It takes a lot for a Los Angeles resident to complain about traffic jams. But as the President swings by to attend a Hollywood fundraising gala, Angelenos are bracing themselves for the worst--again. Last August, when the President briefly stopped by Southern California it caused such a massive traffic jam that outraged residents demanded an investigation into why they were stopped on surface streets for hours.
"I can't believe they did it during rush hour on a Monday," said a resident to the Los Angeles Times about the incident. "I told the White House they might have raised $1 million, but they lost one million votes," a city councilman fumed. After that motorcade debacle, the president used a helicopter to stop by LA last fall and the traffic situation reportedly improved.
This time around, Los Angeles seems to have put itself on full-alert for Obama's visit. Even though the details of the president's route are currently being withheld for security purposes, local authorities are once again expecting gridlock after Obama's plane lands this afternoon.
"We think this time will be better," wrote LA Weekly optimistically, noting that the Sony Pictures lot where the fundraiser is being held is not to far from the 405 freeway. "Everything will be paralyzed, I'm concerned we'll lose a lot of business," a restaurant owner near the area where Obama will dine told the Associated Press. And Total Traffic LA, which has been live-blogging the arrival, figured yesterday that the street closures "may send ripple effects through all streets on the Westside."


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Theatre By The Sea announces Equity and Non-Equity Adult Auditions for its 2020 Summer Season. Seeking strong actors, dancers and singers. They are especially seeking mature character actors for featured roles throughout the season. Performers must be more
Theatre Review By DON FOWLER Artistic Director Kevin Broccoli has chosen Tennessee Williams' classic one-act play, "e;Suddenly Last Summer,"e; to open Epic Theatre's 2020 year in its intimate space at 50 Rolfe St. in Cranston. More well known for its 1959 more
LDI Pro holding charity event for 3 local non-profits
It's FREE! (sort of) Sign up on-line at www.ldipro.com ? Anne Mulhall, owner of LDI Pro, has always had a place in her heart and in her life for giving back and helping … more
There are many interesting stories of how people end up staying in Rhode Island. Sometimes is out of necessity due to a job or maybe even taking care of a family member. Other times, people discover the Ocean State's creative community and more
LDI PRO is offering acting classes for adults
Acting. On camera. In the movies. Television shows. Ever thought about trying it? It starts here. How do you know if you are making the right impression? Or maybe you made the right impression but didn't book the job? Wonder why? Anne has a knack for more
By DON FOWLER The Providence Performing Arts Center opened the year with a two-week run of "e;Beauty and the Beast."e; The Cider House Rules was the first good movie of 2000. It starred Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine and Charlize Theron. Magnolia starred John more
From Blackletter to teaching, Dave Laros finds many musical avenues
Cranston resident Dave Laros has a lot going on with music. He's the frontman and pianist for the Providence post-apocalyptic rock act Blackletter. He performs all over the Northeast and sometimes beyond as part of various dueling pianos more
By ROB DUGUAY | 1/9/20
The Eagles Experience coming to Courthouse
On Saturday, January 18 at 8 p.m., The Eagles Experience, an Eagles Tribute band, will be at The Courthouse. The Eagles Experience aims to be the most authentic tribute show to the Eagles available today. There are many great bands on the road that more
Chris MacKay & the ToneShifters to get rootsy at Revival
It doesn't matter what time of year it is - when a band has the ability to make the listener feel good in a room, it can be a memorable experience. Evenings like these might bring some new friends into someone's life or perhaps even a more
Disney On Ice presents Celebrate Memories in Providence December 26-29
Grab your mouse ears and get ready for a worldwide party as Disney On Ice presents Celebrate Memories comes to the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence December 26 through 29. Produced by Feld Entertainment Inc., this production will inspire families to more
That's entertainment: 20 and 40 years ago
By DON FOWLER 20 years ago William Damkoehler played Scrooge in Trinity Rep's 23rs annual "e;A Christmas Carol,"e; directed by Marc Lerman. Ricardo Pitts-Wiley played both Jacob Marley and Mr. Fezziwig. There were two separate casts that year, with Fred more
Crowded Rooms close out year with new album
There are bands that put such a unique spin on a certain style that they offer something more. It's tough to pin it down to specifics, but you have to give their music a listen to get a grasp of what they're accomplishing. Crowded Rooms is more

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


New government statistics have revealed there were 580 excess winter deaths recorded in Nottinghamshire during 2015/16.
Provisional data suggest the figures for last winter (2016/17) could be even higher.
The unconfirmed statistics for last winter (2016/17) show a significant rise in winter deaths across the region with 3,200 recorded in the East Midlands - the second highest level for five years.
This indicates the full figures for Nottinghamshire could be considerably more when the verified data is released next year.
Excess winter deaths are defined as the difference between the number of deaths in the winter months (December to March) compared with the previous (August to November) and following (April to July) three months.
The figures indicate that people in rural parts of Britain, such as Nottinghamshire, are disproportionally affected because their homes tend to be older with poorer insulation and so are harder to keep warm.
This issue is highlighted in the report which states that cold temperatures are associated with increased blood pressure and a lower immune system which puts older and vulnerable people most at risk.
With the wintery weather already well underway, OFTEC, which represents the oil heating industry, has produced a free information guide including tips and advice on staying warm, essential phone numbers, help with finding a local heating technician and guidance on applying for heating payment schemes.
Malcolm Farrow from OFTEC said: "The government's statistics reveal that, once again, a shockingly high number of people have died unnecessarily.
"There is clearly still much more to do to ensure the most vulnerable in society are kept warm and well during the winter months.


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Q: Eclipse just doesn't start I know others have asked this question but I've tried all the suggestions and none have even made the slightest difference. So was I have my console log for people to see in case I've missed a problem.
When I click on the Eclipse.exe nothing happens, no error message, no splash screen, it doesn't show up in task manager, nothing.
I've taken screen shots of the consolelog,

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


IRB Law advises a wide range of client, from listed companies on insolvency and restructuring, to individuals facing individual bankruptcy. We are here to understand your individual or company situation, and provide efficient, and commercially effective solutions which we know are especially important during such situations.
Don't let your situation spiral out of control, speak to our legal advisers today and get a free initial consultation to understand your options and potential fees.


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Hunkemöller is looking for an Online 3rd parties Coordinator (Chinese market) for our E-Commerce department, who are responsible for continuously developing our new online markets. Hunkemöller trades via several online 3rd parties such as Zalando, Wehkamp, Amazon and Nelly. The core task of this role is to meet and exceed the sales/EBITDA target for a selection of Hunkemöller online partners, assist in onboarding new china partners and support trading for our OWN websites.
Develop an effective relationship with partners to drive sales.


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Kansas City Urban Core Group
Exploring and Celebrating Kansas City's Urban Core
Guest Admission
Tribe_events | Monthly Event Hosted by Hy-Vee Arena
Monthly Event Hosted by Hy-Vee Arena
« Monthly Event Hosted by Centric Projects LLC
2018 Holiday Party »
What many remember as the The Kemper Arena, which was built in 1974 and owned by Kansas City, was sold to the Foutch Brothers who have spent almost two years and $39 million to redevelop this piece of history as a sports and recreation facility. In 2016, the building was named to the National Register of Historic Places to recognize the unique design features incorporated by the original architect Helmut Jahn who has other noteworthy designs including the Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platzin Berlin, Germany, the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany, the One Liberty Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (formerly the tallest building in Philadelphia), and an international airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
Original Kemper Arena (c. 1974)
Now referred to as the Hy-Vee Arena, the site has been repurposed as a youth sports arena and is booked several weeks out for events ranging from pickleball, volleyball, basketball and wrestling. While the old Kemper Arena seated 19,500, Hy-Vee will seat 8,500 including 5,000 upper level seats that spans eight high school basketball courts that can also be used for other sports plus 3,500 lower level seats. Yes there are two levels of action! The lower level, which was the original floor at Kemper Arena, will offer four courts (regulation NCAA and NBA).
Don't miss the opportunity to join the Urban Core Group for an inside look at the new Hy-Vee Arena, the nation's first multi-level sports complex.
This link is to a press release by Hy-Vee, May 2018, Iconic Kansas City Venue Named Hy-Vee Arena.
The Urban Core Group
Hy-Vee Arena
1800 Genessee St
Kansas City, MO 64102 United States + Google Map
hyveearena.com
Kansas City Urban Core Group © 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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The Renfrew Center's Virtual Therapy groups are held weekly for adolescent girls and women who struggle with disordered eating or who are working towards recovery from an eating disorder.
Offer structured care in a web-based environment.
Actively engage participants with each other to explore the emotions and relational functions of their disordered eating.
Allow individuals to develop strategies to improve their communication skills and achieve recovery focused goals.
Incorporate the empirically based Renfrew Center Unified Treatment Model for Eating Disorders® into group curriculum.
Renfrew's Virtual Therapy groups are available to individuals residing in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, and Texas.
To get started, you will need to have access to Wi-Fi and a device such as a smart phone, computer or tablet with a camera and screen.
Beth Tiras, LMFT, is Team Leader at The Renfrew Center of Los Angeles. A licensed marriage and family therapist, she received her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles, and has post-graduate training in contemporary psychoanalysis. Ms. Tiras has extensive experience working in residential, outpatient, school, home, and office treatment settings with children, adolescents and adults. She specializes in working with people who struggle with eating disorders, trauma, depression and interpersonal issues.
Nancy Magnetti, MA, LMFT, is the Site Director at The Renfrew Center of Connecticut. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Lynchburg College and her Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fairfield University. Prior to joining Renfrew, Ms. Magnetti served as Program Director for Multi-Dimensional Family Therapy at Family and Children's Aid in Danbury, CT. She has extensive experience in treatment within multiple levels of care, including in-home, outpatient and residential. Ms. Magnetti specializes in the practice of evidence-based modalities, family involvement in treatment as well as clinical supervision.
Tiffany DeVecchis, MEd, Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern, is the Regional Admissions Team Lead for The Renfrew Center. She received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and her Master's degree in Education with a specialization in Mental Health Counseling, both from Florida Atlantic University. Ms. DeVecchis started at Renfrew as an Intake Coordinator, and then held the positions of Admissions Coordinator and Group Counselor at The Renfrew Center of Florida, and most recently as Admissions/UR at The Renfrew Center of West Palm Beach. Prior to her experience with Renfrew, she worked in the substance abuse field as a group facilitator and counselor.
Courtney Johnson, LSW, is a Primary Therapist at The Renfrew Center of Chicago where she facilitates and leads evidence-based Unified Treatment Model groups, expressive arts groups, nutrition groups, and meal support therapy for clients in both partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programming. She received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Miami University and her Master's degree in Social Service Administration with a concentration in Clinical Social Work from The University of Chicago.
Deborah Gray, LPC, is the Team Leader at The Renfrew Center of Charlotte. She received her Bachelor's degree in English Literature and Writing from Calvin College in Michigan and her Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In her current role, Ms. Gray supervises clinical staff and interns, and has extensive experience in providing individual, family, and group therapy. She specializes in integrating trauma work and Christian-based therapy into the treatment of eating disorders.
Kiersten Rapstine, LPC-S, CEDS-S, received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and her Master's degree in Counseling Education from the University of North Texas. Ms. Rapstine is trained in the treatment of co-occurring addictions and has worked with comorbid process addictions throughout her service in the mental health field for more than fifteen years. Ms. Rapstine has a passion for helping those with eating disorders as well as working to increase awareness in the community by presenting educational workshops in multiple settings including colleges, teachers groups and mental health practices in the DFW area. She is the sitting President of the DFW Chapter of iaedp (International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals) as well as an iaedp approved consultant.


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One of the founders of Aardvark Safaris, Richard comes from a background working in both Africa and travel. Shunning the exciting world of quantity surveying (with apologies to all exciting quantity surveyors out there)
One of the founders of Aardvark Safaris, Richard comes from a background working in both Africa and travel. Shunning the exciting world of quantity surveying (with apologies to all exciting quantity surveyors out there) Richard spent the first ten years after university flitting between summers on a river somewhere in the world as a raft guide, videographer or canoe instructor, and winters in the Alps as a ski guide, or the Operations Manager for a ski company.
His claim to fame (in his own mind) is that during his time working on the Zambezi River, based in Victoria Falls, he was one of the members of a group of kayakers who made the first moonlit descent of the rapids in the Zambezi Gorge. In addition he spent time in Botswana and Zimbabwe making promotional films for safari companies, and met the other Aardvark Safaris' founder John Spence.
Richard is a keen sportsman but though he has tried many sports including football, volleyball, kayaking, canoeing, skiing, snowboarding, telemarking, bouldering, mountain biking and bmx-ing he's not particularly accomplished in anything. With the ability to swim, ride a bike and run, he was gripped by a midlife crisis a few years ago and trained for enough hours to annoy both family and work colleagues and eventually became an Ironman triathlete, completing the 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26 mile run in something just over 14 hours. He also recently podium'ed as 3rd placed Grand Vet in a downhill mountain bike competition (and no there weren't only three in his category).
Having founded Aardvark Safaris with John in 1999, Richard travelled intensively throughout Africa for a number of years before his children grew old enough to start asking why they weren't invited. Since then he's travelled with his wife and kids to Mauritius, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi and South Africa. With a wide breadth of geographical knowledge (in Africa at least) and having arranged safari holidays over the years for many of our clients, Richard is a good person to talk to about almost all of the countries we offer, no matter who you are or with whom you're travelling.
Favourite African experience
I particularly enjoyed the look on my wife's face when she realised the beautiful breakfast set up under an acacia tree in the middle of the African plains was for us – we were the VIPs that the chef (in full whites) and camp team were waiting for!
Favourite animal
It changes. Right now it's warthogs. I love the way they stick their tails in the air as if radio controlled. Annoyingly they seem to always run away from you though, meaning a good photo seems almost impossible to get.
Favourite three camps
I saw three different leopard on a single game drive from Mombo Camp in the Okavango Delta and on our return to camp there was a porcupine displaying its quills under the boardwalk. The density and quality of wildlife, together with rooms where 'you can almost see from one end to the other on a clear day' makes Mombo one for the memory banks.
Family of leopards, Okavango Delta, Botswana, Mombo camp
I love the quirkiness of the rooms at Kaya Mawa on Lake Malawi; they're all different to each other and blend in with the granite outcrops fabulously. More an inland sea than a lake, the waters are great for freshwater snorkelling and diving – not only do you get great fish viewing, but you're not sticky with salt afterwards.
On the shores of Lake Malawi, Kaya Mawa
Stopping at three camps doesn't feel right; I could go on for pages. However if I have to finish I'd end with Greystoke Camp in the Mahale National Park on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. You have a sandy beach in front of you, with forested mountains rising 600m behind you. In the forest are groups of habituated chimps whose interactions are as thrilling as the scenery is stunning.
Greystoke Mahale, Tanzania
Oh no, what about the pastel colours at Wolwedans in Namibia, or watching whales from Princesse Bora on Ile Ste Marie, or a sunset across the Luangwa from Nsefu Camp? Can't we make it your ten favourite camps?
African countries visited
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Zanzibar, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Madagascar, Swaziland, Mauritius, Morocco.
On arranging holidays
There can't be many jobs where people want to buy what you sell. I can't imagine people go into the service department of their local garage happy to plan their service and then part with their money. That's what we get though; people who are excited about arranging a safari holiday and who just need us to use our knowledge to match them with the myriad of options for them in Africa.
It's lovely to get so many people saying 'thank you' when the planning is complete and the decision made. It's even better when they come back from Africa with the holiday having exceeded their expectations, thrilled by what they've seen and done and bubbling over with excitement. We share all the feedback we get around the offices and I know each of us gets a big thrill when the trips we've helped arrange work well and a bit of vicarious pleasure reading each other's nice feedback too.
It's a top job and there are few things I'd swap it for, and those I would I'm not skilled enough at (see the previous comments regarding my sporting prowess!)
richard@aardvarksafaris.com
Alice Gully
Alice Gully, one of the owners of Aardvark Safaris, has been involved in African travel since 1995. Her interest in all things African started with a zoology degree at Newcastle where her entomology tutor inspired with stories of exotic creatures that could only be found in Africa.
Alice Gully, one of the owners of Aardvark Safaris, has been involved in African travel since 1995. Her interest in all things African started with a zoology degree at Newcastle where her entomology tutor inspired with stories of exotic creatures that could only be found in Africa. When a second degree in vet science did not go according to plan, she fulfilled a dream by working in Zambia. First, she helped set up a safari camp on Lake Kariba and undertook a small study on a family of seven elephants that shared her island. Next was a stint skippering catamarans on the Zimbabwean side of the lake where sailing along the wildlife filled shores of Matusadona National Park still inspires wonderful memories.
Her last job was living the dream as a back-up guide for a riding safari in Hwange, Zimbabwe, which she describes as one of those few jobs where you forget it's work, and where managing 28 horses and showing guests the wonders of Africa from horseback was pure joy. She decided on her future career as an African tour operator before her return and now says that anything is possible in Africa if you know how.
Now married, and mother to three daughters, Alice runs the Scottish office. Riding is still a big passion she competes and hunts when time allows. Alice and husband Jim are keen hill walkers and love the outdoors, and on their African travels they are happiest on foot, in a canoe, or on horseback. She is also an experienced diver and counts the peaceful reefs of Mozambique as some of the best in the world. Her triplets got a taste of Africa at the age of two on a camel safari in Kenya with some time at the coast – never too young!
In her many years organising holidays, Alice has travelled extensively through Africa, exploring some of the more off the beaten track safari areas as well as the better known. Kenya remains an old favourite and she has returned six times, unable to resist the draw of all that's on offer here. Post children she's also come to appreciate the value of R&R holidays in beach destinations like Mauritius and the Seychelles. Of the countries Aardvark Safaris sells, it's only Madagascar and Malawi that Alice has yet to explore, but it's only a matter of time.
Too many to pick one, each time I travel something takes my breath away, the people, the endless scenery, the incredible wildlife. For pure wow factor, riding horses through the migration in the Masai Mara or flying in a private plane along the Skeleton Coast of Namibia.
Other than giraffe (which I'd most like to come back as) it's the little stuff like the insects and birds that enthral me. If you sit still in Africa, life is busy all around you, no matter where you are. Under the sea, in the ground or high in the trees, there is never a dull moment.
I love the small owner run camps where you feel as though you are staying with a friend. The host is your guide and looks after you in every way, they care how you feel and what you do, some of these camps (and owners) include PJ and Barney at Okavango Horse Safaris in Botswana, Kerry Glen at Karisia in Kenya, Ant and Tessa Baber at Ant's Nest in South Africa, but there is a long list, not just three! Luwi Camp in the South Luangwa, Zambia is my desert island camp if there was only one last African trip.
Okavango Horse Safaris, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Camel safari, Kenya, Laikipia, Karisia Walking Safaris
Luxury safari accommodation Waterberg, South Africa, Ant's Nest, Ant's Collection
Hippos on a walking safari, South Luangwa, Zambia, Luwi Bushcamp
South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Seychelles, Mauritius, Namibia, Republic of Congo
I pride myself on the fact that no two holidays I plan are the same. I enjoy really listening to what people want, before going to the drawing board to sketch out ideas. I believe in top end customer service, so no wedding anniversary goes unnoticed or dietary requirement is missed, and I will spend hours thinking about what could improve everybody's experience – I want everyone to come home with the same warm fuzzy feeling about Africa that I have. As an experienced rider, I know what makes the difference between a good riding safari and an unforgettable one and will do my best to match riders to the most suitable horses and will always try to look after the non-riding spouse (I have one) as well as learner riders (like my three girls). As a mother I know the pitfalls of travelling with children and will do my utmost to choose the best camps and lodges to create a perfect family holiday – I'm proud to say my repeat and word of mouth business speaks for itself.
alice@aardvarksafaris.com
Francis Naumann
Francis grew up outdoors, spending far more time on his parents' farm than he ever did at school. As well as being engrossed in the books of Wilbur Smith from an early age, a growing obsession with Africa was given a boost on a family holiday in Kenya when he was just 10.
Francis grew up outdoors, spending far more time on his parents' farm than he did at school. As well as being engrossed in the books of Wilbur Smith from an early age, a growing obsession with Africa was given a major boost on a family holiday in Kenya when he was just 10.
Having attended agricultural college, he spent 18 months exploring outback Australia, mostly working on massive cattle stations many miles from a town of any size, and learned to love being barefoot in the bush. Having successfully dodged wild cattle and numerous snakes, he returned to the UK to farm in Wiltshire, which he did until 1995 when the call of the wild overtook him once more and he headed for Africa.
For the following five and a half years Francis travelled the length and breadth of the continent, guiding groups of up to 20 clients on overland safaris, in 22 countries from Morocco to Cameroon, and Kenya to Namibia. He became an expert guide in wildlife, culture, geography and general African knowledge during this time, and since he had a vehicle under his command he was able to explore new and unknown places on most trips.
He then went home again, got married, and made the mistake of running a post office and shop for seven years, before joining Aardvark eight years ago.
Away from work, Francis is a family man, a keen rider, and enjoys tennis and cricket as well as cycling. He also likes food, wine and beer, and occasionally mows the lawn.
Happiest when barefoot in the bush, Francis is passionate about wildlife, conservation and sustainable travel, is fascinated by other cultures, and the benefits that well planned travel can deliver for less fortunate communities in developing countries. He has superb wildlife knowledge and is also a good person to talk to if you are interested in the cultural side of Africa.
It's really hard to name just one, but these are among many; meeting Slot (an elephant) in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park; seeing and hearing Dogon dancers on the Bandiagara escarpment in Mali; being seriously close to chimps in Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania; canoeing the length of the lower Zambezi, camping on islands in the river; the sight of 250 salt laden camels with their Tuareg herders crossing the Sahara to Timbuctoo in Mali; Samburu people watering their stock at Sarara's Singing Wells.
The elephant, for its majestic size, complex family and social structures, and its intelligence and longevity. I have spent hours sitting watching them.
My favourite three camps
Goliath Safaris in Mana Pools for the most intimate wildlife encounters.
Sarara Camp in remote northern Kenya for its stunning setting and the Singing Wells.
Chada Katavi in western Tanzania for its remoteness, beauty, and the feeling of being truly wild.
Jack's Camp in the stunning, other-worldy landscape of the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana.
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zaire (now the DRC), Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Ghana, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, Egypt, Seychelles and Madagascar.
On planning holidays
I like to take time to get to know about my clients, to learn what really matters to them, and to provide holidays which suit them perfectly. I work extensively with families, and enjoy coming up with exciting and varied holidays which mix adventure and wilderness with great wildlife and masses of fun in the bush. I enjoy any opportunity to produce an unusual, mixed itinerary, perhaps taking people out of their usual comfort zones and into remote, uncharted territory, even if just for a few days, and also offering the chance to spend time with some of the continent's fabulous people.
I relish any chance to talk about my favourite places and to enthuse my audience with my passion, hopefully without inducing a yawn.
Part of the joy of the work is the feedback we receive (we contact every client for it on their return), and the satisfaction and excitement engendered in our clients by the holidays we arrange. Our testimonials page makes for great reading.
francis@aardvarksafaris.com
Jo Ainscough
Jo joined Aardvark's Scottish office in September 2006, fresh from two ski seasons, and as a farmer's daughter felt instantly at home with the chickens, ducks, sheep, dogs and horses that frequent Aardvark Scotland! Animals and skiing aside, Jo's passions include cooking, travelling, hiking and horse riding.
Jo joined Aardvark's Scottish office in September 2006, fresh from two ski seasons, and as a farmer's daughter felt instantly at home with the chickens, ducks, sheep, dogs and horses that frequent Aardvark Scotland! Animals and skiing aside, Jo's passions include cooking, travelling, hiking and horse riding. She was a chalet manager in the Alps for two winter seasons, while the summers took her to the north of Scotland to cook for large house parties. As a child, Jo was fully immersed in the Fife Hunt pony club, and has more recently worked with top eventers and racehorses.
She put her cooking skills to good use on a two month sabbatical in Uganda and Rwanda where she was tasked with improving the food and sourcing new ingredients in some of the top lodges. A highlight of her time here was tracking mountain gorillas on three occasions – Jo is therefore an excellent person to talk to about holidays here as she can give you her own honest and unbiased advice.
Now a senior sales consultant at Aardvark Safaris, Jo has been given the exciting challenge of managing a sales team. Sociable, outgoing, fun and very well-travelled, we believe she is the perfect person for the job. Based in Edinburgh, Jo is more than delighted to come and meet guests with maps and brochures, to chat their holidays over in person.
Sleeping in a hide on the Boteti River in Botswana. There were elephant splashing around in the river and two prides of lion roaring to each other from opposite banks. I didn't sleep a wink, but it was one of the most thrilling nights of my life!
Making it to the summit of Kilimanjaro. Having that sense of satisfaction, whilst seeing the sun rise up through the clouds below, has to be one of the most magical things I've ever experienced.
Favourite African animal
Giraffe – I have always wondered what it's like to be tall……they're the complete opposite of me; tall, graceful and quiet.
Three favourite camps
Tsarabanjina off the north west coast of Madagascar, for its truly remote location, sugary white sand, warm translucent water, and amazingly romantic and private bandas.
Schoeman Skeleton Coast Safaris' Kunene Camp in northern Namibia. It's on the border with Angola and is totally unique, simple and beautiful.
Sand Rivers in Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve for its exclusivity, wonderful river location and the sound of hippos from any part of the lodge.
Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar.
There's nothing better than speaking to guests who have just returned from a fantastic holiday. It gives me such a buzz. There's plenty of room for error when planning these trips so it's essential to get everything absolutely right and that's where the first hand-knowledge and attention to detail comes in. I travel regularly, and though it's a wonderful perk, it's also crucial to help plan the perfect holiday. I take a lot of pride in trying to make all the trips I plan the best they can possibly be, no matter how long takes. Making people happy is very satisfying.
joanna@aardvarksafaris.com
Lucinda Rome
Lucinda joined the Aardvark team in 2010, fresh from a several years working at a remote bush camp in Zambia's South Luangwa Valley – a position she found after her passion for Africa was sparked by a charity climb up Kilimanjaro and a Kenyan safari - organised, coincidentally, by Aardvark.
Lucinda joined the Aardvark team in 2010, fresh from several years working at a remote bush camp in Zambia's South Luangwa Valley – a position she found after her passion for Africa was sparked by a charity climb up Kilimanjaro and a Kenyan safari – organised, coincidentally, by Aardvark. Unable to drag herself away, the initial five month position eventually spanned four years and stints working for two of the best safari companies in Zambia. It only came to an end when a 15kg sausage fruit fell on her wrist, resulting in an injury that required surgery back in the UK.
As well as visiting some of the more remote areas of Zambia, her travels around the continent include Mozambique, Malawi, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.
Prior to Africa and Aardvark, Lucinda completed a degree in History of Art, spending a year at a Rome university where, in her spare time she worked as a city guide leading six to seven hour tours of the Vatican City, walks of the historical city centre, and tours of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Returning to Rome after graduating, she spent a further 18 months leading and developing tours around this ancient city and the surrounding areas. Other employment in her wonderfully peripatetic career includes working on a magazine and a spell as an estate agent.
Away from the office Lucinda is a keen photographer and grew up riding and eventing. She loves the opportunities that Africa provides to indulge in both these passions. Having run safari camps she has a good insight into Africa and the people who come to visit, and what makes an average camp truly great.
There are so many but these would be a start: Watching nearly a thousand pelican flying through the pink streaked sunset sky in Liuwa Plains, Zambia; riding with white rhino and walking with black rhino in South Africa; spending time with the endangered mountain gorillas; reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro; and lying in bed at night listening to the hippos in the river and the local lions roaring in camp.
Impossible to answer – I am as happy watching elephants at a waterhole or a leopard up a tree with its kill as I am marvelling at a flock of carmine bee-eaters. Apart from snakes, I will admire any African wildlife for hours on end.
Mchenja in the South Luangwa will always have a special place in my heart as the first camp I ran. It has a stunning position, a wonderful team of staff and fabulous wildlife all around, and quite often inside, camp.
Singita Ebony in the Kruger – who wouldn't want to watch elephant and buffalo, amongst others, from the comfort of their private plunge pool?
Tswalu – a completely unique area with stunning landscapes and great wildlife viewing, with some rarer species like the elusive Aardvark.
Can I have just one more? Virunga Lodge in Rwanda has some of the most extraordinary views I've ever seen and is the perfect base from which to track the mountain gorillas.
Botswana,Kenya, Malawi, Maldives, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
I am lucky enough to have a job which is essentially about making people happy. We strive to ensure that, through our knowledge, we can plan and put together superb holidays. What makes a perfect safari will depend completely on the person I am are arranging it for – a simple dome tent works for some while a room with a private plunge pool would be better for others. There are some key essential ingredients; excellent guiding, great wildlife and few other people in the same area, but really it's all about getting to know what you want. I particularly enjoy hearing about the trips I've arranged when my clients return, it's a great buzz when we manage to exceed expectations.
lucinda@aardvarksafaris.com
Roxy Cox
Roxy Cox, a safari expert with Aardvark Safaris, has many years of experience travelling in Africa, running safari camps, and planning numerous holidays. Roxy is keen on snorkelling, tennis, hilltop walks and anywhere with fantastic photographic opportunities.
With both her parents born in Africa, Roxy certainly has Africa in her blood. She went on her first safari at the tender age of six, and frequent visits throughout her childhood have kept the African connection strong.
Her gap year between school and university saw her backpacking around South Africa, Australia, Bali, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Following a clearly exhausting three years at the University of Newcastle, a second gap year was much needed and she went off to Kenya to work at Offbeat Mara Camp, Offbeat Meru Camp and Sosian Ranch, part of the Offbeat Safaris circuit, and finished the safari stint by teaching tennis in a prep school in the rift valley. It was these experiences, and hosting guests on safari, that led her to becoming an African tour operator, desperate to send people to the camps and lodges she had loved, and for guests to have an exquisite African experience too.
Riding at Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, Kurland
With relatives in Kenya and her second home being a family house Plettenberg Bay in South Africa, Roxy not only travels for work but for holiday too. Her son made his first trip to South Africa at just five months old, and she is of the firm mind set of 'have children – must travel'. Watching him meet his first elephant was a true wonder, and she hopes as he grows older he will share the same love for these majestic and wondrous creatures as she does.
Baby chimpanzee, Image credit Volcanoes Safaris
It is tough to pinpoint a favourite experience, so here are a few that are top of my list… Chimp trekking in the Mahale Mountains in Tanzania, a walking safari in the South Luangwa in Zambia, a fly-in safari with Skeleton Coast Safaris in Namibia, a sleep out under the stars in the Makagadikgadi salt pans in Botswana, gorilla tracking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and sundowners anywhere with a view.
The African elephant. No question.
Romantic sundowners at Offbeat Mara Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya
Offbeat Mara Camp, Mara North Conservancy, Kenya – A typically East African tented camp with traditional safari bucket showers, wildlife in abundance, game drives, bush walks, night drives and sundowners with no more than 14 guests. I was lucky enough to run this camp when it very first opened over 10 years ago, so it has a special place in my heart
San Camp, Makgadikigadi, Botswana
San Camp, Makagadikgadi pans, Botswana –Take a quad bike across the plains into the sunset, sleep beneath the stars, get up close to the habituated meerkats, walk back in time with the bushmen and drive for miles looking for elusive brown hyena before retiring to a beautiful tented camp, enriched with unique artefacts and in the middle of nowhere, literally.
Luangwa Bush Camping, South Luangwa, Zambia, Robin Pope Safaris
Luangwa Bush Camping, South Luangwa, Zambia – An incredible operation for a walking, simple yet comfortable tents with your very own bush kitchen and bar, and true feeling of being in the wild.
Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zanzibar.
We really do arrange trips of a lifetime, so it goes without saying that hearing guests' feedback that their holiday not only met, but exceeded expectations, is always one of the thrills of the job.
I'm lucky enough to have explored the continent of Africa extensively, and have travelled wearing many different hats; as a single traveller, honeymooner, mother, and as part of a big family group.
Half the fun is getting to know my clients. Asking questions and listening to their experiences before applying my own knowledge is all part of the process of putting together their trip of a lifetime. We are always looking for ways to go above and beyond expectations to make our safari holidays extra special.
roxy@aardvarksafaris.com
Louisa Dickson
Louisa's first trip to Africa was to Kenya when she was 10 and this is where her love affair for Africa began, returning at every possible opportunity. Having studied Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University with a keen focus on Anthropology she has always been interested in different cultures and travel has been a means to experience this first hand.
Louisa has recently made the move back to Scotland from London where she worked for a competitor for the past three and half years.
As a child she loved hearing about the exploits of her grandparents and great grandparents who travelled all over Africa. Whether it was her great grandmother climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania or her grandfather flying small cargo planes over Zambia. She was therefore raring to start her own adventures and has enjoyed foreign travel from a young age. Her first trip to Africa was to Kenya when she was ten and this is where her love affair for Africa began, returning at every possible opportunity.
Having studied Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University with a keen focus on Anthropology she has always been interested in different cultures and travel has been a means to experience this first hand. Over the years she has also travelled extensively in Europe, Asia, North and South America, travelling overland from Chile to Mexico in her year out after university. However, Africa has always been her favourite continent where she has had some of her most exciting and memorable experiences. This is what led her to working in the African travel industry and she hasn't looked back since.
Arriving in the Namib Desert, its spectacular red dunes was incredibly special; it is one of the most remarkable places I have ever visited. The classic scene of the mystical looking oryx with the back drop of the famous burning red sand dunes is something I will never tire of. Sleeping on a raised deck under the most magnificent, twinkling stars in the middle of the desert is another unforgettable experience.
It has to be the African elephant, particularly the babies, when they don't yet have the use of their trunk they look a little goofy. I also love that they feel emotion just like humans.
Greystoke Mahale on the edge of Lake Tanganyika is definitely one of the most remote lodges I have been to. I was blown away by the shabby chic design of the lodge. The chimp trekking is fantastic and the guiding is exceptional.
Chimpanzee tracking at Greystoke Mahale, Tanzania
Chiawa Camp in the Lower Zambezi is another of my favourite camps. For me the Lower Zambezi is one of the most beautiful places with the views out to the river and the backdrop of the escarpment.
Chiawa Camp on the banks of the River Zambezi, Zambia
Chada Katavi Camp in the remote Katavi National Park in Western Tanzania is a very special camp for me. I love how far from civilisation you are, you really feel totally removed from the man made world and immersed in the wild.
Chada Katavi – zebras and giraffe herds, Katavi National Park, Tanzania
Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
I really enjoy sharing my experiences with others and being able to create the most amazing and unforgettable trips. The best part is that each and every holiday is completely different to the last so you never get bored and there is always something new and exciting. Holiday time is precious and I know how important it is to get a trip just right whether it's a honeymoon, family holiday or even a short trip. That is why it is essential we get to know everyone's likes and dislikes. I love talking to clients after their trip and hearing all about the different places they went and experiences had, it is also incredibly important to hear feedback, good or bad as it means you can constantly improve and keep your finger on the pulse.
louisa@aardvarksafaris.com
Jess Hills
Jess Hills has recently joined Aardvark following five years in the tailor-made travel industry and running Nsolo Bush Camp in Zambia's South Luangwa. Her Art and Art History degree allows her to relive favourite moments in Africa long after she's returned.
Jess has recently joined Aardvark Safaris following five years in the tailor made travel industry and a season running Nsolo Bush Camp in Zambia's South Luangwa Valley. Having started as an admin assistant for a self drive safari company she quickly found herself picking up information about African properties and routes, and developed an overly keen interest in maps. After answering enough questions correctly in a spot quiz one day she was packed off to Zambia to drive from Livingstone to Lilongwe and came back with a confirmed passion for Africa and a new favourite possession; Newman's Birds of Southern Africa.
Over the following years she has continued to explore Africa, visiting new countries and properties and developing an appreciation for the delicate relationship between tourism and conservation. Her love and knowledge of wildlife, and of birds in particular, has grown with each trip and there is nothing she enjoys more than being out in remote and beautiful scenery watching wildlife or just soaking up the views.
Jess studied Fine Art and Art History at university and enjoys drawing in her free time, using photographs of the wildlife and landscapes she encounters on her travels as her inspiration. At home long walks with the dogs give her the chance to get the binoculars out on an 'English Safari', finding as many new British birds as possible.
Having grown up in Lambourn, she started riding at an early age, switching from scruffy ponies to sleek racehorses aged 15. She rides at every opportunity and never passes up the chance to watch wildlife the most exhilarating way, from the back of a horse.
My favourite experience in Africa was one morning in South Luangwa when, standing in front of the campfire with a cup of coffee, watching swifts and swallows circling over the lagoon as the sun rose, one of the guides pointed to a bird and identified it as a Bohm's spinetail. It is a type of swift with a very short tail. It was a moment that made me appreciate the insight that can arrive with years of dedication to a particular subject, allowing you to see things that are invisible to others. This is the essence of what I find so special about being guided on safari.
I love watching wild dogs, they are such a tight unit and always playing around with each other before the hunt begins. It's even more special watching these interactions as they are so notoriously difficult to find, moving great distances each day. We followed them for an entire hunt once, and watched at a distance as they failed to catch an impala. They ended the hunt at a hyena den which we had been monitoring and tried to take on the female hyena which was guarding three generations of puppies. She defended herself marvelously. The pack then had a drink at a waterhole and spotted a crocodile enjoying the last of the warmth of the sand. They made a very half hearted attempt to have a go at this one last chance for supper before retiring for the night. We heard reports they ate the next morning, so my concerns for their hunting skills and survival were only short lived.
Nsolo Bush Camp, South Luanwga, Zambia – I've just returned from six months running Nsolo, and the experiences I had there were breathtaking on a daily basis. We saw leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, kudu, zebras, warthogs, impala, puku, a Pel's fishing owl, martial and fish eagles to name a few from the camp itself, and towards the end of the season we had wild dogs coming through camp every few days.
Namiri Plains, Serengeti, Tanzania – To my mind the perfect tented camp – great position, slightly more comfort that you technically need and excellent guiding. It is in an area which up until 2014 was used for cheetah research and rehabilitation so big cat sightings are common. Importantly there is no other camp within an hour's drive so you can enjoy game viewing in relative privacy, an increasing rarity in the Serengeti.
Marataba Safari Lodge and Trails, Marakele National Park, South Africa – I spent a night here and almost missed my plane the next morning. The surroundings are some of the most stunning I have seen and the walks from camp were wonderful, we saw white rhino and hyena on foot plus a nest of giant eagle owl chicks.
Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zanzibar.
I count myself incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to travel to Africa multiple times. For many it is the culmination of years of dreaming, and I try never to forget that when putting my client's trips together. I love to get to know my clients and find that the more time I take to do this at the initial stages of an enquiry, the better my recommendations for them will be. The best thing about this job is putting an itinerary together and hearing the reaction from the client both when they first receive it and then after they come home from their holiday. Hearing the stories and seeing the photos of clients enjoying these trips makes me realise I am doing a job which is bringing people's dreams to reality, which is a great feeling.
jess@aardvarksafaris.com
Becky Thomson
Becky studied Geography at Edinburgh University, and in a previous role working for a luxury tailor made company, Becky was lucky enough to plan many magnificent adventures in Scotland and gain first-hand experience of designing holidays-of-a-lifetime for clients.
Becky's passion for travel began while studying Geography at Edinburgh when the long summer holidays allowed her to explore far and wide. Properly hooked by the time she left university she set off whenever she could, returning regularly to the lakes in New Hampshire, USA, where she spent several three months stints working at a girls' summer camp. It was here she discovered her love for outdoor adventure – with wakeboarding, hiking and paddle boarding right on her doorstep.
Having completed her degree, she delayed getting a 'real job' and spent a ski season working in the Alps. Unlike many seasonnaire jobs, Becky was lucky enough to spend almost every day on the slopes with clients. She particularly enjoyed helping families on their ski holidays, from watching the three year olds stomp around in their ski boots, to helping the grandparents navigate the mountain to meet their families for lunch. Now living in Edinburgh, Becky often retreats back to the family farm in the Scottish Borders for her countryside fix, where she enjoys long walks with her mud-clad Labrador in tow.
Most recently she returned from Tanzania where she witnessed the wildebeest migration cross the Mara River in a dramatic, adrenaline filled morning in the Serengeti.
Fully bitten by the travel bug, Becky is thrilled to be working with Aardvark Safaris' Scottish team and to be able to share her love of travel with likeminded souls.
While on a morning game drive from Lamai in the northern Serengeti our guide spotted a leopard lying on a nearby rock. We watched for a couple of minutes before a young buffalo, separated from its mother, piqued his interest. The leopard went straight into hunting mode and grabbed the buffalo with its paw. All of a sudden the rest of the herd came out of nowhere, charging towards the leopard and chasing him off. The young buffalo survived, albeit a little shaken up.
Elephant. Their size alone is overwhelming. They're intelligent, majestic and mesmerising to watch as they interact with each other.
Favourite camp
Kuro Tarangire in the Tarangire National Park for its rustic bush camp feel and enviable location which you can explore from a vehicle, on foot or on a night drive.
Tanzania, Namibia
Having already worked for a luxury travel company – organising magnificent adventures in Scotland – Becky is well used to planning holidays of a lifetime, and loves finding out the smallest detail to lift holidays from ordinary to extraordinary.
becky@aardvarksafaris.com
Rosanna Pile
Rosanna's passion for Africa and travel began when she spent six months teaching in a Masai school just outside Arusha in Tanzania. She learnt Swahili in order to communicate with her pupils and still tries to keep it up as best she can and is even teaching her four-year-old daughter, who can now count up to ten.
Rosanna's passion for Africa and travel began when she spent six months teaching in a Masai school just outside Arusha in Tanzania. She learnt Swahili in order to communicate with her pupils and still tries to keep it up as best she can and even taught her daughter to count up to ten when she was just four. During her time in Tanzania she camped in Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti – watching the sunrise over the Serengeti for the first time was a moment she will never forget. From there she went white-water rafting in Uganda, travelled into Kenya and up through Samburu in an overland truck and onto Lake Turkana in the north before finishing up on the coast in Diani. This would be her last African experience before returning to university in the UK but she knew there was more to come and like many others who experience Africa for the first time, she was hooked. Rosanna joined the Scottish office having spent a year working for another company specialising in bespoke African safari holidays.
After studying History of Art & Sociology at Newcastle, she worked for Sandstorm Kenya, a luggage company based in Nairobi. Her role would soon take her back to Kenya and she would often tag on some personal travel time at the end. This is when she first experienced the wonder that is Laikipia and a love affair with the Lewa Downs began – she even picked the best spot for her (now) husband to propose to her – he didn't take the hint and instead got down on one knee on a snow-capped hill in the Scottish Borders. In 2018 she returned to Tanzania for the first time since teaching, heading south to the Selous Game Reserve where she went on her first boat safari before hopping over to the spice island of Zanzibar.
When Rosanna isn't dreaming of Africa she is kept busy by her two children who love to race around on their bikes or build sand castles on the beautiful East Lothian beaches. She can't wait to take them on their first safari and watch their eyes widen as they see their first elephant in the bush. She also has a creative side and loves to paint and be crafty – when she has the time.
Rosanna is first and foremost a people person and now that she is working in the African travel industry she is looking forward to getting to know her clients in order to create an experience that is perfect for them, but that will also exceed all expectations giving both them and herself the desire to go back and discover more.
On an afternoon game drive in the Chitabe Concession of the Okavango Delta, we thought we'd spotted some movement in the undergrowth so went to explore – only to be surprised when, from a completely different area on the other side of the vehicle, a leopard popped out and casually strode past. We followed her until she hopped up into a tree and then sat for around an hour taking in her glory. We were lucky to be with a professional photographer who gave us a free lesson so I have some wonderful pictures to remind me of the experience.
I just love the way giraffes move gracefully through the open plains. They look like they are galloping in slow motion. They are so elegant and poised, plus who wouldn't want a pair of their eyelashes.
Favourite Camps
Lewa Safari Camp will always be up there with my favourite places to stay. Partly because of its incredible location in the Lewa Conservancy but also because of the happy memories of staying there with my parents and brother on their first trip to Kenya.
Lake Manze in the Selous Game Reserve brought us back to the authentic safari experience of staying in a tented camp with no electricity and wifi so you really feel part of the bush. The wildlife was exceptional in and around the camp and with the help of our guide, who had binocular-vision, we tracked down some mischievous lion cubs. Boat safaris gave me a new-found curiosity for birdlife and I especially loved watching the bee-eaters. The food here was also exceptional and I enjoyed swapping safari tales with other guests in the evening.
Jack's Camp in the Makgadikgadi Pans is just one of three in a million-acre private wildlife reserve. 1940s in atmosphere, the Bedouin-style tents are furnished with brightly coloured Persian rugs and drapes. I had so much fun quad biking on the pans, playing with meerkats and meeting the San Bushmen who were fascinating. I even saw an Aardvark (a stuffed one in the camp's museum!)
Little Vumbura is in one of my favourite areas of the Okavango Delta. It is on a private island surrounded by water and you arrive by boat which is just so magical. The wildlife is incredible – we saw wild dog, cheetah and so many elephants. The helicopter rider over the extraordinary Delta was unforgettable.
Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar, Zambia
rosanna@aardvarksafaris.com
David Murray
Photographic Safari Specialist
Having grown up in the Scottish Highlands the outdoors played a big part of David's upbringing, with the Cairngorm Mountains providing the perfect childhood playground. Post university David spent several years travelling and working his way round the globe.
Having grown up in the Scottish Highlands, wildlife and the outdoors played a big part of David's upbringing, with the Cairngorm Mountains providing the perfect childhood playground. After university David spent much of his time working his way round the globe where jobs ranged from airport security at Sydney Airport, to running a ski school in Courchevel, France. He still enjoys sport and after a sporadic rugby career was ended by a touch rugby dislocation of his little finger (!) David threw himself into marathons completing nine to date, the best for sure being the New York marathon dressed as a rhino. After finally settling in Edinburgh in 2001 he spent the next eight years working in the financial sector advising private clients. A chance holiday to Botswana, organised by Aardvark Safaris in 2009, changed everything. Such was the impression left by Botswana on David and his wife Alice that they were back within six months – this time to live in, and run, photographic camps for the next five years.
David readily acknowledges that becoming an accomplished photographer is much easier when you live nine months of the year surrounded by your subject. He was also working for National Geographic's Dereck and Beverly Joubert, running the Great Plains Conservation camps, some of the most photographically focused camps in Africa, including Zarafa Camp, their flagship in the Selinda Reserve.
David is now based in the UK but travels back and forth to Africa designing and running photographic trips as a photographic safari specialist. He is also developing an education programme, in two UK schools, for National Geographic as their Big Cats' Education Representative.
A self confessed camera geek, he acknowledges far too much time is spent looking at camera gear websites rather than actually out taking shots!
Finding myself in my camp, face down in the Botswana sand of the Selinda Reserve, surrounded by inquisitive wild dogs having just eaten an impala… luckily with my camera.
Any of the big cats, of course, but without a doubt wild dogs. I have seen so many wonderful sightings of them hunting.
I'm sorry I am very biased! Selinda Explorers Camp is just perfect. Situated on a double bend of the Selinda Spillway I have seen more wildlife whilst situated in this camp than any other I have ever visited.
The Zanzibar Collection's The Palms is out of this world. There are so many great photographic opportunities in Zanzibar also.
Again biased but Mara Plains Camp for its incredible predator sightings. The Mara on the whole is just one of the most amazing spectacles of big cats on the planet. I have never gone a day without seeing a big cat at some point during the day.
Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Zimbabwe, Zambia
As far as photography is concerned it is so important to consider what you actually want to do with the images you take. In fact do you even need to take a camera if a smartphone will do? Many people feel overwhelmed by all the camera equipment that is available and that they must buy the most expensive bit of kit out there. My role is to make it simple and enjoyable for people and to match them up with the right camera for their trip and teach them how to get the most out of it.
mail@aardvarksafaris.com
Charlotte Opperman
Charlotte arrived at Aardvark Safaris as the fourth employee when the company was just a year old. Fifteen years on she still thanks her lucky stars that the day she decided to return to work coincided with Aardvark's advertisement in the local newspaper.
Charlotte arrived at Aardvark Safaris as the fourth employee when the company was just a year old. Fifteen years on she still thanks her lucky stars that the day she decided to return to work coincided with Aardvark's advertisement in the local newspaper. Her degree in town planning has little relevance to safaris, but her pre-children career in PR and marketing, including an exciting stint working in Hong Kong, has been put to good use in Aardvark's marketing department.
A keen horsewoman Charlotte rides and competes regularly. This year's equestrian challenge has been learning to ride side saddle – she's now reasonably accomplished and able to hold her own competing against those riding astride. Away from horses, she enjoys tennis and skiing and spends a fair amount of time keeping (trying to) her teenage sons in order.
She first visited Africa on honeymoon in Kenya, when a love of Africa (and hopefully her husband) was born. She has since visited Botswana, Namibia and the Seychelles. Charlotte has also tested a number of our trips with her husband and aforementioned teenagers. So far they have sampled Mauritius, South Africa (twice), Kenya, Zambia and Malawi so she is a great person to talk to if wanting to travel to Africa with children. Her desire for comfort in unspoilt surroundings makes her a good yardstick when planning a safari for many of our clients. Her close attention to detail ensures our clients never leave home unprepared.
Has to be my very first educational trip with Aardvark which was a mobile camping safari in the Okavango Delta. I'd foolishly claimed that camping wasn't my thing when I first arrived in the office so sending me on this utterly wonderful mobile trip was the perfect way to prove me wrong. Uncharted Africa run the Rolls Royce of mobile camping safaris, with huge tents, cast iron beds, proper linen, glorious food and a drinks cabinet to rival any you'd find in a five star hotel. The guiding was superb, the wildlife prolific and I came back completely hooked.
Nothing beats giraffe for the elegant, graceful way they roam the plains – I could watch them for hours. I've been lucky enough to spend a night at Giraffe Manor in Nairobi where these gorgeous creatures poke their heads through the windows to be fed cattle nuts – maybe not true safari, but one of my real African highlights none-the-less.
It's a private house rather than safari camp that is currently top of my favourite list. Chongwe River House which, from the outside, looks similar to something Fred Flintsone might have built, is quite extraordinary. Step inside and you're transported into a safari wonderland: the beautifully appointed interior opens to a garden and pool deck with views over the river where all manner of game comes to drink. The private boat is great for river cruises, there are picnics on sandy islands amid the Zambezi River, and a private vehicle and guide to explore the park. Fabulous for a family or groups of friends travelling together.
Rekero Camp in the Masai Mara, which has long been an Aardvark favourite, is high up on my personal list too. Our boys, who at the time of my visit were nine and 11, were treated like kings by the Masai guides – they left with bow and arrows, Masai clubs, a smattering of Swahili, and memories that will last a lifetime.
Ant's Nest in South Africa was so good we'd booked to return before we left. There's horse riding, cycling, walking, swimming, and great game – but it's the other bits that make it so special. The kids squealing with delight as they galloped up and down the grass runway, being given a machete (to their mother's alarm) and going out to help clear a new road, riding pillion behind owner and guide extraordinaire Ant Baber to check on his Sable herd. I could go on and on, but words will never do justice to this magical lodge.
Botswana, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles.
Most of my time at Aardvark is spent on marketing activities, but when time permits, nothing gives me greater pleasure than organising a family safari. I know from personal experience how wonderful it is to show children this beautiful continent and if you get the trip right, safari is one of the best family holidays ever. As a mother I know what it's like to worry about the little things – will we be safe, what happens if someone's ill – and am always happy to chat for as long as it takes to make sure we get exactly the right trip for you.
charlotte@aardvarksafaris.com
Renate Chaplin
Online and Social Communities Manager
Renate joined Aardvark's Hampshire office in 2014. She studied business management at university and began a career in advertising and marketing on graduating. After gaining a chartered marketeer qualification she worked as website editor for the disability charity, Guide Dogs. Here she nurtured a passion for digital accessibility and usability.
Having travelled extensively throughout Europe, Central and South America, and Australasia, Renate is an Africa novice but is itching to explore this beautiful continent. Currently top of the bucket list of experiences to try are diving in Mozambique and Lake Malawi, a gorilla encounter in Rwanda and exploring Namibia.
Richard Preston
After qualifying as a Chartered Certified Accountant, Richard moved into industry and held a number of finance positions over a nine year stretch with Coca-Cola in London.
After qualifying as a Chartered Certified Accountant, Richard moved into industry and held a number of finance positions over a nine year stretch with Coca-Cola in London. Nine years hard work warranted an 18 month career break which took him on travels to Central America, Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo, China, Burma, Australia and Fiji. He worked for O2 in Slough on returning before deciding to look for a fresh challenge in a smaller, friendlier but equally dynamic working environment. He arrived at Aardvark in December 2012.
When not working Richard attempts to emulate Bradley Wiggins on the bike and can also be found playing rugby at his local club.
Gale Brown
Gale joined the Scottish Office in June 2005 following a 17 year stint in the banking sector in the Isle of Man. Happily for Gale, whose great loves are the outdoors and travelling, she now works for a company which provides ample opportunity to experience both.
Gale joined the Scottish Office in June 2005 following a 17 year stint in the banking sector in the Isle of Man. Happily for Gale, whose great loves are the outdoors and travelling, she now works for a company which provides ample opportunity to experience both. Aside from travelling, she has a real interest in hill walking and is a keen skier. Gale also has a passion for interior design, so really appreciates the finer points found in some of the really high end camps and luxury lodges.
Although Gale's primary role is to assist with day to day administration in the Scottish office, she has travelled extensively in Africa and experienced many of the holidays we plan first hand so is also a good person to chat to about any queries you may have after the initial planning stages have been completed. Her attention to detail will ensure you have the holiday of a lifetime.
Witnessing first-hand the wildebeest migration crossing the river in Masai Mara is without doubt one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. The spectacle, noise and excitement of the crossing is a moment that will live with me forever.
Lion – a magnificent animal that epitomises power, courage and strength. I have been fortunate to see many lion and cubs on my travels often very close up! To see a pride hunting is an experience never to be forgotten.
Beho Beho in Tanzania for its stunning location and pure luxury. Chitwa Chitwa in South Africa's Kruger National Park for its boutique design and superb cuisine. Kaya Mawa on Likoma Island, Malawi for its amazing island setting, crystal clear lake waters and Robinson Crusoe barefoot luxury feel.
Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, and Malawi.
Alan McBrier
Alan joined the Scottish Office in April 2017 following various private and public sector companies over the last 20 years in high level support roles. Alan loves to eat out and travel, an African Safari is definitely on the bucket list!
After 20 years working in various private and public sector companies, most latterly four years with Audit Scotland, Alan McBrier joined Aardvark Safaris' Scottish office in April 2017. With experience in human resources and executive assistant roles his organisation skills are second to none – perfect for the professional and seamless service we offer our clients. He'd been looking for a new challenge, but wasn't sure what that was until he saw the vacancy with Aardvark Safaris. We're delighted to have him.
When not working he loves to eat out and travel. He's only made as far as the USA so far but says African safari is definitely on the bucket list!
Mook Phongchaiyong
Moving to the UK from Bangkok, Thailand, after having worked in sales and office administration—including human resources and payroll—for a satellite communications business for 14 years, Mook looked for an opportunity where she would be able to apply her experiences and skills as well as enjoy doing something close to where her passions lie, i.e. travel (apart from food, of course).
Moving to the UK from Bangkok, Thailand, after having worked in sales and office administration—including human resources and payroll—for a satellite communications business for 14 years, Mook looked for an opportunity where she would be able to apply her experiences and skills as well as enjoy doing something close to where her passions lie, i.e. travel. In January 2018, she joined the Aardvark Safaris team as a sales assistant.
Mook likes exploring and seeing how people, cultures, nature and foods vary in different parts of the world. She has been to China, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Nepal, Japan, Taiwan and the USA (California and Nevada). Mook enjoys hiking and has been to the Everest Base Camp, Gokyo Lakes, Renjo Pass and Kala Pathar in Nepal. She's keen to visit some more mountains around the world, and ultimately to make it to at least one of the Seven Summits—the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is therefore on her wish list and also walking safaris in Africa.
Lastly, Mook /mu:k/ means 'pearl' in Thai.
+ 44 (0) 1980 849160
Carolyn Dale
Carolyn joined the Aardvark Safaris Hampshire team in May 2018, where she works as a finance assistant alongside Richard Preston. Her previous finance experience comes from 21 years working for the family manufacturing business, so this has been quite a change.
Her young family keeps her busy most of the time but when she does get a spare moment she loves reading, football (watching not playing) and going to see live bands.
She enjoys travelling and Africa is definitely on the list for a future holiday as she thinks the girls would be amazed to see the wildlife up close and personal. Botswana is high on her wish list and she would love to see any of the big cats.
Anna Vivian
Anna looks after the concierge side of things – working with properties to ensure clients are well looked after, enhancing itineraries wherever possible and generally making sure our holidays just offer that little bit extra.
Inspired by Kenyan school friends, and Elspeth Huxley's tales of Kenyan pioneers in The Flame Trees of Thika, Anna's first trip to Africa was to Lamu 20 years ago and she was immediately hooked. Several years, and numerous Lamu holidays later, she and her husband were persuaded to give up their television jobs in London and take their young family to Kenya to start a new career in safari lodge management. Much to the dismay of their families, employers, and clients, they quit and were on a plane heading for Ol Donyo Lodge six weeks later. Two years of camp management under the tutelage of Richard Bonham was a life changing experience and enough to develop a serious case of Mal d'Afrique, only tempered by frequent return visits and safari chat in the Aardvark Safaris' office.
Ol Donyo Lodge – Anna managed this lodge
Anna is now the mother of three, a keen horsewoman, loves to ski, play terrible tennis and will upholster anything that stays still for long enough, but is happiest of all travelling as far off the grid and away from any form of technology as possible.
Next on the African hit/wish list is a canoe safari in Zambia, a stay at Jack's Camp in Botswana, a Safaris Unlimited horse safari, a stay at Greystoke Mahale and a comprehensive tour of the &Beyond Mozambique lodges!
Jack's Camp sundowners
Sleeping out with my husband on the Kopjes at Ol Donyo during a lunar eclipse. Two bedrolls, a gun and a cool box.
Deep sea fishing and swimming with pods of wild dolphins with Louis Van Aardt off Kizingo, Lamu. I hooked a Marlin almost the size of our boat (honest) and then jumped into the water to swim with the wild dolphins. 1km out to sea watching 40 dorsal fins coming towards you is heart stopping. Very wild, very remote and totally exhilarating.
Kizingo sand spit
My all-time favourite animal is a horse and nothing can beat a safari on horseback. In terms of African animals it has to be a hyena. The Bonhams adopted a hyena cub – found next to its dead mother aged two days old. It was bottle fed and became domesticated. It would appear every evening having spent the day sleeping in the lava rock behind their house. When their teenage son followed it back to its lair he discovered it had stolen tens of cuddly toys from the house and built himself a little nest surrounded by cuddly friends. "Ena", as he was known, was the most friendly and amazing animal and the relationships he had with the Bonham family members were fascinating to see. When he finally "left home" he would return occasionally bringing his mates with him.
Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, South Africa, Morocco.
mail@aardvarksafaris.co.uk
All the latest trip reports, breaking news, offers and goodies
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Jack's Camp – The Legend of the Kalahari
Friday, 14th June 2019
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October half-term holiday with the wildebeest in Tanzania
Thursday, 13th June 2019
Tanzania is one of Africa's most classic of safari destinations. It's got the lot: millions of wildebeest criss-crossing the Serengeti plains, snow-capped Kilimanjaro and the perfect volcanic caldera of the [...]
Escaping our winter to explore South Africa's southern coast
Wednesday, 12th June 2019
Imagine the December sun rising quickly and high into a clear sky, warming the air around you to a temperature where you're comfortable in just shorts and a polo shirt. [...]
Easter combining Vic Falls, Safari and Cape Town
Victoria Falls, a safari in Botswana's Okavango Delta, then a few days exploring Cape Town is like a like a classic sandwich with the safari as the filling. It's safari [...]
A Christmas cracker in East Africa
Tuesday, 11th June 2019
As temperatures in the northern hemisphere drop to zero and the pressures of wrapping presents and stuffing the turkey rise, jetting off somewhere warm and relaxing can be just the [...]
Botswana's mobile magic
Monday, 3rd June 2019
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Beyond the Victoria Falls…
Tuesday, 21st May 2019
Many visitors to Zambia make a bee-line to Livingstone and the famous Victoria Falls. There's no doubting that the magnificent spectacle the falls create and that there's plenty of fun [...]
Beyond the Okavango Delta…
Botswana is famous as one of Africa's finest safari destinations. Prolific wildlife combined with a controlled level of tourism means it is an ideal destination for a luxury safari. As [...]
Beyond the Masai Mara…
Kenya epitomises much that is Africa, from its diverse landscapes and wildlife to its fascinating culture. It is where my love affair with Africa started and it is why I [...]
Our Planet Q&A with Alastair Fothergill
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text:
Flavorwire's NYFF 2019 Diary
By Jason Bailey
The 57th New York Film Festival drew to close over the weekend, proving (once again) to be one of the country's most reliable surveys of the best of contemporary cinema – a handful of premieres, an abundance of must-see titles from other fests around the world, and one more push for a handful of titles (like Parasite, Pain & Glory, and Joker) hitting theaters during the fest's two-and-a-half-week run. Some of those films turned up in our TIFF diary last month; here thoughts on a few more.
What separates a film like Portrait of a Lady on Fire from something like Blue is the Warmest Color is writer/director Céline Sciamma's decision to not show the sex between the two women at its center. It's not that it's a prudish movie; this is an intensely erotic piece of work. But that eroticism comes from how these two people circle each other, for the better part of an hour – and how they relate to each other in the aftermath of those encounters, the operatic emotions that erupt from the story's quiet beginnings. Sciamma doesn't even use a score, so it's a movie so quiet you can hear these characters breathe, and, more significantly, hear when those breaths get heavy. This is not a film about sex; it's a film about intimacy, and longing, and letting go. It's just phenomenal.
It Portrait is a story of love's birth, Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story details its agonizingly long and emotionally merciless death. It's Baumbach's most emotionally open picture to date, and his best, clearly inspired by his own separation from Jennifer Jason Leigh and thus pulsing with the pain and bleak comedy of lived experience. It's the closest thing he's done to vintage Paul Mazursky, turning from gutting truth to screwball comedy without losing a step, and the filmmaking, while subtle, is effective – he knows when to let as scene play out in wides, and how to go in for close-ups when his protagonists go for the jugular. In taking his specific experience and addressing it so honestly, Baumbach has performed a tiny miracle: he's made the confessional universal.
"History isn't here yet," King-Lu (Orion Lee) tells Cookie (John Magaro). "Maybe this time we can be ready for it. We can take it on its own terms." That sense of a wide-open, limitless future isn't just part of the narrative of Kelly Reichardt's First Cow; it's part of her aesthetic, which plunges us into these period-dress stories of American frontier history, but anchors them in spontaneity and timeless concerns. The creature of the title is the first such animal in the area, point of pride for a rich landowner (Toby Jones); its milk becomes a stand-in for the simple pleasures and other extravagancies that seem just barely out of everyone else's reach. Deliberate, methodical, yet warm and funny, First Cow is a deeply humanist piece of work – it's worth noting the insight and demystification this female director brings to her story of primitive, grizzled men, glowering and growling at each other, then scrapping messily at the drop of a hat. She sees things they don't, and after sitting with her for a while, so do we.
The idea of history – of not just observing it, but seizing it and forming it – also looms large over Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. And it's meant, again, in human terms; it's a movie that knows that, at the end of the day, the ones who shape history are often those who just happen to be around. Robert De Niro is terrific as one of those men, a mob enforcer whose lifetime of casual crimes and unapologetic tough stuff lead him to a job he does not want, a trigger he cannot pull, but must. Al Pacino is just ferocious as Jimmy Hoffa, chewing up these big speeches but turning into a big pussycat around the people he cares about, perhaps to his detriment. And Joe Pesci is stunning as a boss of quiet power, a man who never raises his voice – in other words, the kind of character we've rarely seen him play. Scorsese is, simply, a modern master, and this is one of his finest works.
Another master of the mob movie was accounted for at NYFF this year, not with a new work, but an old work made new. Robert Evans recruited Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola to make The Cotton Club in 1983 in a rather transparent attempt at another Godfather-size success, and Coppola (still bruised from the fiasco of One from the Heart) needed one as well. But bad press and shady financing tanked this one before it opened, and the mediocre reviews didn't help. Mr. Coppola, ever the revisionist, has gone back to recut the movie (this version is called The Cotton Club Encore in press materials, though not onscreen), restoring the balance of the narrative to favor both his white and black leads (Richard Gere and Diane Lane, and Gregory Hines and Lonette McKee, all doing stellar work), and the balance of the picture to equal parts period gangster story and razzle-dazzle musical. It works best as the latter; the electricity of the floor shows is palpable, and Hines may have never danced better. And in an incredible closing sequence, in which Coppola intercuts a mob hit with a show-stopping stage number, the machine gun fire dueting with Hines' taps, The Cotton Club is, thrillingly, both movies at once.
It's easy to imagine a similar fate for Olivier Assayas's Wasp Network – a lesser work by a great filmmaker disappearing into our collective memory hole. And it's not hard to understand the knocks it's encountered thus far on the festival circuit; his screenplay tries to cover so much ground, on such an important topic, that the storytelling can feel glancing at best and shallow at worst. But his cast (which includes Edgar Ramirez, Penélope Cruz, Gael García Bernal, and Ana de Armas) is phenomenal, the story is fascinating, and it's filled with thrilling little set pieces that keep the picture taut. It's no Carlos or Personal Shopper, to be sure. But it's a quiet, contemplative, thought-provoking picture, and well worth a look.
Edward Norton's adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn has been similarly slagged at previous festivals, and I guess I get why; it's long and unruly and occasionally messy, and Norton's decision to move the narrative from the '90s to the '50s, and mate it with real stories of New York City's "master builder" Robert Moses (known to most through Robert Caro's essential book The Power Broker) has baffled some. I thought it was a masterstroke, allowing Norton to adapt two books at once, and underscore the idea that throughout its history, this city has been fueled by the whims of a handful of powerful men. It moves the picture into Chinatown territory, and Alec Baldwin's turn as the Moses figure is a far more successful personification of Donald Trump – echoing not the mannerisms, but the moral rot. Again, the film has its problems (chief among them Norton's own twitchy, show-off performance), but it's gorgeously mounted and sharply directed, and let's be honest, this Warner Brothers release is exactly the kind of adult-oriented drama that studios have basically abandoned. There is life in them yet.
"Even if they look the other way, we're still here." Those words come early in Endless Night (Longa Noite), the strange and mysterious new film from director Eloy Enciso Cachafeiro, a meditation on his country's traumatic history as told in a series of vignettes, duets, letters, and memories. Many of them are chance encounters and strange conversations, consumed with dialogue that's direct and poignant, dominated by the long shadow cast by war and fascism; the remnants remain in these characters, and it's a film filled with sorrow (and some nihilistic humor). This is a very still movie - it sometimes slows to a crawl, and the relationships between what we're seeing and hearing aren't always clear. But it's never less than fascinating.
New York was the ninth state to require that health insurance providers cover trans-affirmative care, and Mount Sinai's Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery is the focus of Born to Be – particularly the work being done there by Dr. Jess Ting, the center's charismatic and innovative chief surgeon. Tania Cypriano's documentary paints an attractive picture of the good-hearted doctor, while peeking in on the lives of a few key patients, letting them tell their own stories, wisely seeing them not just as patients but as complex people. Those stories are often moving and sometimes tricky; nothing comes easy, and Cypriano is thankfully attentive to not only the success stories, but the emotional complications of this work. Moving, thoughtful, and important.
Not all of the festival's documentaries fare as well. American Trial tackles an important subject – the murder of Eric Garner by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo – but does so in a tacky, exploitative fashion, staging the "trial" for Pantaleo that a Staten Island grand jury declined to instigate. Pantaleo is played by an actor, but the rest of the film is populated by real lawyers and experts, and people involved in the case, which means director Roee Messinger holds on Garner's widow, in tears, as the details of the crime are recited, and puts her on the stand for not only testimony but a rigorous cross-examination by the "defense." For what? It's not like there's an outcome of justice for her; it's a show trial, all pretend, so the filmmakers are asking this woman to relive her trauma for nothing but cheap "true crime" thrills. (In the closing credits, she's seen weeping and wailing after "testifying," as if the filmmakers are somehow proud of this response, rather than properly ashamed). This is an important story, but all American Trial does is surround it in unnecessary artifice, plugging a horrible crime into a clumsy, amateurish indie flick.
I overheard someone dismissing Varda by Agnès as "her TED talk" and don't get me wrong, I get the classification; in this, her final film, the great Belgian-French filmmaker Agnès Varda talks at length about her life and career, sharing her buzzwords (inspiration, creation, sharing), and showing some clips. But that logline ignores much of what makes the film special – aside from the inherently compelling nature of the subject – and that's its playfulness. Combining footage from classroom lectures, public talks, Q&As, archival interviews, and new direct-to-camera explainers, she's funny about the format ("I'll continue my chat here. And I'll invite birds and children"), candid about her station ("I just passed 90 and I don't care"), and enlightening about her craft, particularly the ways in which her fiction work informed her documentaries, and vice versa. It's a wonderful overview of her career, and informative primer on a special artist who is already missed.


Analysts at Argus upgraded Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp (NASDAQ: CTSH) from Hold to Buy. Cognizant Tech shares gained 1.23 percent to $82.81 in pre-market trading.
Analysts at Baird upgraded MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) from Neutral to Outperform. MSA Safety shares rose 4.96 percent to close at $80.25 on Wednesday.
KLR Group upgraded Newfield Exploration Co. (NYSE: NFX) from Hold to Buy. Newfield Exploration shares fell 9.83 percent to close at $23.20 on Wednesday.
Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTA) from Hold to Buy. Momenta Pharmaceuticals shares rose 2.51 percent to close at $16.35 on Wednesday.
Susquehanna upgraded KLA-Tencor Corp (NASDAQ: KLAC) from Negative to Neutral. KLA-Tencor shares rose 0.30 percent to $110.00 in pre-market trading.
DA Davidson upgraded Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW) from Neutral to Buy. Wolverine World Wide shares fell 3.97 percent to close at $29.51 on Wednesday.
RBC Capital upgraded Clovis Oncology Inc (NASDAQ: CLVS) from Sector Perform to Outperform. Clovis Oncology shares rose 8.85 percent to $59.79 in pre-market trading.
Analysts at Citigroup upgraded Warrior Met Coal Inc (NYSE: HCC) from Neutral to Buy. Warrior Met Coal shares fell 1.07 percent to close at $30.40 on Wednesday.
Analysts at Citigroup downgraded U.S. Silica Holdings Inc (NYSE: SLCA) from Buy to Neutral. US Silica rose 0.40 percent to $25.25 in pre-market trading.
HSBC downgraded Telecom Argentina SA (ADR) (NYSE: TEO) from Hold to Reduce. Telecom Argentina shares fell 0.55 percent to close at $34.09 on Wednesday.
Jefferies downgraded Alkermes Plc (NASDAQ: ALKS) from Buy to Hold. Alkermes shares fell 2.41 percent to close at $63.19 on Wednesday.
JP Morgan downgraded Jeld-Wen Holding Inc (NYSE: JELD) from Overweight to Neutral. JELD-WEN shares fell 8.34 percent to close at $34.50 on Wednesday.
Craig-Hallum downgraded Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ: AAOI) from Hold to Sell. Applied Optoelectronics shares closed at $34.55 on Wednesday.
JP Morgan downgraded Macquarie Infrastructure (NYSE: MIC) from Overweight to Neutral. Macquarie Infrastructure shares closed at $63.62 on Wednesday.
DA Davidson initiated coverage on Nordson Corporation (NASDAQ: NDSN) with a Buy rating. The price target for Nordson is set to $160. Nordson shares closed at $139.33 on Wednesday.
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc (NASDAQ: HMNY) with a Buy rating. The price target for Helios and Matheson Analytics is set to $15. Helios and Matheson Analytics shares closed at $4.50 on Wednesday.
Analysts at B. Riley initiated coverage on Asterias Biotherapeutics Inc (NYSE: AST) with a Buy rating. The price target for Asterias Biotherapeutics is set to $6. Asterias Biotherapeutics closed at $2.05 on Wednesday.
Roth Capital initiated coverage on Arqule (NASDAQ: ARQL) with a Buy rating. The price target for Arqule is set to $5. Arqule closed at $1.67 on Wednesday.
Barrington Research initiated coverage on iPic Entertaiment (NASDAQ: IPIC) with an Outperform rating. The price target for iPic Entertaiment is set to $15. iPic Entertaiment closed at $12.86 on Wednesday.


Addressing an Indian business delegation in the capital city of Prague, Kovind said, "We are keen to strengthen and diversify our relations with the Czech Republic. Tomorrow, I will have discussions with President (Milos) Zeman on taking forward our bilateral relations, particularly, our economic ties."
The President underlined trade, technology and investment as a few of the numerous opportunities for businesses in the two countries to grow.
He also expressed his delight over the Indian community's contributions to the Czech society, saying, "I am pleased to learn that the Indian Community in the Czech Republic, though small in number, is making a significant contribution to the progress of this country. As professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs and students, you also serve as a living bridge between the two countries."
While saying that the two countries have been engaged in trade for thousands of years, Kovind hailed the Czech Republic for bolstering the cultural connection with India by honouring Indian writer and poet Rabindranath Tagore.
"Eminent Czech scholars brought the works of Rabindranath Tagore to the Czech people and helped foster a deep cultural connect with India. The installation of the bust of Rabindranath Tagore, in Prague and naming a tram station after him, is homage to Gurudev and to his poetic genius," Kovind said during his address.
He also stated that the founding of the Indo-Czech Association by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose">Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Prague in 1934, and the popularity of the shoe-manufacturer Bata; that was started by a Czech Thomas Bata; in India as factors that have strengthened ties between the two countries.
Later, the India-Czech Sinfonietta Orchestra performed a rendition of several Hindi songs at the Indian community reception in Prague for President Kovind.
In the final leg of his visit to three European countries-Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, three-President Kovind will hold bilateral meetings with his Czech counterpart Milos Zeman, Prime Minister Andrej Babis and several other political leaders over the course of the next two days.


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Ideal location in South Capitol neighborhood. A spacious, quiet and bright condominium, this upper floor oasis has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a wood burning fireplace, underground parking with designated space, and locked individual storage unit. Hardwood floors in main living area and bedrooms, with LVF in bathrooms and kitchen. Kitchen updates include stainless steel Samsung convection electric range and hood, a Blanco sink, marble countertop, and tiled backsplash. A Samsung HE washer, dryer, full home HydroFLOW for hard water, whole home water filtration system for bathing, central heating and air, a cozy deck with surrounding mature trees. A short distance to the Railyard, Farmers Market, Guadalupe Street and Plaza. Convenient close shopping at Natural Grocer, Whole Foods and Trader Joes, and dining at Paper Dosa, Maria, Clafoutis and Mimosa Caf'. Move in ready!
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