text:
Friday, March 6, 2009
Birthday Party: Lollipop, Lollipop....Oh Lolli...
10 comments:
Love it! they have those big ones at Walgreens- Cant wait to see her invite....
- March 7, 2009 at 5:12 AM
- Aaron [air] said...
They have mini versions of the swirly lollipops at walmart right now. I live in a small town in Utah so who knows if it will be the same where you live but our Easter section rocks this year! Also I saw that centerpiece idea in Rachael Ray's magazine too, though I cant remember if she had additional ideas in that theme!
- March 7, 2009 at 9:46 AM
- Kim - The TomKat Studio said...
Thanks for the advice, girls! I did look at Walmart, and they do have an AMAZING color coordinated Easter candy aisle! LOVE IT! However, all I found was big swirly ones in the shape of eggs. If they were round, they would be perfect. I'll have to check again!
- March 7, 2009 at 11:21 AM
- Live.Love. Photography said...
I had seen on a blog where you could order lolli's in any color scheme you wanted (for weddings). I will see if I can find it.........cute invites too!
- March 7, 2009 at 9:24 PM
- Live.Love. Photography said...
- March 7, 2009 at 9:27 PM
- Kim - The TomKat Studio said...
That is a great website! Lots of options! Thanks!
- March 8, 2009 at 10:04 AM
- Aaron [air] said...
Also the lollipops I found were by the check out. I was there today and saw them. They were like the centerpiece but in mini form.
- March 9, 2009 at 3:31 PM
- Rachel B said...
Those are amazing! Seriously considering doing those for my daughter's upcoming 7th birthday. This is my first visit to your blog and I love it!!
- March 10, 2009 at 9:12 PM
- Kim - The TomKat Studio said...
They have the mini swirl lollipops at my Walmart...and they are super cute! (and cheap! $.33) PERFECT! Thank you!
- March 13, 2009 at 11:07 PM
All kinds of swirl lollipops can be ordered from Orientaltrading.com. I just ordered several different kinds for my twins first birthday party coming up in July.
- June 26, 2009 at 1:50 PM


text:
The world is changing. What was once fought on battlefields with physical weapons is quickly transitioning online, with groups of individuals and even entire nations utilizing the internet to disrupt their enemies.
Just as with any conflict, there will be civilian casualties — whether it be civilian infrastructure or users weaponized as Distributed Denial of Service drones, the consequences of the coming virtual conflicts will be bad. Read more

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In the Schering-Plough ENHANCE Securities Litigation (Case No. 08-285, U.S. Dist. Ct. NJ Dist.), a federal securities fraud putative class action, Judge Cavanaugh just ruled that the various statements made — by six confidential witnesses (former employees), as well as the public, but anonymous, CafePharma postings (which very-accurately pre-saged, by months, the disappointing study results in the pivotal ENHANCE trial — on Vytorin/Zetia) are properly to be included in the moving papers which frame the suit — thus ". . .The CafePharma postings and confidential witness statements are relevant to the ultimate issue of scienter [or "guilty knowledge"] in that they purport to show the timing within which Defendants became aware of the ENHANCE study's results. . . ."
More from today's Opinion (PDF file), entered by Judge Cavanaugh:
. . . .Defendants move under Rule 12(f) to strike a series of statements in the Complaint as "immaterial, impertinent and scandalous." Specifically, Defendants object to the Complaint's reference to: (1) anonymous postings on the CafePharma Web site; and (2) statements from six anonymous former Schering-Plough employees. Because the Court finds that these statements are neither immaterial, impertinent, nor scandalous, however, Defendant's motion to strike is denied. . . .
Defendants argue that the Complaint's references to anonymous postings on the CafePharma Web site and to statements by confidential witnesses should be stricken from the record as impertinent and scandalous. The Court disagrees. The CafePharma postings and confidential witness statements are relevant to the ultimate issue of scienter in that they purport to show the timing within which Defendants became aware of the ENHANCE study's results.
Arguments over the statements' admissibility are unpersuasive because such considerations are improper at this stage of the litigation. See Biovail Corp. Int'l v. Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft, 49 F. Supp. 2d 750, 771–72 (D.N.J. 1999). Nor is the Court persuaded by Defendants' arguments under Tellabs, Chubb, and Avaya that Plaintiffs' anonymous source allegations should be stricken from the record. See Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308 (2007); Cal. Pub. Emp. Ret. Sys. v. Chubb Corp., 394 F.3d 126 (3d Cir. 2004); Inst. Inv. Group v. Avaya, Inc., 2009 WL 1151943 (3d Cir. Apr. 30, 2009). These cases deal primarily with the proper weight to be accorded to evidence of scienter at the motion to dismiss stage, and say nothing about taking the "drastic step" of striking materials from the record. Finally, the Court rejects Defendants' argument that the contested statements are "scandalous" because all of the statements appear relevant to scienter and the Court sees no evidence suggesting that they "improperly cast[] a derogatory light" on Defendants. See 5C Charles Alan Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Fed. Prac. & Proc. § 1382 (3d ed. 2008). Accordingly, because the Court finds that the contested citations to the CafePharma Web site and confidential witnesses are relevant to the issue of scienter, and because it appears that Defendants will not be unfairly prejudiced by their remaining in the record, the Exchange Act Defendants' motion to strike is denied. . . .
Buckle-up, buttercup. This is a subtle suggestion, from the very-able jurist, that Schering-Plough's lawyers ought to be thinking settlement, rather than scorched-Earth, at or after, trial.


text:
Dear MFlounlacker,
Need advise on excercise routine to walk again.
SCI T3-T7 with 14 screws in spinal cord after 2 years now doing excercises seriously. Walking with elbow crutches, walking frame, crawling, standing on my knees, standing holding a bar etc.
What more?
Thanks and regards,
Ken Chong
Whatsapp +6 012 2201728
Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
i have been working with this facility down in s. Florida for a little while now. Going in on a daily basis, I have seen individuals with all different types of spinal cord injuries have some strong form of recovery through strength training. The facility uses exercise-based protocols in a comprehensive program with some of the best equipment that I've seen to date. Needless to say, I have seen certain spinal cord injuries able to feed themselves and brush teir teeth for the 1st time because of strength training. Other spinal cord injuries have been able to leave their wheelchair behind and walk out of the progam and become community ambulators again.
As told to me as a C5 level quad, there are no guarantees to full recovery in regards to exercise-based strength training for my spinal cord injury. What was told to me was if I was able to push myself mentally, they would assist me through the comprehensive program and work aggresively to bring me to my peak physical condition so that Ican live a more independent and functional lifestyle. Because of them, I am now able to drive again, have better cardio conditioning and most importantly live independently. I also have great voluntary movement below my level of injury with certain muscles that I did not have prior to attending. In regards to spinal cord injury recovery, I would suggest looking at Center for Neuro Recovery.
It really is an amazing place. I like the environment too.
lost 20 lbs and doing more movement counts for something
For me, dealing with scoliosis, I used to exercise a lot, with weights, in my 20s. From what I now think of as a lack of body alignment, the weights started causing more pain than good, so I stopped. I then switched to Yoga, which was nice for exercise but didn't properly address internal alignment issues in a way I was able to practice, due to scoliosis. I then began practicing specific breathing techniques which I used to strengthen the core of my body - and to increase sensation around the curvatures causing trouble. This has helped more than anything else, although it sometimes is painful while practicing. I'm curious if anyone else has worked with breathing techniques primarily?


text:
The Queen has missed today's Christmas Day church service at Sandringham because of illness.
Buckingham Palace said this morning that the 90-year-old monarch is still suffering from a heavy cold and was remaining indoors to aid her recovery.
It is thought to be the first time the Queen, who delayed her departure for Sandringham by a day earlier this week because of colds affecting her and the Duke of Edinburgh, has missed the service in nearly 30 years.
The couple flew by helicopter from Buckingham Palace to Sandringham on Thursday, after plans for them to travel by train to King's Lynn the previous day were cancelled at short notice.
Prince Philip did attend the service, but was driven to the St Mary Magdalene church, instead of taking his customary walk from the house.
Instead, the walking party was led by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Prince Harry, the Duke of York and the Princess Royal were also among the party but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were the other notable absentees, as they spent the day with the Middleton family at their home in Berkshire.
Meanwhile, the Queen's Christmas broadcast, screened a short time ago, was based on the theme of inspiration as she praised Britain's Olympic and and Paralympic champions.
She also spoke of how moved she was by the dedication of the East Anglian Air Ambulance crews when she opened their new base in Cambridge.
The broadcast also referred to the need to "take a deep breath to find courage or strength" in what some have seen as a coded reference to Britain's vote to leave the European Union last summer.


text:
when my benny does it, it generally means im ready for a nap... : ) x
Let's Go >>
If a baby rubs their eyes or ears while feeding, does it mean something is wrong?
It's hard to tell what a baby is thinking before they can speak. If they tend to rub their eyes or ears more when feeding, should moms be worried?
when my kids rub their eyes while feeding it usually means they are sleepy and if they have a pain in their eye like an eye lash they usually wine and don't eat properly. For rubbing their ears while feeding it always means that their teeth are bothering them...both my kids when they started teething started pulling their ears and never stopped till they were done teething. For the most part a mom gets to know her baby well enough that her baby does not need words to tell her whats wrong a mother can sense it anyway and even if u are not sure u can always call someone or ask someone for advice or bring ur child to a doctor. For me i don't worry much cause i know what is going on when they rub their eyes or ears for a feeding.
Sounds like tired signs to me.
I don't think so, unless he/she has a bothered look on their face- like something is hurting. I think you have the best judgment as a mother to whether or not it's a bad eye rub or a "I'm tired" eye rub.
well for both of mine, the constant rubbing of the eyes while eating means SLEEPY! lol .... and my son never grabbed at his ears unless they were hurting.... my daughter seems to grab at her ears a lot... so i don't know what that is all about.
When my son does that, he's already sleepy.
If they rub their eyes it usually means they are wanting to take a nap. If they rub their ears sometimes it could mean they have a ear infection or it could be a comfort
My son does it with his ears It seems to be a comfort thing!
I agree with all of the other posters. This means they're tired.
yes its true...when my daughter rubs yes and ears while feeding she is always willing to get to sleep.You don't have to worry about it.
Why be worried? If the child isn't fussing or crying while doing it, it's just for comfort. My son rubs his head. He does it to soothe himself to sleep even when I'm rocking him. I've discovered that if I rub his head like he does, he konks right out.
Davy always does it wen feeling sleepy
Mine does that when he doesn't want any more food, it's more like a frustration sign, specially if he hasn't eaten enough and I insist.
no hon! It just means you darling feels sleepy. Especially when babies feed ( breast feed or bottle feed) they tend to fall asleep. This later on becomes the other way around too. Which means,
Now: she feeds to fill her tummy and falls asleep as a part of the process.
Later: She feeds( breast feed or bottle feed) for falling asleep and not filling her stomach.
Therefore, once you learn that your baby is having her bottle feeds just for habit purpose then slowly shift her bottle into anti spill sippers. gradually, feeling uncomfortable with the bottle, your darling will loose the habit of bottle feeding.
I would say when a baby does this. They are tired.
It Means that they are slepy
Join Circle of Moms
Sign up for Circle of Moms and be a part of this community! Membership is just one click away.Join Circle of Moms


text:
They are making another movie based on the Hitman video games. Why?
Well, because the first one made money. It grossed nearly US$40 million in the US, but did much better abroad, pulling in over $60 million. The film's budget was $30 mil.
Studio Twentieth Century Fox has scribe Kyle Ward (Uncharted movie script, Kane & Lynch script) attached to do the script. Actor Timothy Olyphant played lead Agent 47 in the first film, but is not confirmed for the sequel.
"It's not on my schedule. If they want me to do another one," the actor said last August. "I supposed they could have me, yes... What I can tell you about Hitman is that I'm thrilled that it was as successful as it was and it was a really nice opportunity and I appreciate that opportunity."
Last month, however, the actor expressed displeasure to The Guardian about shaving his head for the part: "That part I could have done without. I felt I'd spent years ducking that responsibility and that kind of commitment. But with that kind of movie there comes all kinds of baggage, and that stuff I find I could do without."
Fox is bringing in Spanish director Daniel Benmayor to make his Hollywood debut with the sequel. Benmayor has made a name for himself shooting Spanish commercials for Sony PSP, Renault, Mercedes, Samsung and more. (Check out his ads here.) His first film, Paintball, is about a game of paintball that goes horribly wrong.
Fox Sights Director For 'Hitman' Sequel; Will Timothy Olyphant Return? [Deadline via Latino Review]


text:
|We will leave you the land to live in after them. That is the reward of those who fear My station and fear My threat. They asked for Allah's victory, and every obdurate tyrant failed. (Surah Ibrahim, 14-15)
|We will leave you the land to live in after them...
In this verse, Allah reveals that the moral values of Islam will certainly rule the world and that Muslims will leave at ease as its rulers. Islamic moral values have not ruled the world so far. But with the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the return to Earth of the Prophet Jesus (as) in the End Times, the moral values of Islam will rule the world. Allah also refers to the Golden Age in this verse. In the End Times, Muslims who have suffered terrible oppression, violence and hardship because of their faith will attain peace, safety and security. The Darwinist, materialist, atheist and communist mindsets that opposed Islam will be demolished in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as), and this will enable Muslims and all believers to live at ease in their faith.
|... that is the reward of those who fear My station and fear My threat...
However, Allah imposes a condition for this dominion to come about in the End Times, and that is for believers to fear Him and have an absolute faith in the Hereafter.
|They asked for Allah's victory, and every obdurate tyrant failed.
In the End Times, the Prophet Jesus (as), Hazrat Mahdi (as) and their helpers will be instrumental in the defeat of all superstitious systems that were sought to be imposed on the world, and will bring about the sound and certain dominion of belief in Allah across the world.2010-03-10 11:53:30


text:
Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve Its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence Everywhere
Share your pictures, videos, and stories from your visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on our social media. We might even feature you in one of our promotions!
It takes Strong Arms to carry a team! Let the opposing team know you mean business by wearing these lightweight poly-spandex team sleeves!


text:
We all know that this country was founded on religious freedom, but we also know that many Christians of the nation wish to rewrite history to make it seem as if we were founded upon Judeo-Christian values. Not so. The Treaty of Tripoli says, and I quote:
"The United States government is in no way founded upon the Christian religion."
But tell that to Arizona Republicans, who have introduced a bill that would require high school graduates to take an oath that includes the words "so help me God." In other words, if you're an atheist, you have to proclaim belief in God to graduate high school. Unbelievable in 2013, in a country that was founded upon religious freedom, right?


text:
New Male Terminates Monkey Pregnancies
In the lab, female rodents sometimes terminate their pregnancies after being exposed to new males. It's called the Bruce effect, for researcher Hilda Bruce. Now a study in the journal Science finds that the Bruce effect occurs in the wild, and likely ups evolutionary fitness. [Elia K. Roberts et al, A Bruce Effect in Wild Geladas]
To discover whether the Bruce effect is a naturally occurring adaptive strategy, researchers from the University of Michigan observed a wild population of gelada monkeys. They measured hormones in the animals' feces to identify pregnant females and their conception dates.
Gelada monkeys live in small groups, with several females and a single male. When a rival displaces the male in a gelada family, he frequently kills his predecessor's progeny. And the females know it. The researchers found that females impregnated by the old male terminate 80 percent of their pregnancies after the new male takes over.
Those females were quicker to conceive again with the new male than were females who hadn't been pregnant. Rather than producing offspring at risk of death, females subject to the Bruce effect invest in new progeny—with a better chance of survival.
—Sophie Bushwick
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]


text:
In the aftermath of fires, blizzards, tornadoes, earthquakes or hurricanes, the crooks come out to play.
As the East Coast begins to recover from Hurricane Sandy, the "storm chasers" -- as the Better Business Bureau calls them -- will be trolling for victims to scam.
One of the most common scams involves unannounced workers showing up at your door, says Edward Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the BBB that serves metropolitan Washington, D.C, and eastern Pennsylvania. "As certain as the weather will cause damage, crews will descend on neighborhoods offering emergency repair service. Every natural disaster, our experience has been the storm chasers come out."
Typically, Johnson said, sham contractors will send out runners who go door to door using high-pressure tactics to snare homeowners. The runners will tell people that they are slammed with work and that they need to schedule work right away. Some con artists will ask for a deposit of, say, $500. But they never return to do any work.
In some cases, bogus contractors may try to scare you into thinking your home is unsafe. "They are trying to create a sense of alarm. The reason they do this is because they want people to make a hasty or panicked decision. And it's hard not to do that when there is an oak tree on your roof."
The BBB has a number of tips, which I will pass on. But first, here are some of my own:
• Initiate the search for service. I'm always skeptical of salespeople who approach me first. When I need work done around my home, I go looking for the repair person, and I often start by getting recommendations from friends or family.
•When getting estimates, don't just zero in on the lowest bid. I'm frugal but sometimes being cheap will cost you more. Weigh the experience of the company, previous work, and the materials it wants to use.
•Watch the work. Take time off from work if possible because you need to be around to check on the repair job. Even the best companies can have problems on a job. Or the repair may take longer because the company or contractor is overextended. You want to be around to discuss issues that may come up and to try and keep the repairs on schedule.
Here are tips from the BBB:
• Contact your insurance company to double-check your coverage before any repairs. If a contractor tries to get you to avoid calling your insurance company, that's a red flag, Johnson said. "They don't want to have someone in the way," he said. "The fewer people you talk to, the better. They know the insurance companies may recommend a contractor in the area."
• Get multiple estimates. Rushing to get repairs done will likely send you right to a con artist.
• Spend the time to check references. Verify licensing and registration. Check the BBB Business Reviews at www.bbb.org.
• Get a contract and comb through it carefully. The contract should include all work that you want done, the specific name of materials to be used, and the price breakdown for everything for the job. Be sure the name, address, license number (if applicable) and phone number for the contractor are included in the contract, along with a start and end date for the work. Your contract should lay out the schedule for payments. The BBB says that before making the final payment, ask the contractor to show proof that all subcontractors have been paid (if not, you could be liable).
• Ask for proof that the contractor has insurance covering workman's compensation, property damage and personal liability. If a worker falls off your roof, and your contractor is uninsured, you could be liable.
• Never pay with cash. The company may ask for a deposit, and that's a typical business practice. But don't pay more than one-third of the job upfront.
To prepare for the next disaster, build up a file of contractors you can use. "Find a tree guy, a plumber or roofer," Johnson said. "Even without a storm, home contracting is the most inquired-about industry in our service. We get millions of inquiries. It's already an industry you have to be careful about, so in times of trouble, practice a double dose of due diligence."
The con artists know that after a disaster, people are desperate to fix their property and get back to normal. But don't let your desperation make you an easy mark.
Readers can write to Michelle Singletary c/o The Washington Post, 1150 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071. Her email address is firstname.lastname@example.com. Comments and questions are welcome, but due to the volume of mail, personal responses may not be possible. Please also note comments or questions may be used in a future column, with the writer's name, unless a specific request to do otherwise is indicated.


text:
While Steam tracks the time you've spent playing individual titles, it doesn't keep track of how much time you've spent on the service overall. For some, that's probably for the best, but just in case you actually want to see that tally, now there's a way.
This handy site lets you enter a Steam ID then wham, your total playing stats are presented, along with some very nice pie charts breaking everything down in picture form.
A word of warning, though: it actually didn't work for me, so if you've got a lot of Steam games, don't freak out if you get a "0 hours played" result.
Steam Profile Analysis [Lambent Stew, thanks everyone who sent this in!]


text:
The other day I spent approximately two and a half hours scrubbing the wooden stairs in our apartment. Scrub brush in hand, and a bucket of water beside me, I knelt scrubbing away and wondering about all of the other women who had scrubbed the same stairs over the five hundred year history of our building.
By the time I got to the bottom of the stairs (there are only sixteen of them and yet so much time had gone by) I knew that I'd been wrong, that there had been no other women. Nobody could have ever washed those stairs before. The wood is an entirely different colour than it was when I began, and there is still a grey film over them that I know I should get rid of with a second wash, though I can't bring myself to further abuse my poor, sore knees.
Our apartment renovations are coming along, though. The bedroom is nearly completely finished: the trim still needs to be painted and the floor in there needs to be scrubbed too. The office is the only reminder that we still have work ahead of us, but Christian and I have decided that having someone else do it for us is looking increasingly appealing. I cannot bring myself to rip that wallpaper off the walls and then have to deal with what is underneath it, again.
Anyway, we went to Ikea on Thursday for a few things we'd forgetten the first time and managed the entire expedition without a breakdown or an argument, which is probably a first. (I've told plenty of people that I genuinely believe Ikea should have relationship counselors wandering their stores.) Getting some stuff to decorate rather than renovate was fun for a change, and it's nice to know that our elusive Housewarming Party is not just a chimera.
I am procrastinating by writing this blog post. I should be either washing the mountain of dishes that are on my counter or else working on the oral presentation I have to give on Wednesday which I completely forgot about. However, we went out on Friday and Saturday this week and I am having a bit of trouble doing anything other than sitting. I just got back from having coffee with (my new friend) Adrieanna, but two coffees and Baileys later (her idea), my hands are still a bit shaky and everything I do is done v e r y s l o w l y. On the Katie Peacock hangover scale, I'd say, I would hold a baby, but I wouldn't... am too slow at the moment to think of something more breakable than a baby. My dad's four hundred year old liqueur glasses from Amsterdam? I wouldn't hold those.
OK this needs to end. I will probably write something about Brussels soon, or at least post photos. Here is my new favourite part of our apartment.
PS Learned an excellent party trick last night: we were in a building which is normally a Boyscout Club House, and the hosts had taped plastic over the walls, like the kind that you would use to protect the floor while painting. It wasn't very noticeable since the room was so smoky and dark, but prevented marks and spills from ruining the walls.
PPS I don't think my mom is very impressed by that party trick.
April 25, 2010
The State of Things, Including Me
The other day I spent approximately two and a half hours scrubbing the wooden stairs in our apartment. Scrub brush in hand, and a bucket of water beside me, I knelt scrubbing away and wondering about all of the other women who had scrubbed the same stairs over the five hundred year history of our building.
- Katie at 5:45 PM 1 comments
Labels: Austria is Old, Progress, Renovation


text:
Spark of Hope vs Majestic Dragon Figurine
MDF: 180 Spirit (when fully stacked).
SoH: 100 spirit, plus 42 mana saved off of every spellcast.
SoH Pros:
- Constant 100 spirit. Don't have to build up to it, which is good when buffing or on short trash pulls, or when damage starts heavy.
- 42 mana saved off of every spell cast. If chain-casting insta-cast spells (back-to-back on a 1.2 second GCD), this results in roughly 175mp5 saved from being used (give or take GotEM's reductions). The true mp5 saved by this will vary based on how often you are casting and which spells you cast, as well as procs and use of Nature's Grace.
- This mana reduction will not add to your mana regen... it will only save you mana.
- To put the mana savings into perspective, consider that BoW is 91 mp5. Casting 2 spells in 5 seconds with SoH equipped will almost match the mp5 returned from BoW. Imp BoW is 109.2 mp5, or 2.6 spells cast within 5 seconds with the SoH equipped. I am very, very likely to be casting 3 or more spells within 5 seconds, so this proc will save me more mana than impBoW is giving back to me when it matters.
- Built to 180 spirit.
- Easy to keep stacked in a long fight.
- 80 more spirit over the SoH gives it extra healing and regen (when stacked 6+). Accounting for the Living Spirit talent, this is 92 spirit (13.8 healing) lost if I swap to the SoH.
- 92 spirit roughly equates to 27.6 mp5 while casting with full points in Intensity (92 spirit = 92 mp5 out of combat pre-3.1, x 0.3 from intensity pre 3.1 = 27.6 regen while casting. Blizzard has stated that the changes to oo5sr regen and intensity should not have changed the while-casting regeneration rate... much... so I feel this estimation of 27.6 mp5 while casting is still safe in spite of the changes to spirit, to which I cannot find the exact new equations).
SoH wins out, for me. (My other trinket that I am pairing it with is the Illustration of the Dragon Soul.)
What about DMC: Blue Dragon?
I will point back to Averna's post at Nerf this Druid, where she found that the DMC:BD equated roughly to 77 mp5, on average, depending on gear and luck with procs, post-3.1. SoH still wins out!


text:
Shutdown impact: Preparation for fighting wildfires
Clip: 01/12/2019 | 2m 24s
An unexpected impact of the government shutdown: canceled training for wildland firefighters. With wildfires becoming more frequent, firefighters have a shorter off-season to prepare. Now that compressed window for training and gear acquisition has become even shorter due to the shutdown's frozen funding, says Jim Whittington, a consultant and former Forest Service employee. Judy Woodruff reports.
Aired: 01/12/19Video has closed captioning.
The full episode is no longer available for online streaming. Why?
Please continue to enjoy extra(s) from this episode.
Problems Playing Video?
Major corporate funding for the PBS NewsHour is provided by BNSF, Consumer Cellular, Leidos, Babbel, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by Mutual of America. For a complete list of funders for the PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour weekend, click here.


text:
Dr. Ellen G. McDaniel, whose distinguished career in psychiatry spanned more than 40 years and influenced patients, medical students and even juries, died of lung cancer Thursday at her home in Highland. She was 71.
The former Ellen Garb was raised in Cleveland and went off to college with thoughts of becoming a nurse. But her father encouraged her to train as a doctor, and she did — graduating from the University of Michigan Medical School as one of only seven women in the class of 1966, said her husband, John P. McDaniel.
"She was a trailblazer," he said.
The McDaniels graduated together from Michigan, were married the next day and went off to Delaware Hospital in Wilmington, he to work in administration and she to do a rotating internship.
Dr. McDaniel joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine as a faculty member in 1970. Her 22 years there — including 10 as associate dean for admissions — improved a generation of students and young doctors, her colleagues said.
"The field of psychiatry and mental health was really served well by her," said Denis J. Madden, a psychologist who worked at the school before becoming an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. "She helped form leaders and form good docs."
She saw people holistically. She got to know applicants to the school beyond their grades and test scores, and she impressed upon medical students that patients with physiological problems have emotional and psychological needs, too — as do their families.
"For those of us who trained in psychiatry at the University of Maryland, there was a very stiff competition to have her as a supervisor," said Dr. Paul McClelland, chief of psychiatry at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, who counts himself as one of the students she influenced. "Ellen was so knowledgeable, and at the same time, so down-to-earth. … You left wanting to be a better psychiatrist and a better person."
Dr. McDaniel brought humor to duties that other faculty members might have griped about — seeing more than 35 unfamiliar patients in a single day while pulling a weekend shift at the hospital, for instance. She didn't complain. She laughed.
"She just had a real disarming sense of humor that made it so safe to reveal your own character flaws and just be more genuine," said Dr. McClelland, who worked with her at the medical school after training there. "Her patients absolutely loved her. … She just made you comfortable being yourself."
And she was cheerful despite a specialty that could easily depress: forensic psychiatry, the intersection of mental health and crime. She testified in cases across the mid-Atlantic, speaking to defendants' mental states and other details that influence decisions on guilt or sentencing.
William J. Rowan III, a retired Montgomery County circuit judge, said Dr. McDaniel was such a respected expert that "the hardest thing" he ever did was rule against her recommendation on whether to accept the insanity defense of a young Marine who stabbed his father to death.
Dr. McDaniel, who worked in private practice after leaving the University of Maryland in 1992, focused entirely on forensic psychiatry in the past decade. Earlier, she had also seen patients in a general practice.
Her professional life was just a piece of the whole, though. She raised two children. She was a founding board member of the Baltimore Lab School for bright students with learning disabilities. She gardened. She wrote short stories. She raised thoroughbred racehorses, with her husband, on their farm. She served on state panels, including a task force on domestic violence. And she traveled extensively — going to dozens of countries, from Iceland to Cambodia.
"One time I asked her what she was going to do for her vacation, and she bowled me over when she told me she was going bungee jumping in Thailand," Judge Rowan said.
Mr. McDaniel, who called his wife "a master of multi-tasking," said she also advocated for social issues she felt passionate about, among them gay rights and repealing the death penalty. She used her sense of humor to ensure that Maryland's ballot measure to approve same-sex marriage got one more vote than it otherwise would have.
"She said, 'Look, you promise me you're going to vote for gay marriage,'" said her husband, a Republican who often canceled out her more liberal votes. "I said, 'Well, I'm not sure I can do that.' She said, 'No, look, you're not going to deny a dying woman's last request!' "
It worked. He laughs at the recollection.
Dr. McDaniel spent the past 30 years battling with cancer — first ovarian, then breast, then non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and finally lung. The lymphoma was a close thing: It was only through an experimental program in Nebraska that she was able to get a bone-marrow transplant, and the doctors gave her a 2 percent chance of living five years afterward. Instead, she lived for 20.
"The perspective that Ellen always had was how blessed and privileged she had been," Mr. McDaniel said. "She would say to people, 'I've had a great run.'"
In addition to her husband, Dr. McDaniel is survived by her children, Lorrie Clendenin of Bethesda and Michael McDaniel of Baltimore; a brother, Robert Garb of San Rafael, Calif.; two sisters, Susan Jaworowski of Avon, Ohio, and Connie Gale of Jerome, Mich.; and three grandchildren.
The family expects to hold a celebration of life ceremony on a date to be determined. Donations may be made to the Dr. Ellen McDaniel Scholarship Fund at the Baltimore Lab School, 2220 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218.


text:
Bolton Valley, VT
Get outside, stay active, make friends, and have fun with Bolton Valley's camps for all ages! Action Sports Camp: Campers hone their skate/scooter skills in the mornings and mountain biking skills in the afternoons with help from expert coaches and a focus on safety and fun. Mountain Kids Camps: Kids…(more)


text:
Samsung HMX-W300 Review: History Repeating Itself?
- Tough, rugged build
- Great menus and user-friendly controls
- Roomy display
- Horrible, slow autofocus
- Video quality is mediocre
- Photos are disappointing and washed-out
Quick Take
The W300 is a mostly pointless iteration that offers virtually no improvements over its predecessor, with equally disappointing performance and a few new problems of its own.
It was only a little over a year ago that Samsung released its W200 rugged pocket camcorder, a device we believed had some strengths that were ultimately outweighed by its shortcomings. Now, Samsung has released its successor, the HMX-W300, which is dustproof, shockproof up to 6.5 feet, and waterproof up to 16.4 feet. As is usually the case with pocket camcorders, it has an affordable MSRP of $159.00 (though you can get it for $139.00 at B&H).
So did Samsung take this opportunity to ameliorate the issues that kept the W200, a promising pocket camcorder, from achieving greatness? Or is this just a redundant iteration that fails to bring any improvements — or change at all — to the table? Let's have a look and find out.
Despite the fact that the W300 is ruggedized and a little on the wide side (2.36″ x 4.41″ x 0.7″), it's still a lightweight camcorder. While it certainly feels tough, isn't particularly heavy, weighing in at only 137 grams (about 0.3 pounds), so it isn't uncomfortable to hold or use. There is a slightly rubberized material that runs around the edges of the device, while the rest is textured plastic, all held together by screws.
The top side is devoid of any features or controls, and the right side is home to just the power button. The bottom of the device is where users will find the tripod mount and a switch-locked door, behind which there is a spring-loaded USB plug that flips out when you open the hatch. The left side of the camcorder features a similar hatch, which conceals the microSD (XC) card slot, a micro HDMI port, and the hard reset button.
The rest of the action takes place on the backside of the device. In the center, there is a four-way directional pad — used for navigation as well as zooming, toggling underwater shooting mode, and adjusting the amount of information displayed on the screen — which has a confirm/OK button in its center.
The d-pad, in turn, is surrounded by three buttons on either side. On the left is the toggle for photo/vide, the menu button, and the "My Clip" button (more on this later), and on the right is the playback button, the share/pause button, and the delete button. Below all of these is a very small internal speaker and a charging indicator light.
Ergonomics and Controls
Though the W300 is big enough to have a reasonably-sized screen, it isn't massive. In fact, it's the perfect size for one-handed use, with all of the buttons easily accessible to your thumb on the back of the device; the only button that isn't on the back is the power button.
The semi-rubberized grip material that runs around the edge of the device is an excellent choice, as is the textured surface on the front and part of the back. Grippy material may seem like a given for a waterproof camcorder, but just look at the W200, which was devoid of any rubberized surfaces. Go figure. I'm just glad that Samsung put a little more thought into it this time around, even if I do wish that the rubber material on the edges was a little grippier.
The reviewer of the W200 pointed out a problem with that particular model (and with a fair amount of other pocket camcorders, for that matter), which was that the buttons weren't particularly easy to press. This is once again the case for the W300, but not quite for the same reasons she presented. She bemoaned the fact that the buttons on the W200 had a "mushy depression," but this is not the case here.
The buttons at least emit a click that you can usually feel, which is an improvement, but my issue is that they have an extremely shallow depression; the buttons barely go down before becoming fully depressed. The buttons are always responsive in terms of actually executing their commands, it's just that the presses never feel quite right. After what we saw with the W200, this is a small step in the right direction, but there's still some work to be done.
As far as pocket camcorders go, the W300 has a pretty roomy 2.3-inch LCD display, which I love. This is made possible thanks to the wide body of the device and it helps keep things from feeling claustrophobic, even when pulling up menus. I do wish, however, that Samsung had opted to leave out the "widescreen effect" black bars that run along the top and bottom of the display.
The quality of the display may leave some users wanting, as well. The viewing angle is extremely poor, and even on its highest setting, the screen isn't all that bright and can be difficult to see in bright lighting. The W300's QVGA resolution may won't blow you away either, but on the other hand, it really isn't all that important to have a stunningly high-resolution display on a pocket camcorder.
Menus and Modes
With pocket camcorders from other manufacturers, the menus are usually set up in such a way so that you're taken to another screen entirely. And in many cases, selecting a menu choice will take you to yet another separate page so, before you know it, you're four or five pages deep in the menus and navigation becomes a hassle. Thankfully, this isn't the case with the W300.
I'm a big fan of the way the menus are set up on the W300, because Samsung eschews the idea of having each page of menu options take up the whole screen so users have to suffer through menu diving. Instead, the menu is simply a semi-transparent overlay that pops up on top of the standby video feed.
Each of the menu options (represented as little icons) are on a bar that runs across the top of the screen and it's as simple as clicking left or right to sift through all the options and find what you're looking for. As you move through each category, a small pull-down menu pops up that only takes up a portion of the screen. Once you're in the right category, it's just a matter of pressing up or down to go through the options and select the one you need. All the while, the video feed is still visible in the background and not a single screen-covering page is ever pulled up. It's a much more user-friendly interface than I usually come across with pocket camcorders, and that's a welcome change.
- Video resolution: 1080/30p, 720/30p
- Photo resolution: 5.5 MP, 3 MP, 2 MP, VGA
- White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Tungsten
- Smart Filter: Normal, Vignetting, Fish-Eye, Retro, Classic, Negative, Dazzle, Noir, Western
- Backlight: On, Off
- Face Detection: On, Off
- Anti-Shake (DIS): On, Off
- Settings
The options in the settings menu are pretty standard for a pocket camcorder and include storage info, date/time set, date/time display (on/off), LCD brightness, Auto LCD off, beep sound toggle, shutter sound toggle, auto power off, PC software, video out (NTSC/PAL), format, restore default settings, and language.


text:
An open letter to Occupy London protesters: Demand limited bonuses for state-funded bankers
Hey there Occupy London protesters. This is an open letter to you:
When I went past your encampment in Finsbury Square earlier today (just meters from the Bloomberg LP headquarters!) I noticed that your tents were empty and the only folks around were a kooky street preacher and a handful of his disciples. I understand, you were probably a few blocks away occupying those vacant UBS buildings, but I wanted to let you know that you've got the wrong guys. You should be going after RBS not UBS.
I know you're part of a "leaderless movement" (let's see how long that lasts!), but you'd better start listening to Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, and your very own former Prime Minister Benjamin D'Israeli. It's unclear who said it first, but the gist of the quotation that all of these men are reputed to have coined is "The only two certainties in life are death and taxes." Let's focus on the latter.
What I'm saying is that you should encourage UK taxpayers to join in on your protest en masse. However, you should go beyond squatting in some old UBS offices: You should demand that Members of Parliament (MPs for you American readers) create legislation that limits the bonuses of state-funded bankers. Since 2008, there have been many state-funded bankers in the UK. Right now, it's looking like the Christmas Party of the Royal Bank of Scotland will be quite the affair after some £500 million gets divied up among that regal 1%. (And this goes for the folks over at Lloyd's too!) The taxpayers are creating millionaire bankers while the social infrastructure of the UK goes down the toilet. It's as pure example of the increasing income gap as one can possibly dream of.
(Oh yeah, and why haven't you marched on Buckhingham Palace yet when your royal family further eats away a your tax payments?)
Yes, a small group of Britons who belong to the group UK Uncut have tried to protest against the payment of taxes toward funding the big banks, but their efforts have thus far been futile and unproductive. Why don't you protesters use your power (derived from the inordinate amount of media attention that you have been receiving for a bunch of people who don't have much of a mission or clear-cut goals) to take up the anti-taxpayer-funded-banker-bonus cause?
Outline your demands for your government, and force each of your MPs to sign a statement that state-funded bankers will receive no more than 40% of their salaries in bonuses this year (rather than the 300+% that most bankers are accustomed to). One cannot blame the bankers for accepting the bonuses that are given to them because regulators and politicians have failed to prevent this exchange from taking place.
Stephen Robert Morse
Tags: Occupy London, RBS, Royal Banl of Scotland, UBS


text:
|This article is non-canon.
This article covers a subject that has been deemed non-canon by either the author or the Harry Potter licensees, and thus should not be taken as a part of the "real" Harry Potter universe.
The Educational Decree Number Seventy-Five was one of the Educational Decrees passed by Dolores Umbridge, then-Hogwarts High Inquisitor.[1] It confined pets to common rooms and dormitories and owls to the owlery.
Behind the scenes
- As the numbering for this Educational Decree is not consistent with the numbering established in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it cannot be considered canonical.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (First appearance)
Notes and references
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) - Chapter 15 (Dumbledore's Army)
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


text:
Santa Rosa (SRHS) Class of 1954 Alumni List
Help us Update the Santa Rosa 1954 Class List by adding any names missing from the list below:
Registered Alumni
1954 Class List
Know Santa Rosa Class of 1954 graduates that are NOT on this List? Help us Update the 1954 Class List by adding missing names.
1954 Santa Rosa High School Yearbook
1954 Santa Rosa High School Yearbook
Click here to view at Classmates.com®
White Christmas was the top movie in theaters in 1954, with a lifetime gross of over $30,000,000. Among TV shows in 1954, I Love Lucy was the most popular of the year.
Reunions and Santa Rosa High School News
More 1954 alumni from Santa Rosa HS Santa Rosa, CA have posted profiles on Classmates.com®. Click here to register for free at Classmates.com® and view other 1954 alumni.
The students that went to school at the Santa Rosa high school called Santa Rosa High School and graduated in '54 are on this page. Register to add your name to the class of 1954 graduates list.
You can also find out what other graduates are doing now, share memories with other alumn, upload pictures from Santa Rosa High and find other alumni.


text:
- home
- news
- blogs
- calendar
- enewsletters
- people on the move
ArtPrize names Founders official brewery
ArtPrize now has an official brewery.
Founders Brewing Co. has signed on to be a lead sponsor of the internationally acclaimed art festival for the next five years.
The brewery and festival look to grow as brands together.
"We approached ArtPrize, because we love this community, and we love what the event has done for this city," Founders co-founder and CEO Mike Stevens said. "Our taproom has been a venue since year one, so we anticipate ArtPrize, just like everyone else. We chose to increase our commitment this year and can't wait to pair our world-class beer with the most engaging art event in the world."
ArtPrize + Founders
The partnership will include Founders beer at all ArtPrize events, as well as signs and special merchandise throughout the 19-day festival.
The brewery will be included as a major sponsor on all promotional material.
Both organizations are deeply rooted in the community and have helped the city's re-emergence, ArtPrize interim executive director Daryn Kuipers said.
"ArtPrize is always open to new, strategic ways to partner with leading and emerging national brands. We couldn't be more excited to welcome them as the exclusive brewery of ArtPrize," Kuipers said.
This year's ArtPrize runs Sept. 18 to Oct. 6.


text:
Demand for security cameras in the U.S. is projected to increase 7.2 percent annually through 2021 to $2.8 billion, according to a new report entitled Video Surveillance Equipment Market in the U.S. from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based research firm.
The company found that gains will result from a variety of factors that support replacement demand and sales of higher value, upgraded versions, including:• Ongoing product advancements in camera technology.• Increasing affordability of cameras with expanded features, such as internal recording capabilities.• Continued shift toward upgrading existing legacy analog systems to either IP or HD analog systems in order to utilize more feature-rich cameras and systems.• Rising interest in higher value, more niche camera types—such as thermal or explosion resistant—as their prices continue to come down, which will work to expand the base of installed cameras.
In 2016, dome cameras accounted for the largest share of video surveillance camera demand with 42 percent, the report found. "Sales of these products have benefited from developments over the past decade, such as increased durability and higher resolutions," the press release read. "This has allowed for broader use of dome cameras in both indoor and outdoor applications. Dome camera sales have also gained from the rising use of cameras indoors, where these constructions are still highly popular due to their discreet appearance."
Through 2021, sales of all video surveillance products are projected to increase 5.6 percent annually to $4.9 billion, according to the Freedonia Group, which noted that growth "will be driven by the increasing affordability of feature-rich systems that incorporate enhanced capabilities, which will work to expand the base of end users that choose to install video surveillance systems and spur replacement and upgrade demand among existing users."
I am very excited to announce Security Systems News' Cloud+ 2017 conference education program, which can be found here. The show is Nov. 28-29, and back at the beautiful and relaxing Lost Pines Resort in the tech-savvy city of Austin, Texas.
This year's education program is expanded, as we strive to be the education destination for those who are pioneering within the cloud community, which is revolutionizing security today.
As you look through this year's program it will quickly become apparent that "Selling the Cloud" is an underlying theme for the conference, as sessions will look at how integrators, specifiers, dealers, suppliers—anyone looking to increase revenue and profits while providing cost-effective solutions with a high ROI—are leveraging cloud technology and computing with great success. Some of the leading integrators in the industry will uncover how they are transitioning from the traditional sales model to a more managed services model that increases RMR and lowers creation cost.
And subject matter experts from the leading cloud solution and services providers in the industry will not only be there on panels to share best practices and the latest advances and research, but also many will be exhibiting, so you can dive in deeper and get face to face with the top cloud companies working in security today.
There are also cloud-centered sessions looking at the rise of smarter, safer cities and the potential there for the security industry; cybersecurity in the cloud; how to hire IT-savvy employees who can talk cloud; and much more!
Click here to view the program and to register.
Here at Security Systems News, we cover a variety of topics related to the physical security industry. As a result, we get to track trends in the industry; we see when they first come up and we see when they become more prevalent. The matter of false alarms is one that I can say I've been watching since I started with SSN.
Some municipalities have sought to fine alarm companies for users' false alarms. In late 2014, shortly after I joined the publication, I was speaking with the Security Industry Alarm Coalition about the City of Chico, Calif., that passed an ordinance like this. The city then revised the ordinance after a response from SIAC and California Alarm Association.
More recently, Sandy Springs, Ga., also looked to bring fines for false alarms to the dealers.
California has now stepped in to stop alarm companies in the state from being fined for false alarms that the installation or the equipment didn't directly cause. Read more about that here.
Security Systems News' latest monthly News Poll asks about whether false alarm ordinances, particularly the ones that fine alarm dealers and installers, pose a large problem for the industry. Feel free to weigh in on that here. Additionally, feel free to share your thoughts on the best methods for reducing false alarms.
Different areas have taken different approaches to false alarms. In 2015, New Orleans considered outsourcing alarm fine collections to CryWolf, which specializes in issuing and collecting fines, permit fees, and compiling alarm system data. This is a practice that SIAC recommends.
Back in 2014, I spoke with another SIAC's, Steve Keefer, about an interesting approach: using volunteers to reduce false alarm dispatches. These were "regular citizens that just want to help out in the community," Keefer said, by notifying repeat false alarm offenders and discussing ways to reduce false alarms.
The global smart home market is forecast to exceed $14 billion in 2017, with 10 percent of homes globally being smart by 2025, according to an IHS Markit report published this week.
"The smart home market has seen significant growth since 2010, when fewer than 0.5 percent of homes in the Americas region had connected devices such as thermostats, lighting, security and entertainment," Blake Kozak, principal analyst, IHS Technology, said in a summary of the report. "By the end of 2017, nearly 7 percent of households in the region will have a connected home, averaging six devices per home."
According to IHS, The global market for smart homes is currently worth $14.7 billion, with the Americas region representing 48 percent of global revenues, and by 2021, the EMEA region will represent the largest portion of device revenue with a 42 percent global share.
"When excluding large ticket items, such as major appliances, the global market size for smart home devices is forecast to be worth $3.3 billion by the end of 2017, reaching $9.4 billion in 2021," Kozak noted. "Although the EMEA and Americas regions are expected to represent more than 70 percent of revenues for smart devices over the next five years, Asia is expected to dominate in terms of unit shipments. In 2021, the Asia region is expected to represent about 46 percent of unit shipments. Leading the unit shipments in Asia in 2021 will include light bulbs, air quality sensors and video cameras."
The report also found that the top five players account for 36 percent of revenue in the space, including Nest, Amazon, Honeywell, Xiaomi and Netgear, who rounded out the top five for smart home revenue accounting for 36 percent in 2016 when excluding appliances. The top five players for unit shipments in 2016 accounted for 34 percent of global unit shipments and included Xiaomi, Amazon, Honeywell, Nest and Koninklijke Philips N.V.
"Globally, 19 manufacturers had more than 500,000 annual smart home device shipments in 2016," said Kosak, while "46 manufacturers had more than $10 million in revenue in 2016, when excluding appliances."
The top smart home devices to watch in terms of unit shipment growth include radiator valves, air quality sensors, smart speakers and appliances.
"Home audio (smart speakers) will continue to be one of the most disruptive trends in smart home through 2021," Kosak pointed out. "The primary reason voice assistants in the smart home will gain significant traction across all three regions is the ability for these devices to aggregate disparate systems. So instead of using five different mobile applications in order to control the smart home features, voice can be used to aggregate all control, reducing the need to interact with a mobile device once the product is setup."
Although appliances were the fourth largest device type in terms of unit shipments in 2016, they will be the most shipped device type in 2021, according to IHS, which noted that many appliances are already embedded with Wi-Fi capabilities that only need to be turned on by the manufacturer.
ADR Security, a full-service electronic and physical security provider based in New York City, on Aug. 11 announced a new business: ADR Security Monitoring, a joint venture with Security Partners that caters to the specific security needs of high-end jewelers in New York City.
ADR Security services about 4,500 individual sites, offering intercom, intrusion, electronic access, video surveillance, fire and life safety, locksmith and AV cabling among other services. The business, by sales, is 90 percent commercial with 10 percent in high-end residential.
"What we were trying to do was figure out a way to go to market with a solution in the jewelry industry," Peter Goldring, EVP and COO of ADR Security, told Security Systems News. ADR found that working with Security Partners provided the best outcome. "We're going to be able to issue central station certificates here in the New York market, serviced out of New York," said Goldring.
Security Partners operates four redundant, UL listed, TMA Five Diamond monitoring centers throughout the United States; in Lancaster, Pa., Anaheim, Calif., San Antonio and Las Vegas.
Goldring described ADR Security Monitoring as "an extension of a retail business that still has very deep roots into the wholesale, third party business. And, it—of course—will afford the opportunity for the other third party dealers to work with ADR Security monitoring, to partner with us, to issue certificates where necessary."
This business differs from that of a traditional alarm dealer-monitoring center relationship. "ADRSM is the full-circle approach, the operator is able to take service requests, is able to dispatch the runner. Everything is in house, under the roof of Security Partners' facilities, helping us with the day-to-day operation of the business. So, it really is a much more intense relationship, but it truly is a partnership," Goldring said.
"We believe there is a huge, underserved market for certificate service – bigger than ever before – and this is a great opportunity for us to partner with a strong, independent and financially solid company like ADR Security," Patrick Egan, founder of Security Partners, said in a prepared statement.
ADRSM's announcement mentioned the possibility of expanding after establishing a presense in New York's Diamond District, and the company is exploring locations for its next markets. "The next two most significant markets are in California, in Los Angeles, … and then of course there's a fairly large industry in Las Vegas, with a number of jewelry stores and high-end boutiques that often requires the certifications," Goldring said. "Those are probably the next areas that we'll jump into."
The $600 million Interface Security Systems deal has sent—as The Beach Boys once sang—"good vibrations" throughout the security industry, as it provides not only a vote of confidence for what Interface is doing as a modern systems integration company, but also a vote of confidence in the security industry, in general, as companies like Interface represent a new breed of integrator that is staying at the forefront of new technology and innovation.
John E. Mack III, executive vice president, co-head of investment banking and mergers & acquisitions at Imperial Capital, which acted as financial advisor to Interface on the deal, astutely pointed out that this deal goes beyond validation of what Interface is doing in the space.
"This is a very cool story for the sophisticated new-age security provider, which is what Interface is—the 2.0 version of what the right kind of security player should be," he told Security Systems News. "We spend so much time in this industry talking about the residential side of the business, which is interesting, but there is a massive opportunity on the commercial side of the business that Interface is tapping into that I think is a compelling theme."
He continued, "There is a lot of validation for a very successful business model here that Prudential is putting up $180 million of new capital, and SunTx is putting up additional capital into the deal. And that you've got a very attractive set of debt investors, and just the fundamental backing for the business, is a meaningful part of a positive message for the industry."
Jeff Frye, SVP for Interface, told SSN that the support from equity partners is not only a stamp of approval for what the company is doing, but the "capital gives us more fuel to build on our current, better than 15 percent compounded annual growth rate, so we know that we can do more with a little more gas in the tank and we are anxious to prove it."
Frye noted that the equity will allow the company to expand its products and services around providing business intelligence, as security is becoming so much more than just, well, security.
"As a network provider, and a managed services provider of network services and cybersecurity services, we touch a lot of aspects of our customers' businesses," Frye explained. "And as a leading purveyor of Internet of Things services, we are able to aggregate intelligence from all of those sensors and data sources to bring actionable insights to a customer's business. There are some new verticals that we would like to focus on more, including financial services and banking, so this makes that horizon much brighter and much more approachable."
And it also makes the security industry's horizon a little brighter.
PITTSBURGH—Vector Security announced in early August that Newport News, Va., is now live with Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP). Newport News joins other municipalities in the state of Virginia using ASAP, such as the City of Richmond, James City County, York County, and Henrico County.
The ASAP to PSAP program, created by The Monitoring Association—formerly CSAA—and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials automates communication between alarm monitoring central stations and 911 centers.
Transmitting alarm information digitally results in improved accuracy and faster emergency responses by eliminating the need for communication over the phone between PSAP centers and monitoring centers.
Vector Security was the first alarm company to use ASAP in the City of Richmond, Va. in 2012. Vector Security assisted with implementation in Newport News by helping to perform extensive testing prior to the system going live.
"Alarm users in Newport News, including several hundred Vector Security customers, will benefit from faster and more accurate emergency response with the implementation of ASAP," Anita Ostrowski, vice president of central station services at Vector Security, said in a prepared statement. "We hope the positive impact that ASAP will bring to Newport News will encourage other major 911 centers in the nation to adopt this technology as well."
Ostrowski continued, "As a security provider, we seek ways to promote ASAP's value to municipalities and public agencies, and help other alarm companies implement it for the greater good of the industry and the safety of our communities."
Other municipalities that have implemented ASAP include Houston and High Point, TX; Washington D.C.; James City County, York County and Henrico County, Va.; Tempe and Chandler, Az.; Boca Raton, Fla.; Cary and Guilford County, N.C.; Kernersville and Durham County, N.C.; Johnston County, N.C.; Denton County and Grand Prairie, Texas; Morgan County, Ala.; Delaware County, Ohio; Bucks County, Pa.; and Highland Park, Texas.
Allied Universal, a leading facility services company and one of the largest security forces in North America, marked its one-year anniversary this week after forming a year ago via the merger of AlliedBarton Security Services and Universal Services of America.
In the announcement, Steve Jones, Allied Universal CEO, thanked all of the company's 150,000 employees and its clients "for their continued support and commitment that contributed to a phenomenal first year as our new company! I look forward to our continued success in the security and services industries."
Over the past year the company has made several acquisitions, as it continues to transform to a full-service security company, moving beyond the manguarding services the it has been known for.
Jones told Security Systems News, after the company's most recent acquisition of ALERT Protective Services in May, that the company continues to look at acquisitions as a way to diversify its offerings.
"We've got a pretty robust pipeline of deals that we are looking at—some in the technology space and some in the traditional manguarding space—and we hope to announce a few more before the year is over that will help us to diversify our company and bring more value to our clients."
In the press release announcing the one-year milestone, the company outlined some additional organizational achievements since the merger:
• Became the unequivocal leader in guarding services throughout North America. Our security professionals and our company play a major role in keeping the U.S. and Canada safe and secure.
• Provided service to over half of the Fortune 500 companies and nearly every major retail mall in the U.S. From healthcare facilities, commercial office buildings, manufacturing and industrial plants, residential communities, transportation facilities and government services, Allied Universal has a significant security presence.
• Managed the integration of a workforce of over 150,000 security professionals to perform our jobs on a daily basis and serve our growing customer base.
• Implemented a world-class training program, the AU Institute, which offers over 1,000 training assets and professional development programs to enhance our security professionals' delivery of service and protection.
• Introduced several technological innovations to expand our physical and operational security solutions and service offerings to enhance the protection of client properties and assets.
WILLIAMSTOWN, N.J.—COPS Monitoring, a brand under Lydia Security Monitoring, on July 27 announced its Grow Your Business roadshow, with seminars currently planned for Denver, Colo., Boca Raton, Fla., Salt Lake City and Williamstown, N.J., with more to be announced.
"The genesis of the seminars actually began with our UCC dealer customers; we started these … sometime in the 2015 time frame," Ron Bowden, director of dealer development for Lydia's UCC brand and leader of these seminars, told Security Systems News. The Grow Your Business seminars is an example of collaboration between COPS and UCC following Lydia Security Monitoring's acquisition of UCC in January 2016.
"The thought process is that we would put together a business class that worked in helping our dealers in certain areas of their business: in sales, in attrition control, in … installation efficiencies, compensations plans, sales recruiting. [These are] things that a small- to mid-sized business could take and apply in their business that could get immediate results without spending large sums of money," Bowden said.
The seminars are not exclusive to COPS and UCC dealer customers, Bowden pointed out, and the workshops suit a range of dealers. "In our class [on Aug. 3], we had dealers that are small to just getting started, to people that have been in business twenty years that have a several-thousand account base," he said. "I think the basics and the principles apply to all—it's just how they're used."
"Since the beginning, COPS has been dedicated to supporting independent alarm dealers world-class monitoring along with the tools, services, and education they need to help them run their business and improve their bottom line," David Smith, VP of marketing and business development at COPS, told SSN via email.
"Now that UCC is part of the Lydia team, Ron's 'Grow Your Business' seminars seemed like a natural fit to our longstanding tradition of helping our dealers succeed. Though COPS and UCC continue to operate as separate brands, on separate monitoring platforms, and with separate management teams, we still learn from each other and share best practices – especially when it brings value to our dealers," Smith said.
The Grow Your Business seminars will teach dealers how they can increase sales with lead generation programs and other professional marketing services from My Studio [Pros], an agency dedicated to helping dealers of all sizes successfully grow their business in the security and smart home automation market.
Updated on Aug. 3.
PARK CITY, Utah—AvantGuard has several speakers lined up for its upcoming PERS Summit, to be held here Sept. 26-28, as well as some of the events.
This year's PERS Summit will start with a tour of AvantGuard's recently remodeled facility. "We've got about 25,000 square feet and three levels, and the building will be completely remodeled, inside and out, by the time the event starts. So, people will really get to see—hands on—how that monitoring of the PERS devices works," Sonja Jorgenson, AvantGuard's director of marketing, told Security Systems News.
Aron Ralston will be one of the conference's keynote speakers. "His story is told in that movie, 127 hours," Jorgenson noted. Ralston was exploring a Utah canyon when his arm got caught, forcing Ralston to amputate the limb.
One of the speakers will be Eric Allen, an attorney who can speak to certain marketing techniques. "His expertise is … issues that are raised when businesses are contacting customers through texting and automated calls. He really understands that, the regulations, and the new rules that are coming out in 2017."
Laurie Orlov, another speaker at the conference, is focused on aging-in place. "She has an interesting background in technology, especially targeted to aging seniors," Jorgenson said. "She's going to share some predictions about what those technology trends are going to look like in 2017 and beyond."
The Summit's other speakers have not yet been announced.
"Then, every year, we have a panel of experts in the industry and we talk about a relevant issue. Last time, we talked about fall detection and [the panelists'] feelings about that, and where [the technology] was and if it was really helpful," Jorgenson said. "We haven't disclosed what that topic will be yet, but that panel discussion's always a big talking point."
Jorgenson said that AvantGuard hopes to give attendees more access to the presentations at this Summit, which will allow attendees to further review information after returning from the conference. "I think there will be a lot of information, … so, it's a lot to digest in just a couple days," she said.
The company also sends an anonymous survey to its dealers, which asks about a range of topics, including the software that dealers use or the types of customers dealers are seeing, AvantGuard marketing assistant Alex Flitton said. "We actually have a lot of really good feedback so far," he told SSN. "All of this information will be compiled and interpreted by some of the experts in the industry, to present to our attendees."
Networking is another benefit of the event, Flitton noted. "It just puts a lot of like-minded people in a really solid environment where they can interact," he said.
The Summit will be held at The Chateaux Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. The conference has been here for each conference.
Subscribe Now
On the Editor's DeskPaul Ragusa
News and notes
Monitoring MattersGinger Hill
Guest Blog
© 2020 United Publications ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


text:
One of the smallest warblers; look for short tail and sharply pointed, bicolored bill. Bluish-gray above with distinctive lime-green patch on the back, white wingbars and eye-arcs, yellow on throat, and white belly. Found in forested areas; has a fondness for nesting in Spanish moss in the southeastern U.S. Loud song is buzzy, ascending trill with sharp chip at the end; sounds like a zipper. Winters mainly in Mexico and Caribbean.
Sign in to see your stats
Choose a region to view Weekly Bar Chart
Your Online Guide To Birds And Bird Watching
Comprehensive life histories of North American breeding birds
Life histories of all species breeding in Mexico, Central America, and South America


text:
WhisperLite Stove Maintenance
Getting ready to take your WhisperLite out backpacking? Don't forget regular maintenance. It will help keep your stove clean and running efficiently. Here's what you need to know in order to get the most out of your WhisperLite stove year after year.
For more information on your MSR stove, check out our Frequently Asked Questions on our website, here.
If you have an older WhisperLite with wire legs, this is the video for you.


text:
You may not believe this, but for the last 12 years, I've been turning brass, aluminum, copper, iron, steel and lead into gold. No, I'm not an alchemist ... I'm what's known in the trade as a junker. I comb the local dumps (and the countryside) in search of scrap metal, then sell that scrap to dealers who are willing to pay me anywhere from $1.75 to $40 per 100-pound load of the material.
I've found that scrapping can add $50 to my monthly income with only the slightest amount of effort and equipment, and I can tell you from experience that as a full-time pursuit metals scavenging can bring a person well over $500 a month. I'm definitely hooked on junking because not only is it a dependable source of extra cash for the maintenance of my homestead but also it enables me to be self-employed whenever I want; I like the good feeling I get when I recycle a "useless" piece of metal (and leave the area that it came from cleaned up).
One of scrapping's biggest attractions is that it requires little or no start-up capital, special tools or prior experience. (There certainly is no shortage of raw materials: In today's throw-it-away society, junk abounds.) Anyone who has a few common tools, a car or truck, a little storage space and a moderate amount of initiative can get started in the metal-recycling business right away.
Before you get started, you'll need a small magnet (the ordinary "five-and-ten" kind will do OK) and a file (I use a 2- to 3-incher, such as is commonly used to file ignition points). Both file and magnet should fit easily into a pocket so that you can tote them with you at all times.
Other tools that come in handy include: wire cutters, a regular and a Phillips screwdriver, Vise-Grip pliers, regular pliers and a hammer. Additional tools will sometimes be useful — especially when you're taking junk off an old car — but you can deal with most types of scrap metal with just the implements listed above. (Hint: You'll find it pays to stash a "junking toolbag" in your car or truck.)
Contrary to what you might think, you do not need a truck to make it in the scrapping business. To be sure, large loads of scrap iron are easier to transport in a pickup than in a passenger car, but the fact is you can fit two or three feed sacks full of copper (each worth about $50) into most any car ... even a VW.
Storage requirements in this business are minimal: You can wipe from your mind any visions you may have of old Maytags sitting in heaps in your backyard. In between trips to the junk dealer, I keep most of my scrap metals in feed bags located in an out-of-the-way corner. You should be able to stash most of what you round up under the porch, behind the woodshed, in your garage or wherever you have some spare space.
Individual Metals: What They're Worth and How to Identify Them
The successful junker is concerned with basically just 10 metals. In order of their decreasing value, they are: copper, red brass, yellow brass, aluminum, lead, die cast, stainless steel, cast iron, steel and light iron. The prices paid for these metals fluctuate from month to month according to the laws of supply and demand, but to give you a rough Idea of how much money you can expect to make as a scrapper, I've included in the Image Gallery above a table showing what prices were in effect in Virginia as of April 1977.
The identification of scrap metals is fairly easy (this is where the file and magnet prove to be invaluable). (Note: Click on the Image Gallery link above for a comprehensive chart about how to identify metals.) I begin by checking to see if a piece of junk is magnetic, then I scrape away any plating, oxidation or paint with my file to determine the specimen's true color. I also check the piece's hardness and pick it up to get an idea of how heavy it is per unit of volume. In some cases, the item's function is a tip-off to its composition (car door handles, for instance, are made of die cast or "white metal").
Right now, let's take a look at some of the "semi-precious" metals you'll be encountering and where you can find them (and how to identify 'em when you do).
In the world of junk, copper is king. I've been paid anywhere from 35 cents to $1.05 a pound for this metal which — as scrap goes — is pretty darned good. (When copper prices are up, it's not uncommon to read of copper thefts in the paper.)
Junk dealers separate copper scraps into three grades. Grade One consists of copper that's shiny, clean and 100 percent free of solder, plastic, paint, varnish, etc. (The copper wire in electric motors is often varnished bright red for insulation.) Grade Two includes burnt wire as well as tarnished, corroded or painted scrap. Grade Three covers all light copper, very thin scrap (e.g., root flashing) and copper foil. As you'd expect, Grade One commands the highest price ... Grade Three, the lowest.
Copper ranks second only to silver in its ability to conduct electricity and is — for that reason — used in virtually all electric motors and electrical wiring. Hence, small motors (including car generators, starters, fan motors, etc. and the motors in old vacuum cleaners and other appliances) will — along with discarded wiring — constitute one of your best sources of this metal.
(Author's note: The only trouble with copper wire is that it's usually coated with some kind of plastic insulation, which — if not removed — downgrades the metal's value. Large-gauge wire can be denuded of this coating relatively easily by pulling it along the edge of a sharp knife, or the insulation can be burned off. Stripping is not always easy, however — especially in the case of small-gauge or multi-stranded wire — and burning copper wire is an ecological disaster. You'll just have to decide for yourself whether to sell your copper wire "as is" — plastic and all — or clean.)
Because copper is exceedingly non-corrosive, it's frequently used in tubing (especially for plumbing uses). Your best bet for finding free copper tubing is probably to frequent construction sites and friendly plumbers. Old refrigerators — those made prior to, say, the late 1960s — are also sometimes a good source of copper tubing. (I've gleaned as much as $5 worth of copper from a single old fridge's cooling unit.) If you decide to take the tubing from a refrigerator, do remember that the tubes may contain Freon gas under pressure and that the escaping gas can be [1] cold to the touch (cold enough to burn you), [2] harmful if inhaled and [3] no good for the ozone layer (to say the least). Use due caution when (and if) you decide to disconnect the tubing from an old refrigerator.
Brass pays less than copper but is more plentiful and thus is definitely worthwhile. There are two main kinds of brass to look for: red and yellow.
Red brass, or comp (short for "composition"), is really bronze, but you'll never hear it called its proper name by a scrap dealer. This metal — a copper/tin alloy — is usually cast (poured into a mold while molten) and thus has a "gravelly" texture. (To get a good idea of how red brass looks and feels, examine an ordinary outside water faucet.) Because it's a strong, corrosion-resistant metal, comp is used in applications where strength and durability count: e.g., in water valves, pipe fittings (such as "T" connectors), bearings in electrical motors, etc.
Yellow brass, the other main type of brass you'll come across, is weaker than comp and usually isn't used to make anything that must withstand pressure. You'll find yellow brass most frequently in control valves of gas ranges, gas range supply piping, sink traps and plumbing fixtures. (Often, the metal will be chrome-plated for decorative purposes.)
Yellow brass is often tricky to distinguish from brass of the red variety since both are yellowish in color. I rely on function and appearance to determine which is which. (In general, red brass is a gravelly, golden yellow while yellow brass is smooth and bright, almost a dull white at times.)
Window screens were once made of brass (and still are, occasionally, although brass is now being replaced by aluminum and nylon for this application). If you move into (or dismantle) a funky old house, be sure to file away at the screens before you discard any of them ... they may be worth some money.
Aluminum — the do-everything metal of the '60s and '70s — was first discovered in 1820, and in its early days was a rarity, a present for dignitaries. Today as you know, aluminum is commonplace ... so much so that people routinely discard tons of it.
Aluminum's main giveaway, of course, is its extremely low weight-to-volume ratio. This property, together with its all-round durability and resistance to rust, accounts for aluminum's use in cans, storm windows, window screens, ladders, pots, pans, foil, lawn mower engines, airplanes, and other objects.
Occasionally, you may have trouble distinguishing aluminum from stainless steel since both metals have similar colors. The "file test" eliminates this problem, however. If you file away at aluminum, large flakes of metal will come off. Do the same with stainless, and you'll get nothing.
Aluminum has often been my mainstay when other metals were scarce because of its ready availability. Foil, pie tins, beverage containers ... nothing is too small to collect when it comes to this silvery-white metal although I wouldn't go out looking just for beer cans. (Of course, if you drink lots of beer ....)
I need say very little about this metal except that [1] its weight will serve to identify it every time, and [2] the pure metal can be scratched with a fingernail (it's that soft). You'll find lead in automotive battery terminal connectors, wheel balancing weights and fishing sinkers to name just a few sources.
Die Cast or Pot Metal
Aluminum can be mixed with zinc and cast. The resulting metal is known in the trade as die cast, white metal or pot metal.
Die cast, which is heavier than aluminum, is usually chrome-plated and is extremely brittle. As the metal corrodes, it becomes covered with blackish pits, and the chrome flakes off. Trophies, hood ornaments, car radio knobs, car door handles, refrigerator door handles, toy guns, carburetors and fuel pumps (in some cases) are all examples of things made of die cast.
At 5 cents a pound, die cast won't make you rich, but why not throw a few car door handles or other pot metal items into a "die cast fund" from time to time? Pound for pound, die cast is less bulky than aluminum, and its brittleness makes it easy to remove from cars, refrigerators, trophies, etc. Just pry or pound on a piece of pot metal, and it'll come right off.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is a relatively hard metal — heavier than aluminum, but lighter than die cast — and, of course, it's very strong. (The stuff just won't bend, cut or break without special tools.)
Stainless can range in magnetism from strong to weak to nothing at all, depending on the exact proportions of the different metals in any particular alloy. Junk dealers want only non-magnetic stainless steel since it contains relatively large amounts of chrome and nickel. Some good sources for this kind of stainless steel are metal sinks, silverware (the kind that's not made of silver), cooking utensils, pots, pans and beer kegs.
Cast Iron
Cast iron is any kind of iron that has been shaped by molding rather than by mechanical means, such as rolling or stamping. This metal can be distinguished from stainless steel by its brittleness.
Your best bet for finding cast-iron scraps is to go through old automobile parts: engine blocks, heads, intake and exhaust manifolds, water pumps, oil pumps and bell housings. Sewer pipes, house radiators and gas stove gratings are also occasional sources of cast iron. (I've yet to come across a discarded wood stove although I know they do get junked because they do wear out.)
Non-Stainless Steel
Next on our list of semiprecious metals is steel. Here, junk dealers (being junk dealers) draw a distinction between steel that's 1/8-inch thick or more, and less than 1/8-inch thick metal, which they call "fight-iron."
Steel — as you know — is tremendously strong, so you'll come across it in car wheels, pipes, bumpers, machinery of all sorts, farm equipment and wherever else a tough metal is needed. Unlike aluminum, steel will rust (unless it's stainless), and in fact, rust is probably one of the best clues you have that what you're looking at is made of steel. (Note: When in doubt, you can tell ordinary steel from stainless by the magnet test. Ordinary steel is always magnetic.)
Light iron forms the bulk of what you see in almost every dumping spot in the country. (Old washing machines, stoves, refrigerators and swing sets all fall in the "light iron" category.) Unfortunately, this kind of steel can be pretty hard to cash in on, just because it's so danged bulky per unit of weight. A pickup simply can't carry enough old washing machines, refrigerators, etc. to make a trip to the scrap dealer worthwhile unless you don't have far to drive. (I'm including light iron here, though, in case you happen to have a mess of the stuff on your property somewhere. If you've got some and you have to get rid of it anyway, take it to a scrap dealer instead of the dump. You'll make enough money to pay for your gas ... and maybe a pizza to boot.)
Batteries and Radiators
The same dealers that buy scrap metal will usually also be glad to buy car batteries and radiators: batteries because of the lead in them and radiators because of their copper and brass content. Usually, the batteries will be ground up and the lead extracted from them while radiators are melted down to separate out the copper and brass.
A word of caution: Remember — when you handle batteries— to keep the cells upright at all times. The cells contain a mixture of acids strong enough to eat through most anything: clothing, paint, metal, skin, hair, etc.
Don't Forget About Antiques
In your haste to find and cash in on scrap metal, don't let yourself become blinded to the fact that some items are worth far more money as antiques than as scrap. When I was younger and more naive, I once (in a fit of "copper fever") condemned an old copper washtub to the smelters for about $2. The same tub — sold as an antique — would have netted me 10 times as much! Live and learn.
How to "Cash in" Your Raw Materials
Once you've managed to accumulate 20 or 30 or 50 pounds of copper, brass or whatever, it's time to consult the Yellow Pages. Look under "Junk" or "Scrap Metals." (Also check the classified ads in your paper under "Merchandise Wanted.") Then call every dealer and ask what he buys and how much he pays. Scrap prices vary from day to day and dealer to dealer. The object, of course, is to find out who pays the best prices for the metals you've got. Usually no one establishment will pay the highest price for all metals: One dealer may lay out the top dollar for copper, another yard will pay the most for batteries and so on. If you have a significant quantity (25 pounds or so) of metal, it might profit you to go from dealer to dealer and sell your wares for the best prices. If this isn't practical, you'll just have to determine the best course of action by weighing the cost of gasoline against the poundage of scrap involved and your time.
In general, you'll find that the better junk markets are located in the larger cities (population 40,000 or more). That's because there are many middlemen in the junk world, and when you sell your scrap to a big-city buyer, the scrap goes through fewer transactions down the line than it otherwise would. I try to coordinate my scrap runs with other chores in the big city so that I only have to drive in every two months or so. (If you have just a small quantity of goods and you're forced to sell locally, don't fret: You'll only be out some small change ... if that.)
I've found — quite often — that if one dealer pays the most for steel (or copper, or whatever) one week, he'll usually give the best price for steel the next week. As a result, I tend to patronize the same yard(s) over and over, and after a while, I begin to develop a relationship with my junkman. There are some definite advantages to this. For instance, a dealer who knows and likes you will often round the weight of your scrap to the next higher number on the scale (instead of rounding down), or let a dirty piece slip by that he otherwise wouldn't. (Years ago, the dealer in my hometown always used to give me a fifth of sippin' whiskey for Christmas.) The point is: It pays to be a steady customer.
Advance Preparation
Junk dealers — you'll find — want their scrap prepared in a certain way. The more care you take in cleaning your metals to suit your dealer or dealers, the more you'll profit. Care in preparation separates the amateurs from the pros and pays off in extra profits.
Almost all the dealers I've encountered have been honest and friendly. They'll gladly help you out in the beginning by explaining exactly how they want metal to enter their yard. Once you've been given cleaning instructions, it's imperative that you follow them to the letter; otherwise, the dealer will have to do your work for you and pay you less money.
A few pointers on preparing scrap for market:
[1] Always keep metals of one kind grouped together (keep your aluminum all aluminum, brass all brass, etc.), and remove all foreign nuts and bolts.
[2] If you're not sure what kind of brass, steel, etc., you've got, always put the item In the higher-paying category. Your dealer will tell you if you're wrong.
[3] Remove the metal straps that are attached to both sides of a radiator. (They're only soldered on and will come off easily.) You'll lose money if you don't.
The Weighing
When you bring scrap into a yard, you'll usually put your materials on the balance scale, then after the weighing, the dealer will take it off. It's important, when your scrap is being weighed, that you check to see that nothing touches or interferes with the scale and that all material is on securely. (Make certain nothing is hanging over the side and distorting the reading.) Likewise, be sure the dealer doesn't make a mistake in weighing or figuring (he is, after all, only human).
If you have a trailer or truckload of junk, the dealer will probably use a truck scale to determine the weight of your load; in which case, there's little you can do (short of calling in the state-licensed scale checker) to ensure the accuracy of the final reading.
Time Versus Money
Now you know the options. At this point, you need to examine your own situation and determine what kinds of metals will be worthwhile for you to recycle and how much time you want to devote to junking.
Given unlimited time and limited money, almost any metal is worth pursuing. If — on the other hand — you're pretty tied up with other work, you may want to stick with the metals that yield the most bucks per unit of labor: copper, brass, etc. (and batteries and radiators).
Which metals you'll be able to retrieve in the greatest quantities will depend on your resourcefulness and the relative abundance of different kinds of scrap in your area. It's been my experience that light iron is generally the most plentiful, followed (in order of decreasing abundance) by steel, cast iron, aluminum, die cast, yellow brass, copper, batteries, radiators, lead, red brass and stainless steel.
One nice thing about junking is that any scrap you keep in temporary storage can be looked upon as an emergency or "splurge" piggy bank or easy "mad money." Even if you do nothing more than save aluminum scraps (pie pans, used foil, beverage cans, etc.), you'll find that in a few weeks' time you've accumulated $20 or $30 worth of recyclables ... enough to buy a hand grain mill, say, or finance a short weekend trip. In a year's time, you can easily rake in several hundred dollars (enough cash for your land taxes, perhaps, or auto insurance).
There You Have the Basic Junking Facts
Those are the basic junking facts of life. From here on, it's up to you to use inventiveness to create your own personal method of scavenging and develop your own markets. (If you become as addicted to junking as I have, you can go on to explore other recycling possibilities, such as inner tubes, newspapers, cardboard, rags, glass, and mercury batteries.)
Why not give junking a try? It won't make you rich, but — take it from me — it'll sure put a jingle in your pockets (and a smile on your face)!
(The author would like to acknowledge the help of Lenna Ojure in preparing this story.)
Where to Find Scrap Metal
There are certain places in this land where scrap metal presents itself in great abundance. One such spot is — of course — the city or county dump.
No dump is without its rewards, although finding and hauling away valuable metal objects is not always a simple matter. Depending on local ordinances, for example, your nearby dump may have a "no trespassing" sign which means you can't go in after hours (and I definitely don't advise you to trespass). Most dumps, however, are lenient about scavenging during regular dump hours. I usually dawdle while I unload my own trash at the dump and keep a vigilant eye out for copper, brass or whatever. Nor do I often go away disappointed. In fact most of the time, I take home more than I bring.
Occasionally, a dump will have an attendant whose job is to (among other things) keep out junkers. Often, the guard's pay consists of all the valuable junk he can salvage in which case he's really a pro. In this situation, I respect the man's position and back off.
You needn't rely entirely on dumps for your metal harvests, however. Local hillsides and ravines are often a generous source of scrap material. Your friends and neighbors are good potential sources of scrap, too. I've found that once I make it known that I'm "into" junk, people will often beg me to clean up heaps of metallic refuse on their property and keep the haulings as recompense with perhaps a dozen hot biscuits thrown in as a bonus.
Construction sites are still another veritable "gold mine" for the metal scavenger. Some plumbing contractors and electricians recycle their own leftovers, but the majority don't bother. The best way to lay claim to construction scraps is to become associated with the project in some way (i.e., become a member of the cleanup detail or a general helper). Your other option is to ask the foreman for permission to clean up.
Oftentimes, local businesses can supply you with a fairly steady flow of scrap. Among the most fruitful establishments to visit are auto part rebuilders, body shops, garages, transmission repair shops and gas stations. The only problem with these sources is that sometimes they'll ask you to take away junk items that you may not have a use for as part of the deal. (Service stations, for example, usually want you to haul away their old tires along with their batteries and radiators which — for me, anyways — means a trip to the dump as well as the scrap dealer.) Take this into account before you decide to do business with any automotive shop.
Two more possible sources that should not go overlooked are local manufacturers and contractors. Factories in your area may well be discarding tons of valuable metals per month (metals that you might be able to carry away for them). Likewise, aluminum siding contractors quite often throw away extra pieces of siding and are usually happy for you to pick up the discards.
Finally, one of the all-time great bonanzas for the freelance recycler is the city or town "cleanup week." Call the sanitation departments of your neighboring towns to find out the applicable dates, then drive around the neighborhood on the appointed day — early, before the garbage trucks get started — and keep your eyes open. (If you live fairly near a large city, count yourself lucky because the suburbs yield deluxe loot.)
Keep your eyes open for scrap metal at all times wherever you go. If you see something of interest, always stop and investigate because it's usually worth the effort. Never assume, though, that you'll be able to check it out later. There are many scavengers at large these days, and the item you saw earlier in the morning could well be gone by noon.
You've heard it said before: Gold is where you find it. The same is true for brass, copper, steel, iron, lead and aluminum.