Kick off the fall season with us in Charleston, South Carolina, September 23^rd&24th! Gather Charleston will be a weekend event you don’t want to miss-celebrating delicious food, local culture, and Southern heritage.

Wentworth Mansion

The grandest mansion in the Holy City, Wentworth Mansion displays a sense of history, unmatched luxury, and Southern hospitality-all just steps from award-winning dining, art, history, and shopping.

Guest offer: free valet parking, breakfast served in Circa 1886 restaurant, afternoon wine, evening cordials and in-room soft drinks.

149 Wentworth Street, Charleston. 843-853-1886

The Loutrel

Located between Church Street and State Street in Charleston’s historic district, The Loutrel shows the city’s elegance, offering amazing comfort for modern travelers.

Offer code: “FoodWine” —10% off with free parking, a welcome cocktail, European breakfast, and WiFi.

61 State St., Charleston. 843-872-9600

The Charleston Place

An independent, iconic landmark in the heart of Charleston’s historic district. Redefining the legendary spaces, experiences and city-with renewed passion, purpose, and intention.

Offer code: “GATHER” —includes daily breakfast credit (抵免) (up to $ 30 per person, per day), welcome amenity, and valet parking.

205 Meeting St., Charleston. 843-722-4900

Emeline

Welcome to Emeline, a fashionable hotel located on Church St. in downtown Charleston. We bring southern charm to life with delightful surprises.

Offer code: “CHS22” —15% off room rate and a 25 dining credit (per stay).

181 Church St., Charleston. 843-577-2644

For more information on tickets and event programming, visit gather-charleston.com.

In Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda, a non-profit organization Snares to Wares is helping local craftsmen make a living through selling sculptures made from the wiring in the traps of poachers(偷猎者)Located in northwest Uganda, the nation's largest national park is a poaching hotspot, with the most common method being a wire snare(钢丝套)that closes around an animal's foot.

Most poaching is done for meat, as the communities surrounding the park are some of the poorest in the country, and most of the animals poached are smaller herbivores(食草动物). Snares to Wares aids local people in developing their artists' eye and crafters' hand to weave hundreds of snares into wire sculptures of the park's wildlife. The initiative was started by Tutilo Mudumba, a national geographic explorer, and Robert Montgomery, a wildlife ecologist at Michigan State University, and now has 620 craftsmen onboard, who sell on average about 800 sculptures a month.

Mudumba was conducting research on the use and distribution of snares in the park some years ago when he came up with the idea. In an interview, he explained that for most of the poor villagers around the park, wildlife represents a threat. He was shocked to learn after starting Snares to Wares that many locals didn't know what the animals in the park looked like, so he helped sponsor field trips into Murchison Falls. There the locals study the animals, see how they behave, and allow their inner artist to take shape as they observe the park's lions, rhinos, elephants, buffalo, giraffes, leopards, warthogs, and more.

Murchison Falls has experienced a dramatic recovery over the last decade, with a significant upgrade in the policing capabilities of rangers(护林员), and the abilities of the medical units as well—all leading to a doubling of the herbivore numbers. Predator populations are also increasing with the conviction(定罪)rate of caught poachers at almost 97% due to another investment project in a wildlife legal department within the Ugandan Wildlife Authority.

The loss of housing due to floods is an undeniable issue. But now, Japanese housing developer Ichijo Komuten recently unveiled a “flood-resistant house” that can not only remain waterproof during floods, but also float off the ground.

Their new “flood-resistant house” was recently featured on a popular Japanese TV show and it has been getting a lot of attention online ever since. Japan’s TBS TV station recently visited one of Ichijo’s test sites where the company’s new flood-resistant house was being put through a simulated flood. Although it looked just like an ordinary house when the test began, by the time that water started rising around it, viewers could see the structure leave the ground and eventually float a few inches above it.

We’ve all seen floating houses being swept away in severe floods, but Ichijo’s newest invention features a system that prevents just that. The house is connected to a number of thick iron rod(杆)sticking out of the ground with thick cables(缆绳)that ensure it stays in place as the water floods past. When the water recedes, the floating house comes back down in its original position. The “flood-resistant house” also features special vents(通风口))hat close up in the event of flooding, and the plumbing also has special valves that prevent water from getting into the home. Electrical equipment like air conditioning is positioned on the upper half of the building to ensure that water doesn’t reach it.

According to engineers at Ichijo Komuten, most homes flood when water reaches the window level, but because their flood-resistant house can float up to five meters above ground, water is unlikely to reach the windows and everything else is sealed shut.