Internet Archive

One of the best websites out there is the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/index.php).  I frequently visit it it for personal and professional reasons.

I the fun side are the thousands of movies available to watch and download.  And these are regular feature films plus documentaries and educational films.  Good stuff.

To continue fun are the thousands of songs.  If you are a Dead Head, visit the 13,000 concerts found at this link.

But these are just on the tip of the iceberg when you consider the texts available.  I have found several old books, that are out of print, for my research.  Additionally there are maps and atlases on the site.

Finally, there is the wayback machine that lets you see what a web page looked like 10 years ago.  This is especially useful for sites that are no longer online.

They note for example:

"The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, the print disabled, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge.
....

As our web archive grew, so did our commitment to providing digital versions of other published works. Today our archive contains:

330 billion web pages
20 million books and texts
4.5 million audio recordings (including 180,000 live concerts)
4 million videos (including 1.6 million Television News programs)
3 million images
200,000 software programs"

Long story short, consider donating something to the Internet Archive.  Even $5 will help keep this free library open for all.

Government Shutdown stops Appalachian Trail volunteers too.

"While the Park Service is shut down, there is no insurance coverage for injuries to volunteers or liability protection should the work you do result in injury to others.

A.T. maintainers and Trail club volunteers should cease work on the A.T. and its side trails immediately. The NPS Volunteers in the Parks (VIP) program (on NPS and where extended for coverage on some state lands) is suspended. The Volunteers in the Forests (VIF) program is also suspended. In the event of an accident, lack of those protections would expose A.T. workers, their clubs, and ATC to tort claims and medical costs. Therefore, all A.T. maintenance must cease for the duration of the shutdown. Except for NPS-APPA staff, Acting Chief Ranger Carin Farley, all APPA park personnel have been furloughed, as have most of the staff in the six national park units crossed by the Trail." 

That is the official word. 

Peace on Earth

Let's make this the goal every day, OK?

Communitas in Liminallty

Liminality continued....

During this liminal period, Turner (1969), noted the formation of a community called
communitas. This refers to the realization of a social bond between strangers who, regardless of
their individual backgrounds, temporarily find that they have a common goal during the liminal
phase. In the historic ritualized experience, they are also beholden to the elders, so this bond
develops among the individuals that break down the norms of society and the differentiation
between classes. All are now equal as they face the unknown of the future.

Communitas are also found in tourist groups where social inhibitions are loosened (Campo and
Ryan, 2008; Lett, 1983; Yarnal & Kerstetter, 2005). Night time entertainment in urban centers is
a good example where social norms are relaxed (Campo & Ryan, 2008). Typically these districts
attract a younger clientele who are fearless. Lett (1983) found yacht tourism in the British Virgin
Islands yields freedom to behave beyond the standards of normal accepted life. The communitas
formed during this ludic experience is both fun, freely created and liminal.

In challenging experiences this bond becomes not only important, but essential.

Liminality in Tourism

Tourism scholars have explored liminality for over thirty years (Andrews & Roberts, 2012; Brooker & Joppe, 2014; Crouch, 2000; Lett 1983; Light 2009; Preston-Whyte, 2004; Pritchard, & Morgan, 2006; Varley, 2011). A degree of the unknown is evident in the experience, especially given the hint of death (Andrews & Roberts, 2012). The breadth and depth of understanding the transitional period of travel is an important one to understand since it has a great potential impact on the overall encounter for the visitor.

Challenging us, Preston-Whyte (2004:249) states “(l)iminality is an elusive concept.” Easily recognized, but a challenge to explain, Thomassen (2009) even goes to suggest that the concept does not and cannot explain.  Given that liminality has become as Downey and others (2016:3) call the “catch-all expression for an ambiguous, transitional, or interstitial spatio-temporal dimensions” here we are challenged with defining it under those restraints.  

What does liminality in tourism mean to you?

Volcanism in Costa Rica

Volcanoes are pretty neat.  While they destroy things, from a safe distance volcanoes are wonderful examples of the dynamic world.

To find your favorite volcano, see SI.

And some cool ('er hot) webcams here. and here.