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OLE! SENIORS CHOOSING NURSING HOMES IN MEXICO

Article by 10x Marketing

As millions of baby boomers reach retirement age and U.S. health care costs soar, Mexican nursing home managers expect more American seniors to head south in coming years.

Mexico’s proximity to the USA, low labor costs and warm climate make it attractive, although residents caution that quality of care varies greatly in an industry that is just getting off the ground there.

Here’s more:

After Jean Douglas turned 70, she realized she couldn’t take care of herself anymore. Her knees were giving out, and winters in Bandon, Oregon, were getting harder to bear alone. Douglas was shocked by the high cost and impersonal care at assisted living facilities near her home. After searching the Internet for other options, she joined a small but steadily growing number of Americans who are moving across the border to nursing homes in Mexico, where the sun is bright and the living is cheap.

For ,300 a month–a quarter of what an average nursing home costs in Oregon–Douglas gets a studio apartment, three meals a day, laundry and cleaning service, and 24-hour care from an attentive staff, many of whom speak English. She wakes up every morning next to a glimmering mountain lake, and the average annual high temperature is a toasty 79 degrees. “It is paradise,” says Douglas, 74. “If you need help living or coping, this is the place to be. I don’t know that there is such a thing back (in the USA), and certainly not for this amount of money.”

An estimated 40,000 to 80,000 American retirees already live in Mexico, many of them in enclaves such as San Miguel de Allende or the Chapala area, says David Warner, a University of Texas public affairs professor who has studied the phenomenon. There are no reliable data on how many are living in nursing homes, but at least five such facilities are on Lake Chapala.

“You can barely afford to live in the United States anymore,” said Harry Kislevitz, 78, of New York City. A stroke victim, he moved to a convalescent home on the lake’s shore two years ago and credits the staff with helping him recover his speech and ability to walk. “Here you see the birds, you smell the air, and it’s delicious,” Kislevitz said. “You feel like living.”

Many expatriates are Americans or Europeans who retired here years ago and are now becoming more frail. Others are not quite ready for a nursing home but are exploring options such as in-home health care services, which can provide Mexican nurses at a fraction of U.S. prices.

Retirement homes are relatively new in Mexico, where the aging seniors usually live with family. There is little government regulation. Some places have suddenly gone bankrupt, forcing American residents to move. Some Mexican homes have rough edges, such as peeling paint or frayed sofas, that would turn off many Americans.

“I don’t think they’re for everyone,” said Thomas Kessler, whose mother suffers from manic depression and lives at a home in Ajijic. “But basically, they’ve kept our family finances from falling off a cliff.”

Residents such as Richard Slater say they are happy in Mexico. Slater came to Lake Chapala four years ago and now lives in his own cottage at the Casa de Ancianos, surrounded by purple bougainvillea and pomegranate trees.

He has plenty of room for his two dogs and has a little patio that he shares with three other American residents. He gets 24-hour nursing care and three meals a day, cooked in a homey kitchen and served in a sun-washed dining room. His cottage has a living room, bedroom, kitchenette, bathroom and a walk-in closet.

For this Slater pays 0 a month, less than one-tenth of the going rate back home in Las Vegas. For another 0 a year, he gets full medical coverage from the Mexican government, including all his medicine and insulin for diabetes.

“This would all cost me a fortune in the United States,” said Slater, a 65-year-old retired headwaiter.

On a recent afternoon, lunch at the Casa de Ancianos consisted of vegetable soup, beet salad, Spanish rice, baked dogfish stuffed with peppers, garlic bread and a choice of four cakes and two Jell-O salads. Slater’s neighbor doesn’t like Mexican food, so a nursing home employee cooks whatever she wants on a stove beside her bed.

Like many retirees, Slater has satellite television, so he doesn’t miss any American news or programs. When he wants to see a movie or go shopping downtown, the taxi ride is only or . Guadalajara, a culturally rich city of four million people, is just 30 miles away.

For medical care, Slater relies on the Mexican Social Security Institute, or IMSS, which runs clinics and hospitals nationwide and allows foreigners to enroll in its program even if they never worked in Mexico or paid taxes to support the system. He recently had gallbladder surgery in an IMSS hospital in Guadalajara, and he paid nothing.

Many of the nursing home employees speak English, and so does Slater’s doctor.

The Casa de Ancianos began accepting foreigners in 2000 as part of an effort to raise extra money, director Marlene Dunham said. It built the cottages especially for the Americans and uses the income received from them to subsidize the costs of the 20 Mexican residents at the home.

The program was so successful that the nursing home has plans for 12 more cottages, a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi and a gazebo with picnic area. The nursing home now advertises on the Internet and through pamphlets distributed in town. Some U.S. companies have also begun investing in assisted living facilities in Mexico, said Larry Minnix, president of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, which represents 5,800 nursing homes and related services.

However, Minnix cautioned that lax government regulation poses dangers at smaller homes.

“It’s the same danger you have of going across the border looking for cheap medications,” Minnix said. “If you don’t know what you’re getting, and you’re not getting it from people you trust, then you’ve got an accident waiting to happen.”

Since many nursing homes are run out of private homes, regulation by state health departments is often spotty. Managers such as Beverly Ward of Casa Nostra and Maura Funes of El Paraiso, both in Ajijic, said that Mexican officials inspect them only once a year, unlike U.S. inspectors, who may visit a home several times a year.

The U.S. Embassy said it had no record of complaints against Mexican nursing homes, but some residents in the Lake Chapala area reported bad experiences at now-defunct homes.

The first home that Jean Douglas lived in after she moved from Oregon was staffed by “gossips and thieves,” she said. It went out of business. Irene Chiara of Los Angeles also lived in a home that was shut down by Jalisco state authorities.

“It was filthy, and the food was very bad. It was all made in the microwave,” she said.

Some Mexican managers also underestimate the costs and difficulty of running a retirement home. Two hotels turned into assisted living facilities, The Spa in San Miguel de Allende and The Melville in the Pacific Coast city of Mazatl?n, recently abandoned the business, their managers said.

“It was very expensive to run it,” said Luis Terán, manager of The Melville. Some managers said they were especially selective when admitting foreign residents, to make sure they’ll be able to pay. Medicare, Medicaid, the Department of Veterans Affairs and most U.S. insurance companies will not cover care or medicine as long as patients are outside the USA.

Some American residents said they had doubts about the quality of Mexican medical facilities and would go back to the USA if they became seriously ill. Jim May, 74, a resident of the Casa de Ancianos, said he recently decided to move to Texas to be closer to Veterans Affairs hospitals.

The language barrier can be daunting, and Mexican food can be very different, some residents said.

Some residents said they miss home and find it hard to make friends with Mexican residents. “It’s a very nice place, but it’s lonesome,” said Polly Coull, 99, of Seminole, Fla., a resident at Alicia’s Convalescent Nursing Home in Ajijic.

Mexican entrepreneurs are doing their best to prepare for a tide of Americans. In the Baja Peninsula town of Ensenada, the Residencia Lourdes opened in 2003, offering care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia. The towns around Lake Chapala have at least five small retirement homes. Most of them opened in the last five years and house from one to 25 foreigners. The largest, Alicia’s Convalescent Nursing Home, consists of four renovated homes, one of them specializing in stroke victims and another for Alzheimer’s patients. Prices range from ,000 to ,500 a month and include everything except medicine and adult diapers. The rooms are outfitted in Mexican style, with murals, hand-carved beds, arched ceilings lined with brick and individual patios.

In other American enclaves, in-home healthcare services have sprung up to serve the retirees. In Rosarito, just south of the U.S. border, INCARE provides nursing aides to retirees starting at .33 an hour, less than half the cost of the same service in nearby San Diego.

Developers of independent living facilities for seniors are also beginning to look to Mexico. A Spanish-U.S. venture is building Sensara Vallarta, a 250-unit condominium complex aimed at Americans age 50 and older in the Pacific Coast resort of Puerto Vallarta. And in the northern city of Monterrey, El Legado is marketing itself as a “home resort” for seniors.

Academics and government officials are beginning to take notice. In March, the University of Texas at Austin held a forum for developers, hospital officials, insurance companies and policymakers to discuss health care for retirees in Mexico.

“With the right facilities in place, Mexico could give (American retirees) a better quality of life at a better price than they could find in the United States,” says Flavio Olivieri, a member of Tijuana’s Economic Development Council, which is seeking funding from Mexico’s federal government to build more retirement homes, including senior apartments. “We think this could be a very good business as these baby boomers reach retirement age,” he says.

About the Author

Source: Great Places.

Bathroom Hidden Camera,Remote Control 720P HD Waterproof Spy Camera DVR 16GB Hidden Waterproof Spy Radio (Motion Ativated)

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The Las Vegas Strip is teeming with Spidermen, Elmos and Elvis Presleys of all waistlines.

Nevada’s woeful economy has inspired dozens of jobless and under-employed men and women to dress up like celebrities, movie characters and cartoon heroes in pursuit of a buck. In the past year, fat and fit Elvises, as well as would-be Homer Simpsons, Mad Hatters, and Batmen, have set up shop on bustling sidewalks across this city of vice and excess, offering tourists the chance to pose for a snapshot with someone who kind of looks famous.

The gratuity-driven performances have created tension between Las Vegas’ mighty gambling industry and free-speech advocates who defend the constitutional rights of adults in spandex pants, rainbow wigs and foam muscles.

Casino titans, and government officials who understand where their tax revenue comes from, have eyed the street performers with alarm and, at times, called in police intervention. The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip allegedly detained a man dressed like Zorro last year after he posed for a tourist’s camera on a public sidewalk bordering the hotel-casino. More recently, the city council relaxed its restrictions on street performers because of legal threats.

“Sometimes the mentality is what’s good for the casinos is what’s good for Las Vegas, and there is a tendency to forget we are in the United States,” said Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union in Nevada. “The Constitution protects expressive activity.”

Lichtenstein is representing Zorro, legally known as Jason Perez-Morciglio, in a lawsuit against the Venetian. The lawsuit contends Perez-Morciglio was walking in his Zorro garb across Las Vegas Boulevard last year when a passer-by asked for a picture with him and to hold his sword.

Venetian security guards allegedly responded by detaining the Zorro lookalike and having him arrested for trespassing. The Venetian’s legal team claims the Zorro was trying to sell knives without a vendor license.

Sidewalk performers are not unique to Las Vegas. Creative and enterprising panhandlers are as common as hot-dog stands in urban centers across the nation.

What makes the ubiquitous players along the Las Vegas Strip noteworthy is how swiftly their numbers have grown. In a city where celebrity impersonators have long enjoyed headliner status, sidewalk showmen were mostly unheard-of before Nevada’s epic economic fall. The Silver State has led the nation in unemployment for months and, for some, street performance is a final attempt to fend off financial disaster.

“It helps pay the bills, and it lets them go home with a memory they love,” said Luis Reyes, an underemployed electrician who poses with tourists in downtown Las Vegas as KISS frontman Gene Simmons.

Reyes, 48, began his sidewalk tribute to Simmons in November after, to his surprise and frustration, his move from San Francisco to Las Vegas put him no closer to full-time employment. His homemade costume includes a studded codpiece, high-heel boots designed to look like angry dragons and a pair of leather black wings. He hopes to parlay his street hustle into a paid gig as a celebrity impersonator.

Police spokesman Bill Cassell said the performers began mushrooming on Las Vegas streets last year. They gained national attention last month after a man dressed as Batman became involved in a street tussle with a tourist near the Monte Carlo casino on the Las Vegas Strip. No one pressed charges, Cassell said, but the video of the fight circulated on social networking sites.

Pavement performers appear encouraged by a series of court rulings nationwide affirming their right to dress like SpongeBob SquarePants in public.

Most recently, a federal district court in 2009 determined that Seattle’s restrictions on street performers were unconstitutional. The case revolved around a balloon artist who opposed the city’s efforts to require all buskers to obtain permits.

The courtroom wrangling is shaping public policy.

Las Vegas for years limited what street performers could do along its bustling Fremont Street, a pedestrian mall downtown bathed in LED lights and lined with geriatric casinos.

That policy was relaxed in February after a series of court rulings determined city officials could not black-list certain people from public land. The city didn’t entirely back down. Under City Hall’s new rules, costumed characters on Fremont Street must still keep away from doors, ATMs, crosswalks and outdoor cafes.

Mayor Oscar Goodman opposed changing the ban, claiming the street performers could attract other unwanted peddlers, specifically the men and women who pass out sexually explicit leaflets on the Las Vegas Strip advertising escort services.

“I’m not mad, I’m angry,” Goodman said at the time. “I don’t like it.”

On Fremont Street on a recent weekend night, visitors did not seem to share Goodman’s concerns.

They gleefully lined up to pose for pictures with a parade of celebrity and character impersonators. There was a Wolverine from X-Men lore, a twirling Michael Jackson and at least two Captain Jack Sparrows from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The costumes ranged from the cheap polyester garments found at discount Halloween shops to elaborate homemade concoctions emboldened with handfuls of satin, lace and red fur, depending on the character.

“He sang to me,” Leticia Holmes, a 57-year-old Utah mother, boasted after posing with a crooning man dressed as Prince. Holmes also posed alongside a Rod Stewart doppelganger, noting: “My sister-in-law is going to be jealous.”

The merriment of the crowds can belie the desperation of the costumed performers who need to make rent. The impersonators cannot demand money for their services, but must strictly rely on tips.

A man who gave only his stage name as G.B. Entertainer is a 55-year-old Rick James impersonator who moved to Las Vegas 11 years ago with dreams of starring in a celebrity impersonation show. Entertainer claimed he began hustling on Fremont Street last year after nearly all his paid gigs disappeared.

Impersonation jobs are increasingly limited. “American Superstars,” one of the longest-running shows in Las Vegas, closed at the Stratosphere casino in March.

As James, Entertainer said he earns in tips on his best days. When it’s slow, he might make . He poses in a red sequined suit and zebra-printed boots six nights a week.

“You’re the baddest brother on the planet,” a passing fan told Entertainer on a recent night.

But the man didn’t give Entertainer a tip. Few people do.

“I’m tired of it really, because I belong on stage,” Entertainer said as he collected a few tips. “It’s fun sometimes, but mostly it’s degrading. It’s embarrassing.”

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An open letter to the NBA: between employers and employees to stop it all step back and shut down

Article by Kusumi

David – Aldridge, NBA official website correspondent, famous basketball reporter, has worked in the ESPN, TNT, “Philadelphia Information A” office and other media, television and the official website of the current NBA reporter, sports media circles in the United States enjoys a high reputation. July 5, NBA official website he wrote the column “to the NBA players and owners a letter,” had a great response.

Darkness came. Cold front and the hot sticky air fierce collision, give birth to the gloom and doubt, so just enjoy a wonderful season and fans throughout the season, look and lament. Silence came. Horrible silence filled with indifference and dissatisfaction, noise disappeared in Miami, Los Angeles to find other people to focus, turn the whole country open channels.

Shut down, damn shut down.

Here it is, temporarily unable to get rid of. We all know that it is formed by a coalition of employers and bosses launched, they refused to accept their good agreement agreed a few years ago, is still shut down indefinitely delay the time. However, the downtime is not one thing, both parties need to listen to advise -

To employers

Dear boss:

Stop whining, do not just say you must ensure that the benefits to find a system that you have the winner of the.

Over the past 30 years, the income gap widening in the United States, you are the beneficiary. Your companies and individuals to enjoy the tax preferential policies, even if the aftermath of the financial crisis, but also your financial situation better than 99.9% of Americans. Taking into account inflation and other factors, many people in this country 30 years ago than they earn much less, and although you did not earned over the past few years, pours, but still able to bring a check for thick book home.

Yes, doing business at great risk, but you can not guarantee that the business can not lose, nothing is guaranteed – even my favorite Mala Fu family, could not be sure they are in the “Las Vegas” Las Vegas Palms Casino Rijindoujin, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban can not guarantee that his investment in film industry lose money, the sun can not be determined from the boss Sa Fuer his investment profitable routes Mesa, Gilbert knight boss Special can not be sure profit from lending operations.

1996 MCI (now known as Verizon) Center arena opened in Washington, DC, I saved some money, want to open a bar in the vicinity, or even like a good name – V. I consulted a lot of bar owners, they tell me one thing: Do not act rashly. Male reception given away free drinks, a waitress will often ask for sick leave, to honor the officers. Finally, I able to save my money, but if I did this line, if the loss, its wrong in me, nothing to do with others.

Bosses know the risks when buying the team, know the players are getting higher and higher wages, a great coach like Jackson, Popovich will not be cheap, have spent heavily to build a new arena, you not stupid, of course, well aware, to become rich is because you smarter.

Over the past 15 years, almost everything in your control. Superstar difficult for them to get the maximum contract as before, in 1994, the Bucks to the “Big Dog” Glenn Robinson unprecedented 10-year $ 68 million rookie contract has become a thing of the past, present, shorter duration of the contract, and high school students can not helicopter NBA, the last 10 years, you may be through escrow to pay the players less than 10 billion dollars.

Tang Princeton Group, $ 17 million in 1983, bought the Celtics, the son of Paul Gaston for $ 360 million in 2003 to sell the team Groesbeck, even taking into account inflation, Gaston also earn big.

I would not say, “If you play do not go on to sell the team,” so, this is absurd. I would say, “You know what you are doing.”

To labor

Dear players:

Stop whining, do not just say you do not agree with 50% revenue share.

To date, no professional player groups as you earn so much money in the past 80 years the worst economic environment you can Rijindoujin. No one wants to see their pay cut, but you have work, but tens of millions of Americans unemployed, they are willing to take a pay cut to keep working. Yes, the bosses responsible for their decisions, but if they choose wrong team boss, but to able to save their money, sold off the team, you certainly are the first people shouted their complicity .

No doubt, you are a competitor. It pays for is to see you play, but to take the financial risk is the bosses, they not only pay for your wages, but also to pay for coaches, trainers who, scouts, team managers and gatekeepers who let you take the charter money to pay for your living luxury hotels, to help you buy health insurance, you race to build the arena, increasing these costs.

You know better than anyone who stole the money, some of your teammates and opponents. Some players take the mid-level exception contract did not play their proper level, no team in the absence of sufficient depth and bench to win the case, people want to see the stars perform, their wages are astronomical, so most of the middle-class players have to make sacrifices and accept less several million dollar contract, just like my friend Tony Cohen ESPN Heather said, inflation had reduced the meat on the table.

Now the players salary has reached $ 5.7 million, unions, accounting for basketball players from the ratio of revenue from 57% to 54.3%, if the players accept a 50% share of the approach to the NBA $ 4 billion annual revenue per year will less http://www.jerseyscool.com take $ 280 million, equivalent to about bosses said they lost last season, the amount of $ 300 million, a step backward.

Even if you made some concessions, still higher than 99.5% of the world’s richest people, other 0.5% of the course, and other rich bosses.
It is composed by kusumijerseyscoolcom 07.07.2011

About the Author

NBA official website correspondent, famous soccer jerseys for sale basketball reporter, has worked in the ESPN

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Luxurious, even the phrase is silken, like wealthy chocolate on the tongue. Roll it round in your mouth, savour it, Luxury. It feels indulgent, as if saying it too much is a responsible pleasure and one only to be accomplished, all alone in a candlelit room. If words had colour this one could be a deep eggplant purple. Luxury, something we all crave, and one thing meaning different things to totally different people. One thing that we are able to all taste at least once in our lives.

To these of us not born into it, luxurious can have a really broad meaning. It may well prolong from the intense — 4 poster mattress, feather pillows, breakfast in mattress every morning, somebody operating your bath for you or checking that your bathe temperature is correct before you step in, having a therapeutic massage daily, weekly manicures and pedicures, somebody to do your grocery procuring on your, somebody to pick up the dog poop if you take the one you love walkies and that’s just the tip of the acute luxury iceberg. The listing goes on. Then there’s simple luxurious — The posh of a candlelit bubble bathtub after a tough day, the luxury of a vacation alone with your partner as your dad and mom take care of the youngsters, breakfast in mattress on mothers day and never having to do the dishes while you rise up, an unexpected, unasked for foot rub. These of us not born into luxurious in all probability have it higher than those born into it, although many won’t see it that way. The motive is as a consequence of we are ready to value the smaller gestures as luxuries, we’ve not obtained to the stage where we’d like increasingly to make us really feel particular or pampered. We’re capable of be more fulfilled and content. In theory.

The thing is whereas we do not want more, we might all like extra luxurious in our lives. And promoting in each single place panders to that desire. Purchase this, stay like that. Eat this, look that. Wear this, be like that. And folks believe it, or hope in it, so they purchase the products and their lives are for essentially the most part not miraculously changed. However they will in all probability purchase the following product anyway, hope, it can be a killer in addition to a lifesaver.

Luxury is to not be blamed for this, however. Luxury is still a very good thing. Luxury holidays are the best. Because what are holidays for if not for spoiling yourself? A luxury holiday merely takes that idea one step further. The kind of accommodation is entirely up to you. Luxurious comes in all shapes and sizes. You get luxurious hotels, apartments, villas, just about anything you presumably can imagine. If it might be lived in, it can be changed into luxury quarters match for a spoilt heiress.

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There are a number of things that every one locations that provide luxury lodging should have in common; the remainder is as a lot as them.

All bedrooms must be en suite. This isn’t negotiable. It’s not luxurious to share a toilet with one other guest. Your individual rest room is luxury. All loos must have cute little shampoo and conditioner bottles (not the cheap stuff, and we will tell if its low cost stuff) and complimentary soaps. All bedrooms will need to have tea and occasional making services; this includes complimentary tea, espresso, sugar and milk/powdered milk stuff. There should be a hair dryer. There should be a TV with the full vary of that country’s version of satellite or cable TV. It is luxury after all. Goodies on pillows or one thing related, but there needs to be one thing on the pillows at night. Workers have to be attentive and friendly and meet particular requirements if there are any. They need to even be educated concerning the city and region so as to give tourist recommendation and steering and simply to have the flexibility to chat.

Extra requirements which are optional however can be very nice include, the hosts offering a mattress and breakfast service, personal vehicles being made obtainable for buying or touring excursions, the association of particular excursions, a pc terminal out there to guests to allow them to check their emails and maybe search vacationer hot spots. The host’s first-born youngster for ritualistic cult sacrifice …

One of the best time to go on a luxury vacation is out of season or off peak. It’s reasonably inexpensive and you received’t should deal with plenty of other tourists. Prices of touristy goods must also be down a bit type their peak season highs. The perfect part is that you probably have youngsters, they’ll most likely have to stay in class so you’ll have to leave them behind with the grandparents or some trusted friends. And that is the true definition of a luxury holiday.

In current years, males’s jewellery has come into the spotlight. Years ago, Tiger Woods began sporting magnetic bracelets to apparently assist his golf game. These bracelets were titanium, steel or sterling silver and have been typically within the cuff style. Nicely, I have no idea if the bracelet improved his sport however it may have helped begin the ball rolling on the bracelet jewellery trend. Soon after, an rising quantity of professional golfers began to put on these bracelets and soon after that more and more golf enthusiasts. Not surprisingly, these enthusiasts were soon carrying their “golf” bracelets all the time. Maybe they thought that the more they wore their bracelet, the larger benefit it will have. In hindsight, I ponder if there was one thing more to the elevated reputation of those seemingly useful-only bracelets.

Years later, professional cyclist Lance Armstrong unveiled his now notorious yellow rubber “Dwell Strong” bracelet and launched his Lance Armstrong Foundation. These little yellow yet powerful bracelets had been quickly being worn by everybody from celebrities to your next door neighbor – males included. Lance’s choice of material – rubber – and colour (very gender impartial) have been in all probability key elements to their fast and widespread popularity. That is, of course, not to mention that the bracelets had been for a worthy cause and led by one among America’s favored sportsman on the time.

Nicely, a few years have handed since the Tiger Woods magnetic bracelet and the Stay Strong bracelet. Nonetheless, the jewelry designers started to take discover of the bracelet development and instantly went to work creating males’s jewellery, and in some instances whole males’s collections. Ultimately yr’s JCK jewellery commerce show in Las Vegas, a whole bunch of designers confirmed off their mens jewelry and collections. Several themes emerged from the many designers. In style materials have been sterling silver (think John Hardy Jewellery and David Yurman Jewelry and leather-based, platinum and white gold (suppose the D.Aspect assortment, accented with tiny diamonds, by Damiani), and also rubber (assume the Falco for Males assortment by Di Modolo). The rubber materials may have been impressed from the Live Strong bracelet or from the fabric now being popular strap decisions for mens sport watches. Fashionable gadgets had been bracelets, maybe due to the early pioneers of the boys’s jewellery development and pendants on sturdy chains (once more consider the D.Side assortment by Damiani). Whereas women’s jewellery has been the focal point, males can finally discover multiple luxury designers and luxurious jewellery supposed only for them with the sole goal of enhancing their style with elegant, enticing and not-too-blinged-out jewelry.

The Midtown Hotel blends comfort and convenience with affordability. Situated in the heart of Bostons historic Back Bay, The Midtown Hotel is conveniently located within walking distance to some Bostons finest dining and shopping venues, Symphony Hall, The Hynes Convention Center and Fenway Park. Offering contemporary accommodations at an affordable price, this pet-friendly hotel features: a private, courtyard enclosed, outdoor swimming pool open late May to early September, on-site garage parking, wireless internet throughout the building, and a lobby-side business center. Curb-to-door airport shuttle service is available for a modest fee. We invite you stay with us, and put Boston at your doorstep. To take advantage of our Best Rate Available guarantee, and to learn about our Value Packed Packages please visit our website at: www.midtownhotel.com
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The Role of Family and Culture in Shaping One Woman’s Decision to Return to her Zapotec Roots in San Bartolom? Quialana, Tlacolula, Oaxaca

Gloria Morales Pérez spent most of her life in Anaheim, California, living what for many Mexican immigrants is the American dream –  hard work resulting in a lifestyle that included going to the show and for Chinese food on weekends, taking the children to Disneyland, and spending the occasional evening in a Latin nightclub. But on September 23, 2010, the 25-year-old Zapotec native returned home to the tiny municipality of San Bartolomé Quialana, Tlacolula, in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca.  

 

Gloria shed her blue jeans for customary regional garb of colorful satin dress and brightly embroidered apron; left her two California jobs to spend virtually every waking hour raising her children; and gave up the anonymity of urban living together with the freedom to do as she pleased, in favour of tolerating traditional indigenous normative behavior.

 

The bright, attractive and fully trilingual (English, Spanish and Zapoteco – locally referred to as dialecto) Oaxacan,  resides with children Juan age 6 and Daniel age 3, and mother-in-law Mariana, in a one bedroom brick and cement house tucked away at the end of a spacious dirt-floored courtyard, part of an extended family compound.  Husband Benito owns this particular portion of the homestead.  He plans to also leave California, in about three months, to reunite with the rest of his family.

 

The answer to why Gloria gave it all up and returned to her cultural roots, a daunting transition for most, lies in understanding the circumstances leading to her family’s initial emigration when she was only six year old, examining the role her parents played in determining the twists and turns her life took while living in the US, delving deeper into her California lifestyle, and learning a little about San Bartolomé Quialana.

 

San Bartolomé Quialana, Tlacolula, Oaxaca

 

San Bartolomé Quialana (“San Bartolomé”) is a 10 minute drive from the city of Tlacolula de Matamoros, capital of the district of Tlacolula.  Tlacolula is noted for its Sunday market, attracting both merchants and buyers from the city of Oaxaca, as well as from towns and villages within Oaxaca’s central valleys and further beyond.  Aside from the broad array of goods available for purchase at the market, the tianguis, as it’s commonly termed, attracts tourists and Oaxacans alike because of its color and pageantry, attributable in large part to the large number of Zapotec natives in attendance from villages such as San Bartolomé, and nearby San Marcos Tlapazola, noted for production of terra cotta pottery.

 

Founded in 1422, almost 100 years before the Spanish arrived in Oaxaca, according to 2010 census statistics the village has a population of 2,471. Sixty percent is female and 40 percent is comprised of minors.  Eighty-five percent of residents over five years of age speak dialecto, most of whom also speak Spanish.  Of those 15 years of age and older, 441 are illiterate.  Of youths 6 – 14 years of age, 70 have not attended school despite the fact that the village has five schools, one of which is officially bilingual (Spanish-Zapoteco).  Half the population has not completed public school. The closest high school is in Tlacolula.

 

There are 524 households in San Bartolomé, 265 of which have dirt floors and 27 of which consist of only a single room.  Construction materials are predominantly clay brick, cement and adobe, with laminated sheet metal often used for roofing. Most but not all households have electricity and indoor plumbing. Eight residences have computers, 75 have washing machines and 413 have televisions.

 

San Bartolomé has a health clinic provided by the Mexican national health care plan (IMSS), although only 27 residents are paid participants in the broader program.  The village has a small daily marketplace, Tuesday being its official market day when vendors from a couple of surrounding villages such also ply their wares.  There are six variety stores where one can buy clothing, tacos and other simple, freshly prepared small meals, as well as packaged snacks, beverages and household goods; but residents generally do their shopping in Tlacolula. It costs only 5 pesos (about 45 cents) to there by sharing a moto taxi (tuk-tuk).

 

There is a small police force serving the municipality’s 50 square kilometres (which includes farm lands surrounding the village proper). The municipal government coexists with indigenous customary law known as usos y costumbres, not uncommon in towns and villages throughout southern Mexico.

 

The predominant economic activity of San Bartolomé residents is subsistence farming, although according to statistics less than a quarter of the population is engaged in any remunerative enterprise.  Animal husbandry and cultivating herbs, vegetables (mainly corn, beans, squash), agave (or maguey, used in the production of mezcal) and some fruit are the primary activities, supplemented by hunting.  There is also cottage industry manufacturing such as sewing and hand – embroidering as well as basketry using a bamboo – like river reed known as carrizo and hemp – like twine known as ixtle, derived from agave leaves. Production of corn – based foodstuffs for sale in Tlacolula such as tortillas, tlayudas, tamales and atole round out the list of most frequently encountered activities.  Building trades are also represented (i.e. carpentry, iron works, electrical, and of course bricklaying).

 

The Morales Pérez Family in San Bartolomé Quialana Prior to Emigration to California

 

Gloria was born in San Bartolomé on February 21, 1986.  She has three siblings.  Sister Lidia (age 21) and brother Miguel (age 26) were also born in San Bartolomé, while Miriam (age 17) was born in Anaheim. While in San Bartolomé, their mother Emilia eked out a modest existence by sewing and embroidering, and selling hand – made tortillas.  Her father Luis was never really a wage earner in the village.  He left at age 14, and returned only periodically, of course long enough to marry Emilia and father the children. 

 

Luis left the family more or less for the final time and moved to Washington  state when Gloria was three years old, becoming a documented immigrant during a period of amnesty.  He entered into a conjugal relationship with another woman, and had a child. But when word filtered back to him that his wife had “been” with another man, he returned to Oaxaca.  But in fact, someone had tried to rape Emilia, she defended herself with a knife, and the aggressor ended up in the hospital.   Luis didn’t learn the truth until arriving back in San Bartolomé.  But that was enough for Luis to make a unilateral decision to relocate his family to the US.  He selected Anaheim because San Bartolomé villagers before him had tended to migrate to Anaheim or other nearby California cities.  This pattern of emigration is extremely common in the state of Oaxaca, other Mexican states, and in fact internationally as is born out in the anthropological literature.

 

For those first six year of Gloria’s life in San Bartolomé, she grew up in a Zapoteco – only speaking household, and accordingly learned very little Spanish given the more general make – up of San Bartolomé.

 

Socialization and Education of a Young Female Oaxaca Native in Anaheim, California

 

The first couple of years for any immigrant transplanted from a foreign culture are difficult, but for Gloria life was particularly arduous.  Not only did she not know a word of English, but she lacked Spanish, a working knowledge of which would have put her in good stead for socializing with other Latin Americans, school children in particular.  In her case, however, it was family dynamics which played a more significant role than for perhaps most in her position:

 

“At that time my mother had to work two jobs, so I was responsible for looking after my younger sister, and even my older brother.  I hardly saw my mother for those first couple of years; and since my father has always been irresponsible, and a heavy drinker, he couldn’t be relied upon.  My parents were always fighting because my father was unwilling to provide for the family, in large part because of his alcoholism.”

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Luis had always found employment in the gardening and landscaping field, but his brushes with the law which landed him in jail (i.e. impaired driving) and his unwillingness to acknowledge his obligation as a major financial and emotional contributor to the family, resulted in significant challenges for Gloria, her siblings, and of course their mother.

 

Emilia was the rock of the family, often working two jobs, invariably in a hotel housekeeping capacity.  But money was still tight for the family:

 

“Occasionally we would get to go to Pizza Hut or Chuck E. Cheese, but in those years we didn’t really have the opportunity to enjoy leisure time; we would never go to the movies, out to the mall, or even for walks.”

 

Gloria enjoyed going to school and learning.  She had attainable career aspirations.  Her parents, however, played a significant role in determining whether or not Gloria would ever achieve her goals, adversely impacting on the choices available to her and how she would react to their dictates.

 

Gloria was active in extra – curricular soccer and cross country. But it was her junior army class in Grade 11, JROTC (the US federal government Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program in high schools), which motivated her the most:

 

“I really wanted to be in the army.  I liked everything about it from what I had read, and what I was learning in JROTC.  In fact I was the sergeant of my troupe.  But my parents didn’t want me to join the armed forces because it would have meant moving away.  They made it clear to me that they would refuse to sign my enrolment papers.  Had I joined, the army would have helped me with my immigration papers.” 

 

[Gloria, her husband, her mother and her Mexican – born siblings are all undocumented immigrants; only her father was "legal." However his status was revoked as a result of his criminal record, and he was deported to Tijuana.  He cleverly managed to use his earlier immigrant papers to return to California in January, 2011.]

 

Immediately after her parents had made their decision regarding the army, Gloria’s grades dropped, and she promptly became pregnant by her boyfriend Benito.  Because her pregnancy was high risk and she required early hospitalization, Gloria had to drop out of school four months shy of graduating from grade 12. 

 

Nevertheless, Gloria did not lose her motivation to achieve a career once her dream of entering the army had been dashed.  Of her own initiative she entered the North Orange County Regional Occupational Program (ROP), a career – technical training program, with a view to becoming a medical assistant.  She passed the first three – month semester, but was not permitted to continue because of her immigration status.

 

A Oaxacan Quince Añera Gets Pregnant, Married and is Finally California Dreamin’

 

Life changed dramatically after Gloria met Benito.  They initially became acquainted at her quince años celebration.  He was also born in San Bartolomé.  In Anaheim he had been living with Gloria’s aunt.  Like her father, he was employed in the gardening and landscaping field, but their similarities stopped there.  He was kind, supportive, motivated to earn a living, and as Gloria subsequently learned, a caring husband and father. 

 

By the time Gloria and Benito had met, both Gloria’s English and Spanish were excellent, but her Zapoteco had begun to wane.  She credits Benito (as well as her mother) with helping her out, as words, phrases and grammatical structures in dialecto got garbled or simply forgotten. 

 

Gloria and Benito married in Las Vegas, but subsequently had an Ahaheim church wedding.  They initially lived with her aunt, but moved in with her mother when she was six months pregnant with Juan. 

 

When the baby was 10 months old, the three of them returned to San Bartolomé for an eight week visit.  In Gloria’s 17 years in Anaheim, that was the only time she returned home for a visit.

 

When Juan was a year old, just after the family’s return to Anaheim, Gloria began working as a supermarket cashier.  She then quit in favour of taking two jobs, working at a fast food chain and at a gas station as the owner’s assistant.  She maintained both jobs for five years, earning about 0 per week, until returning to San Bartolomé, with only one brief hiatus in the interim towards the end of her pregnancy with Daniel, until he was three months old.

 

After Daniel’s birth the family moved into their own two bedroom apartment. It was the first time that the children were able to have their own bedroom, with Gloria and Benito having their own private quarters.  The family began leading what Gloria terms a middle class lifestyle.  They went out and bought themselves a car. They had three steady incomes and did not have to contribute to the living expenses of the rest of her family, particularly burdensome when her father was either not around to help out or was spending a considerable portion of his income on alcohol.

 

The couple enjoyed going dancing from time to time.  They would go out with the kids every weekend, going to the movies and then a restaurant for lunch or dinner, walking around and shopping downtown, and even spending a day at Disneyland; Gloria had friends who worked there, and accordingly she would receive free family passes from time to time. There was even disposable income available to buy modern electronics (a laptop and stereo system, for example) and the occasional special toy for Juan.

 

The Decision to Return to San Bartolomé Quialana, Oaxaca

 

As much as Calfornia dreamin’ had indeed become a reality, a subtle sense of uneasiness eventually began to weigh upon Gloria’s psyche.  Perhaps it had always been there. It wasn’t as if she had made the decision to migrate to the US and then had her dreams crushed.  In her case aspirations developed as they do with American – born children, in the school playground, watching TV, learning from teachers, classmates and their families, and even participating in a lifestyle characterized by conspicuous consumption, leisure time and recreation, albeit to a limited extent;  yet it was enough to create fantasies, more attainable than through buying lottery tickets. 

 

Gloria’s parents played a major part in stifling the realization of her career potential and thus her ultimate decision to return to San Bartolomé. 

 

Gloria opened her own doors to a future, and her parents firmly shut them.  They both refused to sign for army enrolment.  Her father’s positive immigration status, rather than at least easing the ability for Gloria to become documented and proceed with a professional career, was revoked as a result of his criminality.

 

While working two jobs was difficult, Gloria’s workplace employment significantly contributed to the ability of the family to live comfortably.  “But there [in California] you have to work, work, work to have that lifestyle,” Gloria confesses, “and here [in San Bartolomé] people don’t have to work as much to get by.”

 

After much discussion, a greater understanding emerges of why Gloria returned, a thought process through which she had apparently not previously gone.  As much as Gloria professes to having led a middle class lifestyle, by most accounts it would be considered working class, a difficult working class existence relative to life in San Bartolomé.  It bothered Gloria that in California, at least within the context of her employment at the time, “work, work, work” would never lead to home ownership and being able to literally build a future.  In San Bartolomé they can improve their own home, with much less effort, and work towards accumulating some of the material indicia of a middle class lifestyle.  In Anaheim it would always be working to pay the rent and get by, albeit with leisurely Sundays and Disneyland. 

 

That all – pervasive, anti – Mexican racist sentiment which permeates much of the US was felt be Gloria, and subtly worked on her.  Notwithstanding her immediate family’s income, her linguistic skills, and development of her social and employment networks,  while living in sunny CA there would always be a lingering sentiment of feeling out of place, removed from one’s roots and ethnicity. How it would have manifested had Gloria ended up proceeding in one or those two career options, one will never know.

 

“Benito didn’t want to go back,” Gloria admits.  “When Mexicans like us return home with our American – born children, the children tend to get sick, and as a consequence the family returns to the US,” she explains.  “Benito didn’t want to go through all that expense of coming here and then going back.”

 

In June, 2010, Gloria decided to return to San Bartolomé with their children. What had been in the recesses of her mind promptly came to the fore; she still cannot identify a precipitating event, comment or thought; the time had come.

 

Gloria arrived in Oaxaca on September 23, 2010.  Benito plans to follow, in October, 2011. He says he’ll stay for 3 – 4 years.

 

Upon Gloria leaving Anaheim with her children, her parents moved in with Benito.  The entire family subsequently moved into a different two bedroom apartment.

 

Lifestyle of an American Woman & Her American Children in San Bartolomé Quialana, Oaxaca

 

Gloria awakens to the sound of Juan’s four chickens and dog Frisky howling away in the courtyard, together with the early morning sounds of the street and her neighbors’ chatter and activities.  She feeds the children.  Their grandmother goes about her business getting her herbs and vegetables ready to take to market in Tlacolula.  Gloria, accompanied by Daniel, walks Juan to school.

 

Juan struggles with Spanish.  He grew up learning mainly English, with no Zapoteco.  Daniel, by contrast, somehow managed to master Spanish, and that remains his most comfortable speaking tongue.

 

Several extended family members live in and around the compound, and village friends and other family are in close proximity, dropping by throughout the day.  Gloria holds court either outside, or when the sun is beating down or it’s raining, in her main indoor living space.  It contains a large dining table and chairs, a couple of smaller tables with clothes piled on top, assorted other chairs, a fridge and stove, and a tall contemporary-styled wooden, glass front china cabinet with drawers at the bottom.  The adjoining bedroom has two beds; one for Gloria and Juan, and the other for Daniel.  Their grandmother sleeps in the same room, but on the floor, as has been her custom throughout her entire life.  Gloria’s brother-in-law bought a bed for his mother, but she wouldn’t use it, because she never has.

 

When Gloria and the children moved into the house last September, it had a dirt floor.  With the assistance of her extended family, she has slowly been making the modest abode more comfortable.  It now has a concrete floor.  The washroom has been built, but is still an outhouse.  For showering, the family goes next door to Gloria’s brother-in-law’s home.

 

From Benito’s weekly income of about 0, he wires 0 to Tlacolula for Gloria to cash; he occasionally sends 0.  It’s enough to get by, and helped a great deal with the initial improvements to the house.  To get the money Gloria must go to Tlacolula every week.  Sometimes she goes with the children to the Sunday tianguis to shop; sometimes she goes during the week, if only to pick up her money from the storefront wire service.

 

Most days Gloria dresses in traditional regional clothing – a brightly embroidered apron over a locally made, long colourful satin dress.  ”In 17 years of living in Ahaheim,” Gloria asserts, almost boasting,” I wore a dress only twice; once for my quince años, and again for my wedding.”

 

Gloria is often pressured by her mother-in-law to wear only traditional dress, but she now puts on “normal” clothes when she feels like it.  But she admits, “I’m now comfortable wearing this kind of clothing, but it took a while.  Now I wear what I want and I won’t yield to pressure from anyone in the village.”

 

San Bartolomé, not unlike other villages in Mexico, or even in small town USA, is a rumor mill.  When Gloria has had visitors from California, if there happened to be a male amongst them, the looks, innuendo and suspicion would begin.  And even if the group was strictly female, “cavorting” out of the house in the evening was unacceptable.  But Gloria has gotten used to it, and has found her own inner means of coping.

 

Gloria gets to Oaxaca every 6 – 7 weeks, but no more.  It’s usually to go shopping with the children in a large American-style supermarket (Soriana), and to the movies.  She’s taking the children this Saturday so that Juan can buy a special game from Soriana that his father promised.  Benito is wiring an extra 285 pesos, so earmarked.

 

Benito speaks with Gloria three or four times a day.  He has a long distance phone plan for which he pays a month.  It enables him to make unlimited calls of unlimited duration to Gloria’s land line.  Gloria and Benito also text one another throughout the day. 

 

Monday Gloria begins working ten hours a week at a Tlacolula commercial mezcal factory and retail outlet.  The owners value her ability to communicate well in Spanish, Zapoteco, and English.  She’s not entirely sure exactly what she’ll be doing, but has been going in from time to time to learn about the functioning of the operation.  She has no idea about the pay.

 

Epilogue:  Gloria’s Future in San Bartolomé Quialana, Oaxaca

 

By most accounts, while living in Anaheim Gloria was a working class American woman of indigenous Mexican decent; fluent in English, working two jobs, she and her husband raising two American-born children in a single family household. Their lifestyle was not all that different from that of working class urban whites with a bit of ethnic flare.

 

The dashing of Gloria’s hopes is not that unusual, either, in terms of parental control of decision-making over minor progeny. Her immigration status (to only a minor extent) and the strong sense of Zapotec indigeneity and the allure it apparently continually held for Gloria, were, together with that subtle American racism, determinative of Gloria’s life path; at least to date.

 

On balance, Gloria and her family will return to Anaheim some day.  She’s concerned about schooling for her children: 

 

“School here is okay, but in order to attend a good school, you have to go to a private school and that costs a lot.  And to go beyond high school, you have to go to Oaxaca [or further abroad], and it’s very expensive.  And of course American schools and colleges are better.  I want the children to have a good education.  Eventually we’ll return to the states, but it’ll be to better the chances for our children to get a quality education and have good careers.

 

“To get into the US when I was six, we took buses to the border at Tijuana.  There were five of us, and I think the coyote charged us 0; but it was stressful, and took close to ten tries. But getting back into the US again? No, it’s not an issue; we know we can do it and will do it if we want to; the issues are how long it will take, and of course the cost, but for us, the ability to get back to Anaheim will never be a concern.”

Panama Seminar

The scene is a lush, tastefully appointed resort right on the bay. Beautiful sand beaches lead to calm, blue green waters. On a patio overlooking the spectacular view a party is going on.

It is the welcoming event for what is claimed will be a powerful, eye opening three day seminar. Cocktails in hand, attendees are getting to know people from all over the United States. They have all flown in to learn secrets that only the rich have access to, secrets that must be communicated confidentially outside of America.

A new friend of mine, whom we’ll call Joe, is in attendance. He makes a decent amount of money and is upset with all of the taxes he pays. So Joe has paid ,500 to hear what the experts have to say.
As the ice breaks, the sun sets and the liquor does its job, the party starts to click. People are having fun, voices get louder and connections are made. Joe does not drink and is a sober observer to the frivolity.
He notices people taking photos of each other with digital cameras. One man in particular is getting groups of people together and taking photos. The man’s wife (or girlfriend or friend?) is a very attractive blond in her mid 30’s wearing a mildly revealing outfit. She is easily able to chat up the predominately male group of attendees. Joe gets a closer look at parts the others aren’t focusing on. She is wired for sound.

Her male friend brings another group over for photos and shared fun. Joe notices the man’s shoes. They are black, heavy lace ups, almost government issue.

Joe wonders who the couple works for. Are they with the seminar group, a kidnapping ring, or the U.S. government? Whoever they are with, they are good at what they do.

The next morning the seminar begins. Larry, the tanned and well dressed promoter, gets up and gives a stirring speech. The man is seemingly very knowledgeable and is backed up by impressive testimonials and incredible color brochures. In his remarks he says people have made the right choice and that their lives will be positively changed by the information they are about to receive. He notes with great pride that he and his team are not lawyers, because lawyers don’t know/can’t appreciate/won’t give the advice this lucky group will be fortunate enough to take in over the next three days.

During the seminar Joe learns about offshore corporations and asset protection and offshore investing. He has made the very conscious decision not to buy anything or agree to any services while in Panama. As such, he was keenly able to observe both the overt and very subtle pressure being applied by the promoter and his attractive, well spoken minions to buy now. The special pricing was not available once the seminar was over. (Why not? Joe pondered.) Buying right now was the smartest and most important decision you could ever make. (More important than marrying the right person and bringing great kids into the world?) If you didn’t buy now you would regret it for the rest of your life. (I will? Joe wondered.)
Joe became friends with a man named Scott from Spokane. They both liked fishing and white water rafting and thus hit it off. They differed in one big respect: Scott was primed to buy.

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Scott bought five of the offshore corporations and trusts they were promoting. The combination of the five entities was structured in such a way to provide maximum asset protection and tax savings. The structure cost ,000 to set up, but Scott was assured he would save ,000 a year in taxes for the rest of his life. Who wouldn’t spend that kind of money for the savings? Actually, Joe wouldn’t.

Scott heard Nigel, a distinguished of British gentleman, present a seminar on managed offshore investment accounts where returns over 25% per year were guaranteed. Nigel cogently explained that the U.S. government deliberately limited the amount of money its citizens could make, and that the best returns were made by smart, independent thinkers investing offshore. Scott could not wait to turn over 0,000 to Nigel, his new investment advisor located in Panama. Joe actually could wait, and did.
Joe and Scott met a third attendee at the seminar. Ron was from Cincinnati and made it a point to meet as many people as he could at the Panama Seminar. Ron just happened to be putting together a real estate deal in Belize. He needed asset protection advice, which is why he has spent ,500 to attend the event (which was the best he’d ever seen). Ron and Scott had an involved conversation about Ron’s Belize project over lunch one day. Joe politely listened but did not rise to the bait, which was a 100% return in 18 months. Scott committed to an investment of 0,000, which Ron indicated had to be wired in the next 24 hours. The investment was almost full and Ron, Scott’s new friend, wanted to make sure he got in this incredible deal.

The Panama Seminar ended with a going away party. Once again, the liquor flowed and did its job. Some attendees talked of how much they learned and benefitted and fanned the fires of value and positive word of mouth. Joe, always the critical thinker, asked himself whether these hugely satisfied customers, who always seemed to be the first to jump up and buy the next product in the seminar, were well placed shills.

The attractive blonde was again dazzling to look at, and she held court with a large number of new friends she had made. They were eating out of her hand and talking freely. More photos were taken and more confidences revealed. Most attendees went to bed satisfied with the whole event and the money they spent.

Joe returned home and decided against buying any offshore structures and investments. It just didn’t feel right. After a while the promoter’s pressuring sales minions stopped calling.

But Joe did keep in touch with Scott. They spoke every month or so. At first, Scott was ecstatic with the results of the seminar. The offshore structures were in place and he was ready for tax saving. The managed offshore account was doing well. And Ron’s Belize project was funded and poised to provide a quick and significant return on investment.

But after three months Scott’s tone began to change. He told Joe his accountant couldn’t condone or wouldn’t deal with the offshore structures. Initially, Scott gave his CPA the party line he learned at the Panama Seminar: USA professionals do not and will not ever understand the complexities of beneficial offshore structures. But over time and into the next year his CPA’s objections took hold and were strengthened by a surprise IRS audit. Scott casually mentioned that two other seminar attendees he kept in touch with were suddenly being audited, but did not initially connect the dots.

Six months later Joe learned from Scott that Nigel, the offshore investment manager, had suddenly gone out of business. There was no forwarding number or address. Nigel was nowhere to be found. The country of Panama did not insure his investment account. Scott’s 0,000 had disappeared.
Then Scott received the news that the Belize project had failed. The story was that Ron from Cincinnati had not made the last ,000 payment to the developer. The 0,000 non refundable deposit, including Scott’s 0,000 investment, would not be returned and was lost.

As Joe tried to console Scott he saw another side of his new friend. Just as Scott was quick to rise to the bait, he was dogged in fighting someone who took advantage of him.

Scott was on a mission and started digging. He soon learned that Larry, the promoter, had left Las Vegas after being charged for fraud in an online Ponzi scheme. Like so many criminals before him, Larry was able to easily reemerge without training or scruples as an offshore asset protection expert.

Scott learned from other investigators that there were very few barriers to entry to this scam. One could easily rent out a Panama hotel and lure attendees. Printing color brochures was not difficult. In fact, Scott learned a rule of thumb in the asset protection world: the more expensive the color brochures, the bigger the scam.

Joe continued talking with Scott and was amazed by what he dug up. Nigel was a convicted felon from London who had drifted down to the Caribbean. Hooking up with Larry, they created a fake investment firm out of Nevis and Panama. Together, through seminars and other means, they had taken in over million in investment monies by promising huge returns. When it was time to pull the plug they each disappeared with million.

Ron from Cincinnati was one of the many shills in the room at the Panama seminar. He was there to praise Larry’s knowledge and creativity. He was one of the first five people to jump up and buy each session. His enthusiasm was contagious and others followed him with credit cards in hand.

Scott learned, not surprisingly, the Belize project was a scam. The developer, Ron and Larry split the 0,000 non refundable deposit between themselves. While Larry had disappeared, Ron and the developer were in Scott’s sights. Using very unorthodox and highly aggressive tactics not condoned by this U.S. Civil Courts, Scott was able to get his 0,000 back.

Still, Scott was out 0,000 from his experience in Panama. As he and Joe continued to keep in touch, Scott always hailed Joe for his restraint amongst the purveyors of greed and fear at the Panama Seminar.

Happy Relationships: Change Your Appearance

One of the challenges of even the strongest long-term relationship is the difficulty in keeping things fresh and new.

We are creatures of habit, developing routines that work for us without our having to think about it. It allows us to move through fast-paced lives without having to make every little decision on a daily basis. We don’t want to stop and think about which sock to put on first, which way to drive to work, what kind of gas to put in our car, how to stack the dishwasher or fold our clothes.

Habits make life so much more simple that it frees up our energies to confront the big decisions and problems we have to face. However, habits also distance us from what we do because our mind is not engaged, When someone else points out that we “always” do something a certain way, we are amazed because we are unaware. Once we’ve moved beyond the adolescent and young adult experimentation phase, we tend to fall into the rut of wearing our hair a certain way, how we put on our makeup, the kind of television shows we watch, the choice of foods we eat, and the lifestyle we pursue.

That is why the sneaky marketing men aim their message at young age groups who are the ones most likely to try something different. The size and the purchasing power of the baby boomers may be extraordinarily large but they are seldom targeted by major advertising campaigns because they are comfortable with the choices they have made and are unlikely to really hear messages about alternatives in which they have little interest.

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Within our lasting relationships, we also fall into habits. They range from unwavering go-to-bed-at-night and get-up-in-the-morning routines to the day of the week we go out, the restaurants we frequent, and the way we communicate (or fail to communicate) with each other. We are so used to being around our partner that, despite the affection we may feel, we stop seeing each other with the wonder and appreciation we felt in those first heady months.

Shaking up our lives by dumping old habits can make us feel younger and alive. Changing our appearance, even a few times a month, makes us look at each other through new eyes and makes us focus on each other in a different way.

Women can more easily and radically change their looks because female hairstyles are so much more varied than those of men. A wig (or several), in a totally different color, with appropriate makeup adjustments, can affect your response to each other. A man can temporarily grow a moustache, a beard, or sideburns, and elicit new attention from his surprised wife. An outrageous new piece of clothing for a special date can transform your interaction with each other.

Many of us love costume parties whether something dramatic at Halloween or an only-black-and-white graphics event or a get together with friends wearing the clothes we loved in high school.

Be creative! If you usually dine out in business attire, get some cowboy gear and go to a western saloon for some line dancing. If your usual night out is at a bowling alley, dress to the nines and have a drink at the most expensive hotel in your area, rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers. Try a latino nightclub, hot dogs on the pier, or drinks with fruit and little umbrellas at a sushi bar. Dress in your skuzziest clothes and visit a luxury car showroom to laugh at the consternation you cause. Use that tux you rented for your niece’s wedding when you visit the local pizza parlor and see the buzz you create.

The city of Las Vegas has a wonderful ad campaign about “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” It speaks to our desire to do something totally different and outrageous to escape the paralyzing pastry of our normalcy – but with the assurance that we can return without ill effects, no burned bridges forcing permanent change.

Shaking up our appearance can shake up our partner and our mutual interactions. Do it for the excitement and do it for the fun. As another ad campaign suggests, “Just do it.”

Theme Park Design vs. Architecture

Theme Design vs. Architecture

By

Peter Alexander
Totally Fun Company

www.totallyfuncompany.com

So you want to design a theme entertainment project?

Okay, so where do you start?

You start by selecting an architect, right?

Well, not necessarily! Asking an architect to create a theme project is like asking a multiplex theater designer to direct a movie: you’re putting the cart before the horse.

In a theme resort, store, restaurant or any themed entertainment project you are creating a “show,” a three dimensional movie you can smell and feel. You are not creating a ‘place’ as architects do…you are creating sets, and populating them with actors, as in a film. In a theme entertainment project, the role of the actors is played by the visitors (called guests) and employees (called “the cast”). You enhance these actors’ performances with props, special effects, lighting and theme architecture…the sum total of the experience is called “the show.” The “show” is everything the guest sees, hears and experiences during his or her visit. The architecture can be seen as the “stage” upon which the “show” is performed.

Since theme design is about creating a “show,” one of your first acts should be to select a “show designer.” This “show designer” should be someone with proven experience in the theme design field. They will utilize design principles originally pioneered in the theme park industry to create your project. Whether the project is a resort hotel, restaurant, shopping center or theme park doesn’t really matter. Regardless of the land use, it will be the show designer’s job to create an environment that immerses the guest in an emotional experience. If they do their job well, your guests will be immersed inside a world that may intrigue, amuse, or even frighten them, but always entertains them; a world your guests will want to visit again and again.

So, what are the principles of theme design that your show designer will utilize
to create this world? Well, there are too many to enumerate in one short article, but I can discuss a few, starting with the first stage of theme design, concept development.

Square One: Concept Development

Architects start with a phase known as “schematics.” Theme design starts with a phase known as “concept development.”

In schematics, the architect works with the client to develop a “program” (i.e. determining the building’s functions and size) and then develops schematic drawings that show the layout and general appearance.

In theme design, we often start with no more than the thought that the project needs to be entertaining and should attract a certain number of people in a certain market. Sometimes the client will bring a basic “notion” to the show designer, other times we start with a blank page. The process of filling in the blank page is called concept development. We can fill that blank page with words, drawings, illustrations, plans, models or mock-ups or any combination of them, but when the concept is complete, the client will have an understanding of what the project is all about.

One of the major differences between theme design concept development and architectural schematics is the “invention factor.”

In schematics, architects don’t need to invent the building type, i.e. thousands of hospitals or office buildings already exist. However, in theme park concept development we sometimes need to invent some device or system just to make “the show” work.

For example, during the concept development for the Back To The Future Ride at Universal Studios, we needed to create a flying De Lorean, as featured in the movie. The idea to accomplish this was invented out of “blue sky:” I figured we would put a dozen or so De Loreans inside a large format, domed film theater, each De Lorean would ride on top of their own simulator motion base, and by cutting off the site-lines to the rest of the theater, guests inside each car would feel like they were flying. My boss (fearless Universal Executive Jay Stein) said, “That will never work. It’s such a good idea, if it could work, someone would have thought of it already.” Then Jay, who knew how to motivate his design team, bet me a thousand dollars it wouldn’t work.

In order to prove out the idea (and get my thousand dollars), during concept development we made a foam core mock-up of a De Lorean Ride Vehicle, and took it to the Omnimax Dome at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Even moments before the first test, my friend (and later, one of the producers of the ride) Craig Barr bet me an additional twenty dollars the “invention” wouldn’t work. However, as soon as the lights went down and the film rolled, Craig put a twenty dollar bill in my outstretched palm. What we saw from inside the foam core mock-up was amazing. Just by cutting off site-lines and isolating our vehicle from the stationary parts of the theater, we produced the sensation of flying. I’m still waiting for that thousand dollars from Jay, but for richer or poorer, we had invented a new ride system necessary to the development of that concept.

It was only after we were able to develop this “first of its kind” ride, and assure ourselves that it worked, that we were able to begin designing the actual BUILDING that housed the ride. Two things drove that process: the need to accommodate two eighty foot diameter Omnimax domes, and the need to break the guests up into groups of eight-the capacity of each De Lorean. What we ended up with was a futuristic building we called “The Doc Brown Institute” (after the crazy scientist in the film) that maximized efficiency in terms of loading the ride.

In summary, first we came up with the “show,” then we designed the building in which to stage the show. Also, it’s important to note that we developed a ride system necessary to the development of the concept, and not the other way around. In theme design, technology is created to help tell a story, while good stories are rarely, if ever, created by technology. Thus, the ride system invention flowed from the story, and not the other way around.

This raises an important question: what stories do we want tell in concept development? Are there any guidelines about what kinds of stories are best told in theme environments? Are there any lessons we have learned that might prevent your brainchild from turning into “Seed of Chuckie?”

Picking A Theme: The Tale of Too Many Smurfs

A few years ago, I was working with the Walibi Theme Park chain, which at that time owned a number of parks in Europe. We had helped improve the profits of a couple of their parks by applying our brand of theme park show design, so they asked me to come up with ideas to help the “dog” of the system, the one park that had never proven popular, the Smurf park near Metz, France.

The Smurfs, as you may recall, were little blue cartoon characters (Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy Smurf, etc.) who were wildly popular back in the seventies. Unfortunately, the character’s success on television had not translated into theme park attendance: only 700,000 guests had attended during the park’s first year (1989) versus the projection of 1,800,000, and attendance had declined thereafter. By the time I got there, the park was virtually empty.

As I walked through the park with the General Manager I noticed something: everything was Smurf-themed. They even had a “Future Smurf” world, like Tomorrow Land, only filled with Futuristic Smurfs. When I first entered the park I kind of liked the Smurfs, but by the time I left, I was sick of them: they had too many Smurfs. “And if you don’t like Smurfs,” The General Manager said sadly, “You don’t come to the park.”

From that I learned a lesson: selecting a single theme for an entire park, resort, shopping complex or entertainment center can be risky. The best bet is to provide a variety of themes and thus appeal to the largest possible demographic. Disneyland is a good example. Walt could have themed the whole park to his cartoons, but instead he themed one land to Main Street USA, another to the future, another to the American frontier, etc. The bottom line: if your project is of large enough scale, follow Walt’s lead and try to include several themes.

Once you select your themes, you have created a roadmap which you use to explore the rides, shows, restaurants and shops that will make up a land, and from there, design both the buildings that house them and the “area development” or public spaces the guests will flow through to access them.

Picking A Theme: Brand In The Right Format

In the early nineties, Time Warner acquired the Six Flags chain, which then consisted of seven theme parks. At that time, the parks had gone through several owners and had been decreasing in value and attendance for years. While the parks had originally been designed as family adventures, the addition of roller coaster after roller coaster had turned them into teenage amusement zones, and as the families left, the revenues and the profits of the chain declined.

The new Time Warner-appointed Six Flags CEO, Bob Pittman, wanted to turn that around. Time Warner had just released the first Batman film, which had been a huge hit, and there were sequels in the offing, so I suggested we use Batman as the theme of several family-oriented attractions. I “pitched” a simulator ride and a stunt show, but it was the stunt show that excited Bob Pittman. “So you can get the pyrotechnics and the heat of the flames right in the audience’s face, eh?” Bob asked excitedly.

I said yes, and about seven months later we opened the Batman Stunt Show in three theme parks. The impact on Six Flags was immediate and substantial. Attendance increased at all three parks, but more importantly, the stunt show format brought the families back to the parks, which increased the per capita spending, and turned the parks around. Bob Pittman told me later that the Batman Stunt Show had positively affected Six Flags success far more than the (more expensive) Batman (roller coaster) ride because the shows had changed the character of the parks and the demographics of the guests.

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What we had done was pick the right intellectual property-Batman-for the right format-a stunt show. The lesson was this: if possible, “brand” your concept with a hot intellectual property (like Batman was in the 1990′s) and utilize the brand in a format that will appeal to your demographic target.

From a design process standpoint, we started with an intellectual property, and then determined that an outdoor, arena stunt show would be the best use of that property. It’s important to note that we did not say, “We need a stunt show,” and then try to come up with some sort of subject for it: theme design flows from intellectual properties, not the other way around. So, as you develop your theme park’s concept, and you want a stunt show in the mix, start by finding an intellectual property that would make a good one, then design your theater or arena around that idea.

Picking A Theme: The Entertaining Environment

When you are developing a theme concept, it’s important not to get too full of yourself in the pursuit of creating “great art,” but rather to remember you are creating entertainment that appeals to broad demographic groups. It’s easy to design a monument…that turns into a monumental failure.

For example, shortly after the opening of National Maritime Center in Norfolk, Virginia, I got a call from the General Manager. He told me the project had been designed as an “Edu-tainment” facility, a combination of education and theme environment, but despite a healthy budget, they were not achieving their attendance goals.

As I drove up to the facility, I saw a massive, modern structure-painted the same gray as US Navy ships. It kind of reminded me of a big, beached aircraft carrier. I have an architectural book which describes this place, saying, “It escapes Disney-style literalism and succeeds in imposing itself…as a landmark.”

Unfortunately, the imposing landmark wasn’t drawing flies in terms of attendance. There were about fifty cars in the parking lot, most of them, I guessed, belonged to employees.

Inside, I saw some cool exhibits, including a shark “touch” tank where you could touch the fish, but the environment was cold and sterile: concrete floors, exposed steel roofs, muted colors, etc. No matter how clever and entertaining the exhibits, the sterility of the physical space made the place feel like a tomb. The designers had succeeded in designing a landmark, but in theme design, we are not designing landmarks, or monuments to ourselves or the owner. We are attempting to evoke emotional responses, just as is done in film and television. Just as in a film, our environments can evoke a sense of adventure, of comedy, of fear or risk, but never sterility or coldness. People are not going to sit through a two hour movie that leaves them cold, so why would they make a four to eight hour visit to an entertainment facility that does the same thing?

In architectural text books I’ve seen theme design referred to as “Populist Architecture” but it should really be called “Humanistic Architecture” because it is designed to elicit human emotional responses, and if you remember that in your concept design, you can’t lose. Another way to put it: the architecture is part of the show, and needs to be as entertaining as the other creative elements.

Developing Your Theme: Show Design

Once you have your concept firmly in mind, it is time to move on into more detailed design. In architecture, following schematics, you enter design development, where you bring in the “disciplines” (structural, mechanical, electrical engineering, etc.), then move into construction documents where you draw the details. Theme design follows a similar pattern on the “facility” (i.e. building) side, but includes literally dozens of other “disciplines” necessary to create “the show,” including script writing, ride design, show set design, costume design, lighting, special effects and many more.

It is these “show” disciplines that must take the lead, and often must be developed before the environment that houses them takes shape. There are, again, too many techniques that we use to discuss in one article, but I can discuss a few examples, and share with you what made them work or not work as the case may be.

Developing Your Design: Forced Perspective

Forced perspective, originally developed by motion picture art directors, is commonly used to create theme environments. Probably it’s most famous example is Main Street at Disneyland. Walt Disney wanted Main Street to re-create the warm, comfortable feel of a small American town. His show designers accomplished this by reducing the scale of the buildings: full scale at street level, then three quarter to five eighths scale as you reach the second and third floors. The result: the guests feel “bigger” than normal, instinctively more in control and therefore more relaxed. Emotionally, Main Street serves as a safe and friendly transition between the often chaotic and imposing “outside world” and the fantasy adventures in the theme park beyond.

Forced perspective can also be used to make things that are small appear larger. An example would be the Eiffel Tower in the French Pavilion at Disney’s EPCOT. The real Eiffel Tower is a thousand feet tall, while Disney’s is about a hundred, but because it is placed at the end of a vista, with the view of its base blocked by building facades in the foreground, it appears to be more distant than it actually is, and therefore we accept what is actually a model as being the real thing. Emotionally, the “Eiffel tower in the distance” gives the French street the feel of the real Paris, where views of the landmark are common, without the expense of creating a full size replica.

Developing Your Design: The Fantasy Environment

Like motion picture sets, theme environments are designed to create the impression that the guests have traveled to a particular place and/or time. Movie sets are almost always in the background, with the actors, of course, in the foreground, so the sets must be somewhat extreme in their design, so that they instantly “read” as what they are, even though they are not the focus of the film. Similarly, theme facades and interiors are archetypes, and their ability to evoke the feeling of being somewhere or some time is more important than their architectural correctness.

For example, at one time we designed an “Ancient Rome” section of Universal Studios, Florida using these motion picture design principles. The lead designer, three-time Academy Award winning art director Henry Bumstead, called “Bummy” by his friends, designed one façade inspired by the ancient Roman Forum. However, rather than a literal recreation of the Forum, he used fluted columns and ornate, Corinthian capitals on top of the columns, as opposed to the simpler non-fluted Roman columns and less detailed capitals of the real Forum.

An architect friend of mine who was also working on the job looked at Bummy’s design in horror and tried to point out the obvious “mistake.” He suggested Bummy correct his “error” by using the simpler Roman columns. Bummy patiently explained the rationale for his design this way, “When the guests walk up to our Forum, we want him to feel like a Roman Senator. We want to take him back in time, and so we combine the most extreme elements from the classical period into one building. Most guests don’t know Corinthian from Roman, nor do they care. But if we combine the “most classical” elements-the beautiful, ornate Corinthian capitals and the bolder fluted columns-we make him feel like he’s in ancient Rome, as he would imagine it to be. It’s the feeling that counts, not the textbook architecture.”

That is the essence of theme design: we are creating fantasy architecture that produces emotional responses, not attempting to recreate architectural styles brick for brick.

Developing a Theme: Find the Essence of the Brand

Often times you will be developing concepts based upon one or several brands or intellectual properties. If so, you must find the essence of the brand and then exploit it in a manner that is true to the brand.

For example, during the development of Universal Studios Florida, Steven Spielberg asked us to develop a theme attraction based on “E.T: The Extraterrestrial” that would be true to his film.

As you may recall, “E.T.” was the story of a lonely boy who finds an alien literally in his back yard and helps to get the creature back to his home planet. It was a very personal story for director Steven Spielberg, and even the suburban, tract house setting near a redwood forest reminded me a lot of where Steven went to high school in Saratoga, California. Unfortunately, “relationship stories” like E.T. that rely on two-hour long films to create their emotional impact are not easily translated into six or eight minute theme park rides, so designing a ride or show that captured the essence of the film presented quite a challenge.

I started the design process by watching the “E.T.” film over and over again, trying to figure out what would work as a theme park attraction. One section of the film stood out: Near the end, there was a great chase sequence where the little boy and his friends rescue E.T. from government agents and take him on their dirt bikes on a wild chase. At one point during the chase, E.T. uses his powers to cause the boys to “fly” over a government road block….

I thought this sequence could be made into a very cool ride, but it begged the question: where would the boys take E.T. once they took off? In the film, they landed in the redwood forest and bade goodbye to E.T., who then got into his spaceship and flew back to his home “The Green Planet.” It seemed to me that we could “suspend disbelief” just a little more, and have the dirt bikes fly all the way to the Green Planet.

I presented this idea to Steven Spielberg verbally and he liked it, but gave me some great coaching. “Remember E.T. is a personal story,” Steven said, “So at the end, the guests need a personal moment with him. And by the way, the Green Planet is a friendly place, not the usual scary, alien place.”

I thought about how to achieve the “personal moment” and said, “What if he knows your name? What if E.T. knows everyone’s name, and thanks them by name for bringing him home?”

Steven thought that would be great, so we then proceeded with the monumental task of developing a computer system that would recognize 20,000 names and allow our audio-animatronic E.T. to say each guest’s name in the final scene.

All we then had to do was come up with a design for the Green Planet that was both alien, and friendly. To accomplish this, I looked at every science fiction film and book I could find. Not one of them provided an insight as to what a “friendly” alien planet might look like. Apparently, no one had ever attempted to design a “friendly” alien planet before. It struck me that maybe “friendly” alien planet” was an oxymoron-you couldn’t use those words together.

Then I remembered that I had seen something that was both friendly an alien.
When I was a kid I had surfed in California, and when the waves were flat my my friends and I had done a bit of diving. I always remembered thinking how the plants and coral rock formations on the ocean floor seemed like an alien landscape. I immediately collected some research on underwater plants, and gave them to our art directors as models for the “alien landscape” and with that simple inspiration, they went crazy designing the “friendly” “alien” Green Planet.

After we developed the ride’s show, we were able to determine that it would be best housed in a “sound stage” facility, so the exterior architecture was very simple, but consistent with our Universal Studios “working movie studio theme” and appropriate for our park.

When Steven Spielberg first rode the E.T. Adventure Ride, as we called it, he told me that we had successfully combined the fun of “flying” on dirt bikes with a “personal moment” with an alien on his friendly home planet: capturing the essence of the “E.T.” brand.

In summary, we started with the ride’s “show” design, and then developed the facility to house it. Had we attempted the opposite and focused on developing a facility that communicated the “E.T.” brand through it’s exterior architecture, we would have used up all of the budget for the experience without providing the guests any entertainment.

Developing Your Concept: The Play’s The Thing

When you are developing a theme area, remember that it is the entertainment or show elements that will make or break the attraction, and the environment
should be designed to present them as strongly as possible, never leaving the “show” as an afterthought to the architecture.

As a recent example, we were asked to develop a design brief for architects to guide them in the development of a resort hotel themed after the home of the British Royal Family, Buckingham Palace.

When most people think of Buckingham Palace, they think of the Queen of England and the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony. Most people can’t tell you what Buckingham Palace looks like, so the architecture-while still important-is less important than these “show” elements. Therefore, we asked the designers to develop the resort hotel based upon British Royalty and the Guards, and to recreate the grandeur of what the average person might believe to be “royal” rather than to recreate the exact look of the palace.

For example, we suggested that guests might enjoy having “high tea” with the Queen, so a “tea room” to accommodate a large number of guests would be a “must.” Since the “Changing of the Guard” ceremony was so important, we suggested that the courtyard in front of the hotel be graded to allow guests to get a good view. Finally, since the current Queen is just one of a long line of British Monarchs, we suggested that design elements within the hotel be devoted to other famous British Kings and Queens, everyone from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I to “Mad King George” to Queen Victoria, and so the interiors of different wings of the hotel were designed in schools of architecture reflecting those eras. We felt that the result would be a resort that people would want to return to again and again, partly for the fun of experiencing a different room themed to a different Monarch each time. As William Shakespeare once said, “The play’s the thing,” and theme design is best when that is kept in mind.

Developing Your Concept: The Budget: Beauty or Beast?

As a designer, you sometimes might think that a tight budget is your worst enemy, but sometimes it can be your best friend.

One example that comes to mind is the Land Pavilion at Disney’s EPCOT. While it was in an early stage of design, the “facility” designer, a brilliant architect, told me, “I’m an artist. I cannot be bound by budgets, and I intend to put every kind of compound curve and difficult to build structure into this building.” He succeeded in doing so, and we did not attempt to control him or limit his budget. Yet, when most guests visit EPCOT, “The Land” does not stand out as a great piece of “show” architecture, particularly not in comparison to the Imagination Pavilion next door, or to any of the World Showcase Pavilions. So, in this instance, having an unlimited budget did not enhance the “show value” of the project.

On the other hand, when we designed “King Kong: Kongfrontation” for Universal Studios Hollywood, we had a very tight budget, less than seven million dollars for the whole attraction, which by Disney standards was just about enough to design the front door and a bathroom. A lot of the budget went into the Kong figure, the special effects, and the “sliding bridge” which created the illusion that the big monkey was rocking the 88,000 pound Universal Super Tram back and forth. This left very little budget for the show sets, which were crucial if we were going to create the illusion that the guests on the tram were actually in New York City.

Given this situation, I told our two brilliant art directors, Henry Bumstead and Bill Tuntke, that they would have to use all their tricks to make this paltry budget stretch. They rose to the challenge, rolled up their sleeves and went to work designing a set using full scale buildings in the foreground, forced perspective miniatures in the mid-ground, and “cut out” flats in the background.

The result was pretty spectacular, but despite their best efforts, we just didn’t have enough money to cover every square foot with sets. The glaring hole: right opposite the King Kong figure…there was absolutely nothing, just a black wall. If the guests happened to look away from Kong as he “attacked” the tram, they looked at a blank, black wall and the illusion of being in New York City was broken.

Just before opening, I got nervous, because as both show designer and producer, the buck stopped with me. I asked my boss, Jay Stein, if he thought we could free up some more funds to build a set opposite from King Kong. Jay shook his head no, “If they are looking away from Kong, you have real problems.”

On opening day, I took a position near the King Kong figure to watch the guest reaction and sure enough, once Kong started to roar and the tram started to slide back and forth, no one-and I mean no one-looked at that blank wall. Jay had been right, the set across from Kong was not necessary.

I realized then that having a tight budget had probably helped our design, not hindered it. It caused us to design the show to focus guest attention on our strength-King Kong and the New York set behind him-and thus the guests never looked at our weaknesses.

Summary

In theme design we are designing a “show,” not a place as in architecture. It doesn’t matter whether our “show” takes place in a theme park, a hotel, a restaurant or a store, it’s still a “show,” not a building or complex of buildings. We generally start the design process by selecting an intellectual property as the basis of our theme, and then develop those stories to build a brand. We try to present the brand in formats (i.e. ride, show, hotel, shop, etc) that capture the brand’s essence and appeal to the demographics of the guests we want to attract. We focus our budget on what the guest will primarily perceive and those elements that will present the strongest “show.” Architecture can be an important part of this success, provided it is viewed as a part of the overall show, and not an end in itself. If we are successful in integrating all the design disciplines-everything from script writing to engineering to architecture-to “tell the story,” our design will create positive emotional responses in the guests and a successful project for the owner.