text:
A first look at Jonah Hill's character in director Martin Scorsese's financial drama The Wolf of Wall Street has landed online courtesy of some set photos. Hill plays the close friend and business partner of Jordan Beflort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a hard partying, drug addicted stockbroker who was indicted in 1998 for security fraud and money laundering and served a 22-month federal prison stretch. We've already seen a few set photos of DiCaprio in character, and these images of Hill reinforce the idea that Scorsese is going to great lengths to make the actors look like their real-life counterparts. Hill appears to be wearing some Gary Busey-esque false teeth along with his wonderfully 90s attire, complete with large glasses and a yellow sweater tied around his shoulders.
Hit the jump to take a look at the Hill images along with a new look at DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey. The film also stars Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, Jean Dujardin, Joe Bernthal and Rob Reiner.
Images courtesy of X17 and Emileeid (via The Film Stage):


text:
We thought it would not take too long before NKT comes back, but it was easier said than done. Unfortunately, GoodFriends USA and the headquarters do not plan to resume publishing the newsletter any time soon. In the meantime, GoodFriends has focused on helping North Koreans resettle in their new communities in South Korea. Both the headquarters and GoodFriends USA continue to make efforts to help better the human rights situations in North Korea. Hopefully, we will be able to update you with possible plans for the newsletter and other developments.
Thank you for your comments, and your support for NKT.
GoodFriends USA
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
iMS Wills & Estate Planning are delighted to be working in conjunction with Safe Hands Funeral Plans - one of the UK's most established, recognised and affordable pre-paid funeral plan providers.
According to the Bank of England the current rate of inflation is 3%. By comparison, according to the Sun Life Cost of Dying Report 2017 the average cost of a basic funeral rose from £3,897 in 2016, to £4,078 in 2017 - an increase of 4.7%.
With funeral costs rising far in excess of the annual rate of inflation, it is an unfortunate fact that, for many families, budgeting for a funeral by traditional means may no longer be sufficient to cover the cost.
Safe Hands Funeral Plans, in common with all other legitimate funeral plan companies, invest their customers' monies in a ring-fenced Trust Fund, through which they grow in value over the course of the plan holder's lifetime. Then, when the plan holder passes away, a sum of monies that we guarantee will be sufficient to cover the cost of the funeral director's fees and services, is released from the Trust Fund and paid directly to the funeral director appointed by Safe Hands Funeral Plans to conduct the funeral.
As one of the UK's premier funeral plan providers it is of paramount importance to Safe Hands Funeral Plans, that customers' investments are safe and secure. To that end, maximum care has been taken to ensure that the Trust Fund in which customers' monies are invested complies with all current legislation as set out in the 'Regulated Activities Order' (Financial Services and Markets Act 2000).
The overall cost of a funeral comprises two key elements - costs of services that are provided by the funeral director (known as 'Funeral Director's Fees and Services') and costs of services provided by external parties (known as 'Disbursements' or '3rd party fees').
Funeral Director's Fees and Services can be broad-ranging, but, typically, they include such items as care and preparation of the deceased, collection of the deceased, provision of transport and staff, provision of support, guidance and advice to bereaved families, etc. The Safe Hands Funeral Plans Gurantee states that no matter how long a Plan Holder lives, there will never be anything further for their family/representatives to pay towards the Funeral Director's Fees and Services.
Disbursements are items provided by 3rd parties. Typically, they include such items as the crematorium fee (or if burial, the cost of opening the grave) the doctor's fee for certifying the death, and the minister's fee. These are not guaranteed. However most Safe Hands Funeral Plans options ('Pearl', 'Sapphire' and 'Ruby') include a generous, but not unnecessarily excessive, £1,200 allowance towards the Cremation fee (or if burial, the Interment fee), the Doctor's fee and the Minister's fee.
Privacy and Data Protection Please note that this page is provided by Safe Hands Funeral Plans and links directly to Safe Hands Funeral Plans' protected and secure system. When purchasing a Safe Hands Funeral Plan through this page (by clicking 'Start Application') the personal information your input/provide during the application process, will not be shared with any 3rd party except, when the plan holder passes away, the funeral director appointed to carry out the funeral.
You can view Safe Hands Funeral Plans' Privacy Policy and Data Protection Policy by visting www.safehandsplans.co.uk.
In the highly unlikely event that the £1,200 disbursements allowance plus indexed CPI uplift (calculated annually) is insufficient to cover the combined cost of the Cremation Fee (or if burial, the cost of opening the grave), the Doctor's fee and the Minister's fee, at the time of need - then any shortfall would need to be paid by the plan holder's representatives before the funeral takes place.» See our Range of Funeral Plans


text:
View All Seed Mixes
Spring Mixes
All Year Round Mixes
Premium Gold Mix
Hi Energy Robin & Insect No Grow Mix
Robin and Songbird No Mess Mix
No Grow Mixes
No Mess Mixes
No Wheat Mixes
Seed Mix Bundles
Seed Mixes - Other Brands
New Mixes
Sunflower Heart/Seed
Niger Bird Seed
Bird Food Bundles
Millet Seed
Maize, Oats, Hemp, Raisins
Suet Fat Balls
Suet Pellets
Suet Cakes
Suet Coconut Shells
Peanut Butter
Bird Feeding Stations
Bird Tables
Fat Ball/Suet Feeders
Ground Feeders
Niger Seed Feeders
Nut Feeders
Seed Feeders
Squirrel Proof Feeders
Sunflower Bird Feeders
Window Feeders
Mealworm Feeders
Peanut Butter Feeders
Nesting Boxes
Bird Baths
Bird Hygiene
Pest Control
Bird Seed Storage
Window Sticker Alerts
Books and Guides
Seed Scoops
Hooks, Brackets, Stabilisers
All Accessories
Duck & Swan Food
Chicken & Poultry
Bee Houses
Insect Hotels
Other Wildlife
All Wildlife
Pet & Garden Statues
Books & Guides
All Gift Ideas
Coffee Cups
Water Bottles
Shopping Bags
Garden Ornaments
All Garden
Click here to open our handy guide.
Currently Shopping by
Filter by
You'll be the first to hear about discounts, sales and new products. Plus get 10% off your first order!
Please wait...


text:
Multiple wives will mean multiple benefit
|Post Reply
|Page 12>
Topic Search Topic Options
Senior Member
Joined: 05 October 1999
Status: Offline
Points: 5022
Post Options
Posted: 03 February 2008 at 8:54am
Multiple wives will mean multiple benefits
ref: http://www.telegrap h.co.uk/news/ main.jhtml? xml=/news/ 2008/02/03/ nbenefit103. xml
Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal.
The outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men with more than one wife, as is permitted under Islamic law. Ministers estimate that up to a thousand polygamous partnerships exist in Britain, although they admit there is no exact record.
The decision has been condemned by the Tories, who accused the Government of offering preferential treatment to a particular group, and of setting a precedent that would lead to demands for further changes in British law.
New guidelines on income support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state: "Where there is a valid polygamous marriage the claimant and one spouse will be paid the couple rate ... The amount payable for each additional spouse is presently �33.65."
Income support for all of the wives may be paid directly into the husband's bank account, if the family so choose. Under the deal agreed by ministers, a husband with multiple wives may also be eligible for additional housing benefit and council tax benefit to reflect the larger property needed for his family.
The ruling could cost taxpayers millions of pounds. Ministers launched a review of the benefit rules for polygamous marriages in November 2006, after it emerged that some families had benefited financially.
The review concluded in December last year with agreement that the extra benefits should continue to be paid, the Government admitted. The decision was not publicly announced.
Four departments - the Treasury, the DWP, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Home Office - were involved in the review, which concluded that recognising multiple marriages conducted overseas was "the best possible" option. In Britain, bigamy is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Islamic law permits men to have up to four wives at any one time - known as a harem - provided the husband spends equal amounts of time and money on each of them.
A DWP spokesman claimed that the number of people in polygamous marriages entering Britain had fallen since the 1988 Immigration Act, which "generally prevents a man from bringing a second or subsequent wife with him to this country if another woman is already living as his wife in the UK".
While a married man cannot obtain a spouse visa to bring a second wife into Britain, some multiple partners may be able to enter the country via other legal routes such as tourist visas, student visas or work permits.
In addition, officials have identified a potential loophole by which a man can divorce his wife under British law while continuing to live with her as his spouse under Islamic law, and obtain a spouse visa for a foreign woman who he can legally marry.
"Entry clearance may not be withheld from a second wife where the husband has divorced his previous wife and the divorce is thought to be one of convenience," an immigration rulebook advises. "This is so, even if the husband is still living with the previous wife and to issue the entry clearance would lead to the formation of a polygamous household."
Chris Grayling, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said that the decision was "completely unjustifiable".
"You are not allowed to have multiple marriages in the UK, so to have a situation where the benefits system is treating people in different ways is totally unacceptable and will serve to undermine confidence in the system.
"This sets a precedent that will lead to more demands for the culture of other countries to be reflected in UK law and the benefits system."
Mr Grayling also accused the Government of trying to keep the ruling quiet because the topic is so controversial.
Senior Member
Joined: 30 October 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 1140
Post Options
Quite frankly, if a muslim man with one wife cannot support her and they are receiving benefits, I cant see that Islamically he feels justified to have any more wives.
I hope the Muslim Council of Britain discourages all men from taking another wife, unless he can support them and not sponge off the tax payers money.
some of us are a lot like cement:- all mixed up and permanently set
Joined: 10 October 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 58
Post Options
Muslim man will practice polygamous regardless of what western law says. After all, many western men are in illegal polygamous relation ship despite claiming otherwise. That is why many western women lost their rights. Thanks for their feminist movement.
Sister Martha wrote:
"I hope the Muslim Council of Britain discourages all men from taking another wife, unless he can support them and not sponge off the tax payers money".
I agree except sponge off stuff. The most important is educating muslim women rights in accordance to Quran and correct sunnah. I doubt Muslim Council of Britain is equipped to do that at this stage.
Senior Member
Joined: 30 October 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 1140
Post Options
I agree that muslim man will do as he chooses regarding polygamy.
There are plenty of muslim organisations that can advise on this matter. But muslim men should do their best to support themselves and their wife/wives without relying on benefits. That is an Islamic principle. You need to convince me otherwise.
Womens rights in Islam mean very little if the husband doesnt understand his duty to support her. It falls on the man to be responsible and sensible, not use the benefit system as an excuse for his failings. I have heard 'thousands' of times, muslims and non-muslims saying 'oh well, the government can look after us'. What kind of human beings are they? Answer-weak.
I appreciate there are many good muslims that struggle in the UK. They are entitled to help. But a muslim man in these circumstances should stick to one wife. Common sense tells you that if you cant keep one wife, then dont take another. That applies wherever you are in the world. (Unfortunately the western society can make it too easy, so allowing some to abuse the system.)It is the woman who will suffer. So educate the man first.
some of us are a lot like cement:- all mixed up and permanently set
Joined: 10 October 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 58
Post Options
Sister Martha.
I agree with you that we shouldn't build homes on welfare, food stamps or section 8 and ghetto low-income houses etc. Those less fortune that were denied opportunity and stuck up with this situation must try to liberate themselves as much as they can.
Let we settle sister that both men and women need real Islamic education on this. I know four brothers who are all married more than one wife. Each wife lives in her own house (fully paid with their hard earning not mortgage haram scam). None of them ever bothered to go beyond their means despite they faced a tough/rough times. Their elder brother said once, what is enough for one woman in this country can cover two if there is real iman among real muslimah in this country.
These are fortunate ones. However, there are many brothers who don't have means and sometimes marry another wife in bad setting then create uncertain in their houses. Equally so, there are many sisters who jump on brother without consideration beyond financial means. U can guess the result!!
The right question is deen only as sunnah shows well with big/little in hands. It is good to have financial muscle all the time or most of the time. But it is quite obvious financial setting can fluctuate. I don't think anyone can advocate as we see permanent future stability before commencing a new marriage.
May Allah show us the truth path of building stable homes.
Senior Member
Joined: 03 July 2001
Status: Offline
Points: 6641
Post Options
Are they living in the West, if so then how did they pay for the house? a mortgage is a loan from the bank.
~ Our feet are earthbound, but our hearts and our minds have wings ~
Senior Member
Joined: 15 July 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 164
Post Options
Put the �western system� aside for a second, I do not know why it got dragged there again, this is just another example that people get married without thinking properly and for the wrong purposes.
Being on benefits shows you are having some kind of problem supporting yourself and wife, maybe the grown ups can ignore this because they get to indulge in there fantasy world at night, but what about the children of these families?
It would also be interesting to find out how many of these 2nd, 3rd, or 4th wives are British citizens or UK born Muslims (Regardless of origin). I think that would show a bit more the reality if these women marry because they �want to� or I am sorry to say �need to�.
Our prophet s.a.w married for the right reasons, but I do not know if that could be said for the people of today, regardless if it is there right or not.
Senior Member
Joined: 03 July 2001
Status: Offline
Points: 6641
Post Options
The Prophet also advice that if can and are able to support more than one wife, then yes, if not then do not.
~ Our feet are earthbound, but our hearts and our minds have wings ~
|Post Reply
|Page 12>
| Tweet
|Forum Jump
|Forum Permissions
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


text:
Cedar Creek Lake Real Estate
The fourth largest lake in Texas, Cedar Creek Lake is 32,623 acres, 18 miles long and offers 320 miles of shoreline. The widest point of the lake is 8.5 miles and the deepest is 53 feet. Cedar Creek Lake is located 55 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas so the short commute to is a big benefit to "weekenders" or permanent residents that commute to DFW. Towns on or near Cedar Creek Lake include Kemp, Mabank, Gun Barrel City, Payne Springs, Enchanted Oaks, Eustace, Caney City, Malakoff, Star Harbor, Trinidad, Tool and Seven Points. Cedar Creek Lake was built
Cedar Creek Lake Homes For Sale
Search For Properties In Cedar Creek Lake
For a list of schools located within the district(s) please click on the link(s) below.


text:
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a… fang?
A farmer in Nepal retaliated against a venomous cobra that bit him — by biting it right back, a local newspaper reported.
BBC News reported that Mohammed Salmodin caught the snake after it bit him in his ride paddy.
"I could have killed it with a stick but bit it with my teeth instead because I was angry," he said, according to the Nepali paper Annapurna Post.
"A snake charmer told me that if a snake bites you, bite it until it is dead and nothing will happen to you," he added to BBC News.
On the urging of his relatives, after the attack Salmodin went to the hospital, where he was treated and discharged. Officials said he won't be charged with killing the snake because the species was not endangered.


text:
Bill Bryson is a travel writer who can educate and inspire but also make you choke on your coffee with bursts of laughter. His kind of humour just tickles my funny bone and I end up annoying people who are around me when I'm reading. So ironically I actually avoid his books when I'm travelling on trains or airplanes, because of the curious looks I get when I snort and snigger. He is also very impressively knowledgeable and an absolute King of Trivia. There is a wealth of information in his books about so many things that you would never have known before and will likely never need to know again…but it's all so interesting!
Recently I reread two of his travel books because I went to Australia and decided to reread his book "In a Sunburned Country" ('Down Under' UK title). Bryson's travel books are far more enjoyable to read upon your return when you can understand the jokes. When you travel to a place, take along a Frommer, Lonely Planet, or DK guide to show you where to go and what to see. Then enjoy Bryson's anecdotal account when you get back and you can relive your trip with his entertaining commentary. However, it is a bit of a toss up because it might be nice to know some of his facts when visiting a place.
When I moved to England in 2010, a friend gave me 'Notes from a Small Island' (as well as a teacup and a brolly….smart friend!), which I decided to wait to reread until I had lived here for two years. That was the right thing to do. I was rewarded with the enjoyment of a lengthy couple of chapters on the Windsor/London/Virginia Water area where I live, and could now knowledgeably chuckle along and nod my head about things like sticky toffee pudding, Marmite, zebra crossings and relief roads, and actually know what he was talking about. My biggest hurdle is still the pants/trousers thing. Pants are undergarments here, like knickers, and trousers are what I would call pants. Can't seem to get the hang of that one yet, but give me another couple of years and I just might.
'A Short History of Nearly Everything' is a science book for non-scientists, for everyman who is interested in the science of the earth, space and time. Only get this book in its lavishly illustrated edition and let it find its place on your coffee table or in your restroom reading rack. He has other travel books on America, a book about Shakespeare, and even a biographical account of his childhood years in Iowa called 'The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid'. At Home is a great historical account of private life and how we have gotten ourselves comfortable over the centuries. In it he uses the rooms of a house as an outline to describe how everything from the flush toilet to household electricity came to be. Bryson is American but moved to England because he married a Brit. They have lived in both places. He has two websites, one based in each country.
Bill Bryson US Website
Bill Bryson UK Website
This is my favourite and in my opinion is the funniest of the travel books. He hikes the Appalachian trail with his fat friend Stephen Katz. They get into all sorts of troubles while backpacking and trying to survive, including running into bears and rednecks.
'In a Sunburned Country' (US title)
'Down Under' (UK title)
Bryson points out that 80% of all the plants and animals that live in Australia, exist nowhere else on earth. This may be part of the reason it is such a unique and interesting place. The place names in Australia are also amazing, if you could learn to pronounce them. We stayed in a suburb of Sydney called Wooloomooloo – where else can you find a word sporting no less than 8 o's?!? Incidentally, it is a wharf area within walking distance of Sydney's main attractions, recently revitalized with trendy restaurants and boutique hotels. It used to be a navy slum with nothing but drunks, sailors, and drunk sailors. Bryson was very afraid of all the poisonous snake and spider species on this island continent – a disproportionately high amount, in his opinion. We did stay in a mountain resort where the guests were advised not to walk barefoot in the grass at night!
This is an affectionate portrayal of Britain. Since Bryson has lived for many years in the UK, he knows it from the inside out. He clearly loves the place and its people and captures subtle nuance in the British personality. Americans are fascinated by Great Britain because it is both alien and familiar. Many have traced their origins to the place, and because the language is the same, well nearly, it is an easy place to visit and move around in. And there is so much history – the moss and stones practically ooze the ages. One reviewer said this and I think it is true. "Bryson is not entirely uncritical of his adopted nation (and that's the fun part), but he's never nasty – and it's plain that his enthusiasm for England and all things English comes from deep in his heart."


text:
What Lindbergh Found in His Mail Bag (Oct, 1927)
What Lindbergh Found in His Mail Bag
Offers of Millions, Offers of Marriage and 14,000 Gifts in Packages Sent to Atlantic Flyer
By FITZHUGH GREEN
THROUGH the crowded events that followed the great flight to Paris, the author of this article was one of Col. Lindbergh's chief aides. And in the swift preparation of Lindbergh's book "We," he wrote several chapters describing the welcoming receptions which the modest aviator did not wish to write himself. Commander Green also aided in handling Lindbergh's huge mail.
"Dear Lindy—"
Those two words, with variations, have been written more than three and a half million times in the last four months by people of all races, colors and climes.
No one man in history ever received such a mountain of mail as has Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh since that memorable May 21 when he completed his lone flight from New York to Paris by plane. Between that day and June 17, when he landed in St. Louis after an unprecedented welcome by mankind, there came to him, from every corner of the globe, more than 3,500,000 letters, 100,000 telegrams and cablegrams of congratulation and 14,000 parcel post packages containing gifts, samples, and articles for trade!
And even now, nearly four months after the world first went mad over his magnificent feat, scores of secretaries and postal clerks are still busy sorting and classifying the great piles of communications to the young aviator, whose daily mail continues to be greater than most of us receive in a month.
If we should suddenly find ourselves in Lindbergh's place, the recipients of millions of messages, gifts and pleas from young and old, the fortunate and the miserable of almost every race and nationality, what should we do about it? How should we feel and act?
Because I have chanced to be one of many to assist in the gigantic task of doing at least something about the kindly millions who sent their congratulations and gifts, perhaps I can help you put yourself for a moment in Lindbergh's place.
I know that when the first great bulk of cablegrams and letters arrived for "Slim" at the American Embassy in Paris, he was deeply touched and profoundly interested. He was thrilled that thousands upon thousands whose names were strange to him, and whose faces he had never seen, should thus shower him with personal tributes. And his first impulse was to read every letter, and answer each in turn with his own hand.
BUT that first impulse soon changed to something like bewilderment when, on the second day after his arrival in Paris, a large room had to be commandeered for the first of this mail, and Ambassador Herrick assigned eight of his own staff to handle the correspondence. By the second night another tidal wave of cables, sweeping in from America, swamped the secretarial force, which by that time had been trebled. Even while the secretaries toiled far into the night, they gave up all hope of answering each missive in the sea of white and yellow envelopes.
Not so Lindbergh. When, later, the deluge was repeated in varying degrees in Brussels, London and Cherbourg, he never quite gave up the idea of eventually completing the appalling task of answering unseen millions who spoke to him.
The simply worded messages from mothers who poured out their hearts in joy at his safe landing—the letters in the trembling hand of old age, or in the faltering form of the very young—those other jubilant congratulations from rulers, presidents, scientists, educators, business men, soldiers, sailors, clerks, street cleaners, even tramps and beggars—all these voices seemed to hold him duty bound, the while they overwhelmed him.
Only when he reached America, and received the full volume of the welcome home, was he at last compelled to throw up his hands in despair. In Washington three mail trucks brought him letters that had collected during his passage home on the U. S. S. Memphis. A huge Western Union bus with ten messengers carried the telegrams for him. Ten one-ton trucks could not have transported all the parcel post intended for his hand! In New York scores of aides, clerks and stenographers struggled in vain to keep pace with the ever rising tide.
YET, withal, it required some argument to convince the boy that personal acknowledgment would be beyond the power of any man.
It was pointed out to him that a high speed business executive with a force of expert stenographers might average 200 replies a day. At that rate he might clean up Lindbergh's stack of mail in about seventy years! Only, before he could finish two thirds of it, he'd be dead of old age!
Moreover, Lindbergh was reminded of the fact that he knows neither how to dictate nor to typewrite. He writes everything—even his book—in longhand. If he should work at top speed on the letters every day, he'd have the job done in about 150 years. The letterheads alone in this mail of his, if placed end to end, would stretch from New York to Denver. Stack all this mail in a single pile, and it would reach 10,000 feet into the sky, nearly to the height of Pikes Peak!
So, in the end, although in St. Louis a force of fifteen secretaries of the Chamber of Commerce did manage in six weeks to acknowledge 200,000 letters addressed to him there, Colonel Lindbergh has had for the most part to content himself with the hope that his unanswered friends will see his predicament and understand.
PERHAPS, after all, it is well that this is so. I have read hundreds of the letters which Lindbergh himself never has had opportunity to see. Many of them would tear at his heart strings. While some offer opportunities for wealth beyond the dreams of most men, others would tug at his purse strings. If he should respond to a small portion of the pitiful appeals for help contained he would soon be impoverished. While he would be gladdened by the sincere generosity of everyday people, he would be saddened, too, by the avarice, treachery and deceit which my eyes so often read between the lines.
What a revelation of human character there!
The largest number, of course, were letters of congratulation. Most of these were couched in the simple, kindly language of home folks. I pick up one at random and read: "Dear Colonel Lindbergh: Oh, we are so happy you got there. May God bless and keep you for your mother and for us." Such was the gist of thousands upon thousands of messages from American fathers and mothers.
Not a few communications were amusing for the "five-dollar" words they contained. One began: "Fair-haired Apollo, your meteoric traverse of the sea, your transcendant victory over boundless space, shall thunder down the avenues of time!"—And so on for several resounding pages of closely written foolscap.
Requests for help came next. There were entreaties based on purported old friendship, on relationship, on past favors, and on the utter poverty of the writers.
I believe there was not a single man or woman of the hundreds that worked on Lindbergh's mail who did not shed many tears. So plainly grievous were many cases that it shocked us, as I know it would have shocked Lindbergh, to realize there was such abject misery in this rich country of ours.
A widow wrote that she had been bedridden for eighteen years. "A little money will do," she urged, "maybe ten or fifteen dollars. That will give me a chance to get new curtains for the room in which I have lain for so many years."
Sick people, the financially down and out, struggling widows, orphans, a wife who had left her husband and was trying to earn an independent living, the discontented daughter who had sought her fortune in the city and found only discouragement and failure—thousands of these unhappy people felt called upon to lay their cases before the young man who flew to Paris.
Some requests for help were more entertaining than heart-rending. The owner of a small-town garage wrote that he had been having trouble with valves and considered Lindbergh "just the fellow to help me out."
I HAVE ground the valves with carborundum dust and on a stone," he said, "but they seem to leak. I want to know what you think about this. You seem to know your engines pretty well. Or else you would have broken them down long ago. It may be that I am not doing the job thoroughly enough. You see I have had a good deal of trouble lately. We live with my wife's mother. She bothers Minnie (my wife) a little, especially in the evenings. So next morning I haven't got my mind on the job.
"Better write me direct to the shop, and don't mention the mother-in-law. What I want is advice on valves."
The letters were in every conceivable form. More were in longhand than in type; more in pencil than ink; more from small towns than from cities or country. More came from women than from men. Nearly as many came from youths as from adults. Girls wrote more than boys in ratio of about four to one. Most writers put in their addresses; many, their photographs.
One person out of five sent some sort of newspaper clipping. Nearly one letter in twenty contained a poem about Lindbergh or dedicated to him. More than 5,000 Lindbergh poems were written in all. About $10,000 of return postage was received, and there was also some cash. More than 400 Lindberghs had written to Slim by the time he reached New York, claiming close relationship and asking if he couldn't do something for them now that he was the outstanding member of the family.
Next in number to the appeals for help came the business offers. I doubt if Lindbergh will ever know the extent of the promised fortunes of those offers. A conservative estimate by a well-known banker is $6,000,000.
MORE than half this amount was covered in perfectly feasible moving picture contracts. One company offered him about $500,-000 if he would put in a few days doing the star part in a picture that would represent American home life. Another wanted him to do an air thriller in twelve releases at $40,000 a release. Still another offered him $100,000 to appear in a film in which he would actually be married, the stipulation being that there be close-ups of his face when he first met the girl that appealed to him, and at the moment he was pronounced her husband. For this unique pictorial study of emotion it was said he would receive $1,000,000.
The most amazing offer he received in Europe was of $2,500,000 for a flight alone around the world. Perhaps the easiest money he could have made was a proposition which involved about forty minutes of his time. He was to get $240,000 if he would stand in front of a camera which registered both voice and picture and read his own first account of the flight across the Atlantic as published in the press. He could have made about $300,000 by letting a talking machine concern make a record of his story in his own voice, the reading to be bracketed by the Marseillaise and the Star Spangled Banner played by a big orchestra.
LINDBERGH knew of most of these enticing offers, but in every case he declined them graciously but firmly. He seemed determined not only to devote himself to his chosen calling of aviation, but jealously to guard against the danger of cheapening either himself or the achievement for which the world had honored him.
In his mail were countless smaller offers of which he never knew. Typical among them was an invitation to become a partner in the operation of a chain of small stores. As a special inducement the man who made the offer agreed to let Lindbergh use his name on the store windows! " You will find me a good fellow to deal with," the man wrote as an added attraction, "I don't get angry very often, and when I do I usually go away, so will not fight."
Next in order of their numbers came "mash notes." These were to be expected. Lindbergh is young, and famous, and good looking. He doesn't drink nor smoke nor dissipate. He is full of health. Though he resisted all business offers save his book and his story in the newspapers just after his arrival in Paris, this money with the $25,000 Orteig prize which he won, has given him a comfortable fortune.
Many has been the match made by a chance letter. Youth is full of romance. Why shouldn't the girls have written Charlie how they felt? Most of us who had a chance to read the letters were impressed by their sincerity and decency. There wasn't the cheapness about them that one might expect in the circumstances.
"I like your looks and believe you would like me"—"We might hit it off; who can tell?" —"I believe if you and I came to like one another we might be just suited"—"Excuse me for writing, and I shall expect to hear from you when you reach town." Frank and straightforward were most of the messages, written by wholesome girls to a wholesome young man.
HOW did Slim feel about them? How does he regard the flood of love notes and proposals of marriage? Well, he never has said. Whenever the letters have been mentioned, he always has smiled his famous smile — and changed the subject. I fear, though, that the thousands of lovely young women—and elderly ones, too—who lost their hearts to him, remain among the vast throng of unanswered admirers.
Of all the letters, however, the most interesting to me—and I know they would have appealed to Lindbergh—were the ones that told about new inventions. True, many of them made wild claims that never could be substantiated; many were from obvious cranks; and many talked more about the millions of dollars promised in quick profits than about the practicability of the article. But the majority of them were of real and specific interest, and showed promise in those who wrote them.
I think these inventions thrilled many of us who were working on the Lindbergh mail, because they indicated what terrific and countrywide energy is daily devoted to mechanical development. If only one thousandth of the inventions proposed to Lindbergh ultimately turn out to be useful, transportation, communication, industry and hygiene in America will be revolutionized in the next five years!
Prominent among the creations which inventors described to Slim applied to aviation. Hundreds of young men proposed devices for stabilizing an airplane so that it could not upset in flight. Most of them had developed some new form of wing or automatic control to make an accident almost impossible. Surely this shows how intense is the effort to bring about safe flying. Many sketches for new kinds of parachutes were submitted; parachutes for the plane as well as for pilot and passengers.
ONE mechanical genius wrote: "When you come to my town I want to show you an engine I have built that will run for twenty-four hours on a gallon of fuel, and run strongly enough to pull your Spirit of St. Louis at twice the speed you made across the Atlantic." He only hinted at the chemistry of his marvelous fuel and the mechanics of his super-engine.
Then there were inventions that had nothing remotely to do with Lindbergh or aviation. The fact that the flyer had been so resourceful and .successful seemed to indicate that his genius might be applied in almost any line. Slim is scarcely a horseman, yet a retired mariner wrote asking him to join forces in a device to prevent horses from running away by the simple method of fixing a boat davit to the car or carriage, by means of which the runaway animal could be hoisted off the ground during the period of his frenzy!
Innumerable letters contained proposals for improving radio. Chief among these were ideas for television, distant radio control, power transmission by radio, and airship guidance with radio waves. A large number contained requests for aid in perfecting "sure fire" perpetual motion machines. A college professor wrote that he thought Lindbergh might be interested in helping him perfect a gun which would sink any battleship in the world with one shot.
I read at least three proposals that Lindbergh join in an attempt to reach the moon by a rocket shot from the earth. There was one plan to communicate with Mars. Other plans outlined to the flyer were for making gold from sea water and diamonds from carbon, and for finding buried treasure.
A "biologist" very seriously solicited Lindbergh's interest in a scheme for grafting wings on monkeys until the method was successful enough to try on a man. "And I know of no better person," the writer earnestly went on, "than yourself for the first human experiment. If you will sit down and talk with me you will see that the idea is not nearly so fantastic as it sounds."
I think that would appeal to Slim more than any of the others!
THERE were not a few vague but palpably dishonest schemes for getting rich quick. One was "a brand-new counterfeiting device which is absolutely secret, Colonel Lindbergh, and will turn out real ten-dollar bills quicker than the eye can follow!"
An extraordinary number of letters offered help to Lindbergh. Many people apparently believed he would at once settle down, build a house, get married and have children. This meant he would need furniture, bank accounts, groceries, clothing, cradles, carpets, books, medicines, and goodness knows what. Thousands offered to supply him these articles at reasonable prices, in some cases free, provided he would let his name be used as a client of the manufacturer or retailer.
Thus his mass of parcel post included every sort of article from safety razors to spare tires, most of which were sent with the hope he would endorse them. There were many gifts, too; such as cakes, hats, jewelry, handkerchiefs, ties and candy.
A number of private gymnasiums and physical instructors wrote eloquently about the strain he would be under and suggested courses of exercises, some free, some at varying costs.
It would take volumes to tell all that I saw in Lindbergh's mail. The things I have outlined briefly here represent merely a cross, section of what will long be the greatest postal wonder in modern times, the finest example of mass appreciation of a great feat by a splendid youth.


text:
The Reel World
Golfers have high expectations for the courses they play. They watch professionals putt on glass-like greens in tournaments all over the country and they want the same experience. To maintain quality turf effectively, you have many choices when it comes to reel-mower attachments and options. Some of the more well-known reel-mower options are:
- Number of blades
- Roller type
- Roller scrapers
- Turf penetration devices
Each attachment provides different results depending on situations and course conditions. Exploring each option will give you an idea of what to expect from each.
The number of blades on a reel affects several key factors when mowing including clip rate, efficiency and height of cut. When choosing how many blades your reel mower should have, consider your performance expectations.
- Four- or five-blade reels
Use a mower with four- or five-blade reels on golf-course roughs and other informal areas.
- Six-, seven- and eight-blade reels
These options are most frequently chosen for grooming golf-course tees, approaches, fairways and other low-cut formal areas.
- Ten- or 11-blade reels
Ten- or 11-blade reels typically manicure golf-course tees, fairways, approaches, greens and other formal areas that require a low cut. Space between blades and the diameter of the reel determine the ranges of height of cut for these machines.
The length of grass that a mower can effectively cut and discharge is lowered when the number of blades increases and the space between the blades decreases. In other words, the shorter you cut turf, the more blades you'll need, and the less space between the blades, the better. For example, the suggested height of cut range is higher for a four-blade model than for an 11-blade model.
Clip rate is also affected by the number of blades. Lower clip rates provide you with a more desirable appearance after the cut and can also make a surface that is much smoother for play. You should consult your operator's manual for a suggested height-of-cut range and mower speed to utilize the capabilities of your mower.
Mechanical rolling did not gain popularity in the United States until the mid-1980s; but once the machines reached American courses, superintendents readily integrated them into their routines. Superintendents who are trying to balance healthy turf and fast greens should strongly consider rolling their greens rather than lowering mowing heights.
The density of turf often makes it necessary to add a roller to the front of your reels. By doing this, you can improve the mower's effective height of cut and increase turf penetration. There are three main types of rollers that you can use, depending on your needs and expectations of the turf.
- Grooved roller
Because of the multiple contact points that result from the grooved roller surface, these rollers offer the maximum penetration of turf.
- Swaged roller
Swaged rollers penetrate the grass surface less because only the outer edges of the roller (rather than the roller's center) make contact with the turf.
- Full roller
This roller penetrates very little into turf. It's best used when mowing more stubborn turf that tends to "pop up" after being rolled.
It is important to choose the roller that gives you the best penetration for your turf. Turf areas with a thatch layer especially need to be maintained with a roller attached. Also keep in mind that sand, soil and grass clippings often build up on rollers during mowing, which negatively affects a mower's possible height of cut. To combat this, you should keep a careful eye on your rollers and consider using a roller-scraper option or a roller-cleaning-brush option if this is available. The need for roller scrapers or roller cleaning brushes increases when you're faced with wet turf conditions.
Turf-preparation devices work with rollers to literally stand the grass up for maximum results in cutting and to decrease the buildup of thatch, grain and sponginess. Rollers tend to force turfgrass blades to lay down, so these devices are particularly useful because they help the grass stand back up.
With more courses being converted each year to more modern turfgrass cultivars, mowing equipment must be capable of cutting lower and grooming better than ever before. Turf preparation devices provide superintendents with more options to be able to build a tailored management plan for maintaining their turf. A few turf preparation devices are:
- Combs
Combs are mounted behind the roller and used to raise grass up to assist in cutting and to minimize grain formation. Combs are the least aggressive option among your turf preparation device choices.
- Brushes
Rotating or fixed brushes are more effective than combs at brushing up grass. Brushes are mounted behind the roller and are designed to decrease the tendency of grain formation. Brushes lift the grass blades into the reel and allow them to be cut cleanly. Brushes can be used with walking or riding mowers.
- Turf groomers
The most aggressive of the preparation options, groomers use several small, rotating blades to stand grass blades up and cut horizontally growing grass stems. Turf groomers promote healthy vertical growth of turf. Turf groomers also allow you to increase green speed without lowering the height of cut. This leaves the turf healthier — an additional benefit of turf groomers.
- Sweepers
Sweepers are used as an attachment to collect cores left behind by aeration on undulating greens and uneven terrains.
- Collar pipes
The collar pipe was invented by a superintendent who simply was looking for a way to eliminate scalped collars. A collar pipe serves like a point on a compass and eliminates cutting problems associated with an operator who may not do the same pass each and every time.
All five of these options fit directly onto the reel-mower unit. There are special-purpose units that fit in place of the reel unit itself. Two special-purpose units are:
- Dethatching reels
Dethatching reels are designed similarly to turf groomers. The main difference is that their blades are nearly the same diameter as that of a regular reel blade. The blades rotate, severing stolons and throwing thatch to the surface for disposal. Dethatching helps maintain healthier grass with less grain while providing a smoother mowing and playing surface. When you remove thatch, you also reduce the use of fertilizer and water because your turf experiences less runoff.
- Spikers
In situations where you may need more penetration into the soil surface, you can use spikers. A spiker unit has several rotating blades that act like daggers to pierce the surface. The openings created by the spiker then allow for quicker access by water or chemicals to the root systems of the turf. This process allows turf to respond much quicker to the applied substance.
When you are cutting as low as
Todd Kierstead is a product manager with Jacobsen, a Textron Company (Charlotte, N.C.).
Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2020 Penton Media Inc.


text:
Unajmite brod za vaš savršen odmor na jedrilici!
Rezervacija u
realno vrijeme
Više od 12000
certificiranih brodova
Bez pristojbi za rezervaciju
"Bilo je to divno vrijeme provedeno s prijateljima i obitelji na našoj plovidbi brodom po hrvatskoj obali!"
"Na ljeto 2016. godine, imali smo prvo iskustvo plovidbe jahtom. Bilo nas je 5 i plovili smo 3 dana od marine u Rogoznici, preko Karpije do Kornata, te natrag do Rogoznice."
"The Sailing Route for our short trip was really perfect! Distances to sail were always acceptable and we saw many amazing bays, nice islands and very beautiful villages! Food was always good and spending time on the yacht was great. We were able to jump from cliffs and snorkel in beautiful clear water. The service from the Sebastus team was great from the very beginning. We decided quite spontaneously and they arranged a yacht in no time with a great route. The team and skipper gave us nice tips for our trip including things to do on the islands. They always had answers for our wishes. The best part was a beautiful sunset in a bay around Solta, with delicious self cooked food, nice drinks and good conversations with our friends. "
Contact our Expert
Popularna pretraživanja
Tipovi Brodova
Modeli Brodova
Pošaljite nam brzi upit bez obaveza i bez troškova za Vas
Upit bez obaveza
Prijavite se
Kontaktirajte nas
Rezervirajte svoju rutu


text:
Welcome to Online Hunter Education at beasafehunter.org, your source for hunting safety courses!
Complete the APPROVED online hunters ed safety course to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to become safe, responsible, licensed hunters!
This course is APPROVED for FL residents!
FL Hunter Education Requirements
Hunter Education is required of all persons born on or after June 1, 1975.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission


text:
Destination Search
Filter Results
Currently Selected
Board Basis
Accommodation Type
Holiday Type
The UK's largest accessible holiday specialist
Guaranteed accessible accommodation
Many properties personally audited
Flights, adapted transfers & equipment hire
Full financial protection
Multiple Award Winners
Award Winners 2019
Disabled Cruises in Baltic
Baltic cruises are renowned for visiting famous cities such as St Petersburg and Estonia. Sailings are normally only in the summer months when the weather is good.
We can arrange Baltic cruises with a number of UK cruise operators, from a laidback casual cruise to a 5* luxury liner. Choose from itineraries that will open up an ancient world to you. Harking back to their Viking ancestry, the residents of the Baltic thrive on ocean life. Fresh fish abound in local restaurants.
Away from the coast, more delights can be found. The imposing towers and medieval streets of Gdansk, Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki raft in Oslo and, perhaps one of the most inspiring sights of the Baltic, the extravagant collection of art found within the walls of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Baltic cruises really do offer something for everyone.
Read more about disabled cruises.
Cruise lines that sail to the Baltic include Princess Cruises, P&O, Cunard Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, NCL Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Don't delay, book today! Wheelchair-accessible cabins book up very quickly, so please always book in advance. Advantages of booking early include having the choice of cabin grades, low deposits and much more... Call now on 0161 804 9898!
Royal Caribbean Scandinavia and Russia CruisesBaltic
- Full board
- Cultural Holidays, Attraction Holidays
- Cruise liner
Medieval old towns, cultured modern cities, world-class galleries and extravagant cathedrals. Scandinavia and Russia offer a wealth of historical sights and amazing cultural experiences in wonderful accessible destinations.
Celebrity Cruises, Scandinavia and RussiaBaltic
- Full board
- Spa Holidays, City Breaks, Countryside, Cultural Holidays
- Cruise liner
Relaxing on one of the award-winning ships where you will watch Alpine forests, glaciers, fjords and rocky coastlines. Sail from the Southampton, UK
Accessible P&O CruisesBaltic
- Full board
- Cruise liner
Experience the grandeur of cruising on a P&O cruise to the Baltic. Accessible ships with adapted cabins and accessible shore excursions.
Cunard Baltic, Scandinavia and Iceland CruisesBaltic
- Full board
- Cruise liner
Visit in the winter and you'll experience snow and cold winds which make the welcoming cities and their cosy cafes even more appealing. Visit in the summer and you'll be rewarded with warm sun and stunning open spaces.
Possible Matches (please call for details of facilities)
Fred.Olsen Baltic CruisesBaltic
- Full board
- City Breaks, Cultural Holidays
- Cruise liner
The Baltic region is full of culture-rich cities and awe-inspiring architecture. With the Baltic cruises departing from UK ports, you can relax into your holiday straight way and immerse yourself in these amazing sights.Please call 0161 804 9898 - Please note we are awaiting access confirmation.


text:
Stephen Kell (Part II graduate in 2005) provided an advice sheet for the Part II students he now supervises. The following is a slightly-edited version of his original (that can easily be found using a search engine).
Some thoughts and tips about Part II Projects
Part II projects are a decidedly tricky part of the Tripos course, and it's easy to unwittingly make mistakes early on which really compromise your chances later. As someone who, despite being fairly conscientious and (I like to think) fairly competent, ended up with a decidedly average project mark when I took Part II in 2005, I've written up a few pieces of hard-learnt advice. Please don't take them as gospel: if you follow them and subsequently aren't as successful as you hoped to be, I won't be held responsible for your perceived failure. Nevertheless, I hope they're useful.
The project idea is important. Get thinking early; don't leave it until the last minute.
Pick something achievable. You might think that, as your dissertation is judged on its computer science content, as long as you can talk about what went wrong and what you would have done given lots more time, failing might not be such a disaster. In practice, the marks come far more easily if you're writing about something that was a success.
Pick something quantitatively evaluable. The quantitative part is important! (A few people do opt for more qualitative evaluation methods, such as user studies, and sometimes do a good job. But this is much harder, and takes a long time. Save yourself the headaches if at all possible.)
Have an application. Even if you're writing something low-level and systems-oriented, rather than an application itself, having a neat demo really will count for something. (When doing any systems work you should really expect to be asked what it's useful for, and how well it works in practice.)
Do something fairly advanced. It might seem paradoxical, given that you've barely started Part II when you write your project proposal, but showing understanding of technical content from Part II courses (or comparably advanced material) in your dissertation will gain you a lot more marks than the material you're already familiar with. There's no easy solution to this: reading ahead will help you a little, but there's no avoiding a certain leap of faith and the corresponding risks.
Projects need to be challenging and to be executed competently, which typically means using advanced algorithms or data structures or libraries thereof. Their presence is a sure-fire way of impressing the examiners, and their absence is certain to be remarked upon. However, writing your own quicksort when a sorting function is already available in a library is simply bad.
If you have research ambitions, don't feel that this is the place to start. As someone who wanted to go on to do a PhD after my Part II, I thought that my project was the place to start working on my ideas and showing them to people. It wasn't. That's not to say that you can't do a research-oriented project, but I'd seriously only do so if your idea meets all the other criteria. A good project in some slightly-displaced area will do you more favours than a compromised research-oriented project, even if the latter has some neat ideas behind it.
Pick something with core and extension elements. Aim to complete a basic working version of the core in the middle of the Lent Term. The extension should ideally also be something that you're able to do!
When looking for a supervisor, don't use e-mail. Or rather, if you do, pester like mad. Finding a project supervisor can be a crazy free-for-all. You should of course try e-mail first, and may well get a prompt response. If you don't, and it's coming up to proposal-writing time, try the other strategies. Most importantly, don't sit back, and don't be timid!] (One of my friends was led on a wild goose chase by this e-mail process. By the time he found an interested supervisor, he was turned away for being too late -- the supervisor had already taken on sufficient students. The best way to get results is to meet in person, or telephone. Try calling your target from Student Admin and arranging a time to meet. If you can't get hold of them, try contacting one of your (current or former) course supervisors from the same group: they might have some idea of your target's whereabouts, or be able to suggest alternative supervisors. If that fails, try a lecturer. Ultimately it is your DoS's responsibility that your project is supervised, so feel free to apply pressure to him or her.
Your supervisor is important. Don't underestimate the potential benefits of getting advice from someone more experienced. Some supervisors are proactive and interested in the projects they supervise, while others could hardly care less. Pester your supervisor. Try to arrange fairly regular meetings, though don't feel the need to make them more frequent than you're comfortable with. If your supervisor really doesn't seem to care, talk to your overseers. You might also get some useful informal advice from one of your course supervisors.
Disclaimer: the above tip sheet is a personal view and may differ from official Computer Laboratory policy.


text:
Offset a Vehicle Path
Learn how to offset the path of a vehicle, for example to avoid collisions and create lanes of traffic.
This lesson is Part 7 in the Model a Mobile Robot Course.
Software Version: 4.1.0
LESSONS › Component Modeling
Learn how to create an Inline Process component for Process Modeling.
Learn a quick way to model a simple conveyor and test it with a PLC.
Learn how to use a product feeder and model your own using a Product Creator behavior.
Learn how to model a custom machine that will work with Process Modeling components.
Learn how a Shape Feeder and Advanced Feeder create parts and ways to define those parts. For example, you can import CAD files and read in CSV files.
Learn how to create different parts and edit their properties.
Learn how to attach objects to conveyor paths, thereby populating a conveyor with containers such as boxes, trays and sleds.
Learn how to model a workpiece positioner and test it with a robot using simple and advanced programs.


text:
Our highly trained faculty are leaders in their fields. Come learn from them.
We'll show you around and introduce you to one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Arrange a tour today.
Apply now to one of nearly 175 graduate and undergraduate degree and advanced certificate programs.
A privately owned residence hall is located just blocks from the college.
© 2020
All Rights Reserved Brooklyn College
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
718.951.5000 ipadress is-10.0.10.2


text:
Washington (CNN) -- A budget deal reached last week to avert a government shutdown won approval Thursday from both the House and Senate, sending it to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The measure cuts $38.5 billion in spending while funding the government for the rest of the current fiscal year, which ends September 30. With its passage, the White House and Congress will now focus on what are expected to be more rancorous battles over a budget for fiscal year 2012 and the upcoming need to raise the federal debt limit.
A final-hour agreement last Friday in talks involving Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and House Speaker John Boehner included the spending cuts demanded by Republicans as a step toward controlling America's skyrocketing debt.
The measure passed the Republican-controlled House on a 260-167 vote. The bill would not have passed without support from members of both parties, as 59 members of the Republican majority opposed it, showing the challenge faced by Boehner in keeping his conservative Tea Party-infused caucus unified. amid politically perilous tax and spending negotiations with the Democrats.
The House vote also reflected growing liberal angst and anger over the impending spending reductions. Only 81 Democrats backed the measure; House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, voted no.
In the Senate, the final vote was 81-19.
Under the deal, $38.5 billion would be from the budget including funding from a wide range of domestic programs and services such as high-speed rail, emergency first responders and the National Endowment for the Arts.
As part of the agreement, Congress also voted Thursday on measures to de-fund Planned Parenthood and Obama's health care overhaul. As expected, both passed the House and were defeated in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
One point of concern for conservatives was a report released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office showing that of the $38.5 billion in savings, only $352 million will actually be realized this fiscal year. Boehner insisted Thursday that all of the cuts will take effect eventually, but conceded that the analysis "has caused some confusion" among House members.
"There are some who claim that the spending cuts in this bill ... are gimmicks," he said on the House floor. "I just think it is total nonsense. A cut is a cut."
Freshman Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Illinois, told CNN that the uproar "certainly doesn't help (Boehner's) case and added that he would oppose the bill.
"I'm disappointed," he said. "I just think we could have gotten more."
Regardless, the measure cleared Congress one day before the federal government's current spending authorization expires. Negotiators narrowly avoided a partial government shutdown last week by agreeing to the deal and passing a short-term spending measure to give Congress time to review the agreement.
In an interview Thursday with ABC News, Obama cited areas of agreement with Republicans in starting a process for reaching a deficit reduction agreement, but he conceded some deep-rooted differences will remain unresolved until after the 2012 elections.
Obama repeated his theme from Wednesday's speech on fiscal policy that America faces a choice between a budget-slashing Republican vision that will change how society functions and a revenue-raising Democratic vision that maintains the social safety net in place for decades.
So far, both sides generally agree on seeking deficit cuts of $4 trillion over the next 10-12 years, Obama said, and they have similar thoughts on some areas for fiscal reform and spending reductions.
At the same time, Republicans adamantly oppose Obama's call for increasing tax revenue by ending Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and other reforms that would eliminate loopholes.
In the end, Obama said, "some of it will be settled by the American people in the election, and I think that is how democracy should work."
Earlier Thursday, Obama said that "no matter how we may disagree between parties, no matter how much we spend time debating the issues, at some point we're going to have to come together as Americans."
He spoke uring a meeting with former Sen. Alan Simpson, a Wyoming Republican, and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, the co-chairs of Obama's deficit reduction commission that issued its report last December.
As attention turns to larger battles over the fiscal year 2012 budget and raising the nation's debt ceiling, Democrats and Republicans continued expressing widely differing positions designed to appeal to their respective political bases.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin laid out the GOP's vision last week when he unveiled his 2012 fiscal blueprint. The congressman's plan, which he says would cut projected deficits by roughly $4.4 trillion over the next decade, calls for significant changes to Medicare and Medicaid -- two hugely popular entitlement programs.
Under Ryan's plan, Washington would eventually stop directly paying bills for senior citizens enrolled in Medicare. Instead, recipients would choose a plan from a list of private providers, which the federal government would subsidize.
Medicaid, which provides health care for the disabled and the poor, would be transformed into a series of block grants to the states. Republicans believe state governments would spend the money more efficiently and would benefit from increased flexibility, while Democrats warn that such a move would shred the health care security provided to the most vulnerable Americans in recent generations.
Ryan's plan also would overhaul key portions of the tax code, dropping the top rate for individuals and businesses to 25% while eliminating a number of loopholes.
The House is expected to pass the Ryan proposal Friday. Senate Democrats, however, are certain to block the measure.
Obama's budget plan, outlined in Wednesday's speech, aims to cut deficits by a combined $4 trillion over the next 12 years without significantly changing Medicare and Medicaid.
The president's plan includes a repeal of the Bush-era tax cuts on families making more than $250,000 annually -- something sought by Democrats but strongly opposed by Republicans. Obama also called for the creation of a "debt fail-safe" trigger that would impose automatic across-the-board spending cuts and tax changes in coming years if annual deficits are on track to exceed 2.8% of the nation's gross domestic product.
The president claimed that by building on or adjusting the health care reform bill passed last year, $480 billion would be saved by 2023, followed by an additional $1 trillion in the following decade. He proposed tightly constraining the growth in Medicare costs starting in 2018.
The rhetoric over the two leaders' respective plans has become increasingly heated in recent days.
In the ABC interview, Obama framed what he called the two choices that will face voters in the 2012 vote.
"We can't get everything the government offers and not pay for it," Obama said. "Either we don't pay for it, in which case we have a society that is not caring for our seniors the way it should, is not providing some basic security for people who really need it, and is not investing in the future.
"Or we can decide to continue on the path that has made us the greatest country on Earth," the president continued. "Make those investments. Have a basic social safety net. And we can do it without hurting the middle class or fundamentally changing these programs."
Earlier, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said the Ryan plan would lower the tax rates on America's wealthy to the lowest levels "since 1931 when Herbert Hoover was president."
"Talk about trying to turn back the clock," said Schumer, who also pledged that "no plan to end Medicare as we know it will ever, ever pass the Senate."
Ryan, meanwhile, ripped Obama on Thursday for using "demagogic terms and comparisons."
The president's plan is "fundamentally unserious," Ryan said. Obama has brought himself "down to the level of the partisan mosh pit" and made it tougher for the two parties to reach an agreement, he said.
Against that backdrop, Democrats and Republicans also have to contend with an impending vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling. Congress needs to raise the limit before the federal government reaches its legal borrowing limit of $14.29 trillion later this year or risk a default that could result in a crashing dollar and spiraling interest rates, among other things.
GOP leaders have stressed that any vote to raise the cap has to be tied to another round of spending cuts or fiscal reforms.
The administration, in contrast, has called for a "clean" vote on the cap, which would raise the limit without adding any conditions. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has warned that trying to force the issue would be tantamount to playing a game of "chicken" with the economy.
CNN's Ted Barrett, Dana Bash, Tom Cohen, Brianna Keilar and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report


text:
The San Francisco Public Library has issued these procedures to improve its ability to provide public records under the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance, SF Administrative Code Chapter 67, and the California Public Records Act, Government Code Section 6250 et seq. These procedures ensure that all persons seeking Library records will receive prompt, accurate and courteous service without disrupting Library staff's other operational duties.
Procedures for Public Records Requests
All public records requests shall be directed to the Library's Custodian of Records who will coordinate the Library's response. Members of the public should not enter nonpublic staff areas or direct a public records request to staff other than the designated Custodian of Records.
Requests shall be directed to the Custodian of Records in the following ways:
By voice mail: 415-557-4233;
By email: email@example.com;
By fax: 415-557-4239 ;
or in person at the Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, Room 681.
Written requests may be made on the Library's Public Records Request Form (PDF 91K) or by self-drafted inquiry. Requests must include a telephone number or other method for the Custodian of Records to contact the requesting party to clarify a request and/or advise the requesting party when records are ready.
Records may ordinarily be reviewed and copies picked up in the Main Library, Room 681, Monday through Friday, from opening of the Main Library (opening hours vary) until 4 P.M., or by appointment. Requests received after 4 P.M. will be processed on the following business day.
Records will be made available for reviewing in a library-designated area. Responsive records will be held for review for 5 business days after the requesting party has been notified (unless other arrangements are made in advance) and will then be returned to the appropriate files or to storage.
The requesting party will be notified as soon as copies are available. Payment is required before releasing copies of requested records.
Reviewing Documents: There is no charge to review records.
Copying: 10 cents per page, 20 cents per page for 2-sided copies, or 1 cent per page for records routinely produced in multiple copies for public distribution. Copies of unusual format records may be obtained at the cost of reproduction.
Recordings: $3.00 per videotape or DVD or $1.50 per audiotape.
Postage: Requesting party shall prepay all postage or delivery costs.


text:
CES 2010 Sony Booth Tour
Check out GameSpot's tour through the video game section of the Sony booth at CES 2010!
Check out GameSpot's tour through the video game section of the Sony booth at CES 2010!
Find out our Genre Award winners in the Best of 2009 Awards!
Capcom describes the new PSP-to-PS3 online mode that is coming to Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Gran Turismo PSP shortly.
We check out this year's holiday lineup of gift ideas from Sony for the PlaySatation 3 and PSP.
Justin Calvert amasses a huge fleet of cars as he reviews the long-awaited PSP version of Gran Turismo.
Three players go head-to-head on this slippery snow course.
Players race competitively on a mountainous course.
Drift through the race course for the best lap time.
Take timed laps after finding a rare Pace Car for sale at the Nissan dealer.
PSP Go, Dead Space Extraction, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Gran Turismo for the PSP top this week's new releases.
Ryan Mac Donald takes a stroll through the editorial area at GameSpot to talk with our editors about what they are playing: Scribblenauts on the DS, Pinball Hall of Fame ...
Check out the uncut version of the video wrap-up straight from the largest video game show on the planet: GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany!
Check out the newest trailer for Gran Turismo on the PSP!
E3 2009: Polyphony Digital's perfectionist chief talks about the 60fps portable version of his high-end racing game, due out October 1.
Gran Turismo for the PSP will make its debut on October 1, the same day as the new PSP Go.
Find out why Gran Turismo is one of GameSpot's Greatest games of all time.
Don't miss out on this brief trailer from the Tokyo Game Show 2004.
Relive the excitement of SCEA's 2004 E3 press briefing where we got our first look at the PSP and tons of upcoming PlayStation 2 games in action.
Take an in-depth look at the capabilities of Sony's new handheld gaming platform.
Take a look at Gran Turismo 4 Mobile for the Sony PSP, as seen on the show floor of E3 2004.
Use your keyboard!
Log in to comment


text:
Shawnee Dispatch
June 5, 2012, 3:58 p.m. Updated: 6 June 2012, 12:00 a.m.
Two area school districts have found a simple way to serve healthy lunches while keeping costs low: Just hire somebody else to do it.
The Basehor-Linwood and Bonner Springs-Edwardsville school boards each voted last month to hand their food-service operations over to a contractor, pending approval from the Kansas State Department of Education. Officials with both districts said the move would allow for better lunches for students and make it a breeze to meet new federal health guidelines, while keeping budgets manageable.
If budgets stay tight as federal requirements grow stricter, food-service contractors could be coming to a lot more Kansas districts in coming years, said David Howard, Basehor-Linwood superintendent.
"If we continue to see our budget shrink, I think superintendents and boards will continue to look at ways to become fiscally responsible," Howard said.
The Basehor and Bonner districts are both contracting with Opaa Food Management, a Chesterfield, Mo.-based company that serves food in about 90 Missouri school districts. Opaa is expanding into Kansas for the first time after 30-plus years in Missouri.
According to KSDE, only seven Kansas districts currently outsource their food service, but about 125 districts in Missouri do so, said Greg Frost, a vice president for Opaa.
The company is able to purchase food at vastly larger volumes than school districts can on their own, Frost said, keeping costs low.
Both Howard and Bonner Springs superintendent Robert VanMaren said they believed Opaa's food would be better than what their districts currently serve, as well. Much of Opaa's food is made from scratch, salad bars include locally grown produce, and students can have a choice of two or three different meals each day.
Across the Basehor-Linwood district, Howard said, only about 50 percent of students eat the standard hot lunch each day. But that should change, he said.
"There's no doubt in my mind it's going to increase participation," Howard said.
Basehor-Linwood High School sophomore Amber Garver was one of a handful of students who joined administrators on a trip to two Platte County, Mo., schools to judge Opaa's offerings.
Garver said the food there was definitely a cut above what she'd eaten in Basehor-Linwood schools, with more options and fresh fruits and vegetables.
"That's what I really liked," Garver said. "You could tell it was fresher."
When it comes to food, Luke Goff isn't too picky, and he doesn't mind a few more fruits and vegetables on his plate.
But not all students are as open-minded about what they eat as the Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School sixth-grader, and that's the challenge districts are grappling with: how to create menus that will appeal to young eaters under federal mandates requiring those menus include healthier offerings.
"It's going to be a culture change that's going to have to happen," said Amy Droegemeier, the De Soto school district's director of student nutrition, on mandated changes to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program that go into effect July 1.
Those changes require districts to serve more fruits, vegetables and whole grains per meal while reducing calories and sodium, among other changes. Five subgroups of vegetables, such as dark green and red/orange, will have to be offered each week, while at least half the flour used in food items like pizza crust, pasta, breads and tortillas will have to be rich in whole grain. And limits will be placed on the amount of grains of any variety that can be offered per week. Only fat-free or 1 percent milk may be served, as well as 100 percent juice.
Changes to the National School Breakfast Program will take effect in July 2013.
The changes could come with a hit to districts' wallets, too. Julie Henry, the Baldwin City school district's director of food services, estimates that it will cost an additional 8 cents per meal, after the per-meal reimbursement from the USDA, to feed K-12 students in her district next school year.
"It's a worry," she said, noting that most districts aren't able to entirely fund their breakfast and lunch programs through the fees they receive from parents and federal and state reimbursements.
Another big question for food administrators is whether students still will eat what's on their lunch trays if it looks, and even tastes, differently than it did before.
Nancy Coughenour, food services manager for the Shawnee Mission school district, says yes — if the students are given a chance to become acclimated to the idea. She began planning next school year's menu in the fall of 2011 but has been getting ready for the changes she knew were coming for even longer than that.
"We've been working on that for several years," she said of increasing the whole-grain offerings in pasta, rice, and hamburger and hot dog buns.
A couple of years ago, the district also started adding romaine lettuce to the salads and making its own seasonings from scratch for tacos and spaghetti sauce, Coughenour said.
"A gradual change is much better accepted than a drastic change overnight," she said, noting that student response thus far had largely been positive.
Concern was raised by other districts, however, about the limitations the changes will place on amount and variety of food. Barb Smith, student nutrition coordinator for the Tonganoxie school district, said she was worried about having to reduce the size of items such as homemade rolls.
"I think pizza's probably going to be an issue," she said of another popular lunch item.
Smith said she was waiting to plan her menu in its entirety until she went through the training sessions on the mandates that will be offered this summer by the Kansas State Department of Education.
Food items students can expect to see a lot more of next school year, Henry said, will include carrots, sweet potato fries or tots, salad, spinach and broccoli. Coughenour said she plans to introduce a grilled chicken wrap with whole-grain tortilla. Her team also is reformatting some of the dessert recipes to include whole-grain flour, she said.
The situation may get tricky, and pricey, for parents, though, if a student chooses not to take the required fruit and vegetable with lunch each day. Under the new mandates, if a student refuses to take the fruit or vegetable, Droegemeier said, districts would forfeit their federal and state reimbursement for the meal and would have to charge a per-item price.
"Which may end up becoming extra additional cost to our families," she said, even those with students on the free and reduced price lunch program. Currently, families who qualify for the reduced price lunch program pay no more than 40 cents per meal.
Droegemeier said information about the changes already had been included in two recent district newsletters, and more information will be sent out to district parents before the start of next school year.
"So that they're talking to their kids," she said.
Districts agreed creativity in meal planning, recipes and finding ways to motivate students to eat what's being offered will be crucial to the success of the changes. Both Henry and Droegemeier also said it would take a lot of parental support at home to keep students on track at school.
"I think it can be very, very positive," Henry said. "I'm worried from a budget standpoint about it, but if it encourages the kids to eat the food and the schools can afford it, then obviously it's a good thing in the long run. It's hard to judge until after it's gone into effect and we see if it really improves what the kids are eating."
This story has been updated to reflect a clarification to the federal and state reimbursement districts would receive if a student refuses to take a fruit or vegetable with their lunch each day.
Originally published at: http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2012/jun/05/area-districts-react-lunch-changes/


text:
- Actor Marci Diamond, SAG-AFTRA Marci's film/TV imdb page; also see neactor.com/profile/marcidiamond
- Actors Company Marci manages this theater & training company's historical & literary character-based shows for schools and public, along with acting, accent, audition, stage combat, directing consultation for actors and theater programs
- American Youth Circus Organization National resources promoting the participation of youth in circus arts; DFC founders and participants are active members, teaching workshops, serving on committees, etc – join us!
- AYCO/ACE Social Circus Initative Supporting social circus development across the U.S.; DFC's Marci was a foundational consultant for this multi-year initiative of the American Youth Circus Organization and American Circus Educators, supported/funded by Cirque du Soleil.
- Circus Arts Institute Founded by aerial legend Carrie Heller; Marci and Marisa completed her first national circus arts therapy training and visit whenever we're in Atlanta.
- Circus Harmony Circus Harmony, a social circus program in St. Louis, is a tremendous inspiration to us at DFC; our co-founder Marisa is coach and performer and our youth troupe member Rose interned there; please support this non-profit founded by Jessica Hentoff!
- CirqueUs! Touring performance company founded by Diamond Family CIrcus youth troupe alum Doug Stewart
- Diamond Family Circus on Facebook
- Diamond Family Circus on Instagram
- Diamond Family Circus on Twitter
- Gravity Alternative Movement Marci and Marisa currently teach at GAM, a welcoming circus school for all ages and abilities in the Metrowest/Boston area founded by DFC alum Trevor Kafka.
- Marci Diamond's acting page (with reel) Acting webpage for Marci Diamond. AEA, SAG-AFTRA, including HS, resume, reel
- Marisa DIamond's imdb page
- Marisa Diamond's webpage
- New England States Touring (NEST) Program As an approved provider, fee support for booking Diamond Family Circus may be available to nonprofit organizations through the New England States Touring (NEST) program of the New England Foundation for the Arts.
Tagsacrobatics actor aerialists American Cancer Society awesome Bacchanalia Preview Boston Circus Guild Brandeis broadway Camp CADI cancer charity circus circus arts Circus Arts Institute commercial contortion cool Diamond Sisters duo trapeze entertainers Epic Star farmer's market festivals fun fundraiser fundraising gratitude holiday lyra mentoring mmmmmm Overhead Arts REACH resume SMILES Teresa Kochis trapeze Universoul Circus vaudeville video waltham workshop youtube yummy
Follow me on TwitterMy Tweets
Tag Archives: Brandeis
Join Diamond Circus in supporting the Relay for Life
Diamond Family Circus presents a special performance on Saturday, March 26, 8 pm, in Waltham, MA. Their high-flying aerial and acrobatic artistry is designed to entertain and inspire the evening's "Relay for Life" participants. This major fundraising event is produced … Continue reading
Posted in Performances Tagged American Cancer Society, Brandeis, cancer, fundraising Leave a comment


text:
Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
The Power of Pancakes
Thanks to all you pancake-eaters out there: this week here in Minneapolis we had our first above-freezing temperatures in over two months.
Was Winter really appeased by our offerings? Do the gods hear prayer?
Reply hazy: try again later.
But whether they do, or whether they don't, we make our prayers and offerings because that's what we do. That's what our people have always done; they're part of our spiritual technology.
And pancakes sure are good food.
Please login first in order for you to submit comments


text:
|Dance, Reggae
|Disco, Euro-Dance, Reggae-Pop
Additional information - releases number
Although they never had much success in America, the Euro-disco group Boney M. were a European phenomenon during the '70s. After German record producer Frank Farian (born in 1942) recorded the single "Baby Do You Wanna Bump?" (which was successful in Holland and Belgium), he created Boney M. to support the song, bringing in four West Indian vocalists who had been working as session singers in Germany -- Marcia Barrett (b. October 14, 1948, St. Catherines, Jamaica), Liz Mitchell (b. July 12, 1952, Clarendon, Jamaica), Maizie Williams (b. March 25, 1951, Monserrat, West Indies), and Bobby Farrell (b. October 6, 1949, Aruba, West Indies, d. December 30, 2010, St. Petersburg, Russia). "Daddy Cool" reached the U.K. Top Ten in February 1977, followed in April by a remake of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny." In July, "Ma Baker" just missed the U.K. number one spot, and "Belfast" hit the Top Ten in December. In 1978, Boney M. were at the height of their popularity with "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring," which became the second-biggest selling single in U.K. chart history. "Rivers of Babylon" also was Boney M.'s only U.S. Top 40 hit. Boney M.'s album, Nightflight to Venus, also topped the U.K. charts. In October 1978, "Rasputin" became another U.K. Top Ten hit, followed by the seasonal chart-topper "Mary's Boy Child"/"Oh My Lord," which became the fifth-biggest selling single in U.K. history. In March 1979, "Painter Man" hit the U.K. Top Ten, followed in May by "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday." In September, the album Oceans of Fantasy hit number one. Their music continues to sell well in Europe, with a compilation hitting the U.K. Top Ten in 1994. Farian went on to create the late-'80s dance sensation Milli Vanilli.


text:
Kurt Nimmo
November 10, 2008
In the wake of Barack Obama's sweeping victory, at least one Congressman is warning of things to come. Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia has told the Associated Press he considers Obama a dangerous Marxist who may act on his promise to organize a domestic national security force on par with the U.S. military. "That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."
|"When [Obama is] proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."
On July 2 in Colorado Springs, Obama said he intends to double the size of the Peace Corps and nearly quadruple the size of AmeriCorps. In addition, he said it is mandatory the U.S. create "a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded" as the U.S. military. The U.S. Army currently stands at 500,000 troops.
Last week, Obama's Office of the President-Elect website announced it would implement a plan designed to "require" citizens to work in community service programs, including senior citizens. In response to criticism of this plan, primarily on the web and blogosphere, the text on the site was reworded and the word "require" was removed.
"I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism," said Broun.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
In 1966, for example, the communist leader Mao Zedong mobilized radicalized youth into the Red Guards to attack his political rivals, including his chosen successor, Liu Shaoqi. In addition to burning books, destroying museums, temples, and heritage sites deemed counter-revolutionary, Mao's youthful Red Guards killed more than 30 million people. The Soviet Union's Joseph Stalin was notorious for launching purges against his political enemies. Estimates of the number of deaths associated with the Great Purge totaled nearly 2 million, although under Stalin over 23 million people lost their lives, most during the engineered Ukrainian famine.
Rep. Broun believes an Obama administration may move to ban gun ownership as it builds a national security force.
As Dave Kopel writes for the Second Amendment Project, "the best testimony to the power of an armed populace is the vigor with which the Warsaw Pact dictatorships enforced gun control. When the Communists took over Bulgaria on September 9, 1944, they immediately confiscated every weapon in private possession." East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania followed suit. "The dictatorship of Nicolai Ceausescu used registration lists to confiscate all firearms in private hands." writes Kopel. In Hungary, Laszlo Rajk, the Communist Minister of the Interior, ordered the dissolution of all pistol and hunting clubs, as well as of other organizations which might prove a threat to government power. Ceausescu went so far as to register typewriters.
In 1938, Hitler enacted the Nazi Weapons Law (Waffengesetz) permitting only Nazis and their friends the right to own and carry weapons, especially handguns. As Joyce Rosenwald explains, the Nazi Weapons Law of March 18, 1938 serves as the blueprint for gun controls laws today in America.
"We can't be lulled into complacency," Broun said. "You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential."
According to the Associated Press, Obama has said he respects the Second Amendment right to bear arms and favors "common sense" gun laws. "Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he'll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault weapons and concealed weapons. As an Illinois state lawmaker, Obama supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on firearms generally."
The Reopen America Back to School Special is now live! Save up to 60% on our most popular items!


text:
We are pleased to announce that 64 Bit versions of the following plugins are now available for beta testing from the Public Betas - Plugins & Components forum.
Poizone, Sakura, Sawer & Toxic Biohazard are available in 64 Bit for testing. Groove Machine is updated.
Testing is limited to registered customers only, click here to download and test the plugins. More to follow soon.


text:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It's a problem the state's geologist plan to start investigating this fall. The good news is our dirt underneath the surface is different here in Jacksonville so we're less likely to see massive sink holes.
Heather Miller saw, for the first time, the nearly 100 foot wide sinkhole that nearly swallow this portions of this three story vacation resort villa in Clermont Florida overnight.
RELATED: Sinkhole swallows part of Florida resort
"I can't imagine what I would do If I were any of those families," Miller said. "My children my pets my belongings. Just horrible."
"Seeing that..yeah. That would not be a good thing for Jacksonville," Craig Lockwood said.
The good news is geologists say it very unlikely to see these types of sinkholes in the Jacksonville area because our top soil is thicker and more secure.
"Jacksonville has more clay underground than other areas so it makes it less vulnerable to sink holes than the rest of the state," Clint Kromhout said.
Kromhout is with Florida Geological Survey. He says areas where we've seen past sink holes have limestone closer to the surface , which can easily dissolve and cause cavity or the ground to become hollow.
Kromhout says you can blame a lot of recent sinkhole formations from heavy rains from recent tropical storms.
The sinkholes have encouraged Geologists to conduct a three year study on Florida's vulnerability to the problem thanks to a 1.1 million dollar federal grant.
Hamilton County, Columbia County, and Suwannee County are the three areas the geologists their will be focusing on in the first year of research.
"We'll be collecting information on soils, aquifer water levels, stream shapes and sizes," Kromhou said. "Their patterns and a whole host of things that will indicate what an area's vulnerability is to sink hole formation might be."


text:
PMI leaps to another new high for 2013
ISM Index hits 56.2 percent in September as manufacturing optimism grows
Manufacturing demand and business condition are on the rise. And, for the fourth straight month, so is the manufacturing PMI.
The Institute for Supply Management's September manufacturing index rose again in September to its highest levels in two years. The 56.2% PMI reading was 0.5 percentage points higher than August's 55.7% reading. The index is up over 7% since it dipped to 49.0% in May. That's the only time in 2013 the index has been below the 50% growth threshold of the PMI.
Other PMI indexes also were on the rise. The Employment Index, for example, climbed to 55.4%, a 2.1 percentage point increase and the highest level of the year.
"Comments from the panel are generally positive and optimistic about increasing demand and improving business conditions," said Bradley J. Holcomb, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.
The 56.2% PMI reading is further fueling optimism from some industries that the accelerated growth may continue through the end of the year. Among the comments in the monthly PMI report:
- "Global sales generally trending moderately higher." (Textile Mills)
- "Slight increase in demand. Forecast looks better. 4Q looking better than 3Q — should begin to see demand increase in October/November." (Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products)
- "Raw materials shortages continue. General trends are up, which enhances shortage issues." (Wood Products)
- "Rising costs of China labor has us re-evaluating our current position in that country." (Computer & Electronic Products)
- "Steady increase in work this month." (Primary Metals)
- "Overall business is picking up." (Transportation Equipment)
- "Outlook remains strong with housing market and customer orders." (Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components)
"The past relationship between the PMI and the overall economy indicates that the average PMI for January through September (52.9%) corresponds to a 3.3% increase in real gross domestic product on an annualized basis," Holcomb said. "If the PMI for September is annualized, it corresponds to a 4.4% increase in real GDP annually."
The Last 12 Months


text:
"Bobby Fischer Against the World," which made its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, airs tonight at 9 on HBO
Bobby Fischer was, for a brief time, as famous as any man alive, a foot soldier in the Cold War and the greatest player in the history of the world's most popular board game. But he was also a virulent anti-Semite who was delighted by the events of 9/11 and who was stripped of his U.S. citizenship for playing chess in Yugoslavia. The new documentary "Bobby Fischer Against the World" offers a fascinating portrait of this gifted and troubled man.
It's difficult for anyone under the age of 35 to get their head around the idea that Fischer's 1972 match with Russian Boris Spassky for the chess championship was a matter of global importance. But director Liz Garbus drives home the scale of the moment with footage of network news anchors saying things like, "We'll have more on the developments in the Watergate bugging case… But first, Bobby Fischer…" It's mindboggling.
U.S. & World
The portrait of Fischer's life after Spassky is a bit dissatisfying but it's hardly Garbus' fault. Fischer soon forfeited his title and disappeared from public life, popping up only periodically to say something crazy, usually anti-Semitic in nature.
There's so little record of the man's life, it's almost impossible to pinpoint when he tipped from eccentric to seriously ill, but Garbus provides a clue to the moment, one that Fischer shared with Johnny Carson while discussing what it was like to finally win the title he had been chasing since he was 6 years old.
"I just felt different--like something had been taken out of me."
Garbus accumulates an impressive amount of photos and footage from Fischer's Brooklyn youth all the way through his coronation in Iceland, and she was able to interview almost everyone connected to the event—organizers, refs, coaches, friends, enemies—allowing "Bobby Fischer Against the World" to offer as full a picture of Fischer as could be hoped for.
You can find out interview with director Liz Garbus here