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The second problem is the government's inability to protect human interests. While armies and reserves are trained, resourced and mobilized to destroy, it seems like an overreach to ask for those same people to put down their weapons and pick up a shovel and some gloves. After not being able to point me in the direction of donation drop-offs or shelters when I first went out to Far Rockaway two days ago, an officer recommended I call 311 for information. Call. From an area where phones are mostly down, to a number clogged with phone calls asking for help. Not that I've ever been a big believer in the powers of government, but can't they even organize volunteers better and drive them down in public buses to the areas where they're needed?
Today, Far Rockaway
by Sofía Gallisá Muriente
I don't even know how to begin processing the experiences I had today.
I woke up early to ride out to Far Rockaway with a friend of a friend who was one of the precious few with a car that had gas in its tank. My plan was to get to my friend Heather's house, which I already knew had been severely damaged by the storm, taking three feet of water in the first floor because of its closeness to the beach. I brought along random things that I thought could be helpful – trash bags, heavy duty gloves, cleaning supplies, shovels, some extra apples.
We drove through mild traffic in the Brooklyn that didn't have it so rough, the Brooklyn that still has power, working stoplights, open shops, and lots of people on the street trying to get back to their normal lives. As we neared the Rockaways there were subtle signs that things had been much more difficult out there; fallen trees, boats that got carried out onto the grass, debris everywhere and a puddle here and there.
As soon as we crossed the bridge onto the Rockaways, the day turned into a marathon of oh-my-gods and holy-shits that seem to be the only empty phrases one can call on when you're driven speechless by what surrounds you. What happened here? How is this not in the news? Where is the government? What can I do? Where do we even start? The enormity of the desperation and destruction is such, that you just feel like it's out of your hands, above your pay grade, beyond your biggest efforts.
There's sand and rubble everywhere, like the beach stretched out for blocks into the streets and once the tide retreated all that was left was the bottom of the ocean. Cars are strewn about, some upside down, others on top of lamp posts, and some seem normal, until you get close and you realize they're not parked on top of that sidewalk or across those two parking spots, that's just where the waters left them. Everyone's been taking out everything they lost and placing it on their sidewalk, so a drive around town is a tour through people's discarded belongings, sitting like abandoned memories waiting for a garbage truck that no one knows if or when it will come.
Here and there sit houses and small businesses burnt to the ground, an image of desolation unlike any I've ever seen; and I've seen hurricanes, I'm from the Caribbean. Granted, in Puerto Rico I would see the devastation on TV, maybe drive out donations to a shelter. Now it seems like a premonition that the first thing the burnt block on 114th reminded me of was footage of the Detroit riots of decades past. Three days later, smoke was still coming out of the rubble, and one could see the occasional flame. Here a staircase that leads into nothing. There a door that doesn't open into anything at all anymore. Neighbors crowded around still staring in shock and taking cell phone pictures. Some held tissues to their face so as not to inhale the smoke or smell the burning. A mother told her child in rain boots not to step on the puddle, because there's gasoline in the water running down the street.
We got to the house early and Heather wasn't there yet to instruct us on how to help her out and clean the house. We knew a block away some friends had set up some sort of temporary donation drop off and relief center, so we walked over to lend a hand. First we met Wayne, a neighbor who seemed to have the situation under control. Next we met Sal, the owner of what a week ago was a brand new community center and is now this refuge. Less than five minutes passed before a church van pulled up with 25 boxes of pizza, and we started handing it out. The sidewalk flooded immediately and we ran out in a matter of minutes. The need became immediately apparent, and we started giving out everything we could that was in our hands. As time went by, more volunteers showed up, with more food, more clothes, a big Greenpeace truck with a solar power generator, lots of people anxious to make themselves useful, and fortunately for all, name-tags.
Outside on the sidewalk, the parade of pleas and horrific stories seemed infinite. A spanish-speaking family whose house was burnt down on the block told me of swimming out of their house and treading water while the flames took over it. Swimming over the train tracks behind the house, they had no idea what lied underneath or where this was going to take them. Half of the family walked away in the middle of the retelling, seemingly tired of hearing it again and again.
As the hours went by, we started learning peoples' names and organizing things in shelves, by sizes, through committees and other intuitive classifications. Friends kept showing up with new energies and a clear sense of purpose. People asked who we were, where we came from, who they should thank. People asked "what's happening everywhere else?" "When do you open tomorrow?" –and up close in a whisper- "Do you have sanitary napkins?". I didn't even have time to take my camera out of the trunk of the car.
Some came to get a plate of hot food and stayed to help out, charging phones or sorting out donations. A woman showed up and asked if anyone recognized her dads' name, because he used to live in the street in front and she hadn't spoken to him in years and wanted to know he was all right. I was serving dishes of food as fast as I could and had to stop and hold back the tears. I was holding back tears all day, it seemed. At the time, I was just glad the Wall Street Journal photographer had left and wasn't around to capture that.
A woman who had been helping together with her family since early in the morning confessed to us that she had lost everything. She was happy to stay busy, give back to others and not think about it much. Still, every now and again, some relative would grab a nice comforter or a bag of breadsticks and sneak it out for her.
I don't even know how many hours went by, I never made it to Heather's house for anything else but to deliver hot soup and chit-chat. The sun went down and all of a sudden everything was dark. The first ominous sign of what was ahead was the military truck that lit our path as we tried to guess our way down the block back to the car.
We gave a ride to a neighbor and fellow volunteer that had walked 40 blocks to be with us. Suddenly, we found ourselves behind a Homeland Security armored vehicle parked on the middle of the street. Men in military uniforms and bulletproof vests climbed out holding long rifles and surrounded a group of three young black males. The guys put down the cans they were holding, put up their hands and smirked. The four women in our car looked on horrified, and I pulled out my cell phone camera as fast as I could, only to be confronted by one of the men in uniform. "There's been looting", he said, and I realized he was the first government official of any kind I'd seen outside of a vehicle today. Everyone else had been guarding a gas station or a cell-phone recharging generator. We were shaking with anger, and were instructed to move on.
After dropping our friend off, we started driving back home with a tank low on fuel and an extra empty seat. The streets were dark and there were no working stoplights. In the middle of the highway behind Jacob Riis Park, where the beach seems to have flooded over the entire parking lot, across the highway and met the water on the other side, we saw a silhouette on the side of the road walking. I jumped out of the car into the cold, cold night and offered a ride; we got thanks and blessings to last us a lifetime of mischievous deeds.
After dropping him off two hours early of his estimated time of arrival, we drove around frantically trying to fill up the tank with gas before getting stranded in unknown territory. Station after station was taped or boarded up, with sloppily written signs on the pumps announcing they were out of gas. The only station that was open we found after driving past over a hundred vehicles that were parked in line waiting to fill up. A hundred more people stood in line filling up little red tanks.
On the final walk home, as I neared 'normality', I walked past a woman talking on her phone. "Maybe this was a blessing in disguise" is all I could make out and all I needed to hear. I tightened my grip on the shovel still dirty with sand that I was carrying, wanting to hit her on the head with it. I kept walking, down the street full of leaves, past the car crushed by a tree (now partially removed and chopped up) and into my apartment. The first thought as I walked through the door was "why didn't I donate that blanket?" "I don't really even use those shoes" "what else can I give?" Nothing feels like enough.
At least, I can say, I went out there today, and will again tomorrow. At least, I can say, I kept busy and felt useful. It's a magical feeling, at times. Other times, it's not nearly enough. What breaks my heart is having lived through that for just a day and not knowing what to do with myself. What hurts is recognizing now more than ever how easily we detach from the reality around us. What pisses me off is how it's up to ragtag teams of individuals to make things happen, in a rich city where until a week ago everything seemed surmountable.
There's a problem with our attitude of measuring the damage of the storm by just looking at ourselves, our apartments, our blocks and maybe our neighborhoods after a leisurely morning-after stroll. There is no our. The thinking is, now I'll go back to normal. I'll take the unexpected vacation. I'll finally finish that book, that TV series, that thesis. We reach out on facebook and holler out "I got power back! If you need anything just come on by!" and we feel good about ourselves.
The second problem is the government's inability to protect human interests. While armies and reserves are trained, resourced and mobilized to destroy, it seems like an overreach to ask for those same people to put down their weapons and pick up a shovel and some gloves. After not being able to point me in the direction of donation drop-offs or shelters when I first went out to Far Rockaway two days ago, an officer recommended I call 311 for information. Call. From an area where phones are mostly down, to a number clogged with phone calls asking for help. Not that I've ever been a big believer in the powers of government, but can't they even organize volunteers better and drive them down in public buses to the areas where they're needed?
But maybe none of this is true and I'm just spitting out something that was brewing in my belly when I got home after a heavy day. The underlying problem is that after getting frustrated by the mild opportunities the bike-able city gave me to volunteer, I decided to go out to Far Rockaway to help my friend Heather out, because cleaning her flooded house sounded like a good, decent, concrete thing I could do to lend a hand after the storm. It wasn't until I drove down Rockaway Boulevard looking at burnt down buildings and piles of damp furniture on the sidewalks. It wasn't until I asked someone what they needed specifically that I could get them from our stash of donations and he looked at me half-proud, half-embarrassed and said "Everything. We have nothing." That's when my brain exploded.
PS: I'm not writing any of this to make anyone feel better or worse about how they're dealing with the storm. I'm writing it because I needed to get out something in my gut and put it into words, share it with friends and leave some proof of this feeling. I don't even know some of these friends that I talked about, I just shook hands with some of them today or tried to remember the name scribbled out on red tape on their chest. They are my friends, still. I hugged them and they looked me in the eye. They are people I want to call my friends, known or unknown.
If you want to join storm relief efforts in Far Rockaway, our yet-to-be-named donation drop-off and relief center is located on Beach 113th street and Rockaway Boulevard, a block or two away from the 116th street subway station, which of course is out of service.
If you want to help the people of Far Rockaway, here are some ideas:
If you have a car with gas, there's no excuse. Drive it out to where people need help, bring people and things with you. Lend it out to someone who's willing and able, if you can't. Worst case scenario, donate your gas, let's suck it out with a tube. It's simple.
If you have access to any of these or to money and stores where to buy them, here are some of the most popular requests of the day:
-Socks, gloves, scarves
If you have time on your hands, cook a big hot meal. We have ways of getting it there. Hopefully you do too and there's one less thing to worry about.
More: Occupy Sandy Relief


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The rituals involved in submitting work to literary magazines are almost as precise and complicated as those of the writing process itself. Most writers take great care in signing cover letters, applying proper postage, self-addressing their stamped envelopes, even patiently centering binder clips as if dressing a child for the first day of school. But a growing number of magazines are switching to an online submission process, making those rituals—not to mention the U.S. Postal Service—unnecessary.
Proponents of online submissions say the process saves money on postage and paper and cuts down on response times.
Proponents of online submissions say the process saves money on postage and paper and cuts down on response times, since it curtails much of the administrative work involved in logging, assigning, and distributing manuscripts once they are received by a magazine. It also reduces the chances of submissions being lost. Online submission systems usually notify writers once their work is received. After setting up accounts, writers can also log on to the journal's Web site, determine whether their work is still under consideration, or review what they have previously submitted.
Last August, the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) unveiled Submission Manager, an online software system that makes submitting manuscripts a cheaper, less protracted process for writers, while offering greater efficiency to literary journal staffs. Designed by One Story webmaster Devin Emke, the software allows writers to submit electronic manuscripts and enter their own contact information directly into a journal's database—in effect, logging their own submissions. A number of magazines, such as A Public Space, Fence, jubilat, and Ploughshares, are using the software. Others, like Glimmer Train Stories, use customized online systems.
Jeb Livingood, the faculty adviser to Meridian, a literary magazine produced by MFA students at the University of Virginia, says his online submission system provides a level of access that "gives our submissions and contests an amount of transparency they didn't have before." Using Submission Manager, a journal editor can also access previous editorial notes to see whether an author's past submissions have shown promise. "This way authors can develop a relationship with a magazine," says Hannah Tinti, the editor of One Story.
Emke originally designed Submission Manager for One Story in 2002, but over time he recognized a demand for "an off-the-shelf, commercial product." After CLMP offered to market a more generic version of the software, several of the organization's member journals began beta-testing the software in late 2005. The software was finally made available to all of CLMP's members last summer. Prices range from three hundred dollars to five hundred dollars, depending on the journal's operating budget.
Online systems like Submission Manager can have glitches, however. An early problem with the software resulted in a batch of manuscripts at jubilat being inadvertently deleted. (Since Submission Manager keeps a complete record of submissions, however, jubilat's staff was able to e-mail writers and ask them to resend their work.) The majority of problems, such as writers uploading their work in improper formats, are relatively easy to fix.
Those editors reluctant to convert to online submissions have expressed concerns about economics and eyestrain. Printing out thousands of electronic submissions is not feasible for most journals, and the alternative—asking readers to stare at screens—does not appeal to editors like Stephanie G'Schwind, whose staff members at the Colorado Review consistently tell her "they don't want to read submissions on-screen." Michael Czyzniejewski, the editor of Mid-American Review, agrees. "Sitting at a computer terminal for so many more hours than I already do seems like a complete nightmare."
Many editors do recognize the benefits of online submissions, however, and don't want to miss out on the trend. "I don't want to lose submissions because good writers are sending their work with a click of a button instead of wasting postage, stationery, and a lot of time," says Czyzniejewski.
Before Glimmer Train switched to an online system several years ago, shouldering the stack of submissions was more than coeditors Susan Burmeister-Brown and Linda Swanson-Davies could handle. "We'd come back from a three-day weekend and there would be eight mail buckets leaning against our office door," says Burmeister-Brown. While not all writers and editors agree that the time has come for an exclusively online submission process, most would agree that eight mail buckets can hold an awful lot of paper—and in this time of heightened awareness of limited natural resources and green initiatives, the days of binder clips, SASEs, and slush piles may be numbered.
Matthew Pitt is a writer and teacher currently living in Brooklyn.

subset: commoncrawl


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Volume 6 Number 49 December 4, 2009
Dear Floridian:
As we enter the holiday season I know many of us are facing tight times, and our team at the Department of Financial Services is working hard to help Florida citizens on issues that are hitting close to home.
That's why this year we have held over a hundred workshops throughout the state to help seniors learn to protect themselves against financial fraud and assist homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage. And that's why this week I continued my fight for stronger oversight and greater accountability for the state pension fund that over a million Floridians depend on for a secure retirement, including Florida's teachers, police officers, firefighters and state employees.
The holiday season is an important reminder of what we can achieve when we work together, and I am always proud of the work done by my team at the Department of Financial Services and grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Florida.
Alex Sink
State of Florida
Florida CFO Alex Sink presented her three proposals to improve the oversight of the state's pension fund and protect Floridians' retirement security at a meeting of the Investment Advisory Council (IAC) on Thursday morning. For nearly two years, CFO Sink has recommended reforms to strengthen the transparency, accountability and oversight of the state's $110 billion public pension fund and other investment funds managed by the State Board of Administration (SBA).
"It takes more than three elected officials – none of whom are required to have prior investment experience – to oversee the $110 billion fund that our police officers, teachers and other state employees depend on for their financial future," said CFO Sink. "I've proposed a more businesslike approach to overseeing the retirement security of almost one million Floridians who depend on our pension fund, and these common-sense reforms shouldn't wait any longer."
The latest of CFO Sink's reforms to strengthen and enhance the oversight of the state's pension fund were presented at a September 2009 Cabinet meeting. During that meeting, her motions were delayed by the other two members of the SBA Board of Trustees, Governor Crist and Attorney General McCollum.
The three specific reforms CFO Sink outlined today at the IAC meeting are as follows:
At the upcoming SBA Quarterly Board Meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, December 8, the trustees will vote on CFO Sink's latest recommendations to expand the board and provide stronger oversight for Florida's pension fund.
Florida CFO Alex Sink on Wednesday commended the 25-person strong delegation from Florida attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this month. CFO Sink also called on the diverse delegation of leaders from the private and public sectors to seek out opportunities to grow Florida's new energy economy during their trip.
"I'm hopeful that this strong delegation will help bring new, green jobs back to Florida, as we work to harness our state's resources and make Florida an international leader in the green energy economy," said CFO Sink. "I commend the delegation's efforts to ensure that our state is well represented during these negotiations, and thank Enterprise Florida for their work to connect the delegation with important new energy businesses."
CFO Sink has focused on new and renewable energy as an important part of growing Florida's economy. During her tenure, she sponsored the CEO Roundtable for Florida Business on Renewable Energy; participated in an effort to mitigate the state's vulnerability to climate change through hurricanes; launched the "Conversations on Climate Change" series for the Florida Cabinet; and worked to help the insurance and investor community better understand climate change-related financial risk.
Florida CFO Alex Sink on Friday announced that an Orlando insurance agent she ordered barred for life from transacting insurance in Florida in August has been sentenced for third-degree felony grand theft after he submitted fraudulent insurance applications for family members and phantom employees in order to collect sales commissions. As part of his plea agreement, William Stanley Potocki, 44, was sentenced to 24 months of probation, 50 hours community service, and was ordered to pay more than $3,900 in restitution.
"Fraud doesn't just hurt insurance companies, it inflicts real financial pain on families, businesses and communities because we all pay for fraud through higher insurance premiums," said CFO Sink. "Our message is clear -- Florida will not tolerate fraud and if you attempt these types of scams you will be prosecuted. I also want to commend AFLAC for detecting and reporting this scheme."
From November 2007 to February 2009, Potocki conducted business as an agent for American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC) and provided insurance products to numerous businesses in Central Florida. An audit of his business records led the AFLAC compliance department to believe he was creating fraudulent insurance applications for family members and phantom employees of the companies he serviced. AFLAC's Special Investigative Unit referred the case to CFO Sink's Division of Insurance Fraud for criminal investigation.
The Division of Insurance Fraud investigation confirmed that Potocki had submitted fraudulent insurance applications, and he was arrested on May 26, 2009. On August 24, 2009, the Division of Agent and Agency Services revoked the licenses of Potocki and his agency bearing his name, and permanently barred him from working in the insurance business in Florida.
DIF made over 800 insurance fraud-related arrests in the last fiscal year, and investigates various forms of insurance fraud relating to health, life, auto, property and workers' compensation insurance policies. Depending on the estimated loss amount, the Department of Financial Services will pay up to $25,000 for information directly leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information about this or any other suspected insurance fraud is asked to call CFO Sink's Fraud Fighters Hotline at 1-800-378-0445 or visit to www.MyFloridaCFO.com/fraud.
Florida CFO Alex Sink on Monday released an analysis from former Florida Supreme Court Justice Major Harding affirming that CFO Sink's proposal to strengthen the oversight of the state's $110 billion pension fund can be accomplished solely by a legislative change. When CFO Sink proposed expanding the Board of Trustees in September, it was questioned whether amending Florida's constitution would be necessary, and Justice Harding's legal analysis clearly states that it would not.
CFO Sink sent a letter to the Governor and Attorney General with Justice Harding's analysis that "the Legislature has the power to redefine the composition of the authority supervising the Pension Fund." CFO Sink has called for an expanded board to include one or more members with extensive relative investment experience and one or more members who is a beneficiary or participant in the Florida Retirement System.
"Nearly one million Floridians depend on the state pension fund for a secure retirement, and I have long advocated that oversight of these investments should include more than just three elected officials with no required financial experience," said CFO Sink. "This independent legal analysis confirms that expanding the Board of Trustees can be done by a legislative change, and it's time for the Governor and Attorney General to join me in pushing for this meaningful reform."
CFO Sink's letter and Justice Harding's analysis are attached. She also copied the members of the Investment Advisory Council, whom she spoke to about her reforms at their meeting this Thursday, December 3.
The Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate has just published its third quarterly newsletter, The Advocate's Advice, with informational articles and advisories to communicate directly with the insurance consumers of Florida.
Headlines for this quarter's newsletter include:
If you would like to subscribe to The Advocate's Advice, please select the "Subscribe" link in the left-hand column of the online newsletter. You may also visit past issues by selecting the previous issues link. Comments or suggestions for future issues are welcome.
Read the newsletter: http://www.MyFloridaCFO.com/ICA/Newsletter/.
The Insurance Consumer Advocate is appointed by Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and is committed to finding solutions to insurance issues facing Floridians, calling attention to questionable insurance practices, promoting a viable insurance market responsive to the needs of Florida's diverse population and assuring that rates are fair and justified.
Florida CFO Alex Sink announced on Thursday that her Division of Insurance Fraud arrested Jacksonville insurance agent Kathren Zaazouh on two counts of insurance fraud. Zaazouh allegedly submitted approximately 225 bogus insurance applications and pocketed almost $46,000 in advance commissions. She faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
"Insurance fraud hits every single Floridian right in the wallet, because if unchecked it will hike up their premiums," said CFO Sink. "We will continue to crack down on this type of insurance fraud and I commend our investigators for their diligent work in this case."
Zaazouh worked for American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC) until March 2009, when she was terminated following an investigation by AFLAC's Special Unit Investigator. AFLAC then forwarded its findings to the Division of Insurance Fraud for criminal investigation.
The Division's investigation found that Zaazouh submitted hundreds of applications with fake names of employees for several different businesses that had AFLAC group policies and created a fake business using a list of non-existing employees. Zaazouh was arrested December 1 and charged with Insurance Fraud and Organized Scheme to Defraud. She was booked into the Duval County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
CFO Sink's Division of Insurance Fraud made over 800 insurance fraud-related arrests in the last fiscal year, and investigates various forms of insurance fraud, including health, life, auto, property and workers' compensation insurance. Depending on the estimated loss amount, the Department of Financial Services will pay up to $25,000 for information directly leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information about this or any other suspected insurance fraud is asked to call CFO Sink's Fraud Fighters Hotline at 1-800-378-0445 or visit to www.MyFloridaCFO.com/fraud.
Florida CFO Alex Sink's Department of Financial Services, in partnership with the Lighthouse of Pinellas, presented a free workshop on Tuesday morning to educate seniors and their caregivers on how to be protected from financial fraud.
CFO Sink's Safeguard our Seniors initiative, launched more than a year ago in response to increasing reports of financial scams targeting seniors, is focusing on educating and informing caregivers about how they can help protect the seniors they care for from financial fraud.
To learn more about CFO Sink's Safeguard Our Seniors initiative and about what to consider when purchasing annuities, visit www.flseniors.net. Floridians who believe they may have been victims of financial fraud should call toll-free 1-877-MY-FL-CFO or (850) 413-3089 or log on to www.MyFloridaCFO.com to file a complaint.
Since January CFO Sink and the Department of Financial Services have held over 50 Florida Housing Help workshops throughout the state to assist homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage. At a workshop this week in Naples, CFO Sink's Department and her community partners were able to help Rex and Sarah Fritchey of Lehigh Acres, both 71, who will now take steps to modify their mortgage in an effort to save their home.
The Naples Daily News reported on the Fritcheys' experience at the workshop, which you can read here.
Other struggling homeowners like Mr. and Mrs. Fritchey can attend one of CFO Sink's Florida Housing Help workshops to speak directly to lenders, legal aid, and community resources. To learn more about CFO Sink's Florida Housing Help initiative, visit www.MyFloridaCFO.com.
Upcoming Florida Housing Help events:
Wednesday, December 9 at 5:00 p.m. Florida Housing Help - Free Legal Clinic War on Poverty-Florida (inside Gateway Mall) Gateway Mall, 5196-A Norwood Ave, Jacksonville, FL
Tuesday, December 15 at 6 p.m. Foreclosure Prevention Workshop Greenacres City Community Hall, Swain Blvd, Greenacres City, FL
Wednesday, December 16 at 5 p.m. Florida Housing Help Workshop Joseph P. D'Alessandro Office Complex (State Building) 2295 Victoria Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901
The holiday shopping season is now in full swing as consumers hit the shopping aisles to find that perfect Christmas present for someone special. It's easy to get in the holiday spirit with Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" playing through the overhead speakers, and while you might think the greatest danger to your wallet is in the aisles, where you might be tempted to overspend, it's really at the checkout line.
Store employees are often coached on how to encourage consumers to purchase a warranty or extended service plan to protect their purchases. And if you're a consumer. it's hard not to think about the dreaded possibility of your shiny new laptop breaking and needing an expensive repair. Time magazine points out that private companies offer warranties to make a profit because they need to take in more money than they pay out in warranty claims. The profit margin on extended warranties is reputed to be between 40 percent and 80 percent.
Consumer Reports (CR) states that extended warranties are almost always bad deals for consumers, and here's why:
If you're really leaning toward purchasing the warranty anyway, CR recommends that you not pay more than 20 percent of the purchase price of the product. Always try to negotiate a better price.
If you decide to purchase a warranty on electronics, keep in mind that many times you can get a better extended warranty from the manufacturer of the product, at a lower price. There are some extended warranties that may actually benefit you, and the key is to weigh the pros and cons rather than feel pressured by the salesperson.
According to Consumer Reports, cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past two years. Watch for scams and cheats when you are web shopping this holiday season.
McAfee security company is warning of the most common swindles crooks will use to get your money as you cybershop. Crooks often pretend to sell you something that will never ship and also operate by grabbing your identity or gaining access to your bank account.
According to Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Labs, these thieves follow seasonal trends and create holiday-related web sites, scams and other convincing e-mails that can trick even the most cautious users.
Scam 1: Charity phishing - be careful to whom you give
Scam 2: Fake invoices from delivery services to steal your money
Scam 3: Social networking - a cybercriminal wants to be your friend
Scam 4: The dangers of holiday e-cards
Scam 5: Luxury holiday jewelry comes at a high price
Scam 6: Practice safe holiday shopping - online identity theft on the rise
Scam 7: Christmas carol lyrics can be risky searches
Scam 8: Outbidding for crime – auction site fraud
Scam 9: Password theft is rampant
Scam 10: E-mail banking scams through official-looking e-mails
Read more about these cyberscams.
Don't let the crooks get away with it! Never click on links in suspicious e-mails, which can easily redirect you to false or misleading web sites. If you create a new account use a unique password with letters and symbols, rather than using the same password for all of your logins.


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U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has paid a visit to the village in western Poland where his maternal ancestors were married in the 19th century and examined the marriage documents.
On the second day of his official visit to Poland, Hagel traveled on Friday to Kiszkow, where his mother's grandparents came from, before immigrating to the United States. On Thursday, Hagel told reporters his grandmother's name was Kakolewska.
In the village, he stopped at Dabrowka church and examined the original marriage certificate, a copy of which was offered to him.
The church is located on the same site of the church where his ancestors were married in 1882, but which burned down in the 1920s.


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Dragon Wars Trivia (NES)
Published by
Also For
Critic Score
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
User Score
5 point score based on user ratings.
Bard's TaleDragon Wars was developed as The Bard's Tale IV, but three months before release the name had to be dropped. Interplay replaced Electronic Arts with Mediagenic as their publisher and Electronic Arts owned the Bard's Tale name. It was decided to rename the game to Dragon Wars. The developers had to rewrite the story so it would fit the new title.
Default Party CharactersThe party in the beginning of the game consists of four default party members (which may optionally be deleted and replaced with new characters). The original party members are: Muskels, Theb, Elendil, and Cheetah. Three additional characters may also optionally be recruited in-game, these characters are: Louie, Ulric, and Valar.
The Elendil party character in this game bears the same name with a fictional character created by author J. R. R. Tolkien, the first high king of Arnor and Gondor. One notable scene from Fellowship of the Ring, where Elendil dies fighting Sauron, his broken sword is then used to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand.
Importable CharactersThe player may transfer (import) previously made character(s) from Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard's Tale and The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight into Dragon Wars. Transferring characters will unfortunately delete the previously saved game. Click on the file dwtran.com to transfer characters.
MythologyPurgatory, the starting city in the game, comes from a legend or a myth referring to a place between earth and hell.
Reversed Spelling/SemordnilapsSome of the names used in the game have a meaning if spelled backwards. Though it may be coincidental, there are numerous names that are used in this manner, among others:
- Namtar, the bad guy's name read backwards is Ratman.
- Another name used in the game, Lanac'toor, read backwards is Root Canal.
Contributed by Indra was here (20919) on Jun 19, 2003. [revised by : Cantillon (17176), Indra was here (20919) and Patrick Bregger (230508)]. -- edit trivia


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First Choice Power: Energy From Izoro to Inez
Texas consumers who are interested in unique options for their payments might like to look at First Choice Power energy service. First Choice Power offers a variety of billing methods to its customers. Look for your city to learn more about First Choice Power energy solutions that may be available in your part of TX.
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First Choice Power: Energy Rates
Actual First Choice Power bills can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In addition to online payments, bills can also be paid over the telephone. Both automated menus and direct transactions with a First Choice Power energy representatives are available. Spanish-speaking customers might prefer to have their First Choice Power electricity billing delivered in Spanish and automatic payments are perfect for forgetful consumers. Instead of needing to remember to pay your First Choice Power electricity bills, payments are automatically made with your credit or debit card each month. Automatic bank draft payments are another option.
Maybe you've already elected to go with First Choice Power green energy solutions and you want to do even more to help the environment. If this sounds like you, then you should try paperless billing. This service sends your First energy bill via email instead of traditional mail. You'll help save trees and cut down on the pile of mail on your kitchen table.
First Choice Power's Care to Share Fund is a bill payment assistance program that helps struggling families pay for electricity. This customer-funded initiative helps relieve qualifying residential customers of their electricity debt. Willing First Choice Power energy customers can choose to donate to this fund each month on their payment form. Donations of any size can be made and are welcome. Also, an added perk is that this service is tax-deductible.


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We've all heard that most people would prefer to swallow a pill than work hard to lose weight and get healthier. I don't know that a survey was ever performed to substantiate this claim, but based on my knowledge of human behavior, I'm willing to believe it's true. However, I'm also hopeful that it's changing despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval for long-term use of two drugs (and a third is under review) for weight loss. The effects of exercise and a proper diet go far beyond the simple weight loss benefit that these pills provide (not to mention these pills' potential adverse side effects). The pills don't help individuals gain strength, improve their cardio function, increase flexibility and balance, or prevent diseases that are related to poor eating habits and lack of exercise.
Americans know they need to lose weight. Sixty-four percent of women surveyed in September 2006 said that getting in shape would be on their list of New Year's resolutions. It's more than just a New Year's thought though. Seventy-one percent of women decide at least twice a year to eat right and exercise, and 37 percent renew their weight-loss and fitness vows four or more times a year, according to the results of the Kraft South Beach Diet survey.
Americans aren't passing the buck when it comes to the obesity epidemic either. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, recently released a 2004 survey of people of varying weight. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed cited lack of will power as one cause of the obesity epidemic, and 73 percent cited the high cost of healthy food.
Based partly on these survey results, I get the impression that the media's relentless focus on the obesity epidemic may have begun turning the tide. And shows such as NBC's "The Biggest Loser" may be helping. The show follows two groups of overweight individuals as they compete to see who loses the most weight through a regimen of exercise and proper nutrition. I have watched a few episodes of the show, and I can only imagine how inspirational a show like this could be to an overweight or obese individual. The series shows the pain of exercise, but it also shows the contestants' dedication to achieve their desired results and most importantly, it shows the joy of having accomplished such an important goal. It gives viewers a glimpse at what their road to a whole new body and life might look like (sans the cameras and the isolation from their family and the constant attention from a personal trainer).
Although 24 Hour Fitness is the official club sponsor of the show, many fitness facilities have organized similar weight loss competitions at their own facilities for years. Jumping on this bandwagon may be one way to reach out to the population our industry has yet to truly tap (however, clubs that do so must remember that this group requires a lot more hand-holding and personal attention than an already-fit member).
I don't know that this show has or will be responsible for moving hordes of overweight and obese people into the gym, but based on the fact that so many people applied to be on the last show, I have to surmise that the show is motivating a certain portion of people. So as more drug companies seek approval for their weight loss pills, we can only hope that shows such as "The Biggest Loser" and like-minded competitions within fitness facilities around the country will continue to show people that working hard for an important goal may be difficult, but it offers more health-related and personal rewards than swallowing a daily pill.


text:
Log in
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Books & eBooks
Library A-Z
Kids & Parents
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about your library card and account.
1. Who May Get a Card?
Library district residents, property and business owners are issued a card at
no charge
. Some nonresidents may apply for a
KPL card at no charge, including seniors, aged 65 and older, who reside within Kalamazoo County. Other nonresidents may pay an
annual fee
for a KPL card with full privileges. The fee covers all members of a family in one household. It may be paid at any time during the year then renewed at the new annual rate at the end of twelve months. The Board approved
Registration Policy
lists the complete set of guidelines.
2. How do I apply for a library card?
Apply for a card at any
library location
. Adults will need picture identification with a current address to apply for a card.
3. Does my card expire?
Library cards expire every year on the date they were first created.
Library staff
will need to verify your current address, phone number and email address (if applicable) the next time you wish to check out an item or access your account online. You will not be able to place a hold on an item until your card is renewed in person at the
4. Where can I use my card?
You may use your card at every
library location
, and for online services that require a library card. You may also check out materials from area libraries that offer
reciprocal borrowing
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5. I lost my library card, how do I get a replacement?
To report a lost or stolen card, call 269-553-7806 or visit your
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text:
- Leaves to study and look at (or print-outs from the internet of leaves)
- Student quality Watercolor Paper
- Pencil
- Elmer's Gel Glue (or Elmer's White School Glue)
- Watercolors (brush, water dish)
- Table Salt (optional) for fancy sprinkle effects
Monday, September 26, 2011
* Easy Colorful Fall Leaf Project With Elmer's Gel Glue and Watercolor
For this project you will need:
Appropriate for Ages 3- 103
This simple fall art project can be done with a variety of ages.
For preschoolers (ages 3 and up) they can draw the leaves
with pencil and have help (if needed) outlining the leaves
with the Elmer's (blue) Gel Glue, you could also
substitute White Elmer's School Glue.
Students can even try tracing real leaves on their papers.
Don't forget to draw the veins on each leaf,
notice how their patterns change too!
Older children should be able to lightly sketch their leaves onto the watercolor paper
and outline them with the glue by themselves.
Allow the glue to dry completely before painting with the watercolors.
After the glue has dried,
have fun painting the leaves and background areas with a variety
of beautiful watercolor colors.
Students can use "realistic" or "natural" earth tone colors
but I always encourage my students to use bright
and colorful colors, it's more playful and whimsical that way.
The glue will create a natural resist or barrier to the paint
and pop out the outlines and veins on the leaves.
While the paint is still wet, you can add a sprinkle of table salt
or sea salt to the painting to create a sprinkle effect.
Just shake off the excess salt after the painting has dried.
These leaf paintings are a beautiful bit of fall color
for your home or hallway.
They're also fun to laminate and turn into fall place mats!
Happy Leaf Painting!
Pink and Green Mama,
Posted by pink and green mama MaryLea
Labels: Elmer's Glue, Fall, Leaves, Preschool, School Age, Sponsors, Watercolors
Blog Archive
- ► 2013 (74)
- ► 2012 (164)
- * Colorful Fall Leaves With Oil Pastel On Newspape...
- * Easy Colorful Fall Leaf Project With Elmer's Gel...
- * Fall Fun: Art Lesson with Warm and Cool Colors L...
- * Fall Fun: Making Leaves With Elmer's Glue and Wa...
- * Pink and Green Mama Crafts: Exploring EVEN More ...
- * Kid-Friendly Fun: Liquid Watercolors Spin Art
- * Salt and Glue Watercolor Paintings!
- ▼ September (7)
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text:
Lumina CD654 Fine China 200ml Oval Sugar Bowls with Lids (Pack of 6)
- Brands: Lumina
- Product Code: CD654
- Availability: Out Of Stock
Ex VAT :
Inc VAT :
An exquisite range of expertly crafted contemporary oval shaped 200ml sugar bowls with lids by Lumina, designed to help create a truly special dining experience in hotels, gastro pubs and restaurants. Each piece of crockery has superior strength and durability of vitrified tableware, with the elegant look of fine bone china.
Product Information
- Standard Delivery: 2-3 Working Days
- Colour: White
- Shape: Oval
- Oven, microwave and freezer safe
- Superior strength and durability of vitrified tableware with the elegance of fine bone china
- Bowls supplied with lids
- Spares sold separately
- Box quantity 6
- Capacity 200ml
- Crockery Type Condiments
- Material Fine China
- By Colour White
Delivery Information
The information below is specific to this product. Delivery information for other products will vary so please check if ordering other items.
Standard Delivery Service (UK Mainland)
- 1-3 delivery service
- 1 man crew
- Pavement drop
- Deliveries between 8am/6pm Mon/Fri exlcuding bank holidays
- Booking call made 24 hours prior to delivery
- Deliveries will not take place without a booking being made
- Please check door width/building access before ordering, additional charges will apply for any aborted delivery
Next Day Delivery (UK Mainland)
- UK mainland only
- National carrier delivery with 1 man crew
- Pavement drop
- Strictly 4.00pm cut off for same day dispatch
- Deliveries between 8am/5pm Mon/Fri exlcuding bank holidays
- Please note we cannot offer book in calls or obtain ETA's on next day deliveries
Added Value Services
- Old cabinet removal from site and safe disposal
- Off UK mainland and remote location deliveries
- Please contact us for prices
Additional Information
If you have any delivery requirements that are not listed or if you require more information, please call 0161 442 9174 and we will do our best to help.
Any restrictions on site or with access to site must be stated on order. Note that driver(s) will not lift items through windows, over counters, up/down steps/stairs or similar restrictions. Charges may apply for services outside of our normal delivery listed above.


text:
Additionnal informations
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Small Classic bag in box calfskin with an adjustable and removable leather strap and a metallic clasp closure.
6 x 5 x 3 in (16 x 13 x 7 cm)
100% Calfskin
Gold metal hardware
100% Lambskin lining
Shoulder and crossbody carry
Metallic closure
Inner zipped pocket
Adjustable and removable leather strap with 16 in (41 cm) drop
Reference: 189183DLS.28BD
By entering your email below, you will be notified when this product is available.
Call for availability +1 833 847 4860
Monday to Saturday: 10 AM - 9 PM (Eastern Time)
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For more information, please contact our Client Services.
Call for Availability +1 833 847 4860
Monday to Saturday: 10 AM - 9 PM (Eastern Time)
CELINE bags are crafted in the most luxurious skins. These leathers are natural and unique: any incidental tonal variations, marks or veins are natural features and should not be considered as imperfections.
To make sure that your bag ages beautifully we recommend you to:
- Protect it from humidity; avoid contact with liquid, hand cream, hand sanitizer, make-up and perfume. If your bag does come into contact with water or any of those substances, it should be gently dabbed with a dry, non-fluffy, light coloured absorbent cloth,
- Avoid over exposure to direct lighting and keep it away from direct sources of heat,
- Be careful not to rub your bag against coarse or abrasive surfaces. Light scratches can attenuate if gently massaged with a soft, dry cloth,
- Store it in the CELINE dust bag. Do not store in high temperature, humidity or unventilated areas (never store in a plastic bag).
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text:
New Yamaha Byson 2010
Foto Gambar New Yamaha Byson 2010
PT Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia or YMKI plans to unveil new sports product, Byson, in April 2010. This is because the earlier resignation had planned to release YMKI these products later this year.
"Just wait for four months from now," said the source from YMKI in Banyuwangi, Wednesday (2 / 12).
We have Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (YMMI) has won a number type list numbers of motor vehicles produced in the Ministry of Industry 1195/IATT/TPT/11/2009 (Depperin) last November.
Manufacturers have proposed the amount of production to 80,000 units next year. Manufacturer bearing motor tuning fork will still carry the name for its newest product Byson. With the presence Byson, Yamaha fighting force in the national motorcycle market more robust, especially in the sports segment.
In India, this model is named after FZ and consists of several variants. This motor is more precisely a sports touring categories and engineered with the DNA Frazer.
Byson carrying 153 cc engines or larger than the V-Ixion, 149.8 cc. Of technology, the fuel supply system, V-Ixion more sophisticated, injection. While still relying Byson carburetor. Hence, the price is cheaper than expected V-Ixion.
FZ identity, or later transformed into Byson, using Monoshock suspension technology (Yamaha call monocross) with the special characteristics Muffler MidShip large. According to Yamaha, this design provides weight concentration of a better and efficient exhaust gas. Stable control for use in 140/60-17 rear tire.
Specifications Yamaha FZ (Byson)
4 steps, SOHC, 2-valve, air conditioning
153 cc
Diameter x step
58.0 x 57.9 mm
Comparison of compression
9.5: 1
Power max.
14 email@example.com rpm
Torque max.
14 firstname.lastname@example.com rpm
Type carburetors
The ratio of primary teeth and secondary
3.409 / 2.857
The size of the front and rear tires
Fuel tank capacity
12 liters
Dimensions: L x W x H (mm)
770 x 1975 x 1045
High saddle
Axle distance
Total weight
137 kg


text:
General Discussion / Re: 2007 Trek Madone 5.0 for touring across the states« on: December 29, 2012, 08:12:18 am »
On the plus side just finished up a motorcycle tour here in Vietnam's central highlands, such a beautiful country. I did see some bikers on the highway with their luggage, seems like might be going from Saigon to Hanoi or the other way around. Seems like it would be a decent
trip as well.


text:
20722 Surnames | 136051 Records | 2773 Reunions
Dead Fred asks:Are you a Desperate Genealogist?
Click the e-book above for details!
Dead Fred's Genealogy Photo Archive, a free, fun photo genealogy research web site devoted to helping you visualize your heritage!
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Order The Desperate Genealogist's Idea Book: Creative Ways to Outsmart Your Elusive Ancestors (eBook).You can also order The Desperate Genealogist's Idea Book in hardcopy format by clicking here.
Photo #26935
Last Name: Lambert
First Name : Grace
Middle Name: Belle
Subject's City: Westerville
Subject's State: OH
Subject's County: Franklin / Delaware
Subject's Country: U.S.
Date: 1921-1940
Photographer's City:
Photographer's State: OH
Nee: McGraw
Type** : B&W
Comments: Grace Belle Lambert (Nee: McGraw) | Westerville OH U.S. | 1921-1940 | Comments: Grace Belle McGraw was born in 1889 in Mason Co.WV to George Washington McGraw + Eunice R.H. Cox McGraw. She was 2nd born of 8 children. Grace married Charles W. Lambert in 1909 in Rutland, Meigs Co., OH and had 14 children. She died in 1957 in Westerville, Franklin Co., OH. She's buried in Otterbein Cemetery, Westerville, OH. She is my husband's grandmother. If you have any information on Grace McGraw Lambert, please email me! You can also comment on this page. Thank You! Sharon Nutt
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Description:IBM 1GB (2x512MB) 400MHz PC2-3200 CL3240-Pin ECC DDR2 SDRAM RDIMM MemoryPart Number(s)
IBM Part# 73P3522
Overview:This dual-channel DDR2 (DDR400) memory option unleashes the power of the Intel Processor with its 800MHz front-side bus speed by matching the processor front-side bus bandwidth of 6.4GB with an equal balanced 6.4GB of memory bandwidth. In combination with the CPU and chipset system memory is one of the key contributors to overall system performance. Nearly every application and system component whether internal or external accesses the system memory.


text: KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler Kirk Siegler reports for NPR, based out of NPR West in California. Siegler grew up near Missoula, MT, and received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado. He's an avid skier and traveler in his spare time. Of Bison, Birth Control And An Island Off Southern Calif. By KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler • Aug 13, 2013 In an open-aired Jeep, it's a bone-jarring ride into Santa Catalina Island's vast interior. The dirt road winds and climbs, twists and turns, climbing 2,000 feet up. From there, the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean comes back into view, and if you squint, you can see downtown Los Angeles 30 miles off on the horizon. Some days, you can also see wild bison. Farm Laborers Get A Foothold With Their Own Organic Farms By KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler • Jul 31, 2013 Northern California's Salinas Valley is often dubbed America's salad bowl. Large growers there have long relied on thousands of seasonal workers from rural Mexico to pick lettuce, spinach and celery from sunrise to sunset. Many of these workers seem destined for a life in the fields. But a program that helps field workers, like Raul Murillo, start their own farms and businesses is starting to yield a few success stories. After Years Of Violence, L.A.'s Watts Sees Crime Subside By KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler • Jul 25, 2013 On most weeknights, in the middle of his shift, Los Angeles police officer Keith Mott trades his gun and uniform for a T-shirt and shorts, and heads to a park in the Watts neighborhood of South Los Angeles. He's there to coach 7- and 8-year-old boys on the Pop Warner Pee Wee football team, the Watts Bears. The kids come from three nearby housing projects: Jordan Downs, Nickerson Gardens and Imperial Courts. The park was carefully chosen. It's a neutral site for local gangs. Otherwise, most of the Bears' parents wouldn't allow them to come and play. Summer 'Heat Tourists' Sweat With Smiles In Death Valley By KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler • Jul 10, 2013 It's no secret that Death Valley, Calif., is one of the hottest, most unforgiving places on Earth come summertime. July 10 is the 100th anniversary of the hottest temperature ever recorded on the planet — 134 degrees Fahrenheit — and the heat is drawing tourists from all over the world to Death Valley. Like Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport, Death Valley becomes a melting pot of foreign accents. On a recent afternoon, Belgian tourist Yan Klassens admires the view of the Badlands from Zabriskie Point, describing it as "nice, awesome and colorful." Colorado Springs Learns To Live With Fire By KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler • Jun 16, 2013 Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Pages1 2 3 4 … next › last »


text:
Despite more than three dozen failed efforts to repeal Obamacare in the House, a trio of Republican Senators is going to give it at least one more try by forwarding their own alternative to the Affordable Care Act.
Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Tom Coburn from Oklahoma, are pushing non-mandated health care coverage, but still would require insurers to offer coverage. The group's proposal -- dubbed the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility and Empowerment, or CARE, Act -- would expand the maximum premium ratio between the healthiest consumers and the sickest would be 5-to-1, wider than Obamacare's 3-to-1 ratio. Individual states, however, could loosen or tighten the ratio on their own if they passed their own laws.
Insurers would be prohibited from dropping individuals purely because of health status. Further, any consumer who has received "continuous coverage" from any insurer for at least the past 18 months could not be denied a health policy from other insurers if they switch plans and wouldn't be forced to pay higher premiums. But there is no mention of simply denying coverage if an individual has had none. And presumably, the higher pricing ratio would help insurers cover costs.
"The American people have found out what is in Obamacare -- broken promises in the form of increased health care costs, costly mandates, and government bureaucracy. They don't like it and don't want to keep it," Burr said in a prepared statement. "Our nation's health care system was unsustainable before Obamacare, and the president's health care plan made things worse."
Other changes the legislation proposes include offering tax breaks on health policies for those making up to 300% of the federal poverty level, or $34,470 as of 2013, instead of Obamacare's 400% level. It also would put caps on Medicaid, limit medical malpractice lawsuits and would cap the tax breaks that employers get for offering coverage to bring them in line with individuals who pay for their own insurance.
The senators say the proposal is designed to limit the costs that Obamacare imposes in higher out-of-pocket costs on premiums and deductibles, as well as eliminate mandates that they claim are driving up the price of health care.
Officials from the White House and the industry trade group America's Health Insurance Plans had no immediate comment. But it's unlikely the proposal would make it out of the Senate, and even less likely President Obama would sign it.
Follow Russ Britt on Twitter @russbrittmktw
Follow Health Exchange on Twitter @MWHealthBlog
More health-care news from MarketWatch:
Merck hits new high as analyst sees opening for cancer drug
Ariad shares jump on rumor of takeover
Obamacare enrollment accelerates, crosses the 3 million threshold


text:
A blog about travel, art, writing, and great reads. (Posts and photos are copyrighted, except for icons or pictures that are in the public domain.)
Friday, December 2, 2011
Do You Believe In Magic?
19 comments:
- Ann said...
How exciting for you Elizabeth. Not only the interview but to be told by such an expert your magician was believable. Good for you! Your book sounds great. Will have to check it out, even though I don't have anyone in that age group!
- December 2, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Ooh Elizabeth! How exciting for you! You must have had so much fun...I love magic, always wished I could transport myself to other places whenever I wanted. Cleopatra's Egypt perhaps?
xx Tee
- December 2, 2011 at 1:15 PM
- J. A. Bennett said...
That is so amazing!! What fun for you :)
- December 2, 2011 at 1:28 PM
- David P. King said...
That is very cool.
Depending on the magic, I might believe in it. :)
- December 2, 2011 at 2:30 PM
- Andrew Leon said...
Not exactly related to your post, but I've been meaning to ask you if Daisy's is based on a real place.
- December 2, 2011 at 7:39 PM
- Richard said...
What a good interview. You brought my attention to things I never thought about.
- December 3, 2011 at 7:16 AM
- Kimberly said...
How fun and exciting. I remember as a kid I just had to have this magic set and I was so happy when I received it as a gift. It had really cool tricks. :)
- December 3, 2011 at 9:34 AM
- Richard said...
I've awarded you an award on my blog.
- December 3, 2011 at 4:33 PM
- Rosi said...
Ah, Mitty, this is just...magical!
- December 3, 2011 at 11:05 PM
- Elizabeth Varadan aka Mrs. Seraphina said...
Richard and Rosi, glad you enjoyed it. Richard, thanks so much for the award.
Kimberly, I've always been fascinated by magicians, as a kid, and as an adult. If I see a show, I'm spellbound.
Tee and J. A., it was fun. Normally, I'd be a little nervous, but not this time, thanks to Steve's ability to put an interviewee at ease.
Ann, yes, that meant a lot, having a magician validate that character. BTW, quite a few adults have liked the book, too.
Andrew, nope. Daisy's is an entirely fictitious donut shop that is placed in an empty building in the exact location as in the book.
David, just be careful if you are offered three wishes.
- December 4, 2011 at 10:51 AM
That is so exciting... huge congrats. Sounds like a lot of fun:)
- December 4, 2011 at 8:58 PM
- Elizabeth Varadan aka Mrs. Seraphina said...
Thanks TF, it was.
- December 5, 2011 at 6:56 AM
- Rachna Chhabria said...
You must be excited, Elizabeth. Happy for you. Kindle sales are doing well.
- December 6, 2011 at 8:25 AM
- Elizabeth said...
Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting.
- December 7, 2011 at 5:50 PM
Elizabeth: I've highlighted your book, among others, on my post for today.
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror & Other Memoirs
- December 10, 2011 at 7:23 AM
- Elizabeth Varadan aka Mrs. Seraphina said...
Thanks, so much, Ann, I'll mosey on over and take a peek.
- December 10, 2011 at 10:49 AM
- Jayne said...
Oh that's fantastic! It's lovely for an author to know her characters are believable, and the radio interview sounds very exciting! Will try and listen when not at work. Story-telling is magic, really - books hold the power to make us disappear into another world. So I can see how it ties in.
Have I ever worried about a magician's personal life? I guess I have thought about clowns in that way, and Punch and Judy men - more in a random muse than any careful consideration though!
- December 12, 2011 at 4:52 AM
- Elizabeth Varadan aka Mrs. Seraphina said...
Jayne, I agree. Story-telling IS magic. There is nothing like a good book that makes you enter a new world and meet interesting characters. I think reading fiction is one of the great pleasures in life, and to think: It's all done with "smoke and mirrors!" :-)
- December 14, 2011 at 10:08 AM
- Jim Thomson said...
Really Good Post!
Are you looking Magician in Michigan? Michigan Magician . http://bit.ly/v9aS4U
- December 19, 2011 at 4:04 AM


text:
Brazil has 100 days to get ready for World Cup
SAO PAULO (AP) Brazil is running out of time.
World Cup organizers will mark 100 days to go on Tuesday with work still to be done on stadiums and infrastructure in the 12 host cities.
As national teams enter their final phase of preparations – Wednesday in the only date this year before mid-May that all players are available to national teams for exhibitions – the Brazilian government is trying to ensure the country will be prepared for the 32-nation tournament, which opens June 12. Brazil had nearly seven years to prepare after winning the bid in 2007.
"Listen, 100 days, it's a long way to go and it's a short way to go if there are still problems," FIFA President Sepp Blatter told FIFA.com. "But now all problems are under control and it will be, in 100 days, an exceptionally good start for an exceptional competition."
But there are four stadiums still under construction, and work outside many venues is far from over. Airports likely won't have all the work completed, and many urban projects initially expected to be ready for the World Cup won't be finished until after the event.
Doubts also remain about whether host cities will meet FIFA's requirements for fan areas with outdoor viewing screens.
Only six of the dozen stadiums were completed by last year's deadline. Two may be ready less than a month before the World Cup begins, including the Sao Paulo site of the opener between Brazil and Croatia.
FIFA expected Itaquerao to be ready in mid-April, but FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said last week the venue will not be ready before May 15.
The other venue with a tight schedule is in the southern city of Curitiba, which until a few weeks ago was in danger of being dropped. Local organizers said they believe the stadium will be ready by the end of April, but FIFA expects it to be finalized in mid-May.
There also is concern with the wetlands city of Cuiaba, where the stadium is not ready and work outside the venue seems far from complete.
"We have to work in conditions where the cement is not even dry (and) we already put things in place," Valcke said. "There is no criticism, there is just a challenge. For sure the stadiums are beautiful. It will work, and you will have what you expected."
Equipping a stadium to World Cup working standards requires 90 days, so FIFA and local organizers will have to start installing temporary structures needed for media and sponsors while construction work continues outside the venues.
Another FIFA concern is with the fan fests. FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil said this month that soccer's governing body could sue the venues that breach their contract.
The northeastern city of Recife announced recently that it will not spend public money on the event and is seeking private partners.
Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni


text:
Ysgol Gymraeg Mornant Picton, Penyffordd Treffynnon, Flintshire
Ysgol Gymraeg Mornant
Primary School
Picton Road
Picton, Penyffordd Treffynnon
Telephone: 01745 560433
Picton Road
Picton, Penyffordd Treffynnon
Telephone: 01745 560433
* marker is placed on the street of the school
Education News
- Most parents reject nearest school
- Sultan of Brunei hands back Oxford degree over LGBT laws
- Emeli Sande named as Sunderland University chancellor
- University counselling services 'inundated by stressed academics'
- Students go online to report alleged sexual abuse
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Sport News
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- Monaco Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton leads Mercedes one-two in practice
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- Ada Hegerberg 'emotional' after winning BBC Women's Footballer of the Year
- Manchester United: Robin van Persie backs Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as boss


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Home : Specials
Distress Paint Flip Top - Victorian Velvet*
Description:Convenient Flip tops are great for quick and easy application of Distress Paint with brushes, blending tools, splatter brush and more! With a timeless matte finish, Distress Paints are very fluid water-based acrylic paints for use on multiple surfaces. Developed to be reactive with water, like other products in the Distress family, Distress Paints are the perfect choice to accomplish a wide variety of artistic techniques. Use with stamps, paper, wood, metal, glass, plastic and more!
• Very fluid water-based, multi-surface acrylic paint
• Timeless matte finish paint in 29ml bottles
• Reactive with water like Distress Inks and Stains
• Convenient flip top lid


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Congratulations goes to Eberhard Bauer, who has been selected to receive the PA's 2013 Outstanding Career Award. This award goes to a PA professional or associate member to recognize sustained research or service contributions that have advanced the discipline of parapsychology.
Eberhard Bauer studied history and philosophy at the University of Tübingen and graduated in psychology from the University of Freiburg. He has been associated with the Freiburg 'Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene' (IGPP) [Institute for Border Areas of Psychology and Mental Hygiene] since 1970 where in 1972 he became scientific assistant to Prof. Hans Bender, who founded the Institute and was holder of the chair for 'psychology and border areas of psychology' at Freiburg University from 1954 until 1975. He is currently head of the IGPP Counseling and Information department and the "Historical Studies on Parapsychology, Archives & Library," which he helped to establish. Bauer is a member of the Institute's Council and Managing Board, co-editor of both the "Zeitschrift für Parapsychologie und Grenzgebiete der Psychologie" and the IGPP book series "Grenzüberschreitungen" [Crossing Borders].
For many years Bauer has taught courses and seminars on psi research and anomalistic psychology within the Psychological Department of Freiburg University. Together with his IGPP team he is offering information, counseling and psychotherapy for people reporting exceptional or anomalous experiences (including field work in RSPK cases) and he is organizing educational seminars for clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and medical doctors. Among his special research interests are biographical, cultural and historical aspects of spiritism, occultism and psychical research in Germany since the 19th century until today. Bauer is one of the founding members of the German 'Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Parapsychologie' (WGFP) [German Society for the Advancement of Parapsychology] as well as a member of the Society for Psychical Research, the Parapsychological Association and the Society for Scientific Exploration.
For more information about the PA's annual awards, please visit: http://www.parapsych.org/section/27/awards.aspx
Register with the Parapsychological Association website to participate in the discussion, or sign in if you already have an account.
The Parapsychological Association is an international professional organization of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of psi (or 'psychic') experiences, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition. The primary objective of the PA is to achieve a scientific understanding of these experiences.
First established in 1957, the PA has been an affiliated organization of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) since 1969. The PA is a non-profit, non-adjudicating organization that endorses no ideologies or beliefs other than the value of rigorous scientific and scholarly inquiry.


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Surviving cancer is rarely an easy journey, but for Deirdre Lund, it's been a particularly complicated road of both setbacks and hope.
The 57-year-old was diagnosed with oral cancer in May 2009. The news came at an especially vulnerable time for Deirdre, who was living away from her California home and was unemployed and without medical insurance.
Deirdre's treatment at UW Medical Center included a grueling 16-hour surgery to remove her jawbone, along with all of her lower teeth and the floor of her mouth on the affected side. Her jaw was reconstructed with her fibula (calf bone) and tissue from her neck, followed by chemotherapy and radiation.
While the treatment left her free of cancer, it also left her with initial speech and swallowing difficulty. She still cannot eat, taste or chew, talk for long periods due to dry mouth, or hear in her left ear. The fibula removal caused nerve damage in her leg, recently repaired through another surgery.
Depressed, disfigured and desperate for an advocate, Deirdre turned to the Survivorship Program.
"I felt so overwhelmed and I didn't know how I was going to survive or even if I wanted to," she said.
She credits the Survivorship Program staff with helping her find resources and work through her complex needs, one by one.
"They're just wonderful. They really connected me back to life after my surgery and treatment," Deirdre said. "I was isolated and didn't know what to do. They got me back on the road."
Her path to recovery included treatment for depression; participation in the Exercise and Thrive and SMART (stress management and relaxation training) programs; physical therapy for lymphedema; pain management; and osteoporosis treatment to enable dental implants one day. Since Deirdre's last job required extensive talking, vocational retraining is on the horizon.
"The Survivorship Program has helped me realize that I am a survivor," she said. "I'm still dealing with a lot of issues, but I don't have cancer anymore. There was a time when I cried all of the time, but now I'm definitely much stronger emotionally. In the last few months, I've made incredible progress."


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Note: This item is more than five years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
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News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, firstname.lastname@example.com, 512-389-8030
Dec. 5, 2013
New Rules to Fight Zebra Mussels Take Effect Dec. 10
AUSTIN – In the state's ongoing effort to combat the spread of invasive zebra mussels, new rules take effect Dec. 10 requiring that all boats operating on public water in 17 Northeast Texas counties be drained after use.
Under the new regulations, persons leaving or approaching public water in the affected counties are required to drain all water from their vessels and on-board receptacles. This applies to all types and sizes of boats whether powered or not, personal watercraft, sailboats, or any other vessel used to travel on public waters.
The rules apply on all public waters in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Jack, Kaufman, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Stephens, Tarrant, Wise, and Young counties.
Applicable in all areas where boats can be launched, the regulation requires the draining of live wells, bilges, motors, and any other receptacles or water-intake systems coming into contact with public waters.
Under these rules, live fish cannot be transported in water that comes from the water body where they were caught, personally caught live bait can be used only in the water body where it was caught, and no off-site tournament weigh-ins would be allowed if live fish are being transported in water from a water body in one of the affected counties. (Anyone planning a tournament should check with Texas Parks and Wildlife's Inland Fisheries Division.)
Anglers are allowed to transport and use commercially purchased live bait in water provided they have a receipt that identifies the source of the bait. Any live bait purchased from a location on or adjacent to a public water body that is transported in water from that water body could only be used as bait on that same water body.
Movement from one access point to another on the same lake during the same day does not require drainage and there is an exception for governmental activities and emergencies. Marine sanitary systems are not covered by the new regulations.
Lakes Belton and Stillhouse Hollow are covered by an emergency rule extending these same water draining requirements to all public water in Bell and Coryell counties. The department is considering expansion of the recently implemented rules to include Bell, Coryell, and 28 additional counties in North and Central Texas. The department will provide notice and opportunities for public comment on any changes
Zebra mussels became established in Texas in Lake Texoma in 2009. Last year, they were found in Lake Ray Roberts and the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. More recently, zebra mussels have spread to Lakes Bridgeport, Lewisville, and Belton. They can expand their range even farther by hitching a ride on trailered boats that have been immersed or moored in waters where they have established populations.
The rapidly reproducing mussels, originally from Eurasia, can have serious economic and recreational impact to Texas reservoirs. They can clog public-water intake pipes, harm boats and motors left in infested waters by covering boat hulls, clog water-cooling systems, annoy boat-dock owners by completely covering anything left under water, and make water recreation hazardous because of their sharp edges.
From an environmental perspective, zebra mussels are filter feeders, which means they compete with baitfish such as shad for available forage. Any impact on baitfish in turn can affect their predators — game fish such as bass, striped bass and catfish. Zebra mussels also threaten native mussel populations because they will colonize on their shells and essentially suffocate them.
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What Is a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital?
When someone suffers an accident or stroke or needs surgery, the first place he or she goes is an acute-care hospital, such as a Lehigh Valley Hospital or a St. Luke's Hospital in the Lehigh Valley. There, clinicians patch up injuries, perform surgeries and stabilize the patient. After being stabilized, some patients—often those with underlying conditions—may be too medically fragile to go home, to a rehabilitation facility or to a skilled nursing facility. Many are then sent to a long-term acute care hospital, or LTACH.
Patients at LTACHs are very ill and may need cardiac monitoring, multiple IVs or ventilators. The most common diagnoses include respiratory and cardiac failure. Other conditions treated include: brain injury, burns, cardiovascular disease, complex and pressure wounds, complicated fractures, medically complex conditions, methicillin-resistant staph aureus infections, peripheral vascular disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, surgical recuperation, tracheotomies with complications and trauma injuries.
The nurses, therapists and physicians at an LTACH have special expertise in weaning people off of ventilators and treating complex wounds. LTACHs also offer services such as radiology, CT scans, MRI, cardiology and laboratory services.
The average length of stay for patients in an LTACH is 25 days. Upon discharge, patients move on to the next level of their recovery, which may be a skilled nursing facility, assisted living facility, rehabilitation hospital or home.
Here are a few things to look for when choosing the right LTACH for yourself or a loved one:
- Seek out medical facilities that are accredited by the Joint Commission, which is an independent, non-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 15,000 health-care organizations and programs in the United States. Before an accreditation is granted, Joint Commission surveyors spend several days visiting the facilities, quizzing staff, meeting with administrators and observing care. Facilities that receive the Joint Commission accreditation have successfully met stringent requirements.
- Review the facilities' patient outcomes. Positive outcomes indicate a higher level of expertise and care.
- Choose facilities with friendly, reliable care managers. Care managers work directly with the patient, family and care team. They help patients and their families navigate the maze of services, providers, plans and paperwork that accompany an injury or illness. A good care manager is key to getting the best and most, appropriate care for the patient.
Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital, the first LTACH hospital in the Lehigh Valley, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2010. Known for its state-of-the-art technology and ventilator weaning program, Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital has built on Good Shepherd's more than one hundred year tradition of quality, compassionate care. Congratulations, Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital!
For more information on Good Shepherd's programs and services, call 1-888-44-REHAB (73422) or contact us.


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Torbent Real Estate
Point Coupee is located between Iberville and West Feliciana Parish. Within Point Coupee, you'll discover quaint communities like Torbent. In this smaller rural spot you are near False River and southern byways like the mighty Mississippi River. Torbent is also near many historic landmarks like the Point Coupee Courthouse.
If you want Louisiana inspired dishes near the community of Torbent, then try Banks Seafood & Fried Chicken. If you're craving a good, old-fashioned hamburger, then stop into Big Boys Drive-In.
Interested in Torbent real estate? Expect to find open lots and small to mid-sized single-family homes on lots filled with lush greenery. These homes for sale in Torbent are set in rural communities with nearby access to modern conveniences like grocery stores and national chain clothing stores.
In Point Coupee there are both public and parochial schools, and plenty of community churches. There are civic-minded and community-based groups that make living in this Parish very family friendly.
If you looking for a laidback, rural Louisiana lifestyle, then Torbent may be the community you are looking for.


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Ritchie double pushes Cherries closer
Matt Ritchie scored twice as Bournemouth came from behind to beat 10-man Notts County 3-1 and edge a step closer to promotion.
The in-form Cherries were stunned when Jeff Hughes headed freefalling County into a second-minute lead from Joss Labadie's cross.
But Eddie Howe's side gradually gained the upper hand with Simon Francis, Brett Pitman and Eunan O'Kane all going close.
It was only a matter of time before Bournemouth levelled and Ritchie did so in style with a vicious low 17th-minute shot after Charlie Daniels and Marc Pugh had sliced County open down the left.
Brett Pitman doubled Bournemouth's lead midway through the first half with a low 25th-minute shot, his sixth goal in as many games.
County's problems increased on the stroke of half-time when midfielder Andre Boucaud was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Bournemouth's Ryan Allsop made a fine finger-tip save to deny Labadie after the break, while Harry Arter was similarly foiled by Bartosz Bialkowski.
Ritchie wrapped up the points for Bournemouth with a third goal five minutes from time after substitute Lewis Grabban had worked the ball in from the right by-line.
Source: PA


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NM Tech Initiates Pre-college Program Curricula
by George Zamora
SOCORRO – New Mexico Tech has initiated a pre-college division at the state-supported research university, which allows high school students from throughout the state, as well as freshmen enrolled at the school, to enroll in preparatory courses in core subjects such as math, chemistry, physics, and English.
"The main goal of this new effort is to adequately prepare current high school seniors and recent high school graduates for freshman courses that are being taught at New Mexico Tech, especially if these students may not have the necessary educational foundation to master these introductory level college curricula," says Osman T. Inal, dean of engineering at the university and one of several Tech faculty members responsible for developing the new pre-college division.
"Also, according to the established structure of the pre-college division at Tech, students who enroll in freshman-level classes and are having a difficult time in their studies are now able to easily transfer into a relevant preparatory course and will thus be better prepared to take the more difficult course in ensuing semesters," Inal adds.
Most of the preparatory courses offered through New Mexico Tech's pre-college division are already in place at the university, but had been handled in the past on an "as-needed basis" by individual academic departments.
"Our having created a semi-autonomous pre-college division has further allowed academic departments to focus all their resources and efforts on their college-level offerings, rather than having any one department be tasked with handling a disproportionate amount of pre-college courses," Inal points out.
According to the university's developing plans, New Mexico Tech's pre-college division will eventually be staffed mostly with faculty recruited from a statewide pool of retired scientists, engineers, and technicians, many of whom may have previously worked in high-tech environments such as Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories.
"By employing these types of non-traditional instructors, we're hoping students will be able to draw on the many years of experience in scientific and technical fields that these teachers will bring to the classroom," Inal says. "We feel they can teach with a clearer and more relevant perspective than most teaching assistants, who would typically end up teaching preparatory courses."
By later adding a distance education component to the university's pre-college division offerings, New Mexico Tech administrators hope to be able to offer preparatory courses to high schools throughout New Mexico.
"In addition, we have hopes that this pre-college package that we're continually improving will ultimately increase student retention at New Mexico Tech, while at the same time improving our lines of communication and coordination between the university and the state's high schools," Inal says.
The New Mexico Tech pre-college division is currently being administered by a campus-wide committee of Tech faculty members, acting as the division's "school board," Inal says.


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Once you are ready to begin cutting your satin, you will want to use your sharpest set of shears. It is suggested that you take your scissors in to be sharpened before cutting your satin out, otherwise you run the danger of snagging the fabric or causing threads to pull, thus marring the surface.
When you mark your pattern details, such as darts or seam matching arrows, use marking chalk or an air soluble marking pen and mark only on the wrong side. As a precaution, do not use water-soluble marking pens because many satins are susceptible to water staining. A good practice is that before using any marking method, whether pen or chalk, always check on a scrap of fabric first to make sure the marks will come completely out.
Sewing Satin
Again, when pinning, you want to pin only in the seam allowances, not into the visible garment areas.
Use the correct size needle for the type of satin you are using and change it frequently. If the needle is dull or has a rough spot on it, it will snag the fabric and cause pulled threads.
Use a short stitch length, 10-15 stitches per inch and hold the fabric taut as it passes through the sewing machine. This will help prevent puckers. Be aware that seams sewn on the lengthwise grain pucker more easily than those sewn on the bias.
In many cases, satin ravels easily so seams need to be finished. But, the problem is that any bulk shows through satin, so it is better to finish each side of the seam separately and the press seams open so they lay flat. Good finishing choices are: pinking, serging, and zigzag stitching the raw edges.
Use a high-quality polyester thread such as Gutermann or Mettler Metrosene thread. Higher quality threads really do make a difference in the finished product and are better for your sewing machine.
Pressing Satin
It is essential to take care when pressing satin because you need to use the correct temperature and press carefully so you do not damage the fabric. Many satins are susceptible to water staining so you will want to avoid the steam feature on your iron. Press on the wrong side of the fabric when possible. If it is absolutely necessary to press on the right side, use a pressing sheet to prevent glazing. Press up and down rather than from side to side. When pressing seams, put paper under the seams to prevent pressing a line into right side of the garment.
Caring for Satin
Most satin fabrics need to be dry-cleaned, so when purchasing your satin, look at the care label on the bolt and select your fabric accordingly. If you will be making a garment that will be worn frequently such as a blouse or lingerie, you will want to pay a little extra money for a washable satin. On the other hand, when making a formal gown that may only be worn a few times, dry clean only fabric is fine.


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I would take that offer if i were you Blacktron
I just cant wait to have them on my desk.
Just curious, was that US S@H?
tkof wrote:I would take that offer if i were you Blacktron
I just cant wait to have them on my desk.
Just curious, was that US S@H?
Voran_the_Scholar wrote:Well, an inventory has been posted on bricklink, here, and this set looks awesome! It has an incredible selection of parts. I was looking through it and found some pieces that I thought were a little odd to put in it. One, there is a pair of light bley handcuffs, there are four 1x3 bricks that are each a different color, green, white, blue, and yellow. Only one of each. What? There's one of these pieces. (I think someone anticipated our discussion about separating tiles from baseplates), a total of 35 extra pieces, a nice selection of trans-orange, an maybe the best of all: 11 orc shields. Since there are only 8 orcs in the set itself, that allows for some impulse buying...hmm.... Oh yeah, there's a dark bley star wars blaster (old kind). What's up with that?
Well, here I am critiquing a set I don't have yet. ELMAS can probably tell your more about it than I can.
God bless.
Emp.Justinian wrote:Well, I just got this in the mail. I was completely shocked by the size of the box. It was absolutely enormous! Unfortunately I am not able to put it together right now because my family is about to drive home from my grandparent's house where we have been staying.
ELMAS wrote:The evil wizard includes the black lightsaber hilt.
Wolfpack7 wrote:ELMAS wrote:The evil wizard includes the black lightsaber hilt.
Really?, interesting...because on lego.com and also on the box, he has a torch with grey hilt:
http://cache.lego.com/images/shop/prod/ ... x-33-1.jpg
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/9669 ... 003pk4.jpg
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/richa ... c00389.jpg
and here has has only a stick (with black hilt) withot fire piece:
So, what he really has?
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Guardians of the Orphan Children[Record group 36]
Agency Function
- Unavailable
- Agency History
- This body was created by an Act of 22 April 1794 to care for the children of victims of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. An appropriation of $2000 was made to enable the guardians "to receive and take charge of them, superintend their morals, education, and employment, and provide for them suitable clothing and diet." The appointed Guardians resigned in the spring of 1795 when those funds were expended and no more granted, leaving the children still unprovided for to the care of the Guardians of the Poor.
- Archival Records
- 36.1 Minutes (1794-1795)
36.2 Treasurer's Check Book (1794-1795)
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