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Monday, October 14, 2013
How Bad Will The Financial Pinch Be in 2014?Tweet
Corn and soybean yields this fall are about as good as the 2012 yields were bad. Despite the challenging weather that delayed planting and then later put corn and soybeans in moisture stress, many fields are recording exceptional yields. Although two successive years should not be chosen to either determine a trend or calculate an average, the 2012 and 2013 crops are certainly representative of the long term averages. But what will happen when the other shoe drops?
If 2014 returns to an average yield, farmers could be hurting financially, particularly if they agree to higher cash rents in the coming weeks. We are in the annual farm leasing season and many landowners are going to want to see more revenue to reflect the higher value of their farmland. Farm operators who agree to that may have difficulty making the necessary cash rent payments based on expected prices and trend yields for 2014.
One only has to look at futures prices at the CME's Board of Trade to pencil out revenue. With the 2013 production of 14 billion bushels of corn, it is easy to see that the spring guarantee for crop insurance on the 2014 crop will be about $4.50 per bushel. And although we are 6 months away from planting the 2014 crop, the market is only willing to pay about $4.80 per bushel for the crop produced next year. That will go up or down, depending on the level of production, but that has to be considered a median price given the expected 2 billion bushel surplus left from the 2013 crop.
It is easy to see the $7 and $8 corn prices from the 2012 drought are history.
But even if a drought crop occurred in 2014, the 2013 surplus will not allow prices to climb very high. In fact, University of Illinois agricultural economist Gary Schnitkey says a 125 bushel yield next year will not even generate a $400 per acre return to the operator and land, even with a $6 harvest price and a $200 crop insurance payment. According to his calculations, even a high yield crop of 220 bushels per acre will still not return more than $300 per acre to the operator and land.
His numbers are based on a $537 per acre cost for inputs, such as seed, fertilizer, chemicals, and fuel; everything but cash rent. And his concerns for the profitability of farmers for the 2013 and 2014 crops are focused on the rate of cash rent that farmers accept.
With a return to land and operator, ranging from $275 to $391 depending on yield, there is not much left for the operator's family living cost after cash rent is paid. And in many cases, there will be insufficient crop revenue in 2014 to cover cash rents in the $350 to $450 range.
As farmers begin to pencil out budgets for 2014, one of the priorities will be what they can afford to pay for cash rent. While the Schnitkey numbers suggest that cash rents should decline if farmers want to remain in the black that may not be what the majority plans to do.
Doane Agricultural Services of St. Louis recently surveyed farm operators and found 48% have agreed to 2014 cash rents higher than what they paid in 2013. Only 14% reported that rents declined. The balance of 38% saw rent stability, despite owner desires to raise the rent in the coming year.
When competition for farmland fuels the fire in one's belly, the result could be a serious case of financial indigestion.
Farm profitability in the coming year could be challenged with low returns to operator and land, in the wake of low commodity prices, regardless of yield. Whether yields are exceptional or drought reduced farm revenue may not be able to meet current cash rent obligations, and much less any increased rent for the 2014 crop year.
Your 2014 checklist for success:
1) Get a soil test and recommendations from the Texas Soil and Plant Lab.
2) Fill your planter with LG Seeds.
3) Call Koehl Bros. and order a new bin, because you will need it!
Posted by Stu Ellis on 10/14 at 09:31 PM | Permalink


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subset: commoncrawl


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Learning to Play the Drums on a Budget
Musical education is an important part of become a well-rounded man. See how well-rounded this man is?
Learning to be a percussionist is no easy feat. Drums are the backbone of all music; they set the tempo, keep time, and create drama in a melody. Drum kits can be prohibitively expensive, though, and so the music enthusiast on a budget may need to resort to things he can find around the house.
Get creative! Can you think of something that you could use to become the next star drummer? With imagination, anything is possible. We believe in you.


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20 Games Like Paroxysm(TBA)
Rollercoaster Tycoon Joyride
Soar through the sky with RollerCoaster Tycoon Joyride, a fully immersive coaster builder, and rider exclusively for PlayStation 4 and enhanced for PlayStation VR.
Blazing Core
Blazing Core is a team centric tactical shooter featuring mech knights. Adjust your mech according to your chosen playstyle, combine your abilities with those of your teammates, come up with and use various tactics to fight giant battle machines.
Devil May Cry 5
A brand new entry in the legendary over-the-top action series comes to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in Spring 2019, complete with its signature blend of high-octane stylized action and otherworldly and original characters the series is known for. Director Hideaki Itsuno and the core team have reunited to create the most over the top, technically advanced, utterly insane action experience of this generation.
Years have passed since the legions of hell have set foot in this world, but now a new demonic invasion has begun, and humanity's last hope will rest in the hands of three lone demon hunters, each offering a radically different play style. United by fate and a thirst for vengeance, these demon hunters will have to face their demons if they hope to survive.
Doom: Eternal
Developed by id Software, DOOM Eternal is the direct sequel to DOOM (2016). Experience the ultimate combination of speed and power with the next leap in push-forward, first-person combat.
As the DOOM Slayer, return to take your vengeance against the forces of Hell. Set to an all-new pulse pounding soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon, fight across dimensions as you slay new and classic demons with powerful new weapons and abilities.
Doki! Doki! Yūenchi: Crazy Land Daisakusen
Doki! Doki! Yūenchi: Crazy Land Daisakusen is a Nintendo Family Computer video game developed by KID and released in 1991 by VAP. Players control a boy with a helmet who kicks balls at enemies in an attempt to save his girlfriend from an unknown force inside an amusement park. The more damage he takes the more damage he does to enemies.
The game was originally called Doki! Doki! Yūenchi (ドキ!ドキ!遊園地?) in Japanese, meaning "Thump! Thump! Amusement Park". Doki (ドキ?) is a Japanese onomatopoeia.
The game was renamed The Trolls in Crazyland for release on the NES by American Softworks. It was previously scheuled to be released as Crazyland, but was then changed to feature the popular Troll dolls. That version was only released in Italy(PAL-A), and Eastern Europe(PAL-B).
"Action RPG" A genre that defined adventure and represented the childhood of all gamers, revived, redefined, from Japan, on Steam. GOKEN will bring back everything that was right about gaming in an action packed open world environment and have the old school gamers tremble in nostalgia.
60 / 10003.0
Zeus Battlegrounds
Zeus Battlegrounds is an action-packed Battle Royale style game where you fight for survival as one of Zeus' own Demigod offspring. The game features massive PvP action and up to 100 players per map. May the strongest, fastest, and smartest Demigod be victorious.
Halo Infinite
The Master Chief returns in Halo Infinite – the next chapter of the legendary franchise. Developed by 343 Industries and created with our new Slipspace Engine, Halo Infinite was revealed at the Xbox E3 2018 Briefing with a thrilling engine demo that provides a glimpse into the future of the Halo franchise, leading it into new and unexpected directions.
Super Mario World
Super Mario World (known in Japan as Super Mario World: Super Mario Bros. 4) is a side-scrolling platformer developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on November 21, 1990 (in Japan), August 31, 1991 (in North America), and April 11, 1992 (in Europe).
One of the launch titles of the SNES (and bundled with early systems in North America), Super Mario World is the fifth main game in the Super Mario series. (starring Nintendo's mascot, Mario, and his brother, Luigi). The game follows both Mario brothers as they explore Dinosaur Land (known for its large amount of dinosaurs) to find and defeat the evil Koopa king Bowser (and his seven underlings, the Koopalings) while rescuing Princess Toadstool.
Along with new abilities (such as the "Spin Jump"), a new power-up (the "Cape Feather") and more obstacles, the game introduces dinosaur companions (known as Yoshi) that Mario and Luigi can ride. Yoshi, known for using their long tongues to snare and eat enemies, have become a fan-favorite among the series (giving them their own games and spin-offs, most notably this game's prequel).
Special bundles of the SNES in 1994 included a compilation cartridge mixing Super Mario World with Super Mario All-Stars. The only difference in this version is a new sprite set for Luigi. The original game was later ported to the Game Boy Advance on February 11, 2002 as Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. Along with a special version of the original Mario Bros., the port includes a variety of differences, including Luigi as a selectable character (who now has unique features, such as his floating jump from Super Mario Bros. 2), new voice acting, and the ability to save anywhere. The original game was also digitally re-released in Nintendo's Virtual Console platform for the Wii (on February 5, 2007) and Wii U (on April 26, 2013).
92 / 1005294.6
Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package
Just in time for the holidays, Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package is a special delivery that will let players unwrap the Dead Rising 4 main game, in addition to all other previously released game content. The new bundle will also introduce a game mode called "Capcom Heroes," an all-new way to experience the Dead Rising 4 story that lets Frank West wear over a dozen outfits and perform outrageous special attacks inspired by classic Capcom characters.
BIG in features, BIG in content. Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package provides everything that a Dead Rising fan could ever ask for. This exclusive bundle offers a generous amount of game content, with instant access to immense, over-the-top zombie action that includes:
Dead Rising 4: Latest version of the main game with all difficulty settings.
All downloadable content: Stocking Stuffer Holiday Pack, Frank Rising and Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf.
All bonus content: Street Fighter Outfit Pack, My Bloody Valentine Pack, Candy Cane Crossbow, Slicecycle, Sir-Ice-A-Lot, Ugly Winter Sweater and X-Fists.
Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor
Nimbatus - The Drone Constructor is an action simulation game. Craft drones out of hundreds of different parts and explore a fully destructible, procedurally generated galaxy!
60 / 10013.0
Pigeon Pop
The ultimate bird game, timing is critical!
Help the Pigeon dance, pop and eat it's way through the levels. Don't get caught by the bad stuff! Unlock exclusive birds and over 100 Levels.
60 / 10003.0
Wizards Tourney
Wizards Tourney is a party game for up to four players in which different wizards from around the world compete against each other to show who is the most skillful and astute. Test your magical talent and use all your tricks on your rivals to become the best wizard!
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Collector's Edition
The Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Collector's Edition includes:
7" Shinobi Statue.
Collectible Artbook.
Digital Soundtrack.
Replica Game Coins.
Resident Evil: Origins Collection
Experience the early days of the outbreak in Resident Evil Origins Collection, a compilation package of two with two Resident Evil origin stories: Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil HD . Both terrifying games have been brought to new new levels of horror with new HD visuals, improved sound, widescreen support, an optional modernized control system and more.
Blood Omen 2
The direct sequel to the original Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the fourth in the gothic series (which encompasses the Soul Reaver titles), Blood Omen 2 continues the adventures of the bloodthirsty vampire known as Kain. This third-person action-adventure takes place 400 years after the events in the first title. Killed at the hands of the Sarafan lord, Kain is resurrected and must now regain his memory as well as his powers before he can mete out his revenge.
As a vampire, Kain requires sustenance in the form of human blood. An onscreen blood meter (which doubles as Kain's health meter) drains continuously, requiring the antihero to feed on enemies or the hapless denizens populating the towns and villages in order to stay alive. Weaker enemies can be dispatched using his bare claws, while stronger enemies will be more easily defeated with the aid of clubs, axes, and long swords found along the journey.
In addition to standard attacks, Kain is also capable of performing grab moves and stealth-kills, both of which are highlighted by a short cut-scene showing the gruesome death of his victim. Cinematic cut-scenes also introduce the game's many characters and flesh-out the plot. While Kain's blood meter starts out relatively small, it will gradually increase in size after consuming a victim's "lore" energy or by finding energy in special relics strewn about the world.
Blocking during combat increases Kain's rage meter, which upon being filled, allows him to unleash any of his combat-related Dark Gifts: special powers regained at critical junctures in his journey. Charm, for example, allows Kain to possess weak-willed citizens and force them to do his bidding, while Mist makes him invisible when surrounded by fog, allowing Kain to sneak around undetected. As more of these Dark Gifts are acquired, areas previously unreachable become accessible.
400 years have passed since the vampire Kain damned the world in the original Blood Omen, choosing to rule the world in damnation then die for it?s salvation. Now Kain, who once controlled the land of Nosgoth with his vampire armies, finds his brethren slain and his dark powers stripped by a mysterious figure. To reclaim his rule and exact his vengeance, Kain must dispatch armies of zealot soldiers and overcome legions of demons in order to uncover the ominous plot that threatens the land he seeks to conquer.
Rodea the Sky Soldier
A thousand years ago, Emperor Geardo of the Naga Empire sent an army of machine soldiers to invade the sky kingdom of Garuda. Thanks to the efforts of Princess Cecilia and Rodea, a machine soldier who promised to protect Garuda, Emperor Geardo's assault was thwarted. In present day, a spirited inventor named Ion discovers an abandoned robot that has fallen into disrepair in the heart of a scorching desert. Upon completing her repairs, the robot stirs to life and reveals itself to be none other than Rodea. Stunned to find himself in the future, Rodea learns that the Naga Empire is no more and that Garuda has known peace for a thousand years. But this peace was not meant to last, for the forces of Naga have returned to wage war against Garuda. Remembering the promise he made 1,000 years ago, Rodea takes to the skies to defend Garuda from the Naga Empire once again.


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10 Beautiful Table Runners
In addition to protecting your table from scratches and spills, a runner can bring warmth, color, and texture to an everyday table setting or an elegant dinner party. Organic fibers, earth-friendly inks, and fair trade labor make each of these ten table runners a lovely choice for the green home.
1 Orange Grove Table Runner made from hemp/organic cotton and earth-friendly paints, $47 from Elkhorn Design
2 Hand Woven Table Runner made from sheep wool sustainably grown in Chile (fair trade), $99 from Amenity
3 Bamboo Runner made from bamboo and low-impact dyes, $24 from Bambeco
4 Trail Table Runner made from hemp/organic cotton and non-toxic, water-based dyes, $99 from Amenity
5 Recycled Silk Table Runner, handmade in Nepal (fair trade), $18.95 from Unity Fair Trade Marketplace
6 Hemp Table Runner made from hemp grown without chemical pesticides or herbicides, $39 from Bambeco
7 Table Runner made from organic colorgrown cotton and upcycled linen fabric, $32 from AandVGreenHome
8 Isabella Table Runner made from organic cotton, £20 from Ochre & Ocre
9 Linen Table Runner made from organic linen, £45-60 from Ochre & Ocre
10 Turquoise Vetiver Table Runner made from cotton and vetiver in Bali (fair trade), $33.95 from Unity Fair Trade Marketplace
Related: Green Style: DIY Doily Table Runner
(Images: As linked.)


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Come on down and let us show you the Caribbean.
Our Caribbean Islands boast some of the most stunning beaches in the world - but we know we're way more than sand and
sea. We know our islands intimately and are ready to let you in on all the secrets that paradise has to offer with our own
hand-picked adventures. From deep-sea fishing and dolphin encounters, to catamaran sails, canopy tours and biking through
Jamaica's Majestic Blue Mountains., we can't wait to show you the real Caribbean., far from the beaten path, endlessly
exhilarating and always spectacular.
This luxurious 65-ft. "Kitty Katt" catamaran cruise will take you to one of Turks and Caicos' most stunning coral reefs where you'll snorkel and swim with brilliantly-...Read More
A scenic sail along Provo's coastline transports adventurers to Little Water Cay and a visit with the unique inhabitants - endangered rock iguanas. A guided tour of th...Read More
Guests are whisked away on a cruise like no other while being pampered by a professional crew. The first stop is Iguana Island to see the colony of endangered Rock Igu...Read More
Grab the wheel and discover the incredible beauty of Providenciales in a 5-seater Dune Buggy! Your experience begins with a short drive through the Grace Bay shopping ...Read More
A spin rod rigged with baited 20 - 30 lb test line awaits novices and skilled anglers alike to test their mettle reeling in a catch of Snapper, Grouper, Yellow Tail, B...Read More
Some special friends make lasting vacation memories for the whole family on this fun-filled 'Kitty Katt' cruise. Kids of all ages join Sesame Street characters Elmo an...Read More
The luxury 'Kitty Katt' catamaran is exclusive teens and tweens-only territory for a snorkeling cruise under the Turks & Caicos indigo sky. Teens can have fun in a sup...Read More
Providenciales offers some of the best bone fishing in the world year round. Enjoy a half day guided fishing trip led by an expert who will teach you where to find thi...Read More
A perfect end to a perfect day, as the state-of-the-art 'Kitty Katt' catamaran sails into the spectacular Caribbean sunset. Our DJ creates an island rhythm soundtrack,...Read More
The ship's experienced captain and crew know the very best spots to fish for deep sea denizens including Blue Marlin, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi and Barracuda. Battle stations...Read More
On this kayak expedition, adventurers explore the marine ecology surrounding Little Water Cay in the Princess Alexandra Nature Reserve. While paddling beside the extra...Read More
Come and meet Bella who is the resident mermaid in the Turks and Caicos Islands. She is playful and will swim around the boat to keep everyone amused for the tour. The...Read More
Steal away with family and friends or just the one you love and head off to one of the most remote and unspoilt cays along the Caicos Bank for a day of uninterrupted s...Read More
Explorers will delight at the chance to discover the best kept secrets of the Providenciales while enjoying some of the most breathtaking coastal views the island has ...Read More
Since all products on the island are classified as duty-free, a visit to Providenciales' town center is a perfect fix for a shopper's craving. There is something for e...Read More
Adventurers learn the secrets of conch hunting and join the captain and crew at a secret spot on a bold underwater quest for conch. After a successful expedition, the ...Read More
Stand Up Paddle Boarding is becoming one of the most popular sports in the world. It is simple, fun and engaging, SUP can offer an awesome core-workout for those willi...Read More
Your adventure begins in great style thanks to an array of private transfers for you to choose. Take to the high seas in this unique glass-bottom semi-submarine! With ...Read More
About These Tours: The tours listed in this page are owned and operated by independent contractors (third-parties) which are not associated with Sandals Resorts. Sandals Resorts does not own, operate or control the tours and is not responsible for the acts or omissions of the owners/operators or for any injury, loss or damages that may result from participation in the tours, which is done at your own risk. Tour prices listed can be changed at any time without notice.


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On an regular day, you might find Vincent James of Daytona Beach, Florida, kicking back in the hammock outside his home.
Clearly, he's not the only one who wants to kick back and relax.
According to CNN, the homeowner was stunned last Thursday when he watched a black bear hop into the mesh hammock that hangs between two trees in his backyard (watch video below).
"He got in the hammock, laid back like he was a tourist or something," James told CNN affiliate WESH.
The animal was so comfortable, he stayed there for 20 minutes, long enough for photographer Rafael Torres to snap plenty of pictures from about 60-feet away.
Residents of the Pebble Creek neighborhood said they spotted the bear hanging around as early as last Wednesday, ripping down bird-feeders and tearing through garbage cans looking for food.
Should the animal come back for another swing in the hammock, he'll be bear-y disappointed: James has taken it down.


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Farm tires are getting larger to support the weight of combines, tractors, and wagons, which are growing in size. Folks in the tire industry use a Rolling Circumference Index (RCI) chart like to categorize farm tires. Tom Rodgers, marketing manager for Bridgestone-Firestone, provided us with this RCI Chart to translate the language of tire sizing.
Rodgers says that up until 2009 the largest size category on the replacement tire market was "Group 48," defined by a rolling circumference of 243 in. and overall diameter of 81. In (think 6'8" tall). This size of tire has gained significant popularity because of the increased capacity compared to same section width tire from RCI 47. The RCI 48 tires also provide a larger footprint for better traction and less compaction.
The next size up is RCI 49 tires, which are just starting to be introduced by the tire industry. The 710/75R42 is already in use in Europe as singles on Row Crop tractors. For 2009 Firestone will introduce two new sizes in RCI 49. The first: an IF480/95R50 with AD2 Technology, which is the big brother to the 480/80R50. The second is what will be considered the next generation combine tire – a 900/75R32 (36" wide and 85" Tall).
"This new RCI 49 Combine size will be a great match for the next generation of combine's introduced by manufactures," Rodgers says.
He says larger-capacity Class 9 and 10 combines--with larger grain tanks, wider corn soybean heads, as well as larger Tier 4 engines--will push the limits of the industry's current tire offering. "The 900/75R32 will operate at lower pressures, for the same load, than any other single drive tire on the market today," Rodgers says.
For other tire trends, check out the December 2010 issue of Farm Industry News.


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Lawrence J. Brandt, MDProfessor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases
Rising rates of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection, combined with a limited number of effective antibiotics against this organism, have created a growing problem not only at Einstein/Montefiore but at hospitals and nursing homes throughout the country. Fecal bacteriotherapy (or, more properly, fecal microbiotic therapy), the controversial method of transplanting stool from a healthy individual to a diseased person, has shown to be highly effective in treating even the worst cases of this tenacious and highly resistant superbug.
Spores, Spores Everywhere
C. difficile is an anaerobic bacteria that exists in both vegetative (active) and spore (dormant) forms. The spores of this highly resistant, toxin-producing C. difficile organism can be found in food (beef, pork, and turkey are common carriers), in animals (horses, rabbits, hamsters, pigs, ostriches, and elephants), and on environmental surfaces (particularly in hospitals and medical care facilities) such as bed rails, floors, walls, doorknobs, or towel racks. These spores are resistant to antibacterial soaps and alcohol-based hand foams, and can survive for up to two years on inanimate surfaces. Proper handwashing is crucial to limiting their transmission. The bacteria are spread by contaminated hand-to-mouth contact, and, once ingested, the spores travel through the intestinal tract, replicate, and colonize in the large intestine (colon).
C. difficile produces two types of toxins, toxin A and toxin B, as well as a binary toxin that may accelerate and intensify their damage. The human gut is naturally protective, with diverse types of microorganisms known as intestinal microflora that provide "colonization resistance" against harmful bacteria like C. difficile. However, antibiotic exposure disturbs and largely diminishes this microflora, allowing C. difficile to proliferate and produce its toxins, causing diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain, which are the main symptoms of C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD).
CDAD can sometimes cure itself if antibiotics are discontinued. More often, however, the disease can advance to pseudomembranous colitis, in which the toxins destroy the intestinal lining forming yellow plaques of inflamed and dead tissue on the walls of the colon; or to the life-threatening fulminant colitis, which can result in rapid deterioration necessitating surgical removal of the colon.
A Growing Healthcare Problem
The C. difficile organism is carried by a small percentage of healthy adults, and nearly a third of hospitalized patients (particularly those taking antimicrobials, and those in ICUs, or in the hospital for more than four weeks).
C. difficile is easily transmitted by healthcare workers, and historically most of those infected with C. difficile contracted it in the hospital. Recently, however, hospital-acquired infections have decreased and community-acquired infections have risen significantly (particularly those originating in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and group homes). People at higher risk for C. difficile infection include those who are 65 and over; peripartum women; and patients with inflammatory bowel disease, cirrhosis, or immunosuppression; patients on proton pump inhibitors (to reduce gastric acid); or those who have had a nonsurgical gastrointestinal procedure. More recently, cases have begun to occur in younger people with no prior antibiotic exposure, making this disease a particular health concern. Around 500,000 cases and 15-20,000 deaths are reported each year in the United States costing more than three billion in healthcare dollars. New York City has the nation's highest occurrence of C. difficile.
To Treat, First Prevent
As with other infectious diseases, prevention is the most important part of treatment. Frequent handwashing with soap and water, appropriate antimicrobial use, and strict adherence to healthcare institution infection control policies are critical in limiting transmission of C. difficile. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not kill the spores, and if their use reduces handwashing this practice may be particularly dangerous. Healthcare staff, family members, and other visitors should be educated about the disease and its preventive measures.
The disease is most often diagnosed through a test for C. difficile toxin run on a sample of diarrheal or loose stool. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, physicians should stop the offending antibiotic if possible, and avoid the use of anti-motility drugs (like loperamide), which can worsen the disease.
Currently metronidazole and vancomycin are the most commonly prescribed antibiotics for C. difficile, although only vancomycin is FDA approved for this indication. While effective in treating the disease, these drugs have had limited success in treating recurring infections. Vancomycin is very expensive, costing as much as $240 a day, and a standard course of treatment is 10-14 days. For recurrent disease a tapering, pulsed regimen over a period of 2-3 months is often advised
Effective Treatment from an Unusual Source
The colonic bacteria in patients with recurrent C. difficile have decreased "phylogenetic richness" (microbial diversity). Restoring this phylogenetic richness may help the body regain its protective colonization factor which prevents C. difficile from becoming established in the colon. The NIH's Human Microbiome Project and the International Human Microbiome Consortium are examples of our increasing effort to understand how the human body's naturally occurring microbial communities (in this case, the phyla in the gastrointestinal tract) work to maintain health and cause disease. This information gained from these initiatives could improve our ability to prevent and treat diseases like C. difficile.
Fecal microbiotic therapy is one method of re-establishing the microbial integrity and normal diversity of the gut flora, while avoiding the use of prolonged, repeated courses of antibiotics. Veterinarians have historically harvested feces from healthy horses and infused it into horses with chronic diarrhea, curing the diarrhea; a similar technique, known as transfaunation, involves infusing rumen (stomach) content from healthy cows into cows with mastitis that are off feed.
The fecal microbiotic therapy procedure involves finding a donor (preferably an intimate partner or first-degree relative of the patient) and excluding individuals with recent antibiotic use, diarrhea, high-risk sexual behaviors, colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and immunocompromise; stool and blood are tested for C. difficile, Giardia antigen, parasites, hepatitis B and C, HIV, and syphilis. Care should also be taken to ensure that before transplantation of stool, donors have not eaten anything to which recipients of fecal transplant are allergic.
Once the donor and his/her stool are cleared for transplantation, freshly passed stool is mixed with saline, filtered, and injected by nasogastric tube, upper endoscopy, colonoscopy or enema. While esthetically unpleasant and lacking reimbursement at present, fecal transplantation has shown to be rapidly effective (improvement can be seen in as little as two hours), with cure rates of more than 95% and close-to-zero relapse rates. The few relapses that have occurred have been cured by a second transplantation procedure.
Future Direction
The changes in recipients' fecal microbiomes following transplantation are currently being examined, and it is now known that recipient's stools resemble those of their donors for weeks after the procedure. Further research is warranted on proper and appropriate selection of donors, the best route for administering fecal microbiotic therapy, as well as proper safety measures for the transplantation procedure. Once the microbial agent is identified that is responsible for curing C. difficile disease, it is my hope that an artificial stool will be manufactured that can be administered in capsule form for treatment of CDAD.
Other conditions are also being evaluated for which fecal microbiotic therapy could be used, including severe first occurrences of CDAD, inflammatory bowel disease, and constipation. In a recent Swedish study, obese patients with diabetes improved their sensitivity to insulin after fecal transplant from healthy thin donors. Another study suggested that colonizing thin mice with the microbiota of obese mice resulted in weight gain; we are investigating the converse of this phenomenon--whether intestinal bacteria transplanted from a thin person will change the weight of an obese individual.
Department of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus
Belfer Building - Room 1008
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461 (directions)
Physicians and Patients:
Internal Medicine Residency Program:
Administrative Questions:
Fax: 718-430-8659
Einstein (East) & Moses (West) Campus


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(D License)
Mar 11, 2004, 1:46 PM
Post #1 of 101 (21308 views)
Skydiving Songs & Poems
Can't Post
Divers of the Sky
by Hank McCarrick
to the tune "Auld Lang Syne"
The plane is here; the time is near
We'll soon be climbing high
Then jump we must, come hell or bust
We're divers of the sky.
May all go well; our fall will tell
The chutes should open fine
If one be done, t'was worth the fun
For Auld Lang Syne.
As years are gone we'll carry on
Til time to turn to dust
Though weak and maimed, we can't be blamed
For jump by surely we mus.
So toast we may though old and gray
Our glasses raised on high
We'll take a sip for all the rip cord
Divers of the sky.
(D License)
Mar 11, 2004, 1:48 PM
Post #2 of 101 (21011 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
In reply to
Can't Post
The Phantom Tenth Man
by Jim Rogers
Flying Fred had cratered in
A week ago and now and then
We saw the spot where he'd been killed
The hole in the ground had just been filled.
It made us stop and it made us think
But we shrugged our shoulders and drank our drinks;
We knew the score when he got his:
Jumping from planes is a dangerous biz.
Fred had given up students and he'd given up style
And he only saw the target every once in a while.
Most of the time he walked country roads
Having just come down from an eight-man load.
Time and again we'd heard Fred say,
"Now save a place, 'cause on the day
That this state sees a ten-man fly
I'm closing tenth before I die."
Well, thinking of what we'd heard Fred say
We decided to hold a memorial day.
The first ten-man still gleamed in our eyes
So on this day we'd give it a try.
With chewing gum and refrigerator tape
We put our Beech into real good shape.
The pilot grinned at the dripping oil
Then strapped on a rig and said, "Let's roll."
The Federal Man thought otherwise;
He threw the book and said, "Look you guys,
You bounced old Fred when you were up last time;
The tenth man stays, You're going with nine."
With tears in his eyes someone got off the load,
Threw his gear in the trunk and drove off down the road.
With thirty-six jumps he'd have probably done fine
But Fred would be happy if we got the first nine.
The Beech took off in a black smoke cloud
Just under the wires and over the crowd!
Spectators ducked and faces got white
And we didn't breathe 'til we were in flight!
We were two hours late when we hit twelve-five
And the pilot yelled with fear in his eyes,
"Get ready you guys, we're going on in
'Cause we're out of gas! Better check my pins!"
"Man in the door!" came a muffled shout,
I was tyin' my shoes when the base fell out;
The pin was gone, then three, then four,
And then there was nothing but me and the door!
I dove head low, someone's boot in my mouth;
The prop blast hit as I flew out;
Tumbling plane overhead, falling bodies below,
Stable at last, but a long way to go.
I tracked so hard that I couldn't stop,
My breath was gone and my eyeballs popped!
Drilled a hole in a cloud and started to flare,
And when I came out the star was there.
I got a good grip and the star was round;
One eye on the needle and one on the ground
We started to break when we heard a yell
And across from me was a face from hell!
Trailing red smoke from an M-18
A phantom tenth man appeared on the scene!
We wanted to break but found we could not.
Our grips froze tight when he hit the slot!
I'll swear to this day it was Flying Fred,
He had surplus gear and his eyes were red!
With a laugh you could hear and a wave of his hand
He broke off the star just over a grand!
Nobody waved and nobody tracked,
The trees got so big we just unpacked!
Reserves went by! Out flashed my own!
But that red smoke flew towards the ground.
Out by the peas was the Federal Man
Timing low pulls with a watch in his hands.
Came the lowest pull of all that day
Because Phantom Fred was heading his way.
With a grinning laugh and a blast of wind
In a cloud of smoke Fred brought it on in!
Lightning flashed and thunder rolled!
When the smoke cleared away, there was just a hole.
White reserves started landing there,
The Beech was down in a field somewhere
The FAA didn't like all this;
The man staggered off to file a near miss.
We all looked at the hole; then we all shook hands.
It was legal now, our first ten-man.
Where Fred had gone we couldn't say
But our witness was the FAA.
That night over a beer we thought of a way
To salute Flying Fred's Memorial Day.
Where that smoke bomb hit, now a marker stands,
It says, "Boys, I was with you on your first ten-man!"
(D License)
Mar 11, 2004, 1:49 PM
Post #3 of 101 (21010 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"Jump Bummin' Around"
by Mule Ferguson
To the tune of "Just Bummin' Around"
Got a ole P.C.
Got my rig on my shoulder.
Got nothing to lose when I hit the blues,
jump bummin' around.
Whenever people start buggin' me,
I grab my rig, my Bell X-5,
and head for the ole DZ.
I ain't got a dime.
Just spend it on jumpin'.
I'm free as a breeze, and I do what I please,
jump bummin' around.
Well, I've jumped in DeLand,
Stone Mountain and Lakewood,
Elsinore, and The Inn.
I've made lots of friends,
jump bummin' around.
Got a million friends,
All over the country.
Sometimes I get a DZ.
Sometimes I land in a tree.
Jump bummin' Around.
(D License)
Mar 11, 2004, 1:51 PM
Post #4 of 101 (21008 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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Ghost Jumper in the Sky
by Rigger Mortis to
the tune of "Ghost Riders in the Sky"
An old Skydiver went flying out one dark and windy day
Upon the strut he waited as he flew along his way.
When over top the exit point he pushed off hard and strong.
And as he plunged on through the sky, he sang this happy song.
Yippee-I-Oh, look out below.
Skydiver on a delay.
Five thousand feet on down he fell his arms and legs outspread.
His back was arched and as he fell the wind roared past his head.
When at two thousand feet he frogged and came in for the string.
He groped along the harness fast and then began to sing.
Yippee-I-Oh Where did it go?
My ripcord can't be found.
On down he fell the Earth grew large. His time was running out.
He came in fast for his reserve and gave a dismal shout.
The Sunday papers fluttered by and through his fevered brain
Ran the awful certainty his hopes were down the drain.
Yippee-I-Yah, at least let them say,
Stable all the way.
Now when the days are dark and cold, the sky is black with clouds.
You'll see that lonely jumper fall struggling with his shrouds.
He falls through space eternally to make this message clear.
No matter how stable you are, your life hangs with your gear.
Yippee-I-Oh, when he says go,
Think of the gear you wear.
(D License)
Mar 11, 2004, 1:53 PM
Post #5 of 101 (21007 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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The Student Jumpers Psalm
The jumpmaster is my shepherd
I shall not want
He maketh me to step out on the tire,
He leadeth my hand to the wing strut
He quieteth my panic;
He leadeth me in the joys of jumping for his name's sake.
Yea, though I jump into the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no malfunction;
For thou art with me,
Thy faith in my reserve -
It comforteth me.
Thou preparest a back pack before me
In the presence of my fellow students;
Thou covereth my head with plastic;
My knees knocketh together.
Surely fortune and kindness shall follow me
Every second of my delay,
And I will dwell in the harness of the chute forever.
(D License)
Mar 11, 2004, 1:56 PM
Post #6 of 101 (21004 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"Feelin' Stupid!"
by Duncan Mc Ewan
To the tune of "Feelin' Groovy."
Slow down, and let the dive last.
You don't need to get in that fast.
Or else, next thing you know,
you've gone below, and you're...
Feelin' Stupid!
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da
Feelin' stupid.
Hello lamp post, you're where I'm goin'
'Cause these damn ground winds keep a-blowin'
And since I spotted for this load,
I'm off the airport, and...
Feelin' Stupid!
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da
Feelin' stupid.
Hello ground, into which I burn.
'Cause I made too low a hook turn.
The ambulance gave me a new cast,
Now I can't jump, 'cause I
was Stupid!
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da
I was stupid.
I got no jumps to do, no loads to make.
I'm injured, and laid up, and grounded this week.
Let them all go and jump there without me this week.
All because, I
was so stupid.
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da
I was stupid!
(D License)
Mar 11, 2004, 5:50 PM
Post #7 of 101 (20975 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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Blood on the Risers
Military Version
Sung to the tune of "Glory, Glory"
"Is everybody happy?" cried the Sergeant, looking up.
Our hero feebly answered "yes" and then they stood him up.
He leaped right out into the blast, his static line unhooked.
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Gory, Gory, what a helluva way to die,
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory what a helluva way to die
He ain't going to jump no more.
He counted long, he counted loud, he waited for the shock
He felt the wind, he felt the clouds, he felt the awful drop;
He jerked his cord, the silk spilled out and wrapped around his legs.
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
The risers wrapped around his neck, connectors cracked his dome
The lines were snarled and tied in knots around his skinny bones
The canopy became his shroud, he hurtled to the ground
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
The days he'd lived and loved and laughed kept running through his mind
He thought about the girl below, the one he'd left behind
He thought about the medico's and wondered what they'd find
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
The ambulance was on the spot, the jeeps were running wild;
The medics jumped and screamed with glee, they rolled their sleeves and smiled
For it had been a week or more since last a chute had failed
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
He hit the ground,the sound was splat, his blood went spurting high;
His comrades then were heard to say "A helluva way to die";
He lay there rolling 'round in the welter of his gore.
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
"There was blood upon the risers
There were brains upon the chute
Intestines were a dangling from this paratrooper's boots.
They picked him up, still in his chute, and poured him from his boots.
He ain't gonna jump no more!"
Chorus (above)
(D License)
Mar 11, 2004, 5:53 PM
Post #8 of 101 (20973 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"Don't Worry...Be Happy"
by Duncan Mc Ewan
To the tune of the same name.
In incident reports it wrote,
But when you read it, just take note, but...
Don't worry...Be happy!
If your main should have some trouble,
If you panic, you just make it double.
Don't worry...Be happy!
(Speak) Don't worry, be happy now!
(Speak) Don't worry...Be happy!
(Speak) Don't worry...Be happy!
(Speak) Don't worry...Be happy!
(Speak) Don't worry, be happy!
Ain't got nothin' above your head,
that doesn't mean you will end up dead, So...
Don't worry... Be Happy!
A 'functioned main is not too late,
So when you think it's sealed your fate...
Don't worry...Be happy!
(Speak) Look at me, I'm happy!
(Speak) Don't worry, be happy.
(Speak) Ain't got nothin' above your head
to make you happy?
Pull your reserve, it make you happy.
(Speak) Don't worry, be happy.
A snivelly op'nin' not your style,
End cell closures don't make you smile...
Don't worry...Be happy!
'Cause while you worry, you zoom right down,
And very soon you will hit the ground, so...
Don't Worry...Be Happy!
(Speak) Don't worry, be happy now!
(Speak) Don't worry...Be happy!
(Speak) Don't worry...Be happy!
Don't worry...Be happy!
(Speak) Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry...be
(Speak) Pull your reserve, don't let yourself hit the
(Speak) Don't worry.
(Speak) You can cut it away, whatever it is.
(Speak) Don't worry, be happy.
(B License)
Mar 11, 2004, 8:49 PM
Post #9 of 101 (20956 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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Anyone know the words to the chant that Johnny Gates uses on the climb to altitude for the MB loads.
Heard it but can't remember it. It definately has a military
slant to it
LMAO MB65 has some good stories about the reactions from different pilots
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 9:53 AM
Post #10 of 101 (20913 views)
Re: [slug] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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Don't know...
Can you hum a few bars?!
O Lord
O Lord, won't you buy me a brand new P.D.
All my friends have one, so why not me?
And give me a slicksuit, so I can fall free,
O Lord, won't you give me a brand new P.D.
O Lord, won't you buy me a brand new big plane,
And some good weather, no wind and no rain,
I can't really jump from a car or a train.
O Lord, won't you buy me a brand new big plane,
O Lord, help me dirt-dive a forty-way cat
Then into a diamond, or something like that.
A stairstep to a snowflake, and then turn and track
O Lord, help me dirt-dive a forty-way cat.
O Lord, give me money to jump all the time
I think five a day, every day, would be fine.
I'm so broke I've turned to a new life of crime,
O Lord, give me money to jump all the time.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 9:55 AM
Post #11 of 101 (20912 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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All-Girl Loads 1979
(original melody)
We're coming, we're coming, our Crack Choir band
On the fun side of jumping, we do take our stand.
We don't chew tobacco because we do think,
That chewing tobacco will grow you a dink.
Hooray, hooray, for all-girl loads,
All-girl loads, all-girl loads,
Hooray, hooray, for all-girl loads,
Cuz they put the fun back in jumping.
We don't wear tight jumpsuits because we know that
A skinny suit will only accent our fat.
And can you imagine a sorrier sight
Than a skinny suit molding to our cellulite?
We never do dirt dives because we surmise
That dirt dives will only detract from surprise.
And how could a dirt dive improve our great skill
When eleven maneuvers are the run-of-the-mill.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 9:58 AM
Post #12 of 101 (20910 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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By the Book
by Frank Schoch
This is the tale of a daring young lad
Who kept hearing reports of a brand new fad.
Skydiving was the handle they gave this new game -
A sure way to glory, perhaps even fame.
He rushed to the bookstore and there on the shelf,
A magazine glared, "Skydiving, How to do it yourself"
He paid for the book and away he went,
To the nearest airport, his footsteps hell-bent.
He arrived at the field and told one and all
I am here to make a one minute free fall.
He put on a chute and climbed into a 182
And he and the pilot went into the blue.
He opened the book and proceeded to read,
Of proper spotting, its importance, its need.
The book also told how to stand on the plane's landing gear
See how easy!! There's nothing to fear.
He kicked off the wheel and on his back he spun.
The book said 'twas wrong even though it was fun.
The book said, arch hard and over you'll fly
To look at the ground and not at the sky
So he tried it with gusto and lo and behold
In a second it happened -- over he rolled
He thought with wild glee, aint't this a scene?
I'm doing tricks like a flying machine.
The book then said "Let's try a turn to the right
Bring your right arm in, but not too tight
Now counter a little, you're showing great style.
A glance at your panel shows you've fallen a mile."
Our hero thought, this book's the McCoy
Nothing I've done has provided such joy.
I'm flying around with the greatest of ease
Doing turns and backloops whenever I please.
He read further on to continue his lesson
He knew he was nearing the end of this session
On the next page were the words, unhappily written
"Continue instruction in next month's edition".
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 9:59 AM
Post #13 of 101 (20910 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"60 Plus Delay"
by Bob Hartman
To the tune of "Wabash Cannonball".
He jumped out at thirteen-five
for a 60 plus delay.
He had no way of knowing
it was his fateful day.
He did a left 360,
and then he did a right.
Burned on through his series,
really racked it tight.
Then he did a barrel roll,
and broke into a track.
But when he pulled he pulled that ripcord,
he was flat upon his back.
His pilot chute did not come out.
His main would not deploy.
For he had not remembered
what he learned as a boy.
The packing pins were in the cones.
What a terrible mistake he'd made.
He should have packed his parachute
before "Cardinal Puff" was played.
He looked at his altimeter.
His teeth began to chatter.
He'd have to throw out his reserve,
or upon the ground he'll splatter.
He pulled that ripcord handle,
and much to his surprise,
out popped his girlfriend's living bra,
right before his eyes.
Twin canopies inflated,
much to his delight.
He knew that he'd be able,
to play "Cardinal Puff" tonight.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:03 AM
Post #14 of 101 (20908 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"My Last Jump"
To the tune of "Beautiful Dreamer".
[This is the classic]
Please help me I'm falling.
I'm out of control.
Left the plane at 10,000,
and started to roll.
I tried to get stable,
by arching my back.
I arched so hard,
I passed my back pack.
Oh I clawed at the ripcord,
blind as a bat.
Got a hold of the harness,
Started jerking on that.
Then I grabbed for my chest pack,
with my left hand.
please help I'm falling
into the sand.
I just passed 200,
hurtling down.
The ants look like people,
here comes the ground.
I hollered "take pictures"
as I augured in.
There's no more fallin'
for this is the end.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:05 AM
Post #15 of 101 (20907 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"High Fright"
A Poem parody by Duncan Mc Ewan, C-19645
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
and danced the skies with nylon sleeves for wings.
Earthward I've plummeted,
and joined the tumbling mirth of first jump students;
and done a hundred things, you would not be caught dead.
Spins, and loops, and tracked, high in the sunlit silence.
Spotting there, I've chased the relative winds along,
and flung my eager bod' through footless halls of air.
Down, down from the long, delirious, burning blue,
I've punched the windswept clouds with easy grace,
where never lark, nor even eagle flew.
And, with silent, lifting canopy, I've trod,
the high untresspassed sanctity of space;
reached out my hand,
and gripped the sleeve of God.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:07 AM
Post #16 of 101 (20905 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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(to the tune of my Bonnie Lies over the Ocean)
I started a course parachutin'
A skygod I wanted to be,
Who cares for the theories of Newton,
When you're in the air falling free.
Falling, falling, the ants look like people to me, to me
Falling falling, the ants look like people to me.
I did my first jump on a dope-rope
And shut my eyes all the way down,
And just when I'd given up all hope,
The chute took me safe to the ground.
They said I was ready for freefall
I'd pull the damn ripcord or bust,
I exited slightly unstable
And in Kevlar lines I was trussed.
And now that I've got my A license
The skies are wide open for me,
With luck, common sense and good judgement
A skygoddess one day I'll be!
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:08 AM
Post #17 of 101 (20904 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"Francine Mc Filthy"
by Little David
To the tune of "Streets of Larado"
There was a young maiden of age fifty-seven.
Who drove a blank gore like you've never seen before.
She drank and she cussed, and she smelled to high heaven.
That's Francine Mc Filthy, the skydiver's whore.
We went to a jump meet in Carson, Nevada.
The troops were all lined up at the Moonlight Ranch door.
But out in the bushes, one went for a quarter.
That's Francine Mc Filthy, the skydiver's whore.
Old Francine the queen of barnstorming banditos.
Would punch out S.O.S. 'till her knuckles were sore.
She'd make Pope and Bishop, in seventeen seconds,
Then take on nine jumpers, that's skydivers whore.
Way back in the old barnstorming days, I flew an old jenny.
The struts were all broken, the fabric was tore.
And out on the jumpstep, stood Francine Mc Filthy.
The pride of Milpitas, that skydiver's whore.
Francine was married to old Ernie Perkins;
The wedding took place in the back of a store;
The troops was all drinkin' and fightin' and yellin',
And Ernie got cursed wid' a skydiving whore.
Old Francine looked lovely, she smiled at the preacher.
I pioneer, jumpsuit, the gown that she wore.
Behind her sweet back, she gave us the finger.
That raunchy old bastard, that skydiver's whore.
The marriage was short lived, and so was old Ernie.
He crashed through a church roof, and died on the floor.
Francine missed the funeral, for a night jump at Chico.
So what's more important to a skydiving whore.
Then one day it happened, her navy rig failed her.
She tracked for Lake Merrit, but just made the shore.
She closed bloodshot eyes, and smiled through her A.H...
And that was the end of our skydiving whore.
So hang your head low boys and cry in your muscat.
The pride of Milpitas is with us no more.
And the noise that your hear at twelve-five is not thunder.
But the voice of old Francine, our skydiving whore.
And now somewhere on that eternal drop zone.
Stands one who hollers and beats on the door.
Won't you break down and hand out a drink there St. Peter.
To Francine Mc Filthy, the skydiver's whore.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:10 AM
Post #18 of 101 (20903 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"Don't Worry About the Airplane"
By Russ Gunby.
To the tune of "Wabash Cannonball"
One day while at the airport.
With nothing to do.
I saw a man come falling,
streaming down from out of the blue.
I knew this man was surely dead.
i stood there frozen mute.
'Till heard the snap and the crack,
of his openin' parachute.
Don't worry about the airplane.
You're leavin' it behind.
Don't worry about the altitude,
it's up there all the time.
Don't worry about your parachute,
it'll always stop tour fall.
But if your slow, you're headed low,
to a smashing, crashing fall.
His canopy was black and gold;
great holes were showing through.
He glided north, he glided south,
he turned and stalled it too.
He landed at the target,
stood up so easily.
I asked him hoe he did it,
and this is what he said to me...
When your hear the engines fading,
and dive out through the door,
and your speed builds up to terminal,
and you hear the wind's loud roar,
then you're flying free, and life's carefree,
'till the earth comes rushing fast.
Don't wait too long, 'till the ripcords gone,
or this jump will be your last.
When you're reaching for your ripcord,
you know your time is running out.
You're headed down to eighteen hundred,
and your burble's not shook out.
Horizon's gone, you start to roll.
You spiral and zap out.
Unless you sprout some feathers, boy,
you better whip it out.
Now all you men who drink a lot,
have not a thing to fear.
You jump on Sunday mornin'
full of whiskey, gin, and beer.
Pull out the chocks, load up the plane,
let's hear that Nordsmen's call.
And ride to the graveyard drop zone,
in a smashing, crashing, fall.
(New chorus:)
New worry about the airport,
you're leavin' it behind.
Don't worry about the lousy spot,
you can't track back in time.
Looking for the ripcords,
you can't find them at all.
The lake, the dump, the power lines;
one will stop our fall.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:12 AM
Post #19 of 101 (20902 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"Ode to Diablo Skydivers"
by Little David
A Poem
Cartridge shell beside the freeway,
How came you there of little shell?
Could it be Diablo's finest
Passed this way to raise some hell?
Broken, bullet riddled stop signs,
Tell a tale of carefree drinking.
Could it be Diablo's finest
Passed this way to raise some hell?
Sparkling beer cans dot the roadside.
Reflected in them, star that shine.
Could it be Diablo's finest
Might have switched from beer to wine?
Forest fire beside the freeway,
Smell of smoke profanes the air,
Could it be Diablo's finest
May have lost a day night flare?
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:13 AM
Post #20 of 101 (20901 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"Jumping down to Victory"
To the tune of "Song of Burgundy".
We are the men in chutes,
tough men in jumping boots,
jumping down to victory.
We are the paratroops!
hard hitting parachuters,
jumping down to victory.
Stand up, hook up:
Hit the door and go!
Downward, earthward,
our silken banners flow.
Lift your heads
and shout it-
There's no doubt about it;
jumping down to victory.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:15 AM
Post #21 of 101 (20900 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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by Linda Moore
To the tune of "Freight Train"
Norseman, Norseman, dronin' so loud.
Noreseman, flying up over the clouds.
Please don't tell them what flight I'm on,
so they wont know, 'till I'm down.
Norseman, Norseman, comin' round the bend.
Norseman, Norseman, circle again.
One of these days, fly that plane straight on
away from my home town.
Just one place I'd like to be.
Only one place in this world for me.
In the door of a Nordsman plane,
getting ready to jump again.
When I die don't bury me deep.
Bury me under runway concrete.
So I can hear ole seven-nine-five,
as she heads for the sky
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:17 AM
Post #22 of 101 (20899 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
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"Orange Prayer"
by Hank Mc Carrick
To the tune of "Waltzing Matilda"
First time at orange, get a welcome hand from Lew.
Meet all the rest of his jolly good crew.
Then just dress up, and chute up,
and climb into the jumping ship.
If you are a jumper, then we'll pray for you.
Rib busting chest straps, ball busting leg straps.
Leg busting landings may break up a few.
But if God ain't a God, and Heaven ain't a place at all.
Just worship jumping and we'll pray for you.
Up climb the jump ship, working for some altitude.
Out goes the door when the DZ's in view.
Then a hard right, a hard left, a couple dozen changes more.
Terry-Oh's spotting, so we'll pray for you.
Out went Goyen waiting for a falling man.
Third out was Gorgie, his chute full of dew.
His main didn't open, his second did, but kinda low.
If you're like Georgie, then we'll pray for you.
Back on the DZ, tummy says "it's dinner time".
Head for the chow house and 'Norsemen Stew'.
Just don't ask how it's made, anything that moves may be inside.
Neva's the cook, so we'll pray for you.
If you're a novice, training isn't very long.
Start in at one, and by four you're through.
So you watch, and you listen, practice.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:19 AM
Post #23 of 101 (20898 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
In reply to
Can't Post
"St. James Infirmary"
by Terry-Oh
To the tune of the same name.
I went down to St. James Infirmary,
to see my baby there.
She was stretched out on a big white table.
So cool, so sweet, so fair.
I went up to see the doctor.
She's might low he said.
I went back to see my baby,
My God, she's lying there dead!
It was on one Sunday morning.
Not many miles from here.
The winds were softy blowing,
And the weather was so clear.
She went up to make a sixty.
A sixty plus delay.
And now you'll hear my singing.
About my baby's cut-a-way.
I went to old Tom's barroom.
On the corner by the square.
They were serving drinks as usual.
And all of the jumpers were there.
On my left, stood old Joe MacKennedy.
And his eyes were bloodshot red.
He turned to the crowed gathered round him.
And these were the words he said...
"Let her go, let her go, God bless her."
"Wherever she may be."
"We cannot forget her double malfunction.
And you'll never find a sadder man than me.
When I die please bury me.
In a towering white summer thundercloud.
Let me wear a black Pioneer jumpsuit.
Let my faithful P.C. be my shroud.
Now this is the end of my story.
Let's have another round of booze.
And if anyone should ask, you just tell them,
I've got the St. James infirmary blues.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:20 AM
Post #24 of 101 (20897 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
In reply to
Can't Post
"Take Me Out to the Drop Zone"
by Little David
To the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
Take Me Out to the Drop Zone
I'll be damned if I jump.
Bring me some bandages and iodine.
A case of beer and a bottle of wine.
For it's "play it cool" at the drop zone.
Were we'll be safe and sound.
And watch all those heros jump out of the plane,
and cream in...to...the ground.
(D License)
Mar 12, 2004, 10:24 AM
Post #25 of 101 (20895 views)
Re: [airtwardo] Skydiving Songs & Poems
In reply to
Can't Post
Taunton Men
by Hank Mc Carrick
To the tune of The Green Beret.
Greasy Guineas from the sky.
Irish drunks on whiskey high.
Portuguese who bitch and pay.
Taunton men, with no beret.
Sloppy Limeys at their best.
Silly Frenchmen like the rest.
Horny Greeks who've gone astray.
Taunton men, with no beret.
Some are red men, some are white.
Same just can't be seen at night.
Drunken bums that never pay.
Taunton men, with no beret.
Jumping gear upon their chest.
Climbing high, with bowels unrest.
Smelly cockpits. every day.
Taunton men, with no beret.
Trained on drink, and sleepless nights.
Men who think, all is wrong is right.
Jumping bums, who'll never sway.
Taunton men, with no beret.
Wives and sweethearts have to wait.
Jumping guys, are always late.
Bless them all, we love their way.
Taunton men, with no beret.
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Review Group Week 230 - BATMAN & ROBIN #13
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by Eli Katz » Fri Jul 09, 2010 5:25 pm
RIP being tied to FC is what killed it for me. I really enjoyed the first three or four issues, but hated the non-ending. I'm not crazy about lost-in-time Batman either, at least as a concept. I haven't bothered to read the mini where he time hops from the prehistoric age to the Wild West.
by thefourthman » Fri Jul 09, 2010 5:27 pm
its uneven thus far, I would classify it as batfanatic only. I would lover for you to read Batman and Son and tell us your thought. I absolutely love that arc, for lack of a better term. And having read it six or seven times now, I am still picking up on stuff every time I read it.
by Eli Katz » Fri Jul 09, 2010 5:31 pm
That's the ninja Man-bat story? I read it and thought it was good fun. I'll check it out again when I have time and give you more complete thoughts about it.
by Punchy » Fri Jul 09, 2010 5:31 pmThe good Morrison Batman stories are the JH Williams one and the Quitely, Stewart, Clarke and now Irving issues of Batman And Robin.
by Garofani Spruzzo » Fri Jul 09, 2010 7:14 pm
It's just another reason, like your SOD, that I don't envy you one bit.
by Garofani Spruzzo » Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:47 pmBatman & Robin #13
I've read the first half of Morrison's B&R run so far, and was planning on reading this arc when it's released in tpb but since I've loosely followed spoilers and flipped through the occasional floppy recently I figured it was no big deal to switch gears and buy this issue. Maybe I'd be hooked and return to buying the single issues.
It's a fairly entertaining comic on its own, but people who say it's not like R.I.P. can argue that all day long and I'll still have some of the same concerns when reading Batman & Robin as I did when R.I.P. was about halfway through and I started to get this little worry in the back of my head that all the little tantalizing clues weren't really going to add up to much more than window dressing, or story dressing if you will.
I just finished re-reading The Invisibles for the second or third time for no real reason other than I was rummaging through some stuff in storage and they turned up. One of the best things about that book was the way a lot of the little details or subplots came together later or in the end, and made the over-all story richer--the clues added up to something. Something still open to a lot of interpretation on the reader's part but not the garbled mess of pointless clues and dodges that R.I.P. was at the end. I suppose you could argue that The Invisibles is a long run of comics, and Morrison's run on Batman-Final Crisis-Return of Bruce Wayne-Batman & Robin may all add up to a complete story in the end--maybe so, but R.I.P. was still not a satisfying piece of it.
The point in the issue where Dick is stating "Fact 1: Dominoes. Informally known as bones." makes me worry there's some half-baked detective work going on. It sounds like Adam West should be wearing the cowl in this scene. But, if Dick's got everything all figured out since he was 12, he wouldn't be getting shot, at least so it appears, in the future several pages earlier. Needs a large exit wound though, or I figure this is just more theatrics.
I admit I'm intrigued by the return of Dr Hurt, since not giving the reader anything coherent in the slightest regarding this character was one of R.I.P.'s weaknesses. I still don't get him, but the alternate scenes of the Wayne's after seeing Zorro are pretty compelling. Seems as though this may tie into Return of Bruce Wayne maybe, so it gives me hope this may all make some sense in the end.
The pages with Damian and The Joker were the best part of this issue, Frazer Irving's art really pulls off the scene. I like his take on B&R even though the lack of background detail occasionally annoyed me. More often than not the background tones and hues were deftly handled, but I still like to see where people are at once in a while.
After reading this issue a few times, all I can say about the chance of me buying #14 is, it's possible.
by chap22 » Fri Jul 09, 2010 9:44 pm
by GLX » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:19 pm
I'm not surprised that you feel that way.
by Starlord » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:39 pm
Honestly? Yeah, I would. I'd also put Grayson's run on Nightwing before this book. And I haven't hated everything Morrison has done since Final Crisis. In fact as much as I despised that series, I enjoyed it better than pretty much anything he has done in the Bat Universe. Not that there haven't been single issues that I came away more impressed than I expected to, but overall I think this is the worse writer to have ever written Batman.
Not only that, but he has made the character of Damien the suckiest Robin ever. For all of those who thought Jason Todd was bad, Grant has just taken the same basic comcept and amplified it. Damien is NOT a hero, nor should he be walking around with them. The crowbar scene with The Joker is proof positive of that. Sure, it's cool irony for whatever you want to call it, but it just makes him less of a likeable human being than I already thought was possible.
I realize I'm in the one percentile and there will always be two sides of the Grant Morrison argument. I'll never say that I hate the man's writing on a whole... I don't. There's quite a few things that I have really enjoyed and actually put his Animal Man run in my top 10 picks for Bubba's next list, but for me personally, he's taken my all time favorite comic mythos and turned it into a huge joke.
I'm really sorry guys. I was trying to be humerous in this weeks review because I get so personally frustrated at trying to find a nice or gentle of way of trying to say what I really wanted to say in two words: Worthless Shit. Personally I would have found that rude and offensive, so I tried to put a dark comic spin on it.
I applaud all of you that do like him. I'm not a very bright man, nor have I ever claimed to be, so that is probably my problem with what he's doing here. If that's it, I can accept that. Grant's Batman is just not for me.
by guitarsmashley » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:42 pmI'm upset that Starlord didn't want a handjob.
by GLX » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:42 pm
I'm just gonna agree to disagree.
by Starlord » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:50 pm
When did I turn that down?
by guitarsmashley » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:53 pm
by Starlord » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:56 pmYES! Yes I need a handjob. God it's been years since I've actually just had a handjob. That sounds like a lot of fun.
(not including that solo stuff that I tend to do at noon, five, eight, and midnight)
by guitarsmashley » Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:57 pm
Why don't our loved ones realize that sometimes a good old hand job is all we want?
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Review Group Week #291 - Static Shock #1
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Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
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by Zero » Thu Sep 08, 2011 3:42 pmDidn't get hold of this in town today, so probably skipping this week. Ditto next week if it's Criminal since I trade-wait.
by Garofani Spruzzo » Thu Sep 08, 2011 3:43 pmI had a hard time getting through this new #1.
by Daringd » Thu Sep 08, 2011 7:28 pmI hate Scott McDaniels so I'm skipping this week. Also next week since I trade wait Criminal
by ****** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:02 pm
Seeing as you can get everything from DC digitally now (legally), that really shouldn't be used as a reason to skip anymore.
by Greg » Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:04 pm
he's always been a science whiz/nerd. He especially started to study more on electricity, etc, to learn more about his abilities and how he can use them for different things and different opponents.
by Garofani Spruzzo » Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:07 pmHardware was cool, maybe we could have a book about him instead?
by superfictious » Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:31 pm
IDK. DC wouldn't be bothering with any of the Milestone characters if not for Static. The other guys will be lucky to get any facetime.
To be honest, I have a feeling we're going to see a LOT of genius, tech-savvy black heroes in Static and Mr. Terrific. DC has that corner covered.
by Garofani Spruzzo » Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:40 pmWell when Mr Terrific gets cancelled then.
by DeadFett » Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:47 pmPunchy,
Can you add me to the members list please? I rejoined the group last week with a review of Uncanny X-Force. I'll post my review of this week's book over the weekend.
by Punchy » Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:02 amDone.
by Comic_Doctor » Fri Sep 09, 2011 3:59 pmI was never a fan of Static Shock before, and I'm still not now. I pledged to give all DC's new #1s a fair try, and this was the third book I read.
Once thing I hate in comics is when characters describe every thing they are doing. Readers are not stupid. McDaniel and Rozum do this the entire issue, and it's horrible.
I'm not sure who all the bad guys are, and not a lot of information was given on them either. I felt a bit lost there. The only things I did like about the story was how Static kept accidentally pissing off the citizens, and the disarming ending
Scott McDaniel's art is okay. His storytelling works well, and he does decent facial expressions. His overall style doesn't work for me, but I'm sure it does for others.
Static Shock #1 was far better than Hawk & Dove #1, but I don't see myself getting future issues. Not a "win" for DC in my eyes.
GRADE: 6 of 10
by Stephen Day » Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:40 pmI was hoping with this one, but my LCS didn't have any copies in.
by fieldy snuts » Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:01 pmWhile initially deciding not to buy this, I decided to give it a shot for the RG due to the fond memories I have of the cartoon.
From the start it's clear to me that Scott McDaniel and John Rozum obviously tried so hard to cram in as much as they could that this book that the end result left me looking at a badly overwritten book. It was way too wordy with it's expository dialog, and not in a Bendis rapid-fire-dialog kind of way but it had been crammed with so many long (and I mean LONG) inner monologs and huge word balloons that utterly dominated so many panels.
it wasn't enough that they went to extreme pains to go into blow-for-blow exposition on how Static uses science in his fights, but it's clear the writers just lost themselves in it and went wild. It was like I was reading a novel rather than reading a comic at times. Utterly distracting.
Onto the story, Static Shock was originally portrayed as a black Spider-Man WAY before Miles Morales and it shows here. Static's heroics earn him insults and jeers from New Yorkers (Static Shock is set in New York rather than Dakota this time around) and he works for S.T.A.R. Labs. He's a wisecracking young guy who relies on his brains as much as his powers to get through a fight and is basically a geek at heart. Maybe that would've stood out to me a lot more had the comic not had absurd levels of wordiness...it just felt lost among the sea of words.
Static also has a mentor figure in Hardware, an old Milestone character who I'm not overly familiar with. He basically provides him with advice and tech upgrades. Too bad Gear's not around in that role since he was a pretty big supporting character from the old TV series...but that's not really a big concern as the role is filled just as well.
Comparing it to Dwayne McDuffie's old Milestone series, there's not really much to benchmark the two as they're totally different books. Whereas the Milestone book was slightly darker and not afraid to tackle edgier social aspects (could this be what kept Gear out of this book? Just pure speculation on my part here) this book is clearly marketed as kid friendly...I'm not sure all these words would help hook kids into this much though.
The art...Scott McDaniel does double duty with both the writing AND art. I think he kind of defeated himself with the wordiness as at times it covered huge chunks of panels and really distracted from what would've otherwise been decent art. McDaniel's art is perfect for highlighting Static's electric based powers. Not much else stands out for me but I'll give him this, he does a decent enough job with the rest of it. Doesn't 'wow' me or anything but I have no problem with it.
So in summary...so much potential in the character and setting was just drowned out by an avalanche of words that weren't ever needed.
Writing: 3.5
Art: 7.0
Overall: 5.0
by BlueStreak » Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:51 pmJust FYI, Gear was not a character in the comic books.
Rick Stone was a supporting character in Static's comics, but never had powers or anything like that. I'm pretty sure he didn't even know about Virgil's life as a superhero.
by fieldy snuts » Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:53 pm
Yeah I know. I kind of mix up the two at times
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New Music for Christmas
A Garland of Carols is a homage to Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols. This charming set of carols includes a translation of the traditional Portuguese carol 'Beijai o menino', as well as original works such as Lanterns which evokes a barren winter landscape from which we are transported to a more mystical land in the middle section. Though originally written for trebles, the carols work equally well for female voices, and are suitable for being performed in totality, in smaller groups, or in Read more


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Lawrence Avery (not his real name) thought he was about to fulfill a long-postponed American dream when he decided, at 54, to buy his own home. "You know what they say; don't wait to buy real estate; buy real estate and wait," he says, remembering his enthusiasm for a home purchase after years of renting apartments. "Everybody said [home values] will always go up."
Not only was he buying, he was shooting the moon, moving out of his crowded Bronx neighborhood and into a comfortable house in Mount Vernon, N.Y., a working-class, predominantly African-American suburb. His timing could not have been worse. Mr. Avery bought his dream house in 2007, just as a national real estate swoon landed on New York. Within a few years his two-family house was valued at half what he would have laid out for it. That is, if he had laid out anything for it.
A recipient of what Peter Spino, a foreclosure prevention counselor for Westchester Community Housing Innovations, calls "liar loans," Mr. Avery was asked for no documents to secure his mortgage; his bank and broker relied merely on his high credit rating and reported salary. "At that time," Mr. Avery says, "if you had a pulse, you could get a mortgage."
In the past, former Mayor Clinton Young remembers, Mount Vernon residents were locked out of fair mortgages by bank redlining. This time the problem was the opposite. Predatory lenders found Mount Vernon's neighborhoods attractive sites for quick profits in refinancing schemes. Some lenders directed borrowers to subprime loans, which are more profitable to banks and brokers, even when they qualified for standard mortgages. (Countrywide Bank settled with the Justice Department over such practices, paying a $300 million fine.)
Veronica Raphael, director of Foreclosure Prevention for Westchester Residential Opportunities Inc., reports that many of the people she works with signed loans they did not understand. "They trusted the professionals they paid to advise them, including the attorneys," Ms. Raphael says.
Additional resources for individuals facing foreclosure can be found here.
The experience seemed painless to all parties as long as property values headed up, but when they started to fall many residents found themselves doubly trapped with debt burdens and diminished home values. Even longtime Mount Vernon homeowners with substantial home equity ended up losing their homes after predatory sales pitches ignited a craze for cash-out refinancing in the community in the years leading up to the collapse.
"I saw people take out $100 thousand to $200 thousand in one refinance," says Mr. Spino. As home values dropped, excessive refinancing left homeowners with little to no equity but much higher monthly debt-servicing burdens.
Mr. Avery's broker assured him that when the loan's adjusted rate kicked in, he could return for a fixed-rate 30-year loan. Securing another loan for the down payment, the broker arranged what would become a disastrous debt bundle. When the time arrived for the promised refinance, Mr. Avery's home value had plummeted, and he could not escape his high-interest deal.
His mortgage jumped from $2,000 a month to $3,500. Mr. Avery remembered, "It was tough there for a while, robbing Peter to pay Paul." Still, he was among the lucky ones in Mount Vernon. With Mr. Spino's help, he arranged a loan adjustment that has allowed him to stay in his home and within his budget.
The Damage Done
Millions of other homeowners nationwide have not been so lucky. A recent report from the Bipartisan Policy Group surveys the damage. The effects of the foreclosure crisis have been dispersed ethnically and geographically (although just 10 states account for almost 70 percent of the nation's total foreclosures). But while homeownership fell modestly for white non-Hispanics under 65, the housing bust has been especially hard on Latino and African-American communities, which have given up all the historic gains in homeownership they experienced between 1992 and 2000. Worse, the study reports that largely as a result of this fall-off in homeownership, the median wealth of African-American and Hispanic households has declined by one-half to two-thirds. How did things get so bad so fast?
The Web site RealtyTrac has become the go-to source on the state of the nation's foreclosure market and, by extension, its real estate market. Even government agencies use the data, says Daren Blomquist, director of marketing communications. That is because in the past, foreclosure numbers were so low no one bothered to track them; everyone assumed banks were watching out for their own interests. In 2005, foreclosures represented just 0.58 percent of the national real estate market; by 2010, over 2.2 percent of all homes were in foreclosure, and almost 10 percent of all homeowners were considered "distressed"—somewhere between significantly behind in mortgage payments and losing their homes outright to lenders.
That 2.2 percent mortgage failure rate may not seem high, but, explains Mr. Blomquist, most banks had never experienced such a high volume of loan failure; few had set aside enough reserve to absorb the losses. Small banks began to fail, setting in motion ripples of default. Compounding the crisis were now-valueless mortgage securities and related insurance swaps. The resulting crisis in the U.S. finance sector wreaked havoc on the economy as credit locked up, businesses closed and consumer spending plummeted.
By 2009 and 2010, Peter Spino was seeing a new class of clients, not casualties of bad loans but victims of the ruined economy.
Stephanie Newhart (not her real name) was an independent "head hunter" and a happy condo owner in White Plains, N.Y., with a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. Divorced with adult children, she took care of herself. Her business was booming; her savings and retirement accounts well stocked. Then 2008 rolled around and her business came to a dead stop; she could not place clients in jobs that did not exist. Maintaining the mortgage meant exhausting her savings and looting her retirement funds.
Ms. Newhart has worked on her loan modification for almost three years, but her lack of employment makes her a bad risk. The process has been emotionally and physically exhausting. She is convinced that stress drove her into the hospital last December with pneumonia; the unexpected medical costs only added to her financial troubles. "I'm just so grateful my children were already grown," she says. "If I had children to take care of during all this, I don't know what I would have done."
Long-Term Troubles
Much is sacrificed in the struggle to save a home. Foreclosure counselors report stay-at-home moms leaving their kids to find work; fathers taking second, even third, jobs to stay afloat; families doubling up; retirement and savings accounts drained; stress-driven divorces.
Many economists, tracking the effect of the foreclosures, now predict a market recovery this year or by 2014; some say even later. Who knows? RealtyTrac's Daren Blomquist says there is evidence that the overall housing market has begun to stabilize. He thinks foreclosures may have peaked in 2010. "We're heading in the right direction," he says. "It's still going to be a matter of years as opposed to months before foreclosure rates return to normal in most areas."
But the long-term impact of this foreclosure crisis will be measured over the next generation, as young people come of age in families with no savings to pay for their college and as older homeowners approach their senior years with diminished retirement accounts and home equity.
The legions of distressed or foreclosed properties still held off the market by banks threaten any long-term recovery of real estate value. But the Bipartisan Policy Center comments on a less-observed problem. In the coming decade the nation will have to absorb an increasing number of existing homes released into the market by retiring baby boomers. That overflow will continue to depress housing prices. Compounding the problem is the economic weakness of the "echo boom" or millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1995). Dislodged by economic crisis as they entered adulthood and facing tight credit restrictions, the echo boomer generation may experience deferred marriage, parenthood and "household formation." It may not be aggressive enough in home buying to propel the economy forward.
End of the Tunnel?
Anthony Marciano, a Century 21 realtor who works in Mount Vernon, says business has picked up a little this year, but his clients now tend to be investors. He is happy for the sales and thinks the appearance of bargain-hunters is a step in the right direction for the city. "Very few [individual buyers] can do the kind of work that these houses require," Mr. Marciano says. "Some of them have been vacated over two years."
During a long stretch of abandonment, a great deal of damage can be done to a property by vandals, scavengers, squatters, drug dealers and their clients, he says. The longer an uninhabited home is off the market, the more damage it incurs and the harder it is to sell. Such a vicious cycle of degradation can cripple a community like Mount Vernon. "Some of these homes have been decimated," says Mr. Marciano. "There is really nothing left." Thieves have stolen even the copper fixtures and plumbing from some properties.
Though some may consider this to be vulture capitalism writ small, the phenomenon of real estate investors circling with an eye on quick renovation and turnover or conversion of single-family homes into rental units is a development that could be "positive for the city," Mr. Marciano says. With investor-buyers, Mount Vernon is "getting people who can afford to be in the house," says Mr. Marciano. "People are getting homes that have been renovated; and once you renovate one house, that starts changing the whole look of the block."
Mr. Blomquist agrees. "Real estate investors and speculators...could really help by buying up inventory in this market."
It is a process that the Obama administration is now encouraging on a grand scale by inviting large investors to take large blocks of property off the hands of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac at sale prices.
Ms. Raphael argues more must be done to end the crisis. She says the federal government must try something dramatic, like a reduced loan rate for all Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-backed mortgages. Mr. Spino suggests that banks should fast-track procedures to speed both loan modifications and foreclosures through the system; Mr. Marciano suggests a new round of first-time homebuyers' tax credits.
A Role for Religious Communities
Religious institutions and local community groups too can play an important role in responding to the crisis. Ms. Newhart says her tough-luck story has ended as happily as it could, because she was able to tap into community services. After she visited her temple, feeling in need of spiritual sustenance, her fortunes began to change. "If you can get quiet enough to listen, that's what can happen," she says.
At the synagogue she found a brochure for Westchester Jewish Community Services. Through that agency she connected with a support network of other people who were struggling as she was; she found job leads, financial counseling and other services that helped her get back on her feet. She landed a full-time job with benefits last December, and the dependable income was sufficient for Citibank to approve her loan modification. Now she can remain in her home and start rebuilding her life; her retirement is not far off. "I have to start from scratch," Ms. Newhart says; "What else can I do?"
Mount Vernon, says former Mayor Young, has learned some hard lessons in financial literacy. "Unfortunately the stakes were extremely high for the lessons that had to be learned," he says. In addition to the abandoned homes, he says, the town's civic spirit was deeply damaged by the departure of residents, many born and raised in Mount Vernon, who lost their homes.
"We are in the process of recovery," Mr. Young says. The people who remain, he says, "are still committed to the success of their neighborhoods and the success of this city."
Additional resources for individuals facing foreclosure can be found here.
I think it is an unfair assumption that the investors are the same individuals who brought on the real estate collapse. The situation is that most people did not lose their homes, but large numbers of people are wary of committing to a home purchase now. People these days want to rent, not buy, so whether or not the investors are greedy or guilty, they are the best hope.
When first I saw the graph, I thought something was wrong. However, until I worked out NV, I didn't know exactly what. I should have snapped right to it, even though it has been 4-5 decades since I last had math classes.
Fundamental lack of knowledge in math and science by all citizens causes choices that go against reason.
But of loans they originated and held, in GA especially, which has one of, if not the highest, failure rate by number of banks in the nation, the problem is contruction and development loans which are bringing them down and continue to do so.
Not only are there completed and lived-in houses unsold, there are completed new houses unsold still owned by the developer or now a bank. There are uncompleted new houses unsold still owned by the developer or now a bank. There are developed and partially developed sites for new houses unsold still owned by the developer or now a bank.
And there is each of the same for commercial property.
The false optimism which caused the houses to be sold causes the business space to be vacant. Construction jobs have dried up except in the rehab business, because of the huge oversupply of available properties.
And yes investors and speculators are helping by providing jobs to get the residential and commercial properties "user-ready".
All people who did not assume a large risk when they bought their house will not have a problem. Those who did assume risk, are finding that risk has a chance of becoming real. That is the meaning of risk.
When the memory of evil receeds, either of war or financial crisis or ..., the chance of its return increases. Who said "Those who do not study and remember history are likely to relive it."?


text: So I had my samsung for four days, and I sat down on the cushioned seat in my truck with it in my back pocket and crack!!! It shattered the very bottom of the screen glass right in between the home button and the trim. I came from an Iphone 4S and would keep it there unprotected all the time. I had no idea this screen is so fragile. This sucks. Good thing I got the insurance.


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I don't know if you guys have seen
But it's Harvards intro to computer science course for free online. Someone on the forums showed it to me.
My question is how to navigate it. In what order do you open and read/view the files? There's a bunch of different sub topics and it's a little confusing.
If anyone knows that'd be super appreciated! Thanks!


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Developer - Cafe X Technologies
Cafe X opens a robotic coffee shop in SF
Published on Jan 30, 2017
"Cafe X opens in San Francisco, bringing robots to the coffee shop"Cafe X was started by three college friends with a passion for robotics and an eye for efficiency. The robot barista uses beans from local coffee shops to create a variety of espresso drinks. TechCrunch visited the mechanized coffee shop at San Francisco's AMC Matron.
by John Mannes
January 30, 2017
This robot barista makes a Dang Good Latte
Published on Jan 30, 2017
Cafe X's robotic baristas could be the future of java jolts. The company's robot-staffed kiosks sling precision-made espresso drinks starting at $2.25 a cup, just don't expect any fancy latte art.
Robot barista at Cafe X
Published on Sep 3, 2017
"Hello Robot Barista, Make Mine an Americano"In a corner of San Francisco's Metreon shopping center, by the food court and adjacent to the movie theater, there's a robot barista.
At Cafe X, a robot behind reinforced clear plexiglass will take your coffee order. Just tap it out on a nearby tablet or the app on your phone.
by Sophia Stuart
September 3, 2017


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