathers forged, inspect several important houses and forts, and even stay in the very resort which sparked its rise.

Covered with a quit of rolling hills, meadows, and forests, the former frontier called for a soul to exert its intrinsic properties of creation on it, as evidenced by the forts which had risen from Harris Ferry along the Susquehanna River in the east to Logstown on the Ohio River in the west during the French and Indian War of 1754 to 1763. Marking the westward expansion of the British like a series of GPS waypoints, they carried names such as Lyttleton, Loudon, Frederick, Raystown/Bedford, Cumberland, Ligonier, Necessity, and Pitt/Duquesne. The two with the dual designations, however, were to be the most instrumental in the area’s development.

Where transportation paths meet, settlements usually rise, as did the town of Bedford in the form of a fort erected by the British during its 1758 campaign against the French along Forbes Road, which had previously been a cohesive collection of Indian trails. They would later evolve into the first trans-Pennsylvania toll rode artery, facilitating horse and wagon transport.

Constructed by Colonel Henry Boquet, General John Forbes’ deputy, the irregularly shaped fortification, covering 7,000 square yards, sported five bastions. A four- to five-foot deep by three-foot-wide, V-shaped ditch encircling its perimeter supported 18-foot-long, side-by-side laid logs, cut from the surrounding oak forests and hewn flat and snugly interlocked before being inserted, while a loopholed gallery extended from the central bastion on its north front down to the water’s edge. Swivel guns guarded its corners.
Entry was provided by three gates-a main one on its south side parallel to today’s Pitt Street; a second, smaller, west-facing one; and a northward-opening postern one.

Perched on a bluff overlooking the river gap, the initially-designated Fort Raystown served as a staging post for 6,790 westward-advancing troops subjected to attacks during their crossing of the imposing Allegheny Mountains, but replenished with necessary supplies before they continued toward Fort Pitt/Duquesne, stronghold of the French.

The British strategy proved successful: their opponents were defeated, effectively removing the barrier to English-speaking control of the Ohio Valley and, ultimately, America.

Redesignated “Fort Bedford” at the end of 1758 after the Fourth Duke of Bedford, England, the bastion served the secondary purpose of providing a sense of safety against Indian attacks, its security fostering settlement of people in search of agricultural valleys and timber-abundant mountains. It thus provided the seed from which the namesaked village eventually grew, becoming the first county seat west of the Tuscarora Mountains and, for a time, all of Western Pennsylvania, strategically located on the intra-state roadway.

Laid out in 1766, it was incorporated 29 years later, on March 13.

County development, paralleling that of the town, was spurred by the discovery of coal on Broad Top Mountain, giving rise to the rails needed to transport it to the area’s budding iron foundries and sparking a 100-percent population increase between 1870 and 1890 alone. Track networks, facilitating iron, timber, and passenger conveyance, were later supplemented, and finally succeeded by, the Lincoln Highway (Route 30), which connects Bedford with Pittsburgh, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

A short, in-town walking tour of Bedford itself enables the visitor to step back into its history in several important buildings.

The National Museum of the American Coverlet, for instance, is housed in the Common School, itself constructed in 1859 at a $7,000 cost and opened with an initial, 211-student enrollment the following year. Functioning as a school until it was sold to private interests in 1999, it incorporates a significant portion of its original structure, including its middle section, ventilation system, and surrounding iron fence.

The Bedford County Court House, built by Solomon Filler between 1828 and 1829 at a $7,500 cost, equally exudes originality, particularly in its tower-installed clock, which had to be hand-wound after a vigorous climb until it was electrified in 1975, and its two internal, self-supporting, circular staircases which lead to the second floor, portrait-lined courtroom. The pair of columns characterizing its façade, later donated by Filler himself, represents God on the left and justice on the right.

The Man on the Monument, located at the intersection of Juliana and Penn streets, was erected in 1890 to honor the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Civil War, incorporating the more than 20,000 pennies school children had collected for it. It was moved to its present location in 1957.

Behind it is the site of the city’s first courthouse and jail, constructed of blue limestone between 1774 and 1775.

One of the most significant structures-so much so, in fact, that it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1984-is the Espy House. Owned by Colonel and Mrs. David Espy, it served as George Washington’s headquarters during the 1794 Whisky Rebellion, in which Western Pennsylvania farmers protested the excise tax imposed on the alcohol by Secretary of Treasury Hamilton. Thwarted by Washington’s 13,000-strong Federal Army, which had claimed the surrounding expanses for its own overnight accommodation, it marked the first and only time that a US president had commanded an army in the field.

Dispersing into the hills by October, the rebels demonstrated defeat.

The National House, opening its doors to weary travelers as a hotel for almost its entire existence, was strategically located on Forbes Road, which is now designated “Pitt Street.”

Built, like the Court House, by Solomon Filler, the Anderson House stands on land acquired from state-namesaked William Penn and was used as a medical office at its front and the Allegheny Bank of Pennsylvania at its back. It served as the only such public depository between Pittsburgh and Chandersburg.

Fort Bedford Museum:

The original fort’s importance was short-lived and the site of only one historically significant event: attempting to release the prisoners held there, James Smith and his Black Boys captured it on September 17, 1769, but after the French and Indian War, its garrison had already been reduced to a paltry 12, and by 1775, when the frontier had moved to Pittsburgh, it quickly spiraled into a state of disrepair.

In order to celebrate Bedford’s bicentennial, a blockade-style structure, formed by logs and chinking, rose from the site of the original fort 200 years after it had been built, in 1958, still perched on a bluff overlooking the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River. A section of its north wall was added in 2006, adjacent to what is now the Fort Bedford Museum.

Subdivided into a main gallery, a transportation room, a rear gallery, a mezzanine, and a gift shop, the blockhouse building internally exudes Western Pennsylvania’s New Frontier atmosphere, displaying some of the 2,000 artifacts in its collection, inclusive of Native American implements, civilian and military objects, household items, flintlock riffles, antique hand tools, 19th-century women’s clothing, a Civil War cannon, a Conestoga wagon, a stoneware crock, documents signed by the Penn family, and a Bedford Springs Resort ledger displaying President Buchanan’s signature.

Its focal point is a large-scale model of the original fort depicting Forbes Road, the Juniata River, and its surrounding area. But, perhaps the rarest piece in the collection is an original, 1758 flag. A gift to British forces at still-designated Fort Raystown from England’s Fourth Duke of Bedford, the hand-sewn, red silk satin damask flag, sporting a 23- by 24-inch union jack canton on its upper, left corner, prompted the fort’s renaming to Bedford at the end of 1758 in his honor. Although no evidence exists as to whether this was its official one, that had hung in the Officer’s Quarters and was only displayed during special occasions.
Nevertheless, patriots from a British officer seized it when freedom from English rule, expressed as the Declaration of Independence, traveled by word of mouth to Bedford.

The museum’s example is the only known British Red Fly to have survived from the French and Indian War.

Old Bedford Village:

The Fort Bedford Museum offers only a single taste of the town’s past. But the more than 40 original and reproduced log, frame, and stone structures comprising Old Bedford Village enable the visitor to step into the shoes of citizens past and walk their paths, interpreting the early pocket of Pennsylvania life preserved here.

A drive through the Claycomb Covered Bridge and a brief pass through the Welcome Center returns him to Pennsylvania’s dawn as a colony, where horse-clomping carriages are pulled over gravel paths, plumes of smoke spiral from log cabin chimneys, people wear period dress, and the sounds of striking metal reverberate from the blacksmith shop.

The village offers several examples of era dwellings. The Biddle House, for instance, is a two-story log structure originally built a few miles away in Dutch Corner, and is one of the earliest within the complex. Its V-shaped, double fireplace provided both heat and a method for cooking.

A hybrid of dwellings, the Kegg-Blasko House next door incorporates the remnants of a structure built by Thomas Kinton in 1768 and James Heydon in 1790, both located in Bedford County.

An 1802 deed identifies the village’s Semanek House as “the log mansion,” which originally stood in the village of Ryot in West St. Clair Township. It employed now almost-extinct chestnut in its construction.

The Williams Cabin is typical of the shacks most first-generation settlers lived in until time and establishment enabled them to construct more substantial ones, while the contrastive Anderson Victorian House, assembled from Anandale Hotel lumber, evokes its namesaked Victorian period.

Two schools are represented: the Kniseley School, of standard configuration, was constructed near Pleasantville in 1869 and used until the 1930s, while the appropriately-named 8 Square School, an octagonal building created in 1851 by Nat Hoover in East St. Clair Township, tended to be frequented by children of wealthier families.

There are numerous shops and services where costumed citizens still practice original methods. The Ice Cream Parlor features 17th-century cottage style construction and Feather’s Bakery, believed to have been built by William Nichols in 1808, still produces purchasable baked goods in its ovens as the “Old Bedford Village Bakery,” as evidenced by the aromas escaping from its opened door. Light lunches can equally be enjoyed in the dark, wooden-booth-provisioned interior of the Pendergrass Tavern, whose original counterpart had been located just outside the walls of Fort Bedford in the 1750s.

Other life necessities from the period were obtainable from the Chandler (candles), Furry’s Basket Shop, the Cooper Shop (barrels and casks), the General Store and Post Office, the Old Bedford Village Press, Bedford County Rifles, the Carriage Shop, Fisher’s Pottery, the Whitesmith (tin), and the Broom Shop.
Human power propelled all of the village’s machinery, as indicated by the foot-pedaled laith and bicycle-resembling jigsaw in Hemings Furniture and Wood Shop, and in Antonson Blacksmithing, where the tools necessary for many other period crafts took shape, including the very shoes needed to run the day’s engine-the horse.

The village also took care of man’s improper, earthly behavior in the jail, which represents the type used prior to 1800 in a county seat, and ensured that his Heavenly soul would not go ashtray in the Christ Church, a replica of the 1806 Union Church which is made of logs and still stands west of Schellsburg.

Educational programs, employing the village’s rich resources and entailing craft making, teach, depict, and demonstrate 18th- and 19th-century Pennsylvania life by means of quilting, candle dipping, coopering, blacksmithing, basket making, spinning, wheat weaving, leather working, tin smithing, broom making, Maize Pappouse doll making, and buggy riding in a series of classes, lectures, and tours. Village-made arts and crafts are purchasable in the Welcome Center’s gift shop.

Seasons and holidays mark special events, such as colonial crafts exhibits; festivals with historical customs, costumes, and cuisine; gunfights with muzzle loading; Civil and French and Indian War reenactments; Old West weekends; murder mystery evenings; pumpkinfests; and Old Fashioned Christmases, which see the village aglow with candle lanterns.

Bedford Springs Resort:

Bedford’s many important houses and forts enable the visitor to glimpse its history, but the Bedford Springs Resort enables him to live it.

Although the original Bedford Fort and Broad Top Mountain-discovered coal had attracted people to the area, there had been one other important draw: mineral springs.

As far back as 1796, Dr. John Anderson discovered what Native Americans had long known-namely, that drinking and bathing in the water from the area’s seven chalybeat, limestone, sulfur, and sweat springs produced both restorative and curative results. Incorporating these otherwise cost-free remedies in his own medical practice, he elected to purchase the 2,200 acres surrounding them and construct his own home on them. But his privacy in this idyllic spot was short-lived.

Traveling to Cumberland, Maryland, and then making the final 21-mile trek to Bedford by horse and wagon, a growing number of visitors was drawn to the area in search of the springs’ curative powers, and Dr. Anderson initially accommodated them in impromptu tents, preparing customized prescriptions based upon individual health requirements. Bathing facilities took form in 1802.

But the unquenchable thirst quickly demanded replacement of the temporary tents with more permanent-and area-indicative-accommodations–in the form of the Stone Inn four years later, whose very building blocks, like the waters, were freely provided by the springs-adjacent mountain and oxen-hauled down its sides. Permanent in location, it was only temporary in fulfilling its purpose, as the number of guests exerting demand for it quickly exceeded its capacity.

According to a travelogue written by Joshua Galpin in 1809, when the Stone House had already been joined by Crackford and a precursor to Evitt House, the facilities included a “large frame lodging house and several smaller ones for families-warm and cold baths and a billiard room.”

The Swiss building and others quickly rose from the once edificeless expanse.

Increasingly known for its comfortable accommodations, cuisine, and activities emphasizing its natural surroundings, it consistently attracted guests from industrializing eastern seaboard cities, as well as a growing list of wealthy, prominent dignitaries. Future US President and Pennsylvania native James Buchanan, for instance, first visited Bedford Springs in 1821 and would eventually spend 40 summers there, dubbing it his “Summer White House.” In 1848, James K. Polk became one of ten sitting presidents to stay there, followed by Taylor, Taft, Polk, Harding, and Eisenhower, among others, along with nine Supreme Court justices and countless celebrities. Buchanan himself received the first transatlantic cable, sent by England’s Queen Victoria, at the resort ten years later.

Travel to Bedford was greatly eased in 1872 when rail access connected the growing area with powerhouses such as Philadelphia, Washington, and New York for the first time.

Developing into one of America’s grand resorts during the end of the 19th century, it appropriately reflected the period’s golden age with spring houses, bridges, gates, and trails, and the transatlantic cable was to serve as only the first of many resort-associated innovations: it introduced one of the country’s first golf courses, designed by Spencer Oldham, in 1895, for example, and it was followed a decade later by the first indoor, mineral spring-fed pool, complete with a solarium and hydrotherapy rooms.

Although medical advances tipped the scales away from the Bedford Spring’s original purpose, its reputation as a luxurious resort serving a prestigious clientele was firmly entrenched in the area which had created it-so much so, in fact, that a central colonnade now connected the main dining room with a columned pavilion at Magnesia Springs across Schober’s Run.

Its role, still maintaining a luxurious touch, shifted between 1941 and 1943 when the US Navy, occupying the resort, trained some 7,000 sailors in radio operations, and it then served as a detention center for almost 200 Japanese diplomats captured in Germany during World War II until they were exchanged for American prisoners-of-war held in Asia.

Modern influences were again exerted in the 1950s with the installation of environmental control and sprinkler systems.

Inevitably, popularity wrestled with purpose. Travel trends shifted and, despite having been designated a National Historic Landmark in 1984, it continued to decline until it was closed two years later. A subsequent flood wreaked havoc on its 200-year-old wooden walls.

But Bedford Springs Partners, still detecting its glimmer of glory, purchased the once grand dame of properties for $8 million, subjecting it to a massive, $120 million restoration to resurrect and return it to its 1905 golden age guise and reopening its doors on July 12, 2007 after an eighth mineral spring had intermittently been discovered. After a secondary acquisition two years later, it was renamed the “Omni Bedford Springs Resort and Spa.””

Its self-proclaimed mission is to “open history’s door.”

Located in the Allegheny Mountain region of south-central Pennsylvania, and overlooking Cumberland Valley, the Bedford Springs Resort is accessed by driving down a small, return-to-history hill to a sanctuary preserved in time, and then passing the white, porch-lined façade of a sprawling mansion. Negotiating manicured lawns and formal gardens amid the audible trickles of streams and springs, the visitor enters the circular driveway, which approaches the dual-story, brick, ante-bellum Colonnade. Aside from being a National Historic Landmark, the resort is both a Triple-A four-diamond property and ranks as one of the Historic Hotels of America.

Serving as the core of connectivity to the mixture of adjoining building styles, the Colonnade itself houses the guest reception adorned with an original, 39-star American flag; the lobby; the location of the daily, complementary afternoon tea service; and the staircase leading to the ballroom. One of its wings leads to the Stone Inn with its Frontier Tavern and 1796 Room restaurants, while the other leads past the Crystal Room Restaurant, through the library, past the Che Sara Sara snack stand, the indoor pool, and the shop-lined corridor to the spa.

The resort’s 216 rooms and four suites, located in either the Historic or new Spa Wing, are seeped in history and tradition, yet offer modern luxury, with authentic patterns and textures, marble floors and vanities in their bathrooms, Egyptian linens, and authentic, bygone-era reminiscent walking sticks.

There are several restaurants.

The Crystal Room, for example, had formerly served as the Music Room and had also been used as the Ladies’ Parlor. Renovated in 1905 during the resort’s grand campaign, it replaced the considerably sized facility upstairs, which then became the Colonnade Ballroom. Now featuring a screen of classic Doric columns on either side, it sports original, name-reflective crystal chandeliers; gilt-framed mirrors; Victorian, round-back chairs; four hues of blue; a rotisserie; an exhibition kitchen; a 1,500-bottle wine cellar; and a collection of guest photographs taken between 1892 and 1898. It opens on to the private Daniel Webster Room.

The Frontier Tavern, located in the hotel’s Stone Inn section, had been a stagecoach stop from which the Bedford Spring’s earliest guests had been wagon-transported to the original tavern three miles away for dinner. Adorned with period artifacts, such as a bear trap, tools, a wood stove, and colorful crockery, it also sports a bar and billiard table.

The 1796 Room, also located in the Stone Inn section, reflects the very year that Dr. John Anderson first purchased the Bedford Springs property and exudes this 18th-century atmosphere with a steaks-and-chops, American colonial menu, which also includes choices such as bison, venison, rabbit, wild boar, quail, game pie, and mountain trout.

The mineral spring-fed indoor pool, returned to its 1905 appearance, sports the orchestra pit from which guests had been entertained more than a century ago.

The 30,000-square-foot Springs Eternal Spa includes wet and dry treatment rooms, aromatherapy, massages, facials, a garden, and a boutique, with actual mineral springs water used in all treatments.

The conference center is two-thirds its size, at 20,000 square feet.

The 18-hole, “Old Course”-designated golf course, reflecting the 1923, Donald Ross-designed rendition, is the third such creation after that of Spencer Oldham in 1895 and the intermittent, nine-hole, A. W. Tillinghast version of 1912.

Aside from golfing, the Bedford Springs Resort offers a considerable array of activities, including indoor and outdoor swimming, hiking and bicycling on 25 miles of trails, fishing in a gold-medal trout stream, kayaking, river rafting, and cross-country skiing, and hosts a wide range of functions, from reunions to horse-and-carriage weddings.