Quality Entertainment with Starman

no, not that Starman, but the real good one that you can catch a glimpse into with this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM3s-abWLSc.

Wikipedia notes "Super Giant (スーパージャイアンツ Sūpā Jaiantsu^?, literally translated as "Super Giants") is a fictional Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced by Shintoho Company, Ltd. (the non-union branch of Toho). He is also known in Japan as Giant of Steel (鋼鉄の巨人 Kōtetsu no Kyojin^?), is known in America asStarman, and known in France as Spaceman."

Anybody with bad guys looking like the picture can't be all that bad!

Travel jobs Pros and Cons

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs as a travel agent are declining.

Travel agents n=105,300, projected change from 2008-2018 n=-1,200, percent change = -1%

Why? Demand for the services of travel agents is expected to decline with the increasing ability of travelers to arrange their own trips online. But demand for some specialized services is expected to grow. Job seekers with formal training should have the best opportunities.

What is the good news?

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks n=230,200, projected change from 2008-2018 n=31,500, percent change = 14%

Faster than average growth. As the economy improves, travel is expected to increase and developers are expected to open more hotels. Job prospects for these clerks should be favorable.

What other jobs are growing? Airline pilots, drivers. Just check out the bls.gov website!

Cool Virtual Tourism Site

check out the panoramic views available at http://www.360cities.net/

a great way to explore the world from your PC!

Yuu can almost smell the sulfur at http://www.360cities.net/map#lat=13.83083&lng=-61.05969&name=st-lucia-soufriere&zoom=14

(or look at my picture)

Have you backed up your computer today, this week, ever?

One way I back up files is email the file to myself. I mean, I got at least 5 different email accounts. But what do you do if you need to back up all your class files, the PowerPoints, Excel and Word documents?

I don't have an external drive but do burn CD's or DVD's every once in a while. These are only write once media, but the price is cheap and I can store the disks at either my home or school office, in the Safe Deposit box for really important stuff and even mail the disks to a family member for safe keeping.

The point is.....back up your work!

thinking about my summer film series

The mild weather this past week has got me thinking about our summer film series in the backyard. It is our tenth season showing 16mm films.

I am also thinking about showing a film on campus and use it as a food drive for the local pantry. I will need some help with this and I am thinking about a Thursday night in April.

What about Reefer Madness?

Mass Open Space and Recreation Plans

So, these town recreation plans not only feed information into the state's recreation Supply and Demand Inventory, but they help with the local recreation provision and protection. Further, these studies can guide funding opportunities to get the matching money offered by the Commonwealth by the Community Preservation Act (CPA).

Gosh, there is reason for recreation planning!

Steward Udall passes

On Saturday 20 March 2010, one of the nation’s greatest environmentalists passed away. Stewart Udall is best known for his tireless work protecting our nation's natural resources. His work under two presidents as Secretary of the Interior in the sixties led to the protection of millions of acres of land across the country.

He was responsible for spearheading several Acts of Congress including Clear Air, Water Quality and Clean Water Restoration Acts and Amendments, the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the Land and Water Conservation [Fund] Act of 1965, the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, the National Trail System Act of 1968, and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.

Sweet Potato Queen Parade this weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend? Are you near Jackson Mississippi? Well head on down to the Hilton for a blast. Never heard of the Sweet Potato Queen? Click on the title of this blog to be taken to a wild and crazy woman, Jill Conner Browne. And read her books.

It is a fundraising event for a local children's hospital so there is a serious side to partying.

Me, I am home with Biscuit grading Recreation Geography midterms. (yeah, I know, break out the violins).

Flight Tracking

I use flightaware.com to track flights now. It is useful to estimate the time I need to leave home and travel to BDL. Since the airport is 18 miles away, I can figure out when to leave based on the estimated time of arrival for returning flights.

But for right now I am tracking AA3873 from Bradley to Chicago. My wife is over Lake Michigan as I type this.

top 10 Spring Break Destinations

Ok

here is my top ten destinations for college students:

10. Working at home to earn money for school

9. Backpacking somewhere on a trail

8. Some ski resort to get that last bit of snow before it all melts

7. Orlando, Fl, where the kiddies can't go since they are still in school

6. Las Vegas, since a $29 room and $4 buffet can't be beat

5. Habitat for Humanity Project

4. South Padre Island since everything is big in Texas

3. Jamaica, Red Stripe and ganja

2. Acapulco, for all the west coast students that don't want to get mugged in Tijuana

1. Cancun, since after poor season last year due to the Swine Flu scare, Hurricane damage and the crappy economy, Mexico can't be beat.

Ticks Suck

Here it is, the middle of March and we have had ticks out for two weeks. What is this? Found one crawling on my neck this afternoon after walking Biscuit. Poor Biscuit.

Butler's tourism life cycle

This is a wonderful illustration of Butler's Tourism Life Cycle Model (1980).

Note how visitation grows in the early stages and then may level off before advancing to the next stage of the cycle. I got the image from www.fao.org.

Do you see how this might apply to any recreation site? How might marketing change the flow? What elements of time contribute to the model?

what's all this about SCORPS?

State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans

SCORP

Got it?

Review the Mass Scorp at
www.mass.gov/Eoeea/docs/eea/dcs/massoutdoor2006.pdf

hint hint

Hints for the Recreation Geography midterm

hmmm, did the title get your attention? Well for the 37 students in GARP0218, hopefully it did.



First hint tonight is to review the postings on RecreationGeography.Blogspot.com. Yep, you are bound to find some useful stuff that might appear on Thursday.



Can I narrow it down a bit more? Yep, just check out a blog posted since the beginning of the semester; that'll cut out about ten months! And maybe the photo is a hint?

And finally, remember there are websites on the course syllabus to read.

Virtual Tourism in Belize

ahhhhh,

Can you imagine a warm beach, friendly people, ancient ruins and fresh fresh fruits and veggies.

Anyone in the high latitudes is getting a hint at Spring today with mild temps melting away the snow. I love to go to the Caribbean or Central America every winter to break away, for at least a week or two.

So for those who can't get away, we have the Internet to thank to virtually visit any destination in the world.

See the paper written during the early years of the Internet:

Bristow, R. 1999. Virtual Tourism: The Ultimate Ecotourism. Tourism Geographies 1(2):219-25.

Sardinia, Italy

This is a fascinating island 100 miles or so off the west coast of Italy. While I have not seen the pyramids of Egypt or Angkor Wat in Cambodia, I have seen the Mayan temples in Belize.

For old stuff, see the Nuraghi in Sardinia. The photo shows the Tombs of the Giant (early Bronze Age or about 2,000 BC).

When you think about old stuff here in the New World, you are talking maybe 500 years. These ruins are 4,000 years old!

Best Landscaped Sewer in the Country

yep, that is what they used to call the Connecticut River. But now it is a Class B river, good enough to swim in. Want more information? See the CT River Joint Commission at
crjc.org.

Do you have a favorite stretch of river that you like to visit?

See also this journal article:

Mullens, J.B. and R. S. Bristow. 1003. Overcoming the Nation's Best Landscaped Sewer: Recreators' Perception of the Connecticut River. Journal f the American Water Resources Association. 38(1) 7-15.