Jack Deal asked:


When I was a teenager, I thought that adventure was going to places like Fez, Chiapas or Vancouver Island. Well, I went to those places and had adventure but over the years I learned that going thousands of miles from home to a completely alien culture and language is not the only route to adventure.

Before I was 20 I was a veteran world traveler that pushed the limits of adventure and was ready for more. But it occurred to me even back then there was a fly in this ointment. It had to do with anecdotal evidence or what I observed in the ‘real’ world. Adventure wasn’t as simple as buying a ticket and going somewhere.

Many people I met would go to exotic places and not be effected at all. Part of this was their means of travel and accommodations and another part their mindset. It goes something like this: ‘by golly we are going to see and do but let’s not let down our hair lest we interact in ways that are not culturally comfortable for us.’ Summary: we gonna travel but we ain’t gonna experience.

Consequently I met world travelers that were no more world wise than my neighbor across the street that never leaves the county.

But, hey, don’t be surprised if you find out you started a tad late. 20 years after I took those youthful trips I took another trip. The wife and son spent the summer down at the farm in Veracruz but I had to stay in California to work. During that span I took off ten days to drive up to Canada. It was the first trip I had taken by myself in 20 years.

But it wasn’t the same. I never hitchhiked. I had a car and not a motorcycle. I had a credit card and not just some tightly budgeted cash. I stayed in a hotel and did not once sleep on the ground or beach or someone’s kitchen floor. I even came back before my 10 days was up. On every other trip I had ever taken I was always late getting back home. The reality was I just wasn’t the same person I was 20 years before.

If you are young, do your adventuring as soon as you can. Don’t listen to those that say all you should be doing is studying and working. There will be plenty of time for that but adventure is a fragile thing and not something you can postpone forever. Over time it can be lost.

In fact if you are lucky like I was you will meet people that will tell you how much they regret not adventuring more when they were young. Now, many middle aged men my age have become obsessed with trying to find adventure before they die. They went from college to corporation and finally in their late fifties and early sixties can adventure and do what they want. Good luck. If they had done their adventuring when they were younger they wouldn’t be so ornery and stubborn and angry and frustrated. Tough attitude to start out with on an adventure…

But I also met folks that were having fantastic adventures while never leaving their communities. So much for adventure being only found in exotic places. I met many different types of people for whom each day was an adventure. If their day was anything but adventurous, they made it adventurous. They could have boring jobs and live in boring communities and have boring families but they were always so excited about life and adventure that they could hardly stand it.

What they do is create and customize their own adventure and become engaged by it. For them every minute is sheer joy at celebrating being alive. They are too busy being grateful to complain. They are too busy being humbled to be presumptuous. They understand that the greatest gift a human can extend is friendship and the here and now is nature’s greatest gift. What me worry?

I came to understand being engaged one hot Moroccan night in Rabat as I lay awake drenched in sweat on my hotel bed. I had been to the interior and gotten a most nasty case of amoebic dysentery; diarrhea, fevers, shakes and all.

I did not worry that I was a teenager with little money and very sick in a strange country so very far from home. In fact I did not worry at all. I knew I would be fine. I would survive this ordeal and anything else in the future.

And I did. I continued a life of one adventure after another. I had arrived. I was engaged.

Daniel Sitar asked:


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Quantum of Solace is expected to be one of the most popular movies of 2008 and Quantum of Solace James Bond Ringtones are already some of the hottest ringtones in the world. Quantum of Solace is the 22nd James Bond film by EON Productions, released in the United Kingdom on October 31st and in North America on November 14th. The direct sequel to the 2006 film Casino Royale, it is directed by Marc Forster, and features Daniel Craig’s second performance as James Bond. In the film, Bond battles Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a member of the Quantum organisation posing as an environmentalist, who intends to stage a coup d’état in Bolivia to take control of its water supply. Bond seeks revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd, and is assisted by Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko). From the October 31st British opening through the November 14th US opening weekend, the film had grossed a total $322 million worldwide.

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Producer Michael G. Wilson created the film’s plot while Casino Royale was shooting. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis and Joshua Zetumer contributed to the script. The title was chosen from a 1960 short story in Ian Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only, though the film does not contain any elements of the original story. Location filming took place in Panama, Chile, Italy and Austria, while interior sets were built and filmed at Pinewood Studios. Forster aimed to make a modern film that also featured classic cinema motifs: an antique aeroplane was used for a dogfight sequence, and Dennis Gassner’s set designs are reminiscent of Ken Adam’s work on several early Bond films. Taking a course away from the usual Bond villains, Forster rejected any grotesque appearance for the character Dominic Greene to emphasize the hidden and secret nature of the film’s (and society’s) modern day corporate villains. To get the Quantum of Solace Theme Ringtone for your phone, click on the link below and sign up now!

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Michel Marchand asked:


If you are into camping, then Camping World is a store that you would be familiar with. If you are not, then you are missing out big time. Simply put, camping World is in our opinion the world’s best and largest camping store. Camping World is privately owned with its head office based in Kentucky and boasts a chain of 70 stores right around the US and has a commanding presence online as well. They claim that they are the biggest trader of parts for RVS and who could argue with them. If camping is your thing, then you owe it to yourself to visit one of their stores. People from all over the US have reported that once they have been to one of the Camping World stores, they usually do not have to go anywhere else as the store meets all their shopping requirements for camping.

The Beginning

The first Camping World store opened for business in 1966 at Beech Bend Park. A very popular camping site at the time, it was also used as an amusement park. David Garvin, who was the son of the original owner, took a gamble by opening the store fully stocked with camping equipment and other general camping gears. The store was an instant success and with David Garvin’s strong marketing skills, the store began to grow each and every year. Finally in 1997 Camping World was bought over by its current owners, Affinity Group Inc.

Camping World Today

Camping World today has a huge presence both online and offline and has also become one of America’s biggest if not the biggest supplier of camping equipment. If you would like to make your purchase online, take a quick cyber visit to their website. You will find every product related to camping each listed under their respective category.

Everybody that loves camping has his or her own individual story to tell. Choosing camping equipment is also a somewhat personal exercise and no matter what you have planned, you can probably do with all the suggestions and help from the friendly staff at Camping World to make you camping experience even more special. Even if you were planning your very first camping trip, the wealth of camping knowledge from everyone at Camping World would surely be great help to any novice.

Outdoors Section

Camping World also has an outdoors section where several different products for your RV can be found. RV steps, mats, ladders, chains and every other piece of equipment that is RV related right down to flotation devices can be found in that section. They also cater for your pet by stocking different pet carriers. You name it they have it.

Camping Accessories

If any item is camping based or to be used outdoors, then Camping World will have it. If you are planning to build a campfire, then Camping World has got the items to make that happen for you. If you were worried that you will be bitten to bits by insects then you would be able to choose from a wide range of insect repellents. You name it they stock it. It also goes without saying that you will find your multitude of tents to choose from, countless shades of all shapes and sizes, first aid kits and even wireless weather stations. All you need to do is find a perfect camping spot and pay a visit to Camping World and let one of their friendly staff assist you.

Happy camping

Helen Hecker asked:


Twenty-five years ago weight-loss camp campers were mostly teenage girls who were at least 100 pounds or more overweight. The menu usually consisted of food such as beef liver, fish and alfalfa sprouts and the only form of exercise was running and doing sit-ups. The ultimate goal at these overnight summer camps is to lose as much weight as possible in as little time as possible. They were often considered special needs camps. There are also many teen and adult weight loss camps.

Today things are a lot less extreme than they were in those days – approximately 39 percent of the campers are boys, the kids usually need to lose between 21 and 41 pounds, the menus offer a much broader range of food, and the exercise is a lot of fun, with activities that include fun sports like tennis and kayaking. The weight loss camps today emphasize very healthy lifestyles and long-lasting skills that the kids can take home with them and actually put into use.

To summarize, these so-called “fat camps” usually resemble regular overnight summer camps and just happen to specialize in teaching excellent decision-making techniques as they relates to food.

Now according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 16 percent or so of children from ages 6-19 are overweight or obese and this number that has tripled since 1981.

The number of overnight or sleepaway weight loss camps has remained about the same. There are about 16 to 20 of these camps out of 10,000 sleep away camps in the United States alone with some of these having offshoots in other locations. There are many other weight loss camps in other countries.

In most of the overnight summer camps the children will be between the ages of 7 and 12. This age group tends to be most successful because parents have more to say about the child’s eating and exercise habits. Usually bad eating habits are less instilled in the younger children.

All sleepaway fat loss camps work at building good habits, not just dealing out quick fixes. You will find these camps have classes on good nutrition, proper portion control, emotional eating, handling situations like pizza parties, birthday parties and ice cream parties.

You’ll find they teach by example. In the old days weight loss camps offered 1,250 to 1,350 calories each day. Today they’re more realistic, usually about 1,800 to 2,000 calories daily. On the menu along with healthier foods you’ll also find there are hamburgers, pita pizzas, baked potato chips and low-fat baked goods.

It’s long been a misconception that overnight weight loss camps don’t offer enough food and they overwork the kids. It’s actually the opposite. The right amount of food is served and they provide workouts for the kids at the right level. Campers never find they are hungry.

Changing the camper’s behavior is the key to sustaining weight loss. Many campers learn to cook, shop for groceries, order out at restaurants, and work with camp psychologists on managing stress, frustration tolerance, and identifying emotional eating.

Generally the campers want to be there. Years ago when their parents made them go they didn’t want to. Kids are happier that they’re making a change and develop confidence and independence as a result of the experience. They learn to make healthier choices also. Kids learn to feel better, breathe better, run faster and become more active as a result.

Some overnight weight loss camps can cost about $1,000 a week. Many of the camps offer scholarships and that’s worth exploring. Your health insurance may cover some of it because of the weight loss therapy. And some churches run free weight loss camps, but may be harder to find.

Choosing the right summer camp for your child may mean doing a lot of research and checking out reviews of weight loss camps. Talking to parents who have sent their kids to those camps would give you some idea as to the successful experience the child has had. Ask the director of the camp you’re considering if they will give you some names of previous campers’ parents so you can contact them. Cost may be a factor too. There is a wide range when it comes to cost and be sure to compare weight loss summer camp ratings online and offline. Check the public library for Consumer Reports magazine’s ratings.

Any overnight summer camp is great because it will force the child to have structured time in the summer and even traditional overnight camps focus on kid’s fitness and health, serve healthier food and encourage a lot of exercise. If you can’t find or afford a weight loss camp, you should choose a camp anyway even if it’s a special camp like arts or science that has some activity. The important thing is to keep overweight kids active in the summer.