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Browse other items in the Hayes collection from Morris Home in the Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio area.
Quickly becoming your favorite spot in the house, this recliner features a pad-over-chaise seat, pillow arms and a channel-stitched back. Designed for superb comfort and convenience, an easy-to-use recline mechanism lets you kick back with your legs up after a long day on your feet. The perfect addition to your family room or den, this reclines offers casual comfort you can't live without. Available in manual and power recline.
The Hayes Casual RECLINA-ROCKER® with Channel-Stitched Back by La-Z-Boy from Morris Home. We proudly serve the Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
Customize your recliner to fit your needs with a wide range of optional add-ons available on most models. Taller people will find their recliner to be more comfortable and a better fit with an extra-tall base or extended legrest (not available with one-piece chaise). Recliners with handle mechanisms are available with optional left-hand handle or an elongated handle, making relaxation that much easier.
Choose the fabric or leather that best fits your fashion sense and lifestyle from our stunning selection of 900 choices. Performance fabrics and soft, yet tough, performance leathers are ideal for active families with small children or pets. Leathers are either recycled Renew™ leather or genuine top-grain leathers colored and processed to have the best look and feel.
Unlike recliners that are built with a two- or three-piece seat and leg rest cushion, this recliner has a single chaise cushion that extends from the seat to the feet. This style offers a fuller comfort and support for your legs, as well as eliminating the open gap that toddlers can get fingers or toys stuck in.
Make your recliner less cumbersome by removing the back(s) when you are moving in or out of your home. Locking brackets safely join the reclining seat(s) and back(s), ensuring your recliner will be stable when you use it.
Depending on who will be using your rocking or gliding recliner, you want to know that the rocking mechanisms respond to your size and weight. A more petite person could have a gentler touch, requiring less tension, whereas a bigger, stronger user will require more tension. Tailoring the tension ensures your recliner won't wear you out, and you won't wear it out.
Casual comfort takes over a room with the Hayes reclining collection. Complete with a full reclining sofa, loveseat, loveseat w/ console, and reclining chair, this group has something for the whole family to enjoy together. Marked by bucket seat styling and channel-stitched backs, there's no denying the plush look and feel of the Hayes collection. In addition, pillow arms and easy-to-use recline mechanisms make for an all-emcompassing lounge experience that even includes a loveseat with a center storage console and cupholders. Great for family and social gatherings, Hayes will transform a room into the ultimate lounge experience.
The Hayes collection is a great option if you are looking for Casual furniture in the Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio area.
These images are representative of this group as a whole and may differ from this item.
This item has been tagged as: Recliner, Reclining Chair, Glider Rocker Recliner, Rocking Recliner, High Leg Reclining Chair, Lift Recliner, Pop - Up Recliner, Reclining Chair and Ottoman, Motion Recliner, Standard Recliner, No - Rock Recliners, Wall Recliners, Easy Chair, Living Room Chair, Living Room Furniture, TV Chair, Chair Recliner, Massage Chair, Massage Recliner, Swivel Rocker Recliner, Massaging Recliner
Morris Home operates four stores in Ohio and one in Kentucky and prides themselves on being the areas best choice for living room furniture, dining room furniture, bedroom furniture, accent furniture, entertainment furniture, home office furniture, kids furniture, outdoor furniture, and mattresses. Morris' Centerville, OH furniture store, Dayton, OH furniture store, Springdale, OH furniture store, and Columbus, OH furniture store provide furniture shoppers from Cincinnati, Columbus, Sharonville, Kettering, Bevercreek, Huber Heights, and Hamilton, OH a top of the line shopping experience when looking for living room, dining room, bedroom, entertainment, accent, home office and kids furniture.
Errors on Our Site: Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Morris Furniture Co., Inc reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted and whether or not the order has been confirmed. If you are not fully satisfied with your purchase, you may return it in accordance with our Return Policy.
We have taken great care to provide you with information that is accurate and useful. Please notify us if you find an error, and we will do our best to correct it. We endeavor to list complete and accurate web data as possible. However, due to the sheer quantity of information, complex computer integration, human error and the automated nature of the web, web content may sometimes be inadvertently erroneous. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and ask that you contact us directly or visit our stores to confirm information about pricing, color, features, dimensions, availability and special order lead times.
Ensure Your Happiness: Please note that some website picture are for illustration purposes only and may vary from actual items available in our showroom. We recommend visiting our showroom prior to purchase to ensure that the fabric, color, and finish meet your expectations.
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This Day In Founding Fathers History – 28 January 2013
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This Day In Founding Fathers History – 28 January 2013
On this day in 1780, the Continental Congress was in session. A committee had been appointed to receive and summarize the communications of the Minister Plenipotentiary of France. The committee reported to Congress: "The minister of France informed the committee, that he had it in command from his king to impress upon the minds of Congress, That the British cabinet have an almost insuperable reluctance to admit the idea of the independence of these United States, and will use every possible endeavor to prevent it." It was summarized how the British crown was trying to instigate war with France, preventing any aide getting to the United States, and conducting negotiations and treaties with other countries. "He [the king] desires to be informed, as far as Congress may deem proper, what force the United States can bring into the field next campaign? On what resources they rely for their maintenance, and necessary appointments? And what shall be the general plan of the campaign, on supposition either of having, or not having, the aid of ships of war? He gives it as his opinion, that an application for clothing may be made to his most Christian Majesty with prospect of success; and although measures have been taken for sending arms and warlike stores to America, yet it would be prudent in Congress not to neglect any other means for procuring those supplies, or supplies of clothing." 1
In 1782 on this day, the Continental Congress was in session. The report respecting the disputed New Hampshire Grants (also called the Benning Wentworth Grants) had been referred to a grand committee, and the committee's report was presented to Congress this day: "Congress having resolved…that in case they should recognize the independence of the people of Vermont they would consider all the lands belonging to New Hampshire and New York respectively without the limits of Vermont aforesaid as coming within the mutual guaranty of territory contained in the Articles of Confederation and that the United States will accordingly guarantee such lands and the jurisdiction over the same against any claims or incroachments from the inhabitants of Vermont aforesaid…required as an indispensable preliminary to the recognition of the independence of the people inhabiting the territory aforesaid and their admission into the federal Union the relinquishment of all demands of lands or jurisdiction…
That in case the inhabitants residing in the district limits aforesaid shall within two months one month from the date hereof by an authenticated Act recognize the above described boundaries to be the limits and extent of their claim and shall accede to the Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States…and shall thereupon appoint Delegates on their behalf with full powers, instructions and positive orders immediately to repair to Congress and to sign the said Articles of Confederation and afterwards to represent them in the United States in Congress Assembled, their said Delegates shall be admitted to sign the same and thereupon the inhabitants of the above described District shall be acknowledged a free sovereign and independent State, by what name soever they shall choose to be called, and shall be considered as a component part of the federal Union and entitled to the advantages thereof.
But in case they do not immediately desist from attempting to exercise jurisdiction over the lands guaranteed to New Hampshire and New York aforesaid and shall not within the time above limited comply with the terms specified in the foregoing propositions, Congress will consider such neglect or refusal as a manifest indication of designs hostile to these United States and the forces thereof will be employed against them accordingly that all their former pretensions and applications heretofore made for admission into the federal Union were fallacious and delusive, and that thereupon the forces of these States will be employed against them accordingly.
Resolved, That it be and hereby it is earnestly recommended to the States of New Hampshrie and New York respectively to pass acts of indemnity in favour of all such persons residing without the limits above described who shall have taken part with the inhabitants residing within the same against the government of either of those States, upon their quietly and peaceably submitting themselves to the Government and Jurisdiction of those respective States to which they severally belong." 2
1 "Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, Friday, January 28, 1780," Library of Congress Online
2 "Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, Monday, January 28, 1782," Library of Congress Online
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Don't worry too much about the shoes, people wont even notice. Most people don't even try to make her shoes. I've seen some Aquas walk round in sneakers...
Sanda replied on 02-12-2011 at 02:29 PM: Haha so true...but still, I really wanted to have her shoes look nice SINCE they usually get no love. Oh well, it's my own damn fault for not having left enough time to finish them, I should have realized that my ghetto construction never works out quite like I'd planned. It's a pity too, the bases I got have the most perfectly accurate heel for her shoes and then I go and mess up the rest of them. |
Great job! ^^
Looks great I bet, that these shoes won�t hurt your ankles x3
They look pretty awesome! I bet they will show up well in picture!
Costume | Aqua |
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15x10 Ion Alloy Wheels
I've decided to sell the aftermarket wheels currently on my TJ and go back to stock to match my off road trailer. I'll have the wheels off and ready to ship next week. I am keeping the tires. The wheels are 15x10 Ion alloy polished wheels with the 5x4.5 bolt pattern and approx 4" of backspace (I will confirm that when they come off). I think the model is 171. The pics are crappy cell pics and the wheels are dirty. No excuse, but I will get them cleaned up and get better pics taken once they come off. I'm asking $300 for (4) wheels. I may also consider trades for other TJ parts (winch, tan/spice soft top, and rear tire carrier bumper would be tops). I will ship but on your dime. I'm located in Knoxville TN.
Please PM/email or call/text with any questions. My cell is (865) 227-nine-two-four-three. http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps89cd2af0.jpg http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps8173b928.jpg http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...psbcd3ee9a.jpg http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps2234f9dc.jpg |
I can't seem to edit the ad, but the wheels are off and ready to go. Here's another pic.
Thanks http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...psc91c258e.jpg |
Sold. Please delete
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This staircase is a mystery to this day. Constructed in the late 1800's, this staircase was created to reach the choir loft in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The carpenter was unknown and left after completion without pay and as mysterious as he showed up. With two 360* turns the staircase has no visable supports and has no nails, only wooden pegs holding it together. You can read up more on this fantastic staircase at:
2 responses
Dorothy Menosky gave props (7 Jul 2008):
Brought back memories. I've stood in that exact same spot, marvelling.
Kathy Hardin gave props (26 Sep 2008):
cool bit of history, lovely staircase


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Penn State Corporate Learning wins marketing award for Team Decision Center12/11/14Penn State Corporate Learning, a unit of Penn State Outreach and Online Education, has won an award for the marketing of its Team Decision Center.
Businesses look to Penn State Corporate Learning to improve efficiency3/3/14The Team Decision Center, located at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, specializes in facilitating group decision-making processes. Program facilitators work with groups to organize the exchange of ideas through team exercises and collaborative technology.


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You are cordially invited to compete at our tailor-made, EUSPBA sanctioned event for bagpipers and drummers.
It will be focused on the meat and potatoes of a bagpipe band competition.
- No opening mass bands
- Pipe Band competitors will enjoy free entry
- High caliber Solo & Band judges
- And we're hoping to accomplish the quickest closing MASS BANDS ever… under 15 minutes
- There will be also a 'Deportment Parade' open to any non-competitive band – Police, Fire, and Street bands.
Pipe Bands Grades 2-5: 1st place $500, 2nd place $200, 3rd place $100
Pipes & Drum Solos as well…
One of the intentions of this EUSPBA Sanctioned event is to have a very accommodating setup for 'pipe band' competitions.
The confirmed judges are:
Bruce Gandy, Duncan Bell, Jimmy Bell, Jim Stack, Hugh Cameron
It will include solos, as well, and a premier piping event on Friday evening, June 24.
In addition, there will be a new event called the "Donald Lindsay Playoff" at the end of the day. Where the intention is to connect the audience and the music. Essentially, the idea is to let the bands have fun and play whatever they wish…and the audience will select the winner. Walk away with a huge trophy!
Also, in conjunction with the EUSPBA, there will be a PREMIER PIPING EVENT on Friday evening, June 23rd, too. Come enjoy the opportunity to hear some excellent piping. Admission is free.
And finally, we will be raising funds to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project and specifically, a former Marine and Iraq War Vet from our town.
So, mark your calendars and join us for our debut!
Milton, NY is a good central location for bands from NYC and the upper parts of the NE Branch. (It's approximately 1.5 hours south of Albany and 1.5 hours north of NYC.)
The Hudson Valley Celtic Festival will be on Saturday, June 24th 2017 at Hudson Valley Sports Dome. (240 Milton Turnpike, Milton, NY 12547)
Come and Enjoy a great day !
Attendees will enjoy a variety of musical events, vendors, Scottish, and festival foods, and breathtaking views across the valley.


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New Smryna beach
1 response
Cheryl Dumcum gave props (31 May 2010):
excellent perspective!


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700r4 Rebuild Kit--do I need all of these parts?
Rebuilding my 700r4. My very first atempt. What tools will i have to get. My main question is I like the look of this rebuild kit but im not sure is i am just waisting my money. Need some guidence.. Please help....I dont wanna go and have to up grade in 6 months or so. Mine as well go ahead and do it now. Also what name brand is the best T/C (TCI)??? Here is the rebuild kit I am looking at and should i get the ----reverse/Input drum---and--TransGo separator plate__thats an extra 100 bucks. is it a must..My application will mostly be for road and every once in a while a little show off of what i love. Thanks your input is GREATLY Appreciated
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forgot to mention what Im running
I have a 350 4-bolt main. I just rebuilt the top-end with the Edelbrock Performer RPM kit. 750cfm edl. carbl. I believe i have flat top pistons. My bottem end is stock, will up grade it in the sping. ( is the Eagle bottem end the best) I really dont know how much HP im putting out. Hopefully around the 400's... I have a heavy truck weights 5600..
Looks like a very complete kit. May be a little overkill & pricey tho'. I'd shop around some more. I'm not sure what tools are absolutely neccesary for the 700R4/4l60 trans. TCI doesn't have the best reputation.
http://www.transmissioncenter.net/ http://www.eatmyshifts.com/eatmyshifts_combo.htm http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/me...ode=4L60-700R4 http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/...arts_s/641.htm Last edited by SSedan64; 01-18-2009 at 04:20 AM. |
That's a good kit and the price is pretty decent actually.
Keep in mind some places don't give ANY tech info with their kits. TCI, Bulkpart, etc aren't selling youa kit and then answering your questions when you build it and don't know why they sent you a certain part or how to reconfigure the 3-4 clutch pack, or what clearances to set it at, etc. You'll spend at least that much putting together the same parts from Bulkpart as you would from Dana (website in first post) or me, and you don't get any tech. Dana's kits and tech are excellent. |
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Over the last few years, there has been a great deal of public discussion about the need to transition to sources of energy beyond fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. The reasons are clear: some of these fuels are likely to be exhausted in the next few decades, the U.S. must import large amounts of oil and all fossil fuels create some level of pollution. To commemorate Earth Day, The Nielsen Company studied the top 10 DMA markets most likely to participate in renewable energy programs derived from natural resources such as the sun, the wind, water, geothermal and biomass. These are abundant in supply and do no harm to the environment. Companies and consumers are looking at these energy alternatives to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure a sustainable energy future.
Residents in the San Francisco metro area were the most likely to participate in such programs – not much of a surprise given the region's long-time reputation for being among the most environmentally conscientious areas in the country. More surprising might be the second and third ranked metro areas of Los Angeles and the Washington, DC.
Top 10 Market Potentials for Utility Green Energy Programs | |||
Rank | DMA | Users/100 HHS | Index |
1 | San Francisco metro area, CA | 4.54 | 138 |
2 | Los Angeles, CA | 4.1 | 125 |
3 | Washington metro area, DC-MD | 4.04 | 123 |
4 | New York, NY | 4.01 | 122 |
5 | San Diego, CA | 3.95 | 121 |
6 | Chicago, IL | 3.95 | 120 |
7 | Las Vegas, NV | 3.86 | 118 |
8 | Sacramento metro area, CA | 3.77 | 115 |
9 | Salt Lake City, UT | 3.74 | 114 |
10 | Houston, TX | 3.71 | 113 |
Source: The Nielsen Company |
Nielsen works with a number of utilities around the U.S. to help them evaluate such programs. One such client is Oregon's Portland General Electric (PGE), which has been recognized as having one of the most successful residential programs of its kind. While the Portland DMA falls just outside of the Top 10 market potential report above, PGE's customers have enthusiastically adopted this program, and participation levels are approximately three times the national average for residential renewable energy programs. With 73,000 renewable power customers, PGE is constantly evaluating customer "touch-points" to make enrollment into renewable programs easy.
"Embracing renewable power is one of the easiest ways for customers to reduce their carbon footprint," said Thor Hinckley, Manager of PGE Renewable Power Program. "We have to thank our more than 73,000 renewable power customers who have made PGE's renewable power program one of the nation's most successful. For the past four years, PGE residential customers have purchased more renewable power than from any other utility in the nation."
"As PGE has shown, there is greater market potential out there for renewable energy support from the U.S. consumer than has been tapped. Understanding which households and consumers embrace renewable energy will continue to be a driving factor in the success of these types of programs nationwide," said Jonathan Drost, Account Executive, Nielsen Claritas.
The Nielsen Energy Audit is an annual survey of more than 32,000 respondents conducted online to track changes in the energy sector and its impact on consumer behaviors. This survey was conducted in June 2009.


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Angel's Pasta
"Light and delicate vegetarian pasta entree that's easy!"
pasta, garlic, basil, mozzarella cheese, olive oil, salt, tomato, zucchini
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Eggplant Spaghetti with Fresh Mozzarella
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pasta, red pepper flakes, garlic, mozzarella cheese, salt, basil, tomato, olive oil, +red wine vinegar
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I got this recipe a few years ago, but I cannot recall where. But it's a great light dinner dish for those hot summer nights when you don't feel like...
basil, garlic, mozzarella cheese, olive oil, salt, pasta, tomato, zucchini, +olives, +carrot, +celery, +chicken, +green pepper, +parmesan cheese, +red pepper
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Easy Bean Tomato Soup Recipe
I ate this at my mums and had to make it. even better the next day mmmm Prep:5m
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Garden Spaghetti
A bountiful, beautiful, delicious dish.
basil, tomato, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pasta, zucchini, +carrot, +peas, +onions, +parmesan cheese
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Baked Pesto Pasta With Tomato & Cheese
This is a different twist on my family's old favorite: Baked Penne. This recipe is also meatLESS, which I like, but I am sure you can improvise and add...
red pepper flakes, tomato, olive oil, basil, garlic, mozzarella cheese, pasta, salt, +pesto, +bay leaf, +parmigiano-reggiano cheese, +ricotta cheese, +yellow onions
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THEN AND NOW Careers
Working with Us
At THEN AND NOW Shop we strive to provide the best service for our customers. We are always on the lookout for passionate, talented, and creative people to join our team.
Our culture embraces diverse perspectives and creates a positive working environment. We have values that guide the way we work and the decisions we make.
Our approach is simple: we work hard and we do it because we are passionate about it. We're constantly looking for new ways to improve our service and customer experience.
So if you have the dedication and commitment to fashion and technology as we do, help take us to the next level.
Where do you see yourself at THEN AND NOW SHOP?
Have a look over at our areas of expertise, we look forward to hearing from you.
Buying and Merchandising
Digital Marketing
Digital & Graphic Design
IT and Technology
Please send your CV and cover letter to email@example.com and we will contact you if your application is successful.


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Lot 412: Platinum, Cultured Pearl and Diamond Ring, Sterle, Paris
Important Jewelry
by Doyle New York
October 19, 2016
New York, NY, USA
Live Auction
Platinum, Cultured Pearl and Diamond Ring, Sterle, Paris
Centering one pearl approximately 12.2 mm., set within flared ribbons of 40 round diamonds approximately 1.60 cts., completed by a textured platinum band, signed Sterle, Paris, no. A441, minor repair to shank, approximately 7 dwts. Size 4 1/4.
Condition Report:
Pearl: slightly creamy with rose hue, cleanish, minor bubbles and scratches, good luster.
Diamonds: G-H-I-mostly VS, several SI.
Good condition. Normal wear. Well-made. Width just under 5/8 inch.
Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Doyle New York shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.


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Section B: The evidence so far
Like any technological innovation in agriculture, transgenic crops will have economic impacts on farmers, consumers and society as a whole. This chapter analyses the emerging economic evidence regarding the farm-level and economy-wide impacts of the most widely adopted transgenic crop in developing countries: insect-resistant cotton. It surveys the existing peer-reviewed economic studies of the level and distribution of economic benefits derived from the adoption of insect-resistant cotton in the United States and the five developing countries where it has been approved for commercial production (Argentina, China, India, Mexico and South Africa). An additional study estimates what the economic impacts of transgenic cotton might be for farmers in five West African countries where it has not yet been approved (see Box 16). In addition to the cotton case studies, the chapter also includes a short analysis of the economy-wide impacts of herbicide-tolerant soybeans in Argentina and the United States, the two largest growers of this crop. An ex-ante analysis of the potential consumer benefits of "Golden Rice" is presented in Box 13.
BOX 13 Golden Rice has been genetically engineered to produce beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Golden Rice was developed by researchers at German and Swiss universities (Ye et al., 2000). The owners of the patents who were involved in the development of Golden Rice have donated them for humanitarian purposes, which means that farmers in developing countries (with sales of less than $10 000) are permitted to grow and reproduce Golden Rice without paying technology fees. Vitamin A deficiency affects more than 200 million people worldwide and is responsible for an estimated 2.8 million cases of blindness in children under five years of age (FAO, 2000a). Golden Rice has been proposed for people who depend on rice for the bulk of their diets. Critics claim that Golden Rice is an expensive, high-tech solution to a problem that should be addressed through dietary diversification and dietary supplements. Supporters agree that dietary diversification would be ideal, but argue that this goal is not attainable for the millions of people who cannot afford more than a subsistence diet. Is Golden Rice an economically efficient mechanism for delivering vitamin A to the poor? Zimmermann and Qaim (2002) conducted the first study of the potential economic impacts of Golden Rice in the Philippines. Golden Rice is currently being adapted for local growing conditions at the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The authors estimate that the original financial effort required to develop Golden Rice was about $3 million and that a further $10 million will be required to complete adaptive research in the Philippines and to conduct the necessary safety trials. On the other hand, they estimate that Golden Rice could prevent almost 9 000 new cases of blindness and 950 deaths per year in the Philippines alone. Using a World Bank index of economic losses due to ill health and premature death, the authors calculate the potential economic benefits of Golden Rice in the Philippines at about $137 million. This represents a 10-to-1 return on the total development costs for Golden Rice and a 13-to-1 return on the marginal costs of adapting and testing the product specifically for the Philippines. The authors acknowledge that these estimates depend on a range of parameters that are not known with certainty, such as the level of beta-carotene produced in Golden Rice, the amount of beta-carotene people will be able to absorb from it, the efficacy of the additional vitamin A in preventing disease and the number of people who would be reached by Golden Rice. Even assuming pessimistic figures for each of these factors, they estimate that Golden Rice would still yield benefits equal to more than double the costs of adapting and testing the product for the Philippine market. The authors futher report that the costs of other treatments for vitamin A deficiency in the Philippines are about $25 million per year (for food supplements and vitamin fortification) as compared with no recurrent costs for Golden Rice. They conclude that Golden Rice is a sustainable and low-cost alternative to other treatments. |
The overall economic impacts of transgenic crops will depend on a wide range of factors including, among others, the impact of the technology on agronomic practices and yields, consumers' willingness to buy foods and other products derived from transgenic crops, and regulatory requirements and associated costs. In the longer term, other factors such as industry concentration in the production and marketing of transgenic crop technology may also influence the level and distribution of economic benefits.
Farmers who adopt the new technology, especially those who adopt early, may reap benefits in terms of lower production costs and/or higher output. Other farmers could be placed at a competitive disadvantage depending on how consumer preferences and regulatory regimes evolve (see Chapter 6). If consumers are generally accepting transgenic crops and regulatory requirements are not too onerous, adopting farmers would gain and non-adopting farmers would lose. If consumer opposition grows, however, non-adopting farmers could turn that into a competitive advantage and command a price premium for non-GM products.
Consumers generally benefit from technological innovation in agriculture as a result of lower prices and/or higher quality of the products they buy. The case is more complicated with transgenic crops for at least two reasons. First, regulatory requirements such as mandatory labelling and market segregation could add to the costs of producing and marketing transgenic crops and prevent consumer prices from falling. On the other hand, some consumers are strongly opposed to the technology. These consumers could experience a welfare loss if they were forced either to consume products derived from transgenics or to buy higher priced organic products in order to avoid them.
The net economic impact of transgenic crops on society is thus a highly complex and dynamic concept that is not easily measured. In the first instance, transgenic crops will only be widely adopted if they provide economic benefits for farmers. For developing countries, in particular, a number of economic and institutional factors affect the farm-level profitability of transgenic crops in addition to their purely agronomic characteristics. Economic research is beginning to show that transgenic crops can generate farm-level benefits where they address serious production problems and where farmers have access to the new technologies. Thus far, however, these conditions are only being met in a handful of countries. These countries have been able to make use of the private-sector innovations developed for temperate crops in the North. Furthermore, these countries all have relatively well-developed national agricultural research systems, biosafety regulatory procedures, intellectual property rights regimes and local input markets. Countries lacking these prerequisites may be excluded from the gene revolution.
The existing literature on the impacts of transgenic crops in developing countries is quite limited, primarily because these crops have been grown for only a few years and in a few countries. Data for more than two or three years are rarely available, and most studies cover a relatively small number of farmers. Such small sample sizes make it particularly difficult to isolate the impact of a transgenic crop from the many other variables that influence crop performance, such as weather, seed and pesticide quality, pest loads and farmer skill. Furthermore, farmers may require several years of experience with a new technology such as insect-resistant cotton before they learn to use it efficiently. An additional problem with drawing strong conclusions from this early evidence is that early adopters of any agricultural technology tend to benefit more than later adopters. This occurs because early adopters achieve a cost advantage over other farmers, earning a premium for their innovation. As more farmers adopt the technology, the cost reduction eventually translates into a price decline for the product that means, while consumers continue to benefit, the gains to farmers decline. A third danger with transgenic crops is that they are, for the most part, controlled by a few large companies. Although these companies do not appear to be extracting monopoly profits from the sales of their products, in the absence of competition and effective regulation, there is no guarantee that they will not do so in the future.
Transgenic cotton is now being grown in a sufficiently large number of countries, under different institutional and market conditions and by different types of farmer, to allow some tentative conclusions to be drawn about the potential benefits and challenges arising from the use of transgenic crops in developing countries. Although it is risky to extrapolate results from one country or one crop to another, the early evidence for transgenic cotton suggests that resource-poor smallholders in developing countries can gain significant benefits from the adoption of transgenic crops in terms of higher and more stable effective yields, lower pesticide costs and reduced health risks from chemical pesticide exposure. Longer-term studies that carefully evaluate pest loads, crop performance, farmer behaviour and economic returns are necessary to confirm these preliminary findings. The case studies presented below indicate that the most important factors in ensuring that farmers have access to transgenic crops on favourable economic terms and under appropriate regulatory oversight include:
Transgenic cotton containing a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that is resistant to certain insect pests (Box 14) was first grown in Australia, Mexico and the United States in 1996 and has subsequently been introduced commercially in six other countries: Argentina, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia and South Africa (Table 5). Global area planted in Bt- and stacked Bt- and herbicide-tolerant (Bt/HT) cotton varieties increased from less than 1 million ha in 1996 to 4.6 million ha in 2002 (an additional 2.2 million ha of herbicide-tolerant cotton were grown in 2002). Bt and stacked Bt/HT cotton varieties accounted for about 15 percent of global cotton area in 2002 compared with only 2 percent in 1996.
The adoption of Bt cotton has varied greatly across growing regions within China, Mexico, the United States and elsewhere depending on the particular combination of pest control problems. Bt cotton varieties have been rapidly accepted by farmers in areas where bollworms are the primary pest problem, particularly when resistance to chemical pesticides is high. When other pest populations are high, farmers use a mixture of broad-spectrum chemicals that achieve coincidental control of bollworms, reducing the value of Bt control.
BOX 14 Genes from the common soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been inserted into cotton plants, causing them to produce a protein that is toxic to certain insects. Bt cotton is highly effective in controlling caterpillar pests such as pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) and cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea), and is partially effective in controlling tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). These pests constitute a major pest control problem in many cotton-growing areas, but other cotton pests such at boll weevil are not susceptible to Bt and continue to require the use of chemical pesticides (James, 2002b). As a result, the effect of the introduction of Bt cotton on pesticide usage varies from region to region, depending on the local pest populations. The first Bt cotton varieties were introduced commercially through a licensing agreement between the gene discoverer, Monsanto, and the leading American cotton germplasm firm, Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL). These varieties contain the Cry1Ac gene and are commercialized under the trade name Bollgard®. Varieties with transgenes for insect resistance and herbicide tolerance (Bt/HT) stacked together were introduced in the United States in 1997. Monsanto recently received regulatory approval in some markets for a new product that incorporates two Bt genes, Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab2. This product, known as Bollgard II®, was commercialized in 2003. The incorporation of two Bt genes is expected to improve the effectiveness of the product and delay the development of resistant pests. More than 35 different Bt and Bt/HT cotton varieties are on the market in the United States (data from the United States Department of Agriculture [USDA]). These varieties and most Bt varieties worldwide contain genes licensed from Monsanto. An exception is in China, where an independent source of Bt protection is available. The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) developed a modified Bt gene that is a fusion of the Cry1Ac and Cry1Ab genes. In addition, CAAS isolated a gene from cowpea, CpTi, that provides insect resistance through a different mechanism. CAAS has stacked the CpTi gene with the Bt fusion gene and incorporated them in more than 22 locally adapted varieties for distribution in each of the Chinese provinces. The stacked CAAS varieties are expected to delay the development of resistant pests. The Monsanto Cry1Ac gene is also available in China through at least five varieties developed by D&PL (Pray et al., 2002). In Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and elsewhere, the Bt cotton varieties all contain the Monsanto Cry1Ac gene, often in varieties originally developed for the United States market. Conventional cotton production relies heavily on chemical pesticides to control caterpillars and other insect pests. It is estimated that cotton production consumes about 25 percent of the agricultural pesticides used worldwide, including some of the most toxic chemicals available. Chlorinated hydrocarbons (such as DDT) were widely used in cotton production until these were banned in the 1970s and 1980s for health and environmental reasons. Cotton farmers then replaced DDT with organophosphates, many of which are also highly toxic. Pests in many regions quickly developed resistance to organophosphates, and pyrethroids, which are less toxic than organophosphates, came into widespread use in the 1980s and 1990s. Resistance to pyrethroids soon developed and multiple chemical resistance has become a severe problem in many growing regions. In areas where bollworms are the major pest and chemical resistance is a problem, Bt cotton varieties have contributed to a dramatic reduction in pesticide use. An important advantage of Bt over chemical control of pests, from a production point of view, is that Bt control is always present in the plant. Because farmers apply chemical controls only after noticing the presence of pests on the cotton plants, some damage will have already occurred. The effectiveness of chemical insecticide applications, unlike transgenic Bt, also depends on the weather, because rain can wash the chemical away. Bt cotton offers farmers increased certainty of control because it is effective against insects that have developed resistance to available chemical pesticides. As a result, Bt varieties have superior yield performance over a wide range of growing conditions (Fernandez-Cornejo and McBride, 2000). The estimated difference in yield performance between Bt and conventional cotton varies considerably across time and space because insect infestations vary widely. The relative performance of Bt cotton is highest under conditions where pest pressure is heaviest and chemical pesticide resistance is common. The major concern associated with the use of Bt cotton is the possibility that pests may develop resistance to Bt as they have with chemical pesticides. This would be a serious problem for organic cotton producers who rely on Bt sprays for pest control. Widespread resistance to Bt would reduce the effectiveness of this option. Pest resistance management is an important part of the regulatory approval process for transgenic cotton. This issue is discussed in more detail in Chapter 5. |
The main farm-level economic impacts of the transgenic crops currently being grown are the result of changes in input use and pest damage. Where the new seeds reduce the need for chemical sprays, as can be the case with pesticide-resistant or HT crops, farmers may spend less money on chemicals and less time and effort applying them. Where the new seeds provide more effective protection from weed and pest damage, crops may have higher effective yields.3 These cost savings and output gains can translate into higher net returns at the farm level. Farm-level economic gains depend on the costs and returns of the new technology compared with those of alternative practices.
The economy-wide and distributional impacts of the introduction of transgenic varieties must also take into account the fact that farmers may expand production as the new technology reduces its costs. This supply response can push prices down, benefiting consumers who may then demand more of the product. As farmers' purchases of seeds and other inputs change, prices for those items may also change, particularly if the input supplier holds a monopoly position in the market. These economy-wide forces will affect the overall level of economic benefits and the distribution of benefits among farmers, consumers and industry.
Bt and Bt/HT cotton area, 2001
Country |
(000 ha) |
United States | 2 400 |
China |
1 500 |
Australia |
165 |
Mexico |
28 |
Argentina |
9 |
Indonesia |
4 |
South Africa |
30 |
Total |
4 3001 |
1 Country figures do not sum to the total owing to rounding and estimates. |
In the first year of commercial availability in the United States, Bt cotton was planted on about 850 000 ha or 15 percent of the country's total cotton area. By 2001, 42 percent of the cotton area was planted to Bt and stacked Bt/HT cotton varieties (USDA-AMS, various years). The United States remains the largest producer of Bt and Bt/HT cotton, but its share of global transgenic cotton area fell from about 95 percent in 1996 to about 55 percent in 2001 as adoption in other countries increased.
United States farmers adopted Bt cotton very quickly, especially in the southern states where pest pressure is high and chemical pesticide resistance is most pronounced (Table 6). Bt cotton adoption has had a large impact on pesticide use in the United States. The average number of pesticide applications used against bollworms has fallen from 4.6 in 1992-95 to 0.8 applications in 1999-2001 (Figure 8). Carpenter and Gianessi (2001) and Gianessi et al. (2002) estimate that the average annual use of pesticides on cotton in the United States has been reduced by approximately 1 000 tonnes of active ingredient.
Falck-Zepeda, Traxler and Nelson (1999, 2000a, 2000b) calculated the annual impacts of Bt cotton adoption in the United States on United States cotton farmers, consumers, germplasm suppliers and foreign farmers for the 1996-98 period using a standard economic surplus model (Alston, Norton and Pardey, 1995). The estimated amount and distribution of benefits from the introduction of Bt cotton fluctuates from year to year; thus the average figures for the period 1996-98 are also shown in Figure 9. United States cotton farmers gained a total of about US$105 million per year in higher net incomes as a result of Bt adoption, which lowered their production costs and raised effective yields. The industry - primarily Monsanto and D&PL - earned about US$80 million from sales of Bt technology. Increased cotton output reduced consumer prices, producing a gain of about $45 million per year for consumers in the United States and elsewhere. Farmers in other countries lost about $15 million because of lower output prices for cotton. Total net annual benefits averaged approximately $215 million. The average benefit shares were 46 percent to United States farmers, 35 percent to industry and 19 percent to cotton consumers. The loss to foreign farmers was less than 1 percent of the total net benefit generated by the adoption of Bt cotton in the United States.
Adoption of Bt cotton by farmers in the
United States by state, 1998-2001
(Percentage) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
Alabama |
61 |
76 |
65 |
63 |
Arizona |
57 |
57 |
56 |
60 |
Arkansas |
14 |
21 |
60 |
60 |
California |
5 |
9 |
6 |
6 |
Florida |
80 |
73 |
75 |
72 |
Georgia |
47 |
56 |
47 |
43 |
Louisiana |
71 |
67 |
81 |
84 |
Mississippi |
60 |
66 |
75 |
80 |
Missouri |
0 |
2 |
5 |
22 |
New Mexico |
38 |
32 |
39 |
32 |
North Carolina |
4 |
45 |
41 |
52 |
Oklahoma |
2 |
51 |
54 |
58 |
South Carolina |
17 |
85 |
70 |
79 |
Tennessee |
7 |
60 |
76 |
85 |
Texas |
7 |
13 |
10 |
13 |
Virginia |
1 |
17 |
41 |
30 |
Source: USDA-AMS, various years. |
Field-level studies of the performance of Bt cotton have been completed in five developing countries over periods of one to three years: Argentina (Qaim and de Janvry, 2003), China (Pray et al., 2002), India (Qaim and Zilberman, 2003), Mexico (Traxler et al., 2003) and South Africa (Bennett, Morse and Ismael, 2003). Results from these studies are summarized in Table 7 and discussed below. Although Bt cotton varieties had higher average yields, lower pesticide use and higher net returns than their conventional counterparts in all of the developing countries where studies have been undertaken, a high degree of season-to-season and field-to-field variance is associated with the performance of both Bt and conventional cotton in these countries. Therefore, it is not possible to draw strong conclusions on the basis of two or three years of data for a few hundred farmers. Although the data so far and the continuing rapid pace of adoption suggest that farmers are benefiting from Bt cotton, it is too early to assess conclusively the level and stability of yields of Bt varieties compared with conventional varieties because these depend, among other factors, on pest infestations and agronomic practices, which vary widely.
The distributional impacts of Bt cotton have been studied for Argentina (Qaim and de Janvry, 2003), China (Pray and Huang, 2003), Mexico (Traxler et al., 2003) and South Africa (Kirsten and Gouse, 2003). The available evidence indicates that transgenic cotton varieties are scale neutral with regard to both speed of adoption and per hectare benefits. In other words, small farmers are equally or more likely to benefit from Bt cotton as are larger farmers. This is not surprising given the manner in which Bt cotton varieties simplify the farmers' management task. Qaim and Zilberman (2003) argue that the relative performance of Bt cotton is likely to be greatest when used by small farmers in developing countries where pest pressure is high and access to effective chemical pest control is low, because of the large pest losses typically suffered by these farmers. This notion is supported by the international data available to date, which show the yield advantage to be largest in Argentina, China and India.
Performance differences between Bt and conventional cotton
Argentina |
China |
India |
Mexico |
South Africa |
(kg/ha) |
531 |
523 |
699 |
165 |
237 |
(Percentage) |
33 |
19 |
80 |
11 |
65 |
CHEMICAL SPRAYS (no.) |
-2.4 |
... |
-3.0 |
-2.2 |
… |
($/ha) |
121 |
262 |
… |
248 |
59 |
(Percentage) |
34 |
23 |
… |
9 |
65 |
($/ha) |
-18 |
-230 |
-30 |
-106 |
-26 |
(Percentage) |
-47 |
-67 |
… |
-77 |
-58 |
($/ha) |
87 |
32 |
… |
58 |
14 |
(Percentage) |
530 |
95 |
… |
165 |
89 |
($/ha) |
99 |
-208 |
… |
-47 |
2 |
(Percentage) |
35 |
-16 |
… |
-27 |
3 |
($/ha) |
23 |
470 |
… |
295 |
65 |
(Percentage) |
31 |
340 |
… |
12 |
299 |
Sources: Argentina: Qaim and de Janvry, 2003. Data are based on a survey of 299 farmers in two major growing provinces, averaged over two growing seasons, 1999/2000 and 2000/01. |
Qaim and de Janvry (2003) studied the case of Bt cotton in Argentina over two growing seasons, 1999/2000 and 2000/01. Bt cotton was first released in Argentina in 1998 by CDM Mandiyú SRL, a private joint venture between Monsanto, the Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL) and the Argentine company Ciagro. The Bt varieties commercialized in Argentina were originally developed for the United States market. Bt cotton technology is patented in Argentina and farmers are required to pay technology fees. Under Argentine law, farmers are allowed to save and reproduce seed for one season before they are required to buy fresh certified material. However, Mandiyú requires farmers to sign special purchase contracts that prohibit the use of farm-saved seeds for Bt cotton. Unlike in other countries (or in the case of HT soybean in Argentina), the adoption of Bt cotton in Argentina has been slow and by 2001 had reached only about 5 percent of the total cotton area.
The yields for Bt cotton in Argentina averaged 531 kg/ha (or 33 percent) higher than for conventional varieties. Qaim and de Janvry (2003) note that the conventional varieties grown in Argentina are actually better adapted for local conditions and have higher agronomic potential yields than the Bt varieties, so the yield differential attributable to the reduction in pest damage to the Bt varieties would be even more than 33 percent. As there was little difference in market prices for Bt and non-Bt cotton, higher yields for the Bt varieties led to an average 34 percent increase in gross revenues. The number of pesticide applications was lower and pesticide costs were reduced almost by half. Seed costs, however, were more than six times higher for the Bt varieties than for conventional varieties and, as a result, total variable costs were 35 percent higher. Net revenues were higher for Bt than for non-Bt varieties, but by a fairly small absolute value and by a significantly smaller margin than in other countries.
Qaim and de Janvry (2003) conclude that high seed costs are the primary reason for the relatively low farm-level profit margins for Bt cotton in Argentina, which in turn explains the low rate of Bt cotton adoption compared with the rapid adoption of HT soybeans in that country (Box 15). They use a contingent valuation method to estimate that the price Argentine farmers would be willing to pay for Bt seeds is less than half of the actual price. At this lower price, farmers' net returns would significantly increase, but company revenues would also rise because farmers would buy more seed. This finding raises an important question regarding why Mandiyú would charge prices higher than their profit-maximizing level. The authors speculate that the company may be under pressure to maintain price levels for Bt cotton technology at levels comparable with those in the United States. It also raises concerns regarding the long-term potential for private monopolies to extract excess profits from farmers in the absence of competition or appropriate regulatory constraints on monopoly power.
BOX 15 Genetically engineered HT crops feature a gene from the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which makes the recipient plant tolerant to the broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate. Introduced to a crop plant, the technology can facilitate weed management in farmers' fields. It can reduce production costs, through the substitution of glyphosate for an array of more expensive (and more toxic) herbicides. The timing and choice of herbicide is simplified for HT crops because glyphosate effectively controls both broad-leaved weeds and grasses and has a fairly broad window for the timing of application. Herbicide tolerance for various crops was developed by Monsanto under the name RoundupReady©(RR). RR soybeans were commercially released in Argentina and the United States in 1996. The sale and use of RR technology is protected in the United States through patents and a sales contract with farmers, but neither form of intellectual property protection is used in Argentina. Thus, in Argentina, RR soybeans are widely available from sources other than Monsanto and Argentine farmers are legally allowed to use farm-saved seeds. As a result, Argentine farmers pay a relatively small price premium for RR of about 30 percent, whereas farmers in the United States on average pay 43 percent more (data from [United States] General Accounting Office, 2000). Adoption proceeded rapidly in both countries. By 2002, an estimated 99 percent of the Argentine soybean area and 75 percent of the United States area were cultivated with RR seeds (James, 2002a). Yields of RR soybeans are not significantly different from yields of conventional soybeans in either Argentina or the United States, but reduced herbicide and tillage costs generate farm-level benefits. Many farmers switched to low-till or even no-till cultivation practices after the adoption of RR soybeans, reducing machinery and labour costs and improving soil conservation. Harvesting costs are also lower because of the lower incidence of green weeds (Qaim and Traxler, 2004). In Argentina, the total variable cost of production is about 8 percent ($21/ha) lower for RR soybeans than for a conventional crop. Results for the United States are less clear. Moschini, Lapan and Sobolevsky (2000) estimated a cost advantage of $20/ha for 2000 for the United States as a whole, and Duffy (2001) found negligible cost savings in Iowa in 1998 and 2000. Taking an average over all sources, it appears that cost savings in the United States are similar to those in Argentina. Qaim and Traxler (2004) estimated that RR soybeans created more than $1.2 billion in economic benefits in 2001, about 4 percent of the value of the world soybean crop. Soybean consumers worldwide gained $652 million (53 percent of total benefits) as a result of lower prices. Seed firms received $421 million (34 percent) as technology revenue,1 most of which came from the United States market. Soybean producers in Argentina and the United States received benefits of more than $300 million and $145 million, respectively, whereas producers in countries where RR technology is not available faced losses of $291 million in 2001 as a result of the induced decline of about 2 percent ($4.06 per tonne) in world market prices. Farmers as a group received a net benefit of $158 million, 13 percent of total economic gains produced by the technology. 1 As in the cotton studies, gross technology revenues are used as a measure of monopoly rent. No research, marketing or administration costs are deducted. If we assume, for example, that these costs amount to 33 percent of technology fee revenues, the monopoly rent would fall to around $280 million (26 percent of total surplus). |
More than 4 million small farmers in China are growing Bt cotton on about 30 percent of China's total cotton area. China's share of global Bt cotton area has increased dramatically since it was first commercialized in 1997 to more than 35 percent in 2001. Pray et al. (2002) surveyed cotton farmers in China over three seasons from 1999 to 2001. The surveys were conducted in the main cotton-growing provinces where both Bt and non-Bt varieties were available. The initial survey included farmers in Hebei and Shandong Provinces. Adoption has advanced rapidly in these provinces because bollworms are the major pest and severe resistance to chemical pesticides is widespread. Adoption approaches 100 percent in Hebei and exceeds 80 percent in Shandong. Henan Province was added to the survey in 2000. Bt adoption has levelled off at about 30 percent in Henan despite heavy pressure from bollworms, reportedly because farmers there do not have access to the best Bt varieties. Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces were added to the study in 2001. Adoption started later and has been slower in these provinces partly because red spider mites (which are not susceptible to Bt) are a more serious problem there.
For China, the yield advantage for Bt cotton averaged 523 kg/ha or 19 percent compared with conventional varieties over the three-year period from 1999 to 2001. This translated into an average revenue gain of 23 percent. Seed costs for the Bt varieties were almost double those for conventional varieties. Compared with the Argentine case, however, this price premium is quite low. Pray et al. (2002) attribute the relatively low price premium for Bt seed to the presence of strong competition in the market between the CAAS varieties developed by the public sector and those available from Monsanto. Offsetting the seed price premium, pesticide costs were 67 percent lower, and total costs were 16 percent lower than for conventional cotton. Total profits averaged $470 more per hectare for the Bt producers than for the non-Bt producers, who in fact lost money in each of the three years.
Pray et al. (2002) estimate that Bt cotton farmers in China reduced their use of chemical pesticides by an average of 43.8kg/ha compared with conventional cotton farmers. The largest reductions were in Hebei and Shandong Provinces, where bollworms are the major pest. Lower pesticide use translated into lower costs for chemicals and labour for spraying, but additional environmental and health benefits were also found. As a result of Bt cotton, pesticide use in China was reduced by an estimated 78 000 tonnes in 2001, an amount equal to about one-quarter of the total quantity of chemical pesticides used in China in a typical year. Because chemicals are typically applied with backpack sprayers in China and farmers rarely use protective clothing, they are often exposed to dangerous levels of pesticide. Bt cotton farmers experienced a much lower incidence of pesticide poisonings than those growing conventional varieties (5-8 percent vs 12-29 percent).
Pray and Huang (2003) looked at the distribution of economic benefits in China by farm size and income class. They found that farms of less than 1 ha had more than double the net increase in per hectare income of those larger than 1 ha (Table 8). Poorer households and individuals also received a much larger per hectare increase in net incomes than richer ones. These results suggest that Bt cotton is generating large pro-poor gains in net income in China.
Distribution of benefits of Bt cotton adoption by size of farm
or income class in China, 1999
(kg/ha) |
($/ha) |
($/ha) |
Bt as percentage of observations |
Yield |
Change in total cost |
Change in net income |
0.0-0.47 ha |
86 |
410 |
-162 |
401 |
0.47-1 ha |
85 |
-134 |
-534 |
466 |
1+ ha |
87 |
-124 |
-182 |
185 |
1-1 200 |
85 |
170 |
-302 |
380 |
1 200+ |
91 |
65 |
-54 |
157 |
1-180 |
85 |
456 |
-215 |
446 |
180-360 |
83 |
8 |
-284 |
303 |
360+ |
97 |
-60 |
1 |
-15 |
Note: all monetary figures are converted from yuan renminbi to United States dollars at the official exchange rate: $1.00 = RMB¥ 8.3. |
Bt cotton was only approved for commercialization in India in 2003 and therefore market-based studies are not yet available. Qaim and Zilberman (2003) analysed Indian field trial data from 2001 and reported changes in crop yields and pesticide use between conventional and Bt cotton. The trials were initiated by the Indian company Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco) on 395 farms in seven Indian states. The trials were supervised by regulatory authorities and managed by farmers using customary practices. The study compared yield performance and chemical use for a Bt hybrid, the same hybrid without the Bt gene, and a popular non-Bt variety grown on adjacent 646 m2 plots. The analysis was based on results from 157 representative farms for which comprehensive records were kept. Table 7 on page 48 reports the comparison between the Bt hybrid and the same hybrid without the Bt gene.
Average effective yields for the Bt hybrid exceeded those for the non-Bt hybrid by 80 percent, reflecting high levels of pest pressure during the growing season and a lack of alternative pest control options. This yield differential is much higher than that found in China, Mexico and the United States. Qaim and Zilberman (2003) argue that the performance differential for Bt cotton is higher in India than elsewhere because pest pressure is high and farmers do not have access to affordable and effective pesticides. They argue further that the non-Bt hybrid and popular varieties had similarly poor performance, suggesting that yield potential was not a factor in the performance differential between the Bt and non-Bt hybrids. The authors acknowledge that the results for a single year may not be representative and cite data from smaller field trials conducted by Mahyco, which showed an average yield advantage of 60 percent over the four-year period 1998-2001. Other field trial studies in India have found yield advantages for Bt cotton ranging from 24 percent to 56 percent (average 39 percent) for the years 1998/99 and 2000/01 (James, 1999; Naik, 2001).
Qaim and Zilberman (2003) report that insecticide resistance is widespread in India, so that ever-increasing amounts of pesticide have to be sprayed each year. Their survey results for 2001 showed the number of chemical sprays against bollworms was reduced from an average of 3.68 to 0.62 per season, although the number of sprays against other insects was not significantly different. The overall amount of insecticide use was reduced by 69 percent, with almost all the reduction occurring in highly hazardous organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids belonging to international toxicity classes I and II.
The amount of cotton planted in Mexico varies widely from year to year depending on government policies, exchange rates, world prices and - critically - the availability of water for irrigation. Cotton area declined from about 250 000 ha in the mid-1990s to about 80 000 ha in 2000, whereas the share planted to Bt varieties grew from about 5 percent to 33 percent.
Bt adoption patterns in Mexico reflect regional patterns of pest infestation and economic losses resulting from pest damage (Table 9). Adoption has been most rapid in Comarca Lagunera, a region that comprises parts of the states of Coahuila and Durango, and the region most critically affected by bollworms. The other cotton-growing regions of Mexico are afflicted with boll weevil and other pests that are not susceptible to Bt and thus require the use of chemical controls. Bt adoption is correspondingly low in these regions. Bt cotton is barred from the southern states of Chiapas and Yucatan where wild species of Gossypium hirsutum, a native relative of cotton, exist (Traxler et al., 2003).
The Bt cotton varieties grown in Mexico were developed originally for the United States market by D&PL in cooperation with Monsanto. Monsanto requires farmers in Mexico to sign a seed contract that forbids them from saving seed and requires them to have their cotton ginned only at Monsanto-authorized mills. The contract also requires farmers to follow a specified resistance management strategy and to permit Monsanto agents to inspect their fields for compliance with refugia and seed-saving restrictions (Traxler et al., 2003).
Cotton producers in Comarca Lagunera are generally classified as falling into one of three groups: ejidos, small landholders and independent producers. Ejidos have landholdings of 2-10 ha, small producers 30-40 ha and independent producers somewhat more but typically less than 100 ha. Ejidos and small landholders are organized into farmer associations for the purposes of obtaining credit and technical assistance. Each farmer group has a technical consultant who works for the association. Traxler et al. (2003) surveyed cotton farmers in Comarca Lagunera for the 1997 and 1998 growing seasons through the technical consultants working for the association SEREASA. The association is one of the largest in Comarca Lagunera, and had 638 farmers owning almost 5 000 ha of land during the study period. Of this total area, between 2 000 and 2 500 ha were planted to cotton, about 12 percent of the cotton area in Comarca Lagunera. Bt varieties were planted on 52 percent of the cotton area in Comarca Lagunera in 1997, increasing to 72 percent in 1998. According to the authors, the sample group was fairly representative of small-to-medium landholders but probably underrepresented large producers.
The average effective yield differential between Bt and conventional cotton was 165 kg/ha or about 11 percent, considerably lower than for the other countries shown in Table 7. The yield differential varied sharply over the two growing seasons covered by the survey, from almost nil in 1997 to 20 percent in 1998. The authors noted that 1997 was a year of very low pest pressure in Comarca Lagunera. Pesticide costs were about 77 percent lower for Bt than for conventional cotton, and the number of chemical sprays was lower. Seed costs were almost three times higher for Bt cotton, reflecting a fairly high technology premium. As a result, the average profit differential for the two years was $295/ha. This varied from less than $8 in 1997 to $582 in 1998.
Traxler et al. (2003) calculated the distribution of the economic benefits from Bt cotton in Comarca Lagunera between the farmers in the region and the companies supplying the Bt varieties, Monsanto and D&PL. For the two years of the study, farmers captured an average of 86 percent of the total benefits, compared with 14 percent for the germplasm suppliers (Table 10). The per hectare change in profit accruing to farmers varied widely between the two years, as noted above. As a result, the total producer surplus ranged from less than $35 000 to almost $5 million. For the two years, an estimated total of almost $5.5 million in benefits was produced, most of it in the second year and most of it captured by farmers. In this calculation the entire amount attributed to Monsanto and D&PL cannot be considered truly a net benefit to the companies, because costs such as seed distribution, administration and marketing costs were not accounted for. A revenue of $1.5 million from seed sales is not a large sum for a company like Monsanto, which has $5.49 billion in annual revenue. The large annual fluctuations are largely caused by variability in pest infestation levels; in years of heavy pest pressure, Bt cotton produces a large advantage over conventional cotton varieties. Because Mexico grows a small share of the world's cotton, there are no economy-wide effects on prices or consumer welfare.
Adoption of Bt cotton and geographical distribution of
pest problems in Mexico's major cotton-producing areas, 1997-98
Pest |
Bt effectiveness |
Other plant hosts |
Seriousness of problem1 |
Comarca Lagunera |
Tamaulipas |
North Chihuahua |
South Chihuahua |
Sonora |
Baja California |
Pink bollworm |
Total |
None |
Highest |
None |
Minor |
Medium |
Medium |
Medium |
Cotton bollworm |
High |
Maize, tomato |
High |
High |
Medium |
Medium |
Minor |
Minor |
Tobacco budworm |
Partial |
Maize, tomato |
Medium |
High |
Medium |
Medium |
Medium |
Minor |
Armyworm |
Partial |
Many |
Minor |
High |
Medium |
Medium |
Minor |
Minor |
Boll weevil |
None |
None |
Eradicated |
Highest |
Minor |
Highest |
Minor |
None |
Whitefly |
None |
Many |
Minor |
None |
None |
None |
Highest |
Highest |
2000 Bt adoption (percent) |
96 |
37 |
38 |
33 |
6 |
1 |
1 Highest: requires multiple applications annually, potentially heavy crop damage; high: 2-3 applications required most years, some crop damage; medium: 1-2 applications required most years, minor crop damage; minor: not necessary to spray most years, some crop damage. Source: Traxler et al., 2003. |
Estimates of economic benefit distribution,
Comarca Lagunera region of Mexico, 1997 and 1998
1997 |
1998 |
Average |
Cost per hectare to produce Bt seed ($) |
30.94 |
30.94 |
30.94 |
Monsanto/D&PL Bt revenue per hectare ($) |
101.03 |
86.60 |
93.82 |
Monsanto/D&PL net revenue per hectare1 ($) |
70.09 |
55.66 |
62.88 |
Change in farm profit per hectare ($) |
7.74 |
582.01 |
294.88 |
Bt area in Comarca Lagunera (ha) |
4 500 |
8 000 |
6 250 |
F = C x E |
Monsanto/D&PL total net revenue1 ($) |
315 405 |
445 280 |
380 342 |
G = D x E |
Total farmer benefits ($) |
34 830 |
4 656 080 |
2 345 455 |
Total benefits1 produced ($) |
350 235 |
5 101 360 |
2 725 798 |
Monsanto/D&PL share of total benefits1 (percent) |
90 |
9 |
14 |
Producer share of total benefits (percent) |
10 |
91 |
86 |
1 Monsanto/D&PL net revenue calculated before administrative and sales expenses and before any compensation to Mexican seed distribution agents. |
Bt cotton was the first transgenic crop to be commercially released in sub-Saharan Africa following the implementation in 1999 of the Genetically Modified Organisms Act, 1997. By 2002 some 30 000 ha of Bt cotton were planted in South Africa, of which about 5 700 ha were in the Makhathini Flats area of KwaZulu-Natal Province. Bennett, Morse and Ismael (2003) examined the experience of resource-poor smallholder cotton farmers in the Makhathini Flats.
Vunisa Cotton is a private commercial company in the Makhathini Flats that supplies farmers with cotton inputs (seed, pesticide and credit) and buys their output. Bennett, Morse and Ismael (2003) used individual farmer records held by Vunisa Cotton to collect information on input use, yields, farm characteristics and other information for the three growing seasons beginning in 1998/99. In addition, personal interviews were undertaken with a random sample of smallholder farmers in 1998/99 and 1999/2000, and 32 in-depth case study interviews were conducted in 2000/01.
The authors report that adopters of Bt cotton benefited from higher yields (as a result of less pest damage), lower pesticide use and less labour for pesticide applications. Yields were an average 264 kg/ha (65 percent) higher for the adopters. The yield differential was particularly large in the poor, wet growing season of 1999/2000, reaching 85 percent. Adopters used less seed per hectare than non-adopters, but higher prices for Bt seed meant that total seed costs were 89 percent higher. This was offset by lower pesticide and labour costs, so total costs were only 3 percent higher for Bt cotton on average. Higher yields and nearly equal costs meant that Bt adopters achieved net profits 3-4 times higher than those of conventional producers in all growing seasons, with the differential being especially large in 1999/2000, when conventional growers lost money.
The authors examined the dynamics of Bt adoption and the distribution of benefits across farm size. In 1997/98, Vunisa Cotton purposely targeted the release of Bt cotton to a few, relatively large, farmers. By 1998/99, the first growing season of this study, approximately 10 percent of smallholders in Makhathini had adopted Bt cotton, followed by 25 percent the second year and 50 percent the third year. By the fourth season, 2001/02, which was not covered in the analysis because of data limitations, an estimated 92 percent of smallholder cotton farmers in the region had adopted the Bt variety. The authors report that larger, older, male and wealthier farmers were more likely to adopt in the first season, but by the second and third seasons, smaller farmers of various ages and both genders were also growing Bt cotton. Their analysis showed that smaller farmers growing Bt cotton actually earned higher per hectare gross margins than did larger Bt cotton growers.
BOX 16 In a study of five West African cotton-producing countries, Cabanilla, Abdoulaye and Sanders (2003) examined the economic benefits that could accrue to cotton farmers if Bt cotton were introduced to the region. Cotton is a major source of export revenue in these countries - Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Senegal - and a source of cash income for millions of resource-poor farmers. Depending on the rate of adoption and the actual yield advantage, the potential benefits for these countries as a group could range from $21 million to $205 million. Cabanilla, Abdoulaye and Sanders (2003) based their analysis on the similarities between pest populations and chemical use in these countries with those found in other developing countries where Bt cotton has been introduced. The major insect pests in West Africa are bollworms, which are currently controlled by spraying up to seven times per season with broad-spectrum insecticides, usually a combination of organophosphates and pyrethroids. As in other regions where these insecticides are used, pest resistance has been reported. Given current conditions, the authors conclude that Bt cotton would probably be highly effective in controlling the pests found in the region. The authors used the experiences of other developing countries to posit a range of yield increases and cost reductions that could accompany the adoption of Bt cotton. These assumptions were then used to calculate a range of potential economic impacts for the five countries under alternative adoption scenarios. Under their most optimistic scenario (45 percent yield advantage and 100 percent adoption) farmers in the five countries would earn an additional $205 million in net revenues: Mali $67 million, Burkina Faso $41 million, Benin $52 million, Côte d'Ivoire $38 million and Senegal $7 million. Under the most pessimistic scenario (10 percent yield advantage and 30 percent adoption) total benefits are reduced to $21 million, allocated proportionately among the five countries as in the first scenario. These results translate into farm-level income gains per hectare of 50-200 percent. In 2003, the Government of Burkina Faso embarked on the evaluation of Bt cotton in cooperation with Monsanto. |
This chapter has reviewed the experience to date with the use of transgenic crop varieties, especially Bt cotton, in developing countries. The evidence has been collected from impact studies of the diffusion of Bt cotton in Argentina, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, as well as in the United States. Additional evidence on the impact of HT soybeans in Argentina and the United States was also discussed. Some general conclusions emerge from the review of these crops, although caution is necessary in extrapolating from one crop or country to another, from the short term to the long term and from a small sample of farmers to an entire sector.
First, transgenic crops have delivered large economic benefits to farmers in some areas of the world over the past seven years. In several cases the per hectare savings, particularly from Bt cotton, have been large when compared with almost any other technological innovation introduced over the past few decades. However, even within those countries where transgenic products have been available, adoption rates have varied greatly across production environments depending on the specific production challenges present in the area and the availability of suitable cultivars. Transgenic crops can be useful in certain circumstances, but they are not the solution to all problems.
Second, the availability of suitable transgenic cultivars often depends on national research capacities, and their accessibility by small farmers always depends on the existence of an effective input delivery system. Farmers in some countries have been able to take advantage of innovations and crop varieties developed for the North American market, but for most parts of the world the development of locally adapted ecology-specific cultivars will be essential. In all countries where transgenic cotton has been adopted by small farmers, a seed delivery mechanism has been in place and in some cases small farmers have been specifically targeted. In most countries, national seed companies have served this function in cooperation with a transnational firm and, often, with the support of the national government and farmers' organizations.
Third, the economic impacts of Bt cotton depend on the regulatory setting in which it is introduced. In all the cases studied, the countries have a biosafety process in place that has approved the commercial planting of Bt cotton. Countries that lack biosafety protocols or the capacity to implement them in a transparent, predictable and trusted way may not have access to the new technologies. A related concern is that farmers in some countries may be planting transgenic crops that have not been evaluated and approved through proper national biosafety procedures. These crops may have been approved in a neighbouring country or they may be unauthorized varieties of an approved crop. Where the crop has not been cleared through a biosafety risk assessment that takes into consideration local agro-ecological conditions, there may be a greater risk of harmful environmental consequences (see Chapter 5). Furthermore, unauthorized varieties may not provide farmers with the expected level of pest control, leading to continued need for chemical pesticides and a greater risk of the development of pest resistance (Pemsl, Waibel and Gutierrez, 2003).
Fourth, although the transgenic crops have been delivered through the private sector in most cases, the benefits have been widely distributed among industry, farmers and final consumers. This suggests that the monopoly position engendered by intellectual property protection does not automatically lead to excessive industry profits. It is apparent from the Bt cotton results for Argentina, however, that the balance between the intellectual property rights of technology suppliers and the financial means of farmers has a crucial impact on adoption of the products and hence on the level and distribution of benefits. The case of China clearly illustrates that public-sector involvement in research and development and in the delivery of transgenic cotton can help ensure that poor farmers have access to the new technologies and that their share of the economic benefits is adequate.
Fifth, the environmental effects of Bt cotton have been strongly positive. In virtually all instances insecticide use on Bt cotton is significantly lower than on conventional varieties. Furthermore, for HT soybeans, glyphosate has been substituted for more toxic and persistent herbicides, and reduced tillage has accompanied HT soybeans and cotton in many cases. Negative environmental consequences, although meriting continued monitoring, have not been documented in any setting where transgenic crops have been deployed to date.
Finally, evidence from China (Pray and Huang, 2003), Argentina (Qaim and de Janvry, 2003), Mexico (Traxler et al., 2003) and South Africa (Bennett, Morse and Ismael, 2003) suggests that small farmers have had no more difficulty than larger farmers in adopting the new technologies. In some cases, transgenic crops seem to simplify the management process in ways that favour smaller farmers.
The question therefore is not whether biotechnology is capable of benefiting small resource-poor farmers, but rather how this scientific potential can be brought to bear on the agricultural problems of developing country farmers. Biotechnology holds great promise as a new tool in the scientific toolkit for generating applied agricultural technologies. The challenge at present is to design an innovation system that focuses this potential on the problems of developing countries.
3 All references to yield in this chapter refer to actual or effective yield as opposed to potential agronomic yield. Actual or effective yield accounts for losses resulting from pest damage.


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The Employment Law for HR Managers Masterclass focuses on the legal issues that are proving the most challenging and complex for HR practitioners and business managers. The program is presented by experts from Australia's top law firms, who will provide valuable insight into a number of topics with a focus on recent cases and court decisions.
Human Resources Director magazine (HRD) is Australia's only magazine written for the most senior HR professionals and top corporate decision-makers. Every issue features aspirational cover stories and best-practice content; profiles and interviews with HR leaders worldwide and regular business strategy content and special reports to help HR professionals get ahead in their career.


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This is not a new topic here. Prior to the series, I wrote a discourse about how I would approach the Red Sox pitching rotation for the ALCS. My choice for the first four games matched Terry Francona's. For the final 3 games, I indicated that I would use the results, the series standing, and pitching performances of the first 4 games to guide the choices for the last three games.
I intended to use Josh Beckett in game 5, if he was sharp in game 2 and not in need of extra rest, otherwise I would go with Dice-K. Tito went with Dice-K.
For game 6, I wrote that I would use "Lester (if this is a Sox elimination game) / Dice-K (if this is a Sox clinching game)". Guess what? It is an elimination game. I stick by that. But, what I am missing is the inside, up close contact with the guys that Tito has. My thought is that pitching Lester today puts him on normal rest. The last game he pitched with extra rest, he was less sharp and lost (game 3). Beckett, on the other hand, is clearly not himself, and likely trying to fully heal that oblique pull (or the elbow is nagging him again). Either way, give him the extra day of rest to be ready for a game 7 showdown.
In the end, I have to say that I trust Francona. He wants to win more than you or I. If putting Beckett out there today and not tomorrow would hinder their chances, I don't believe he would do it. I have to conclude that the coaching staff feels Beckett is ready to go, and able to perform well. If they manage to win, we all will appreciate having Lester in game 7!
But, my only concern is that, IF Beckett is not truly ready, then he will have to come out early, and then we throw everybody and anybody out there. That's fine, but I'd rather do that in a final game 7, not having to worry about staffing one more game the very next day!
So, Tito, I'm trusting you here. Let's get this done.
Virtual Reality
1 day ago


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so caught up in something i could not feel so i let your eyes slide, i stopped breathing to breathe and there were times i'd glance across a room filled with strange to find you in the slices of soft light left by a door that could never close not like i can subtle, and you were all the sound anyone could need until heads dropped or faded too hard no one wanted to be there and so they were not i couldn't break it my thought, there are no leaves in metal and sliced woodgrain sometimes makes me sad but i am still, i am still drawn to this place blood shot eye glare and it said, with such fierce intensity you are life, death, weakness, you are here and you are gone you are so human
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Recommended Books for Sedona Goddess Healing Retreat
These are a few books that I feel will help you prepare for your upcoming Sedona Goddess Healing retreat. Please enjoy these recommendations. If you have any of your own, let me know and I will consider posting them! If you click on the book itself it will link you to Amazon.com.


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2010年5月29日 星期六
2010. 5/30 自由
淨身送行 告別台大洞洞館
〔記者陳怡靜/台北報導〕如何向一棟房子說 再見?台灣大學師生昨在校內舉辦別開生面的建築告別式,他們穿起黑色服裝、擔任送行者,「洗淨」牆面琉璃瓦、「拆卸」建築內裝、手持釘槍和電鑽做最後的 「妝點」,每人再獻上一朵花,向承載師生五十年回憶的「洞洞館」說再見。
拆除前 師生最後的獻禮
洞洞館是台大知名的建築物, 泛稱在一九六二年到一九七○年間落成的農業陳列館、哲學系館與人類系館三館,其中最早落成的農陳館由建築師張肇康設計,哲學系館與人類系館則為後人仿照。 張肇康畢業於哈佛大學建築系,曾與國際知名建築師貝聿銘合作建案。
三座洞洞館組成中國傳統建築的ㄇ字型外觀,也被稱為「洞洞館三合院」,最 大特色在於牆面上的洞洞,每個洞都鑲嵌進筒狀琉璃瓦,將現代材質融入中國傳統建築中。
為建設新的台大新人文館,哲學系館與人類系館將於今年 七月拆除,原址重建新大樓。
由於洞洞館承載了台大師生五十年的回憶,曲終樓拆,師生十分不捨。台大歷史系校友、藝術家施昀佑因此發想「洞洞 館計畫」,透過建築的告別式,「淨身、妝點、告別,就像禮儀師為往生者清洗大體、仔細妝點,讓朋友瞻仰最美好的遺容。」
施昀佑和另名校友藝 術家劉偉申號召超過百名師生與義工,從今年一月開始,先清洗洞洞館外觀,拆卸內裝後的管線與石綿瓦、取下玻璃後的窗框成為展示品,長期受灰塵與黴菌侵蝕的 外牆面也恢復潔淨,屋頂的隔熱磚成了綠地上的步道地磚。
「然後,才能了無遺憾地告別。」施昀佑在創作理念中自述;劉偉申也說:「選擇這種寧 靜的告別,將建物保存在人們心中,被記住的是牆、窗、結構、工法,是穿透琉璃瓦的暮光,也是它卸下重擔…。」
台大哲學系教授林義正昨也出席 洞洞館告別式,他感嘆:「在這裡教了二十多年,是不捨!」但他坦言,洞洞館其實已不敷使用,不但沒有消防法規的逃生口,通風採光也不佳,「有面牆還有西曬 困擾,曾聽說有教授熱到暈倒。」
2010年5月8日 星期六
36 Hours in Houston
36 Hours in Houston
A SNARL of superhighways and skyscrapers, Houston is easily dismissed as a corporate campus — home to Fortune 500 giants like Halliburton and Waste Management and a company formerly known as Enron (currently known as Enron Creditors Recovery Corporation). And the view from an airplane isn't exactly inviting: a flat and featureless plain of generic towers sprawling into the horizon. But in recent years, this Texas megalopolis has been inching back to its urban core. Cool art galleries have sprung up in once blighted neighborhoods. Midcentury modern buildings have been saved and restored. And former factories have been turned into buzzing restaurants and bars. Yes, oil money still reigns supreme, but it now competes with culture.
5:30 p.m.
Houston may be a sea of office towers, but this subtropical city is also surprisingly green. Hundreds of parks carpet the city, and one of the newest — a 12-acre park called Discovery Green (discoverygreen.com) — is quickly becoming the heart of the city's still sleepy downtown. Opened in 2008, the park serves as a true public space; elderly couples stroll around the artificial lake as toddlers roll down grassy knolls. For sunset cocktails, follow the area's young professionals to the Grove (1611 Lamar Street; 713-337-7321; thegrovehouston.com), a modern restaurant inside the park, which offers treehouse-like views of the skyline.
8 p.m.
The city's young chefs are working overtime to step out of the shadow of Texas barbecue. Among the most feted these days is Bryan Caswell, the chef and owner of Reef (2600 Travis Street; 713-526-8282; reefhouston.com), a seafood restaurant with a Southern twist. Housed in a former car dealership with soaring windows and ceilings, the restaurant creates a dramatic space for winning dishes like roasted grouper with corn pudding and grilled peach ($25). On a recent evening the dining room was humming with an eclectic crowd that included men in white suits eating ceviche, couples on dates and well-dressed families celebrating birthdays.
10 p.m.
Sports bars and mega-clubs fuel much of the city's night life, but a clutch of down-to-earth bars can be found along the tree-lined streets of Montrose. Poison Girl (1641 Westheimer Road; 713-527-9929; myspace.com/poisongirlbar) has pinball machines, a long shelf of whiskeys and a dirt-packed backyard jammed with 20-somethings in vintage Wranglers and Keds. Down the street is Anvil Bar and Refuge (1424 Westheimer Road; 713-523-1622; anvilhouston.com), which styles itself as a classic cocktail bar, though it can feel like a meat market on weekends. A handful of gay bars are also nearby, including the oldie but still rowdy 611 Hyde Park Pub (611 Hyde Park Boulevard; 713-526-7070).
11 a.m.
With all those petrodollars sloshing around, it's no surprise that contemporary art has an eager benefactor in Houston. The grande dame is still the Menil Collection (1515 Sul Ross Street; 713-525-9400; menil.org), opened in 1987 to house the collection of Dominique de Menil, an heiress to an oil-equipment fortune. Blue-chip galleries include the Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery (4520 Blossom Street; 713-863-7097; dbhbg.com) and the Sicardi Gallery (2246 Richmond Avenue; 713-529-1313; www.sicardi.com). Scrappy artists, meanwhile, have carved out studios in downtown warehouses. Some of their work can be seen at the Station Museum (1502 Alabama Street; 713-529-6900; stationmuseum.com), which showcases emerging artists inside a big metal shed.
1:30 p.m.
While the city's sizable Vietnamese community is now scattered, traces of Little Saigon still remain in Midtown, a mixed-use neighborhood dotted with banh mi joints. A retro-favorite is Cali Sandwich (3030 Travis Street; 713-520-0710), a ho-hum cafeteria with 1970s-style vertical blinds and prices to match: the freshly made sandwiches, including the barbecue pork, are $2.31. If you're hankering for genuine Texas BBQ, drive north to Pizzitola's Bar-B-Cue (1703 Shepherd Drive; 713-227-2283; pizzitolas.com). It may not be as packed as Goode's barbecue empire, but Pizzitola's is the real deal, judging by the wood pits that have been charring ribs out back for 70-plus years.
3 p.m.
Malls rule in Houston — the biggest, the Galleria, offers 2.4 million square feet of global brand names. Off-brand shopping requires a bit more driving. For one-of-the-kind home furnishings, head to Found (2422 Bartlett Street No. 5; 713-522-9191; foundforthehome.com), which takes old industrial objects like hay feeders and turns them into architectural objets. Sloan/Hall (2620 Westheimer Road; 713-942-0202; sloanhall.com) carries an odd array of art books, bath products and pottery — some by Texas artisans. Peel (4411 Montrose Boulevard, Suite 400; 713-520-8122; peelgallery.org) blurs the line between art gallery and jewelry boutique. And Flashback Funtiques (1627 Westheimer Road; 713-522-7900; flashbackfuntiques.net) is a trove of Lone Star Americana, like old pinball machines and gas pumps.
7:30 p.m.
Robert Del Grande is considered culinary royalty here, credited with pioneering Southwestern cuisine in the 1980s. So when his restaurant of 29 years, Café Annie, closed last year, there was a collective grumble. The hunger was soon sated: he opened RDG + Bar Annie (1800 Post Oak Boulevard; 713-840-1111; rdgbarannie.com), a multiplex of a restaurant with bars, lounges and dining rooms that attracts a glamorous crowd that seems to favor short party dresses, shiny handbags and aggressive amounts of gold. The menu is similarly bold and brash, with dishes like lobster meatballs with a rémoulade sauce ($16) and grilled rib-eye steak with a smoked Cheddar sauce ($40).
10 p.m.
A party corridor has formed along Washington Avenue. A favorite among nearby bobos is Max's Wine Dive (4720 Washington Avenue; 713-880-8737; maxswinedive.com), with its long, inexpensive wine list. Seeking a wackier cast of characters? Night owls find the unmarked door that leads to Marfreless (2006 Peden Street; 713-528-0083; marfrelessbar.com), a dingy watering hole with faded carpeting and dark corners popular with canoodling couples.
10 a.m.
A cafe tucked inside a nursery may sound precious, but so what? Tiny Boxwood's (3614 West Alabama Street; 713-622-4224; tinyboxwoods.com) does a fantastic Sunday brunch. Situated close to the posh River Oaks neighborhood, the sun-washed dining room and vine-covered patio draw a handsome and self-assured crowd that mingles easily around a communal table. Chalkboard specials include leafy salads ($10 to $14) and a delicious breakfast pizza made with pancetta, goat cheese and an egg, baked sunny side up in a wood oven ($13). Pick up a cactus on the way out.
Despite Houston's lack of zoning (or maybe because of it), the city has a remarkable collection of midcentury modern homes and office towers — some well maintained, others verging on collapse. Landmarks include the gridlike campus for the University of St. Thomas, designed by Philip Johnson. But many more are unknown, like the eerily abandoned Central Square building in downtown (2100 Travis Street) or the brawny Willowick tower, now condos, in River Oaks (2200 Willowick Road). Piece together your own architectural tour with Houston Mod (houstonmod.org), a preservation group that maintains a resourceful Web site with Google maps and photos.
2 p.m.
The skyline goes up, up, up every year. But notable architecture also takes place near the ground. The campus at Rice University — a neo-Byzantine maze of rose-hued brick and cloisters — got a new glass heart in 2008, when the Brochstein Pavilion (rice.edu/brochstein) opened near the central quad. A Kubrick-esque box with floor-to-ceiling windows, the pavilion houses a cafe and media lounge, and has a fine-mesh trellis that extends like a mathematical plane in space. The structure is only one story, but it feels much taller — proof that not everything in Houston has to be big.
Continental, JetBlue, Delta and others fly nonstop between New York City and Houston. A recent Web search found round-trip fares on JetBlue from $345 this month. A car is needed to get around.
Hotel Zaza Houston (5701 Main Street; 713-526-1991; hotelzazahouston.com) opened in 2007 with 315 rooms, offering playful design and polished service in the lively Museum District; from $179.
Opened last August, the Aloft Houston by the Galleria (5415 Westheimer Road; 713-622-7010; alofthouston.com) has 152 rooms in the Uptown district and includes a pool, gym and free Wi-Fi. Rooms from $99 weekends, and from $199 during the week; discounts are available online.


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Friday, April 13, 2012
7 comments:
Beautiful! I literally got teary looking at these photos. I miss my native Atlanta so much in spring, and the dogwoods are at the top of the list of flowers that I miss. We have them here in Japan as well, but they love to tie them to stakes and straighten the trunks - just not the same as the twisty ones back home!
Thanks for visiting my corner of the blogosphere... so fun to make new friends! :o)
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