Future of Retail: How Companies Can Employ Big Data to Create a Better Shopping Experience

By Christopher Matthews | @crobmatthews | August 31, 2012 | 2

You don’t have to be a management consultant to know that we are all besieged by information, but it’s the consultant’s job to come up with a snappy buzzword to describe the phenomenon, and they have settled upon the catchall term “Big Data.” Everything from the most trivial details of our personal lives to highly sensitive information at work is now stored and catalogued in bits and bytes; Big Data refers to the deployment of these vast troves of information to make businesses more efficient and responsive to clients and consumers.

From healthcare to finance to professional sports, data is being collected and analyzed like never before — but much of it goes on behind the scenes where the average person may not even notice. The retail sector, however, is different. By definition it interacts with average folks in a way that few other industries do, and retailers are interested in learning as much about their customers as they can. In the process, they are radically altering the buying experience for customers — both online and, increasingly, also in the world of bricks and mortar stores.
If you’ve done any shopping online recently – you’ve probably already seen Big Data in action. We’ve all experienced it: You go shopping for a pair of shoes online, put them in your virtual shopping cart, but then for some reason change our mind. Afterwards, seemingly every site you visit features an ad for that very pair of shoes at that same online store. The reason? Online retailers can give you a virtual identification number and track you as you go from site to site, and purchase targeted ads for products they already know you’re strongly interested in.

(MORE: Future of Retail: Companies That Profit By Investing in Employees)
Based on a user’s behavior, sites like Amazon can present special offers or alert users of products they might not have otherwise been aware. According to a report issued last year by McKinsey Global Institute, Amazon has had tremendous success by using data it has collected to discover what additional products its users are likely to buy. As the study noted, “Amazon reported that 30 percent of sales were due to its recommendation engine.”
But the proliferation and maturation of information technology hasn’t only aided business. According to Paula Rosenbaum, a retail analyst at RSR Associates, the ubiquity of Internet access and smartphones has given consumers more bargaining power than ever. “I don’t think people realize how much the consumer is in control these days,” she says. Consumers are no longer bound by geography — the handful of stores offering a specific product within driving radius — when searching for the best price or service. Even when they are physically shopping in a store, smartphones allow them to quickly and easily check for better prices elsewhere.
In the era of Big Data, it’s those physical stores that seemed destined to be left out in the cold. But the vast majority of purchases  – somewhere around 90% — still occur in a traditional retail setting. And brick and mortar retailers are looking towards big data to help them stay relevant.
One company that hopes to give traditional retailers the kind of analytic tools available to ecommerce firms is RetailNext. The firm has developed a computer program that uses a store’s security cameras to give managers all kinds of information about how consumers interact with the store. Using this program, Retail Next can show exactly how many customers are in a given store at a time, which parts of the store they explore, which specific items customers spend a lot of time perusing — and which they do not. RetailNext can combine this information with other variables like staffing levels, weather, product assortment and placement to determine what does and doesn’t boost sales. Luxury retailer Mont Blanc has used RetailNext’s services to improve its staffing levels and its product arrangement within its stores, increasing same-store sales 20% in the process. Retailers like American Apparel and Family Dollar have also successfully utilized RetailNext’s services to improve the layout of their stores and increase same-store sales.

(MORE: Reports of the Shopping Mall’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated)
In fact, it’s possible that traditional retailers could one day have a better understanding of their customers than ecommerce firms do. That’s at least what Tim Callan, Chief Marketing Officer at RetailNext, argues. He says that for customers in physical stores the “decision making capability is infinite, while there are only so many things they can do online.” In other words, given the right tools, a retailer can glean much more about a shopper from watching her peruse a traditional retail aisle than he can watching her click through links on a webpage. His firm is working on computer programs that can accurately distinguish — through video cameras — whether a shopper is male or female, and believes in the future this sort of technology could interpret customers’ facial expressions and other gestures that will help retailers understand why someone did or did not buy a certain product.
Inevitably, as retailers use Big Data to learn more about their customers — especially through video — privacy concerns will be raised. But as Callan argues, “video surveillance has been around for thirty years, and people assume that it’s necessary for public security.”  Indeed, consumers have come to take it for granted that a camera is watching their every move in a store.
On the other hand, it’s one thing to for consumers to assume that cameras are watching, and another thing to have your every movement picked apart by a computer for marketing reasons. Pam Dixon, Executive Director of the World Privacy Forum, thinks that these types of methods are a breach of consumer privacy expectations, and that companies who use these types of analytics need – at the very least — to be forthright about their practices. “I think it’s absolutely crucial for these companies to come clean with the public and disclose what is happening,” she says.
While privacy issues related to in-store use of video cameras has yet to cause much of an uproar, another component of retail companies’ collection of data – smartphone tracking – has been a hot-button issue. The Wall Street Journal conducted a study in 2010 of over 100 popular smartphone applications and found that applications were collecting information about, “location, unique serial-number-like identifiers for the phone, and personal details such as age and sex,” and sending that information to marketing companies.

(MORE: Will Amazon Take Over the Word?)
Though privacy concerns about tracking users on smartphones has made many in the public uncomfortable, marketing intelligently through smartphones is believed to be a crucial next step for many retailers. Smartphones can bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds, because users always have their phones with them, even when they’re not browsing the Internet. Retailers can learn about a customer through their online shopping behavior and then offer them short-term discounts through a cell-phone when the consumer is near that stores brick-and-mortar location.
Unfortunately for consumers who are made uncomfortable by all this surveillance, there aren’t any federal laws that block this kind of behavior, and the federal regulators haven’t been entirely successful at forcing companies to be forthright about their practices. But for brick-and-mortar retailers who wish to serve their customers better by knowing them better, there has never been a more exciting time.
This is the fourth in a series of articles on the future of retailing. You can read the first three installments here, here, and here.

Read other related stories about this:

• Big Data Can Mean Big Returns in Retail SAP
• How big data is changing retail marketing analytics Revolution Analytics

Read more: http://business.time.com/2012/08/31/future-of-retail-how-companies-can-employ-big-data-to-create-a-better-shopping-experience/#ixzz25BbQeiN8

Burma reveals names of people removed from blacklist

 

 President Thein Sein's government has implemented a series of reforms

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Burma's authorities have named 2,000 or so people being taken off a blacklist the former military government compiled to manage perceived security threats.

They include foreign officials, aid workers and journalists.
On the list were former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, late Philippine President Corazon Aquino, as well as some BBC journalists.

The move is the latest in a series of reformist steps by the military-backed government.
On Tuesday, Burma announced the removal of 2,082 names from its blacklist, which bars people deemed a threat to national security from entering or leaving the country.
The decision by the military-backed, civilian-led government reduces the list by about a third.
The blacklist may not have been quite as effective as intended - many of the spellings on the list are erratic, with some names appearing more than once in different guises, correspondents say.

Mrs Aquino's name for example seems to be listed several times, including as "Madame Corazon C.A guino". British historian Timothy Garton Ash appears as "Gartonash, Timothy John".
The late US singer, activist and politician Sonny Bono was also listed. So were the two sons of the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as her former physician.
Also now permitted to return is the Vietnam war veteran, John Yettaw, who swam across the lake to her house in 2009 - an act that led to the extension of her house arrest.
There are also retired Western diplomats, who were seen as too hostile when based in the country, human rights officials and a long list of foreign journalists who were not welcome to revisit the country after sending reports that offended the generals who ruled Burma for almost 50 years.

BBC journalists removed from the list include TV correspondent Sue Lloyd-Roberts and Africa correspondent Andrew Harding, who was previously based in Asia.
Restrictions test There was no mention of some 4,000 people whose names are thought to remain on the blacklist, and they are not being told who they are or why they are banned.

On Tuesday, state media said the removal of names from the list gave a green light to Burmese citizens abroad to return home.
During nearly five decades of military rule, thousands of people - foreigners and Burmese - were blacklisted by the authorities.
They are thought to include government critics, foreign journalists and public sector workers who went abroad during military rule.

Some were expelled; others living overseas, especially political activists, assumed they could not return, or that they would be arrested if they did.
Since the new government's reforms, some Burmese living overseas have tested the restrictions and been allowed to return.
Observers say a measure of the extent of the reforms will be whether prominent exiled activists are allowed back into the country.

Birds hold 'funerals' for dead

By Matt Walker Editor, BBC Nature

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Some birds, it seems, hold funerals for their dead.

When western scrub jays encounter a dead bird, they call out to one another and stop foraging.
The jays then often fly down to the dead body and gather around it, scientists have discovered.
The behaviour may have evolved to warn other birds of nearby danger, report researchers in California, who have published the findings in the journal Animal Behaviour.
The revelation comes from a study by Teresa Iglesias and colleagues at the University of California, Davis, US.
They conducted experiments, placing a series of objects into residential back yards and observing how western scrub jays in the area reacted.

The objects included different coloured pieces of wood, dead jays, as well as mounted, stuffed jays and great horned owls, simulating the presence of live jays and predators.
Alarming reaction The jays reacted indifferently to the wooden objects.

But when they spied a dead bird, they started making alarm calls, warning others long distances away.
The jays then gathered around the dead body, forming large cacophonous aggregations. The calls they made, known as "zeeps", "scolds" and "zeep-scolds", encouraged new jays to attend to the dead.

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The jays also stopped foraging for food, a change in behaviour that lasted for over a day.

When the birds were fooled into thinking a predator had arrived, by being exposed to a mounted owl, they also gathered together and made a series of alarm calls.
They also swooped down at the supposed predator, to scare it off. But the jays never swooped at the body of a dead bird.

The birds also occasionally mobbed the stuffed jays; a behaviour they are known to do in the wild when they attack competitors or sick birds.
The fact that the jays didn't react to the wooden objects shows that it is not the novelty of a dead bird appearing that triggers the reaction.
The results show that "without witnessing the struggle and manner of death", the researchers write, the jays see the presence of a dead bird as information to be publicly shared, just as they do the presence of a predator.

Spreading the message that a dead bird is in the area helps safeguard other birds, alerting them to danger, and lowering their risk from whatever killed the original bird in the first place, the researchers say.
Other animals are known to take notice of their dead.
Giraffes and elephants, for example, have been recorded loitering around the body of a recently deceased close relative, raising the idea that animals have a mental concept of death, and may even mourn those that have passed.

Rediscovering ancient civilisations

Thailand's Northeast is home to many archaeological sites

Newspaper section: Life

Blessed by its geography, the northeastern region of Thailand, Isan, is home to an ancient heritage, which traces back 1,000 to 5,000 years.

An ancient painting at Wat Khao Chan Ngam in Nakhon Ratchasima.

"It is because Isan features many mountains, which cavemen used as shelter and left their imprints through rock paintings," said Sunisa Chitrbhandh, an anthropologist and director of the administration office of the Fine Arts Department.
Although a few ancient paintings were found in the Central Region, there are not as many as in the Northeast, she added.
Take the famous paintings on the cliff at Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani as an example. The prehistoric rock paintings, which include the giant Mekong catfish, elephants and human hands, are estimated to be at least 3,000 years old.
In addition, there are also paintings dating back 2,500 to 3,000 years in Phu Phrabat Historical Park in Udon Thani showing figures of men with hunting tools and oxen.
"The paintings may mean they were farmers or hunters," Sunisa noted.
There are also groups of ancient paintings over a cliff in Nakhon Ratchasima. One group is known as the most beautiful prehistoric painting of people found in Thailand.
It shows a group of people wearing what looks like skirts made of leaves. They are men, women and children engaging in activities ranging from hunting to dancing and playing.
It is believed that the paintings were created by people living in the area around 3,000-4,000 years ago. But the colour has never faded.

A piece of a Buddha statue in Phu Phrabat Historical Park in Udon Thani.

"It is fortunate that those paintings in Nakhon Ratchasima are taken care of by monks of Wat Khao Chan Ngam," Sunisa said. The temple also put a seated Buddha image below the painted cliff as a virtual fence to stop people from getting too close to the cliff.
Apart from the ancient paintings, the northeastern region also contains evidence of prehistoric settlements in Ban Chiang, Udon Thani. The archaeological site showed people knew how to farm, build and use tools like metal instruments and clay pots.
Evidence of this is kept at the Ban Chiang museum and dates back to 1,800-5,600 years. Bang Chiang is also listed as a Unesco World Heritage site and is regarded as the most important prehistoric settlement discovered in Southeast Asia.
The Dvaravati period (9th-12th century) also brought its culture to the Northeast. For example, gigantic, weird shaped rocks in Phu Phrabat Historical Park in Udon Thani are believed to be a cluster of Dvaravati temples dating back 1,200 years.
Historians suggest that the rocks were sacred places due to the layout of sema, a temple boundary stone marker, encircling a large sacred stone, according to park officer Thada Sungthong. The format was unique to the Dvaravati period as the sema stones were placed in eight directions.
Phu Phrabat is one of the places where visitors can still see the layout of an ancient Dvaravati temple, Thada said.
A cultural tour in Isan must not end without a visit to Khmer-influenced sites. One newly renovated site is Prasat Phanom Wan in Nakhon Ratchasima, first built 1,105 years ago by Khmer King Yasovarman I, as a Hindu temple. It was turned into a Buddhist temple during the Ayutthaya period. The ruin is still a sacred place for locals, and houses standing Buddha images, ancient Khmer inscriptions and lintels.
Exploring Isan's archaeological sites lets people understand the fact that the Northeast is home to ancient civilisations in Thailand.

Standing about 10m above ground level is the iconic rock named Hor Nang Usa in Phu Phrabat Historical Park in Udon Thani. It is believed to be used as a place for meditation during the Dvaravati period. The historical park houses stunning rock structures, naturally carved by the rain and wind for millions of years. The Fine Arts Department found 68 prehistoric archaeological sites, including 45 cave paintings and 23 scared places within the 3,430 rai plot. The park is now on a tentative list of Unesco World Heritage sites.

These ancient human figure paintings are found only in two places in Phu Phrabat Historical Park. One is at the Khon Cave, which displays seven humans figures painted in red and white. Another is located in a cave called Pheung Hin Wat Pho Ta, but is not as clear as those in the Khon Cave.

The temple boundary stones (sema) created during the 9th -12th century in the Dvaravati period have been left unattended inside Wat Phra Phutthabat Bua Ban, a forest temple, about 18km away from Phu Phrabat Historical Park. The stones were arranged in eight directions to encircle a sacred stone at the centre. However, the central stone no longer exists. In each direction, there are three stones in a row. Each stone is of a different height, and laid in decending order. At the base of the largest stone, there are different designs of carved work such as figures of apsaras, heavenly female spirits often found in Hindu mythology. According to Srisakra Vollibhotama, well-known archaeologist and anthropologist, the place is the only spot in Thailand to see how each sema was originally lined in Dvaravati temples. The Fine Arts Department had a roof made on top of each row of these boundary stones as protection, but the structure is in poor condition. Not far from the group of stones, there are more boundary stones left abandoned and scattered around a cliff.

The small golden stupa on top of the old sandstone blocks is called Phra That Phon Thong. Judging by abundant offerings encircled the base, the stupa is a sacred place for locals. People also honk while driving past the stupa as a mark of respect. Built during the Khmer Empire, the stupa housed relics of the Buddha and gold Buddha images, which were transferred to local temples in Udon Thani when the Highway 22 was constructed in 1909. The local municipality of Nong Bua set aside a 1.2 million baht budget to renovate the area and also build another structure to house a seated Buddha not far from the stupa. Phra That Phon Thong is not far from downtown Udon Thani and is along Highway 22 heading towards the Ban Chiang archaeological site.

TheBanChiangarcheological site isamust see for thosewhovisitUdonThani. Itcomprisestwoparts; the nationalmuseumand the excavation pit inWatPhoSi Nai,about 500maway. Ifyouvisited the place before February2010,arevisit isamust.Themuseum hasundergone amajor facelift, bringing iton par with international standards. Onentering themuseum,a step-by-step explanation describeshowarchaeologists workedwhenthey foundthe ancient items inBanChiang in 1972. Also exhibited ishowprehistoric people buried their dead.During the early period, or about5,600-3,000 years ago, abodywaslaid flatandface up, or in a foetal position,and hada piece of pottery buried with it. During themiddle period (3,000 years to 2,300 yearsago), thebodywaslaid flatcovered with pieces of brokenpots. In the last period —2,300-1,800 years ago—thebodywasstill laid flat, but only pots ingoodcondition wereputbeside thebody. ‘‘The jars putalong with thedeadwerenever usedin daily life,’’ said amuseumguide. If a child died,heor shewasput inside a jar before being buried. BodiesfoundinBanChianghadanaverage age of 31, the guide said.

The excavation pit at Wat Pho Si Nai was recently renovated, and the pottery found here is on display in the museum. What is on display in the pit are copies of the real thing. The pit has 52 graves found from the three periods, which are differentiated by soil layers. The deepest, which has only one grave to the west of the pit, was the tomb of a person who lived here 5,600-3,000 years ago. The second layer has tombs of those that lived in the middle period and the uppermost layer has tombs from 2,300-1,800 years ago.

The exhibition is a collection of artifacts found in each tomb, along with demonstration rooms displaying the lives of prehistoric people. The artifacts are on display in groups such as hunting tools made from bone or stone, cooking tools, and dressing accessories such as bronze bracelets and bells. Also displayed are human skeletons found in Bang Chiang excavation pits, as well as animal skulls and bones. According to the museum guide, pottery found in the graves was produced in different shapes and colours depending on the period. During the early period, clay pots were black or white and had simple deigns made with rope or simple tools to mark the surface. Pottery during the middle period had round bottoms, thicker edges and the bottom half of the pots were painted in red. The last period— 2,300-1,800 years ago—were the most beautiful, all the pots were painted in red and had various designs on them.

PrasatPhanomWaninNakhonRatchasima is a bit lowprofilewhencomparedtoPhimai Historical Park,however, it is older,according toPhimai Historical Park officer Dusit Tumpaporn. ‘‘Wefound traces ofanold road linking bothruins.Thedistance isabout40km,but the road doesnot exist anymore,’’hesaid. PrasatPhanomWanwasbuiltbytwo Khmerkings. First in907ADbyKingYasovarmanI. TheHindutempleconsisted of eight shrines, with themainchapel being15mtall, andhousedalingam andyoni. Butthese have since disappeared, Dusit added. From1050-1066AD,thetemplewasrebuilt byKingUdayadityavarman II with anew mainchapelandacolonnade (rabiang kot) surrounding the temple.Theyweremadeof pinksandstone,andconstruction tookmany years. It remains unfinished. King JayavarmanVI (1080-1107AD) continued to maintain the temple, but did not finish its construction.Heusedmostof his manpowerto build anewHindutemple, whichisnowPhimaiHistorical Park, said Dusit.During the construction of Phimai, the king usedPrasatPhanomWanfor ritual ceremoniesasdepictedinaKhmerinscription inside the temple. ‘‘In the inscription, the king called the templePrasatDhevaSom,or the shrine of the deity,’’ said Dusit. TheFine ArtsDepartmentstarted renovating the templelast year.Afewmissing stoneswere replaced with white sandstones, because the departmentbelieves that within a couple of years, all thenewstones will darken with ageandlook like the old ones.

MORE INFO

The Ban Chiang National Museum is open daily, except Monday, from 8.30-4.30pm. The entrance fee for Thais is 30 baht and 150 baht for foreigners. The excavation site in Wat Pho Si Nai is managed by the museum so it is operational on the same days. It, however, remains open till 6pm. Call 042-208-340/1.
Phu Phrabat Historical Park is open daily from 8am to 6pm. The entrance fee for Thais is 20 baht and 100 baht for foreigners. Call 042-251-350_2.
Prasat Phanom Wan is about 15km east of Muang of Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat). Use Highway 22 and turn to a local road for the last 5km.
Wat Khao Chan Ngam is about 10km east of Muang district in Korat. The entrance of the temple is on Highway 22. Look out for a small sign with the temple name before turning to a small local road for the last 3km.

Tips to get rid of bad breath

Everyone has had bad breath days. For some it could just be a fleeting case of bad breath in the mornings and for others it could be a longer bout. While getting a bad breath might be easy, getting rid of it is not that simple.

Tips to get rid of bad breathHere are a few tips on how you can keep your breath fresh all the time.

Brushing your teeth and tongue

Of course brushing and flossing! Regardless of what you do, there will be germs in your mouth which cause bad breath. Though your mouthwash may destroy the bacteria, it’s very temporary. Therefore, you have to brush your teeth at least twice a day. Otherwise, your mouth will become a breeding ground for bacteria leading to bad breath. Also, do not forget to scrape your tongue with a tongue-cleaner as this is where all the dead cells, food debris and bacteria settle contributing to the foul smell in your mouth.

Floss everyday

Flossing is as important as brushing. You should floss at least once a day to get rid of all the food particles which get stuck in between your teeth, which your brush might not remove.

Stay hydrated

Drinking lots of water can help you keep bad breath at bay. If you don’t drink water for a long time, your mouth becomes dry and this causes bad breath. You always need plenty of saliva as this keeps your mouth clean.  Did you know saliva contains oxygen? The oxygen in the saliva deters the growth of bacteria. Your mouth produces very little saliva during the night and this is why you always wake up with a stinky mouth. So drink plenty of water to keep your saliva flowing!

Chew gum

Chewing mints or gums can keep bad breath away. However, this is temporary. You could also try herbs such as mint (pudina), parsley and dill. Even spices such as clove and fennel (sauf) keep your mouth fresh.

Vitamin C

Eating victim C-rich food after meals also helps contain bad breath. So consuming melons, berries and citrus fruits such as oranges/lemons will not just help you boost your vitamin C levels but also combat build-up of bacteria and prevent gingivitis which might lead to chronic bad breath or halitosis.

Green tea

Sip green tea right through the day as it helps in combating bad breath with its antibacterial compounds. Also, you could try using a cinnamon stick to stir your tea as the essential oils in it help fight bad breath.

No cigarettes 

Cigarettes might take 20 years to kill you but it takes just two seconds to give you a bad breath. It also brings with it a host of oral infections and diseases. So, keep cigarettes out of your life and breathe fresh.
Photograph via sxc.hu

Inputs by Dr Neha Sarda, Cosmetic Dentist

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Clinton says Pacific big enough for US, China

• View PhotoUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks during a Pacific Island post-forum …
• View PhotoGraphic showing disputed sea border claims in the South China Sea
• View PhotoFile photo shows a United States Navy ship departing the Naval Station in Pearl Harbor, …
•  Photo: Chinese naval surveillance ships off the disputed Scarborough Shoal, close to the …

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed the United States would remain active in the South Pacific for the "long haul" but said the region was big enough for a rising China.

Clinton announced some $32 million in new aid projects as she became the first US secretary of state to take part in an annual South Pacific summit, in a sign of renewed interest in the vast but often overlooked region.
Clinton's visit comes as many islands forge closer ties with China, which according to Australia's Lowy Institute has pledged more than $600 million in low-interest and mostly strings-free loans to the South Pacific since 2005.
Clinton, who will visit Beijing next week for talks on the often fractious relationship between the world's two largest economies, played down rivalries in the South Pacific.
"We welcome the opportunity to work with your development partners -- Japan, the European Union, China," she told leaders from the 15-nation Pacific Islands Forum.
"We all have important contributions and stakes in the region's success to advance your security, your opportunity and your prosperity," she said.
"I think, after all, the Pacific is big enough for all of us," she said.
Clinton, speaking over the sound of roosters at the summit in the tiny Cook Islands, pointed to US involvement in World War II and argued that the US military has helped underwrite stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Our countries are bound by shared interests, and more importantly, by shared values, a shared history, and shared goals for the future," Clinton said.
"We are increasing our investments," she said. "And we will be here with you for the long haul."
Clinton will later hold talks with New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key and a senior official from Australia, longstanding US partners with strong interests in the South Pacific.
Clinton said that US efforts in the region form "a very strong message to the people of the Pacific and even beyond, and I take that very seriously."
But the United States ended its main aid programmes in the South Pacific in 1994, resuming assistance only recently under President Barack Obama, leading some in the region to conclude that the United States was not interested.
Chinese state media have accused Clinton of seeking to "contain" the rising Asian power through her latest tour of the region.
But China's Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai also sounded a conciliatory note during the Pacific Islands Forum, denying that Beijing was competing with the United States.
"We are here in this region not to seek any particular influence, still less dominance, we are here to work with other countries to achieve sustainable development," Cui told reporters in the Cook Islands on Thursday.
"We're here to be a good partner for the island countries, we're not here to compete with anyone."
The Obama administration has pledged a new focus on Asia, including shifting the bulk of the US Navy to the Pacific, as it sees a vital interest in a US role in shaping the future of the fast-growing and often turbulent region.
Clinton, during visits to China, Indonesia and Brunei, is expected to address rising tensions in the South China Sea where a number of Southeast Asian nations have accused Beijing of growing assertiveness.
China has also become a growing topic in the US presidential campaign, with conservative challenger Mitt Romney accusing Obama of being too soft against the Asian power in issues ranging from exchange rates to military disputes.
Clinton is accompanied by Admiral Sam Locklear, the head of the US Pacific Command, who is meeting South Pacific nations in hopes of expanding military relations.

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  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers …AFP News

Thais flock to German fair

Sopaporn Kurz

 Bad Homburg, Germany August 31, 2012 1:00 am

Thais and Germans gather around a Thai-style pavilion for the annual Thai festival in Bad Homburg, a city about 19km north of Frankfurt.

Bad Homburg, home to two Siamese salas, marks 150 years of Thai-German friendship

Jintana Krueser and her friends attend a Thai festival every summer in the German city of Bad Homburg. For more than a decade, she says, it's offered them not just cultural shows and authentic food and other items from the homeland but "a great opportunity to meet up with friends who live far away".

"It's pretty much our annual meeting!" the 38-year-old mother of two laughs.

Jintana and 30,000 fellow Thais and Germans flock to the festival every year, staking out picnic spots under the big trees in the vast Kurpark.

This year's two-day festival was particularly special, with unprecedented activities marking the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Germany.

"Thailand and Germany's relationship can be traced back to the days of Siam and Prussia," says Chirdchu Raktabutr of the Thai Embassy, who presided at the festival's opening on August 4.

"The close and friendly relationship is reflected at all levels, from the royal family and political leaders to private individuals" and includes many exchanges in technology, security and education. Germany is Thailand's largest trading partner in the European Union.

The 150th anniversary celebrations which came in various forms throughout the year are aimed to raise awareness to both Thai and German public as well as uplifting the image of Thailand to be more than merely a holiday destination among the Germans, said Chirdchu. "We would love to show them our greater potentials that they might have not yet been aware," he said, adding that those include great medical care services and strong interest in German's dual education system.

Chittipat Tongprasroeth, deputy General-Consul in Frankfurt, said there were not only Thai government offices, but also the private sector that joined hands to make this event happened. "More importantly, the event also marked a new beginning as it was the first time the Thai communities throughout Germany have fully participated in organising the event."

Chittipat said the events prior to this year's were primarily formulated by officials with minute input from people. Currently there are nearly 100,000 Thais residing in Germany, most of them women, he added. "Thai communities here are full of potential and they have shared their visions on how to represent Thailand to Germans," he said.

These included a showcase and demonstration of textile weaving, musical instruments and all kinds of handicrafts. There was also an art corner where children could enjoy painting, colouring as well as having facial paints.

On the stage, most of the activities against the backdrop of glittering sala were also performed by Thais residing in Germany, including traditional dancing, Thai boxing and a Thai silk fashion show. The Phi Ta Khon show was, however, directly flown in from Loei province.

Elsewhere the department of international trade and promotion in Frankfurt held a cooking competition as a way to promote Thai cuisine and products, both fresh and non-fresh. The three finalists were provided with all kinds of ingredients and to conjure a Thai dish. The winner was Bianca Lorenz, a Wiesbaden native, with her red curry. Lorenz said she has cooked Thai for about a year and found Thai food to be very healthy. "It is lean, full of vegetable and very delicious," she said. Her prize was a free roundtrip ticket from Frankfurt to Bangkok and Phuket from Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways.

Bad Homburg Mayor Michael Korwisi said he was very happy to have such an event in his town, which is the largest of its kinds in Germany. "We had international festival too. But for a one-nation festival, there is nothing close to this," he said.

A Bad Homburger himself, he had the Thai sala very close to his heart. "We learn about it in school and I have seen it since young when teachers took us kids to walk in the park. But the Germans called it the Thai temple, whereas it is not temple, but a sala," he beamed, knowing the difference. "The Thai sala is the symbol of strong relationship between Thailand and Bad Homburg. It is very exotic for us here, and we are proud to have it."

Jintana, however, did not know it was the 150th anniversary of relations between Thailand and Germany. Nonetheless, she said she was happy to know and learn that it has been good thus far. "I wish it well. At least I am doing it on my part," said Jintana with a laugh as she and husband packed up their picnics while their two boys ran around on the green field.

The Thai touch

The first European city to have two Thai salas, Bad Homburg is famous for its mineral-water springs since the last century.

The springs in Kurpark are renowned for effective treatment of several disorders, including heart and circulatory diseases, and prompted several royal guests to visit, including Russian Tsar Nicholas II, Prince of Wales (King Edward VII), Empress Elizabeth of Austria, Queen Sophie of Greece, and King Chulalongkorn of Siam.

King Rama V visited the city of spas in August and September 1907 to regain his health at the famous mineral-water baths. Feeling honoured and grateful for His Majesty's visit, the city found a spring and named it after the King, who presided at its opening.

In return, the king said he would present the city with a Thai pavilion. The king's intention was to have the sala situated at the spring named after him, but it was moved to a more accessible and prominent part of the park. As the centennial celebration came close in 2007, the Thai authorities and the city of Bad Homburg agreed to materialise His Majesty's dream.

The city of "Champagne Air and Tradition" now has two salas - the only place in Europe to hold the record, certainly an amazing title for a small city of 56,000 residents north of Frankfurt.

Small-Scale Irrigation Nets Large-Scale Payoff

Rainwater harvesting is a small-scale irrigation technique. (SIWI)

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Joe DeCapua

Last updated on: August 30, 2012 9:01 AM 

A new study shows small-scale irrigation systems could boost farmers’ incomes by billions of dollars in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The research was discussed at the World Water Week conference in Stockholm.

The study comes from the International Water Management Institute, winner of this year’s Stockholm Water Prize. It said small-scale irrigation systems can protect millions of farmers from the effects of climate change and help ensure food security.

The institute said food prices are rising globally due, in part, to a failed monsoon season in Asia and a widespread, prolonged drought in the United States.

Timothy Williams, the institute’s director for Africa, said prior to 2008 the world enjoyed a long period of low and stable food prices.

“That situation lulled the world into a point where investment in agricultural research declined. The stocks of food that were held around the world declined. And then bad weather in some of the major producing countries and speculation by commodity traders all led to a situation where we found ourselves in 2008,” he said.

That was the beginning of the food crisis that extended into 2009. Since then, higher, more volatile food prices have become the norm.

“The forecast indicates that the era of low food prices is over. We will be experiencing increased food prices over the next few years. And what that does is to increase the vulnerability of very poor people in developing countries, who spend about three-quarters of their income on purchasing food,” said Williams.

The report – Water for Wealth and Food Security – says the use of “smallholder water management techniques could increase crop yields up to 300 percent in some cases.” Williams said that’s a good return on low-cost investments.

“It includes the use of motorized pumps to access groundwater. It includes rainwater harvesting. It includes the construction of small reservoirs that a group of farmers can jointly use to irrigate their land. It also includes farming of low lying valley bottoms where there is residual moisture stored in the soil that can allow them to be able to farm all year round and not only during the rainy season,” he said

The techniques are in contrast to the expensive dams and large-scale irrigations systems that were introduced in the 1960s, when many countries gained independence.

Williams says small-scale irrigation systems would be a major benefit to women farmers, who produce much of the food in developing countries.

“By providing access to women farmers you not only improve agricultural production, you also improve the household nutrition. Because women farmers, in addition to producing food for the market, also will have the opportunity to grow a variety of crops – not only staple crops – but also vegetables and fruits that can produce a balanced diet,” he said

However, Williams said even though these systems cost only a few hundred dollars upfront, that’s a few hundred dollars too much for many women farmers. Williams says that’s why the International Water Management Institute promotes equity in financial aid. One example is a revolving loan that covers upfront investment costs with gradual repayments.

The irrigation systems are part of the three-year AgWater Solutions Research Initiative, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It includes a number of international partners, such as the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Food Policy Research Institute.
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Lawless is Film About Family Making and Selling Illegal Liquor in 1930s

Still of Tom Hardy in Lawless ( © 2011 The Weinstein Company)

Alan Silverman

August 30, 2012 

HOLLYWOOD — Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain star in a new film that dramatizes the true story of a Virginia family in America's notorious Prohibition era.

The narrator in the movie Lawless is Jack Bondurant, the youngest of three brothers who ran a legendary illegal whiskey operation in Franklin County, Virginia 80 years ago.

From 1920 to 1933, federal law prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol for consumption in the United States. But Prohibition did not stop people from drinking. Criminals stepped up to meet their thirst.

Bootleggers made fortunes smuggling spirits in from other countries. Some, like the Bondurants, were "moonshiners" who had secret distilleries, run at night under the moonlight, thus making "moonshine" whiskey.

Author Matt Bondurant, Jack's grandson, based his novel The Wettest County In The World on the exploits that made his family folk heroes. "My father remembers being a young boy riding in the back of his father's truck, packed in with all of these Mason jars full of moonshine. They would make deliveries of these clinking jars through town in the middle of the day," Bondurant said.

Shia LaBeouf plays cocky young Jack and says it helps that the story is based on real events and people.

"So if you know something has already happened, there is not a whole lot of 'whys' and 'hows' that go down. You just innately commit because it happened. So it does help with commitment," LaBeouf said.

Tom Hardy stars as Forrest, the oldest brother. The British actor says the often-violent character presents a paradox.

"How could somebody be so violent yet at the same time be intrinsically innocent and naive and have such a heart? [There is] the fulcrum in the middle [to create] somebody that, by the end of the film, I want an audience to have the ability to care about that person," Hardy said.

Australian director John Hillcoat says the grit and violence of the story are true to history. But he acknowledges this portrayal was influenced by how Hollywood has depicted the Prohibition era.

"Bonnie and Clyde was a big one, but it was more photographic and historical about the Appalachian area and the history …just to get under the skin of that world," Hillcoat said.

Rural locations in the U.S. state of Georgia double for Virginia of the 1930s.  The cast also features Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman.

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China city party chief 'fled with money'

 

A Chinese report says billions of dollars have been stolen by corrupt officials in recent years

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A former top official of a city in northeast China has fled the country - reportedly with millions of dollars, Chinese reports say.

Wang Guoqiang, who was party secretary of Fengcheng city in Liaoning province, left for the United States in April with his wife, the People's Daily said.
Local officials said Mr Wang, who was being investigated for corruption, had been removed from his post, it said.

Several reports cited 200m yuan ($31.5m; £20m) as the amount taken.
The local officials did not elaborate on allegations that he had embezzled and transferred the funds to the US, where his family is believed to be.

But rumours surrounding the case, the latest in a series of corruption scandals, have been circulating online for some time.

According to the city's website, Mayor Ma Yanchuan took over as Fengcheng party secretary earlier this month.
Premier Wen Jiabao has repeatedly called corruption the biggest threat to Chinese Communist Party rule.

Corruption among officials remains a huge source of anger among China's population, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.
While the finances of the top leaders are off limits, many other senior officials have been brought down by scandals, says our correspondent.
'Not realistic'

An opinion piece published in the Global Times called on authorities in the province to reveal more information about the case so as to curb public speculation.
''Wang's flight is certainly a scandal. It would be good for the officials if such a scandal could be hidden, but that's hardly realistic,'' it said.

''Information disclosure in China has moved much further than in the late 1990s. No matter how bad the news is, it will reach the public sooner or later.''

A report released by China's central bank last year said more than $120bn (£74bn) had been stolen by corrupt officials who fled overseas, mainly to the US.
Between 16,000 and 18,000 officials and employees of state-owned companies left China with the funds from the mid-1990s up until 2008, the report said.

Policing the remote Himalayas

By Surendra Phuyal BBC Nepali, Kathmandu

Most of the annual hordes of trekkers left the slopes of Nepal's Himalayas weeks ago, after the monsoon rains descended. But police remain in the region - investigating the death of a young Belgian woman and the disappearance of a British man.

The headless body of Debbie Maveau, 23, was found on 14 June on a forest slope below the Gosaikunda trekking trail, more than two weeks after she went missing.
"Her body was decomposed when we found it. Her head was two or three feet below her body," says Achyut Pudasaini, a police officer based in Dhunche, near Langtang, where her body was found, told the BBC.
"It wasn't clear how that happened."
Closer to Everest base camp, British trekker Zisimos Alexander Souflas, 27, has been missing since 23 April, when at the break of dawn he reportedly left his guesthouse at Namche Bazar, a popular Sherpa hamlet en route to the camp.

About a quarter of a million tourists went trekking in Nepal in 2011

Investigations in the remote Himalayas are challenging at the best of times, but as the police continue their work through the wet summer months they face serious obstacles.

“Start Quote

We don't have adequate mountain gear and search equipment, but all police are alert and working hard to trace Souflas”

Tukaram Adhikari Namche Bazar police

Nepal's mountainous terrain - prone to natural disasters such as landslides, floods and avalanches - makes searches for missing trekkers a difficult task. There is no dedicated search and rescue unit, so this is a job for local police.

And apart from the challenge of the elements, wild animals roam the area, complicating the task of finding and identifying bodies, police say.
They still do not know what happened to Debbie Maveau.
"Even the post-mortem report couldn't determine the cause of her death and that is what makes Maveau's case very complicated for us to investigate. All her belongings and money were intact with her body," says Pudaisini.
"The trail is generally very quiet and the weather isn't too good - with floods and landslides, the investigation isn't yielding much."

Debbie Maveau and Zisimos Souflas

Searches for Souflas have been equally fruitless.
"It's raining continuously, very foggy and misty, and the trails are either slippery or landslide prone but we haven't given up," says Tukaram Adhikari, a junior police officer at Namche Bazaar police station, and part of the investigation team.
"We don't have adequate mountain gear and search equipment, but all the police staff in four stations in the Everest region are alert and working hard to trace his whereabouts," says Adhikari.
After combing all the trails in the area, Adhikari says his police team searched the area around Imja glacial lake at 5,010m (16,437 ft).

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• You should never trek alone; there have been instances of solo trekkers being attacked
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"It was snowy and the lake was frozen and that made it very risky to move around," he says. "It was a very tough climb. One of our colleagues even suffered high altitude sickness, and had to be carried down."

Police say they haven't give up hope of a breakthrough.
The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) says the chances of something untoward happening in the mountains are low. Of the 735,000 foreign tourists who visited Nepal in 2011, about 35%, or a quarter of a million, went trekking, according to Nepal's trekking agents' association.
"It's very safe, too, so long as you are physically fit to do it, have the necessary gear and take proper safety and security measures such as hiring a guide and registering your movements at several entry and exit points," says TAAN's Gangaram Pant.
The registration system for trekkers - the Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) - requires climbers to check in at points along their route - if they go missing, information is always stored about their last known location.

Himalayan rescues

• James Scott, 1992: The 22-year-old Australian trekker was rescued alive after 42 days without proper food, water or shelter in Langtang national park
• Kanak Mani Dixit, 2000: The Nepali journalist slipped off a narrow trail at Lilibhir on Annapurna circuit, and lay on the steep slope for 96 hours. He was then rescued by his brother who flew to the area in a helicopter
• Lincoln Hall, 2006: The 50-year-old Australian (pictured) collapsed near the summit of Everest and was presumed dead by his team, only to be found alive the next morning by other climbers
• Makiko Iwafuchi, 2011: The Japanese climber, 49, survived for two weeks on bamboo shoots and leaves

"Unless you are registered, nobody will have a clue where you could be. If you slip and fall and break your back who is going to help you? Wildlife definitely won't," says Dawa Steven Sherpa, who has climbed Everest.

Tourism officials say trekkers should always have someone with them, and new laws to make it compulsory for foreign trekkers to employ guides are being considered by the home and tourism ministry.

Makiko Iwafuchi survived for two weeks

The UK Foreign Office also warns trekkers against walking alone, or becoming separated from their group at any time.
"There have been reports of trekkers being robbed where violence or the direct threat of violence has been used. Isolated incidences of rape have also been reported on trekking routes, and female travellers in particular should stay vigilant," its website states.
"Since 2003, four British nationals and eight other foreign nationals who had been trekking alone were reported missing."
Miracles do happen.
Last year, a missing Japanese trekker, Makiko Iwafuchi, 49, survived on leaves and bamboo shoots for two weeks before she was rescued.
In February 1992 an Australian trekker, James Scott, then 22, was rescued alive after 42 days without proper food, water or shelter. His sister flew from Brisbane to mount a long and arduous rescue mission.
Not every missing trekker in the Himalayas will be as lucky.
And police warn that as the monsoon rains continue, the task of finding out what happened in the Maveau and Souflas cases gets that much harder.

31 August 2012 Last updated at 04:22 GMT

Mitt Romney vows to restore America's promise

Mitt Romney: "I wish President Obama had succeeded, because I want America to succeed"

Continue reading the main story

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Mitt Romney has pledged "to restore the promise of America" as he accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the party's convention in Florida.

Mr Romney also discussed his stellar business record and Mormon faith in the prime-time address, the biggest speech of his career.
Clint Eastwood meanwhile caused a stir, delivering rambling remarks to an empty chair he said represented Barack Obama.
Mr Romney will challenge the Democratic president in November's election.
Glowing tributes "I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed," the former Massachusetts governor said.

Clint Eastwood: "When somebody does not do the job you've got to let `em go." 

"But his promises gave way to disappointment and division. This isn't something we have to accept."
The presidential nominee recounted details of his Mormon upbringing, with details about his family life and his parents' loving marriage.

Mr Romney talked about his own experiences as a father, apparently becoming emotional as he talked about the times when he and his wife Ann would wake up to find "a pile of kids asleep in our room".

But he levelled a barrage of attacks at President Obama: "The time has come to turn the page. Today the time has come for us to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us. To put aside the divisiveness and the recriminations.

"Now is the time to restore the promise of America," he added.
'No apology' Mr Romney vowed to create 12 million American jobs over the next four years and turn around an economy saddled with an 8.3% unemployment rate.
"I will begin my presidency with a jobs tour. President Obama began his presidency with an apology tour," he said.

He added that the president had not done enough to support Israel, while being too lenient with Iran.
Mr Romney also brought the crowd to its feet when he pledged to repeal Mr Obama's signature healthcare bill.

He continued: "President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise... is to help you and your family."

Marco Rubio said "hope and change has become divide and conquer"

Thursday evening's festivities culminated with the entire Romney family - his wife, five sons and their wives and most of his 18 grandchildren - on stage with him as thousands of balloons were released over the convention floor.

Appearing on stage to pledge his support for Mr Romney, Hollywood star Eastwood raised eyebrows with an off-the-cuff monologue to an imaginary Mr Obama in an empty chair.
Referring to the president, Clint Eastwood told a rapturous audience: "When somebody does not do the job, you've got to let 'em go."

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Mr Romney's former rival presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, spoke ahead of the nominee's appearance on Thursday evening.
Past business associates - Bain Capital colleague Bob White and Tom Stemberg, the president of stationery giant Staples - praised the candidate.

Mormon church congregants Ted and Pat Oparowski told the convention Mr Romney had befriended their dying son and helped him to write a will.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio introduced the candidate, and a video about Mr Romney's life played just before he took to the stage.
Attack ads Democrats have attacked Mr Romney's record at private equity firm Bain Capital and raised questions about why the candidate has refused to release more than two years of tax returns.

A top Republican says Mitt Romney must be likeable

Earlier on Thursday, the Romney campaign released a video hitting back at criticism about his time at Bain Capital.

Analysts say Mr Romney had to use this speech to connect with voters. Low favourability ratings have dogged him throughout his campaign and he trails Mr Obama in likeability.
In an email to donors on Thursday, Mr Romney said: "I commit to you that I will be the president this moment demands."

His speech capped three days of pageantry at the Republican convention, which started a day late because of a tropical storm.
This is Mr Romney's second run for the White House, after an unsuccessful bid in 2008.
On Wednesday, his running mate, Paul Ryan, spoke of his family and childhood while also pledging a "turnaround" for America.

But fact-checkers said there were a number of inaccuracies in Wisconsin congressman Ryan's speech.
Mr Romney's wife, Ann, addressed the convention on Tuesday, making an appeal to female voters, a demographic with which the Republican candidate has had trouble connecting.

Driving Australia’s desolate Stuart Highway

In Australia Road Trips

30 August 2012 | By David Whitley

North of Wycliffe Well, the Devil’s Marbles is a mysterious outcrop of near-spherical granite boulders. (David Whitley)

From Port Augusta, on Australia’s southern coast, it does not take long for the ocean to give way to the barren landscapes of the country’s stark interior. To the east and west stretch the major routes connecting Sydney and Perth; to the south, the Southern Ocean stretches to Antarctica; and to the north of this frontier town -- known as the Crossroads of Australia -- the Stuart Highway begins its lonely, 2,834km route across the heart of the Australian continent.

• Related slideshow: An Australian Outback road trip

The Stuart Highway is named in honour of John McDouall Stuart who, in 1862, became the first man to successfully cross Australia from south to north and make it back alive.  Considering he did it on foot without a permanent source of running water for 2,415km between Port Augusta and the Katherine River in the far north, Stuart’s journey remains one of the most incredible achievements in the history of exploration; his expedition took nine months going north and another five months getting back to Adelaide. Today -- 150 years later -- even driving along the paved road that roughly follows his route feels like an epic challenge.
The drive north is one through spectacular nothing. The landscapes are bleak and rugged, punctuated by vast salt lakes. The sky looks intimidatingly large and the touch of humanity is light. Two hours at the wheel can go by between the isolated roadhouses -- fuel stops that masquerade as towns.
Where the settlements are more than a pub and a petrol pump, they are often very strange. Woomera, 181km north of Port Augusta, was set up in 1947 as a military town. Vast swathes of the land around it – including the stretch that the Stuart Highway passes through – are still used for weapons testing and space research by the Australian government and private companies. The small Heritage Museum inside the town’s Visitor Centre presents an airbrushed overview of an often murky history, alongside what might be one of the world’s most remote bowling alleys. The Woomera Missile Park outside the local primary school contains many of the decommissioned tanks, rocket launchers and weapons of mass destruction that the town was built around.
The only other settlement of any size before reaching the Northern Territory border is Coober Pedy. It is a mining town  – an estimated 70% of the world’s opals come from the Coober Pedy area  – and it has a somewhat post-apocalyptic look to it. The desert heat is so ferocious that the majority of the town’s population live underground. Homes are blasted out of the hillsides then furnished to standards the Flintstones would be proud of. The Umoona Opal Mine combines work and pleasure, offering tours of a show home and the mine that is dug underneath it.
The biggest town on the route, however, is the rough-and-ready desert outpost of Alice Springs. Here the outdoor Desert Park, a combination of botanic gardens and wildlife reserve, explores how wildlife adapted to the harsh Outback conditions, while the Royal Flying Doctor Service medical base and attached museum show how humans have. It is from here that medical care is given to the remote Aboriginal communities and the people living in Outback cattle stations, some of which are larger than many European countries. The tales of emergency evacuations by air and the everyday efforts of the staff to keep the Outback from being totally isolated offer a great insight into how this alien part of the world works.
The further north you go, the more bizarre the roadhouses get. Camel rides are on offer at Stuart’s Well, a roadhouse that like many others on the route masquerades as a settlement; Aileron has installed giant statues on the hillside above the roadhouse’s pub and the Wycliffe Well roadhouse/holiday park plays up to its self-styled billing as Australia’s UFO capital by adorning the grounds with plastic little green men.
But the landscape also changes. Hardy desert plants such as the ubiquitous saltbush and spinifex give way to tufts of grass as the Stuart Highway approaches the Tropic of Capricorn, one of the five major circles of latitude that divides the Earth. The dry heat turns stickier and the circling wedge-tailed eagles overhead become more numerous, knowing there is more food to be found.


For humans, the best feed comes courtesy of the Daly Waters pub in the town of Daly Waters. Its take on surf and turf, a beef and barramundi barbecue, is almost as legendary as the pub itself. This classic Outback watering hole is covered in banknotes, T-shirts and underwear donated by patrons from all over the world. A band plays sing-a-long anthems outside until anyone staying the night has had far too many beers to care about the unnervingly large spiders hanging out in the pub’s rustic cabins.
Eventually, the Stuart Highway bursts far enough north to find water, but swimming is not advisable. The tropical northern reaches of the Northern Territory are the domain of the saltwater crocodile. Some terrifyingly large beasts hang out in the rivers, creeks and lakes.
Nowhere is this more true than the Adelaide River near the town of Humpty Doo. Here, boat tour operators such as Adelaide River Queen Cruises actively try to attract the crocs by dangling meat over the side. The ancient predators slowly sidle up to the boat, then leap out of the water to grab their prey. Their jaws make a thunderous boom as they snap close.
The end of the Stuart Highway is something of an anti-climax. It merges into the urban road system of the Northern Territory’s capital, Darwin, without fanfare. But the city is an intriguing one, where Asian influences, hippy spirit and Outback hardiness collide.
At Darwin’s Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, all three are in evidence. Craftspeople sell handmade goods, the food stalls offer dishes from Sri Lanka to the Philippines and men drink large beers outside the Roadkill Cafe, a foodstall within the market. Its banner reads “you kill it, we grill it”.
However, the activity stops for sunset over Fannie Bay, located right outside the market. Crowds abandon their browsing to step onto the sand and watch the sky light up in blistering reds and oranges. It feels like a fitting end to the journey; nature’s firework on display at the edge of a continent that one extraordinary man explored 150 years ago.