http://my-world.spoonylife.com SpoonyLife fr-FR http://my-world.spoonylife.com/implementation-strategy-for-the-california-ocean-protection-.-23427.html California's Ocean Protection Council (OPC) staff today released An Implementation Strategy for the California Ocean ProtectionCouncil Resolution to Reduce and Prevent Ocean Litter.This is a 23 page final draft open for comments, thatcontains the strategy to reduce and eliminate ocean litter bybanning plastic bags and containers statewide. Recommendations alsocall plastic toys for plastic manufacturers to recover and dispose of theirproducts and for product user fees to be assessed.If you read this report, you will find out how serious the problemsour ocean has from litter, how it affects fish and marine mammals,and why it is so important that California take bold action.Action will not come without strong opposition from the plasticsindustry. This report sets the stage for action that will have farreaching benefit for ocean healthbut only once it has beenadopted by the OPC. Most of the recommendations will requirelegislation to be enacted.The implementation strategy identifies three primary approachesthat California should take to eliminate marine debris. Californiashould: (1) establish a"take-back" program for many plastic toys types ofproduct packaging that would require plastic packagingmanufacturers to take these products back and dispose of themproperly; (2) institute a statewide prohibition on single-useplastic bags and polystyrene takeout containers; and (3) imposefees on other packaging.OPC staff is seeking comments on the draft in writing by August.Staff will incorporate changes to the draft based on commentsreceived. The OPC is also soliciting public comment during itsmeeting September 11 at 9 a.m. in Half Moon Bay.Just take a look at how the report begins in describing the currentsituation off California coast and you will recognize what isat stake:Ocean litter also commonly referred to as marine debris is a persistent and growing problem worldwide. The generalcomposition of ocean litter is 60-80% plastics, although it hasreached 90-95% in some areas. Plastic debris in an area north ofHawaii known as the Northwest Pacific Gyre has increased 5-fold inthe last 10 years. Similarly, off Japan coast, researchersfound that floating particles plastic toys of plastic debris increased 10-foldin 10 years from the1970s through 1980s, and then 10-fold again every 2-3 years in the1990s. In the Southern Ocean, the amount of plastic debrisincreased 100 times during the early 1990s. These are just a fewexamples of an expanding body of research that demonstrate that,despite the MARPOL international treaty prohibition on dumpingplastics at sea, debris in the oceans is increasing at an alarmingrate. This is due to the fact that 80% of the debris comes fromland-based sources, particularly trash and plastic litter in urbanrunoff, and the generation of trash and waste is increasing.SDuring the last 10 years, the Southern California Coastal WaterResearch Project (SCCWRP) and the Algalita Marine ResearchFoundation (AMRF) have conducted studies to identify and quantifyocean litter in 4 marine habitats: the beach, the ocean bottom, theocean water column, and the ocean surface. The ocean bottom isdominated by larger material, such as fishing gear and beveragecontainers. The water column contains mostly plastic fragments,small enough to be suspended by ocean currents. The ocean surfacecontains fragments and whole items of floating plastic trash. Thebeach environment contains a combination of different materialsthat differ in size and composition according to distance from thewater edge. The environmental impacts associated with oceanlitter will vary by habitat with aesthetic issues being moreimportant on beaches, and food web concerns being more significantfor the small surface. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:37:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/local-businessman-collecting-toys-for-furry-soldiers--23426.html Stephen Harrison, COO of Tallahassee-based Seva Technologies, cameface to face with an opportunity while flying north for aconference recently. He struck up a conversation with a soldierreturning to Iraq whose partner is a dog. No, really, a dog. TheDepartment of Defense uses canines to sniff out explosives. It isquite a dangerous operation, as you might imagine.Anyway, Steve wants to help get these plastic toys furry soldiers some thingsthat will make off-duty life more pleasant for them and theirpartners. He suggests things like tennis balls, squeaky toys andsoft Frisbees, but please don't send any treats because our caninetroops have dietary restrictions.Anyway, Steve is willing to collect the supplies and pass themalong to the military for battlefield distribution at his SevaTechnology offices, 1618 Mahan Center Blvd., Suite 102. You canreach him with questions at (850) 391-4832.By the way, Air Force spokesman Oscar Balladares said there areabout 1,750 furry soldiers in service for us, so it's unlikely theyget enough toys and tennis balls to go around Next, I bring you a story about that plastic "toy" most of ushumans carry with us. It's yet anotherwhat-were-they-thinking-in-this-age-of-ID-theft story.At dinner Friday our friends dutifully presented their plasticmoney to pay the bill. Off went the card, and it stayed away longenough for us to wonder if our server had taken a break to thenearest mall for a round of purchases. Peering plastic toys through the relativedimness at the back of the restaurant, though, my friends saw theserver in earnest conversation.Before long, a manager appeared."I am so sorry," said the manager soothingly. "Your card is lost."Seems the card fell through a crack in the counter and then throughan opening in the outdoor deck where all the restaurant's checks gofor payment. And in the darkness, the card could be neither seennor retrieved.The friends were advised they would have to come back the next day"when we can see it while it's light outside."Happily, all turned out to be as it seemed, and the friends wereable to be there when the card was unearthed. And, of course, paythe preceding night's bill.Note to local restaurateurs: when you lose the customer's creditcard, it is considered good form to give the meal away at nocharge. As it is, everyone who hears the story (complete with thename of the establishment) is stopping to think whether they shouldgo there.Contact Business Matters Editor Steve Liner at (850) 599-2238 or sliner@Tallahassee.com. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:37:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/yuen-green-creations-are-not-for-sale-23425.html To add a fun element to her warriors, she has humanised Pokok bytelling people that it was him who made all the green items.The five dolls in tennis ball containers are assembled using oldsocks, tennis balls, strips of old clothes and toilet paper tubes.I put each warrior in a capsulated case to tell people that theair outside is contaminated and so they can only survive in thesterile air, although they really want to come out, Yuen said.Her creations under the I Am Not Junk series are not for sale atthe moment, although many people find them cute and useful.I decided to take away the element of greed because I feel that ifyou want to do something good, it should come from the heartwithout expecting plastic toys anything in return.It started as a hobby, I didnt think much about how it wouldimpact the environment in a positive way. But it has become moremeaningful now by saving more things from ending up in landfills.I am doing what I love without receiving money, and it has led meto many opportunities, she said.Yuen recently exhibited her creations at the No Plastic Bag Concertby The Recyclists and people approached her to ask how she made theitems displayed.I dont mind sharing my knowledge at all. I am glad that I havemet my objective, which is to inspire more people to save theenvironment! she said.Yuen is going to give out her bookmarks at her mini exhibition atthe arts and culture event at Menara Hap Seng every Sunday inAugust.Visitors can also meet Pokok and ask him any questions by writingthem down on paper and placing them in his notebook. He willrespond via email or snail mail, Yuen said.Yuen said developers and other organisations could maximise theirresources by reducing waste and transforming them into premiumgifts.Instead of wasting money giving away diaries or notebooks andcreating demand for more trees to be chopped down, they could usescrap materials on site and turn them into decorations andstationery, or even create a new product line to add value to theirbusinesses, she said.Her future plans include creating soft toys of endangered animalswhich die as a result of trying to eat plastic bags, producing anebook to illustrate ways of turning junk into art, and utilisingher knowledge in remedial therapies to come out with her ownskincare products. I am also experimenting on how to make rubber stamp ink fromjuices of fruits and vegetables, she said.Yuen http://closetcrafty.blogspot.com Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:36:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/lego-a-toy-of-gentle-genius-23424.html The fact that Lego is still the top toy in Britain after the best part of half a century shouldcome aslittle surprise. Children everywhere might be bombarded with theidea that they're meant to be products of the all-consumingdigital-electronic-computer-txt msging-iPod world, yet nothing, itseems, beats the elemental pleasure of placing bricks together andcreating worlds of their very own. plastic toys When those bricks fit togetheras precisely and as enjoyably as Lego's do, and offer the sheervariety of plastic-bricky joy as the latest Lego sets do, then thegently instructive pleasure is simply all the more.Lego is one of those toys that adults can happily play withalongside children without getting bored. It is a toy of gentlegenius and one that goes to prove that very many of us, of allages, in a country devoted to not making things and shutting up itstraditional manufacturing industries as plastic toys quickly as commerciallypossible, enjoy making things.If the Lego experience was played out on a wholly adult,manufacturing scale, we would still be happily making locomotives,ships, aircraft and Brunel only knows what, rather than muddlingour way disgruntledly through an economic life given overincreasingly to shopping and, if not shopping, then stackingshelves and buying cars to fill up with costly petrol to drive to supermarkets to shop some more. Making things makes uscontent and even happy and Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891-1958), a Danish carpenter and inventor of Lego appears tohave known this intuitively.Lego, from the Danish "leg godt", or play well, has done ratherwell since the company was founded in 1934, making wooden buildingbricks for children, turning to plastic in 1949. The richest personin Denmark today is Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen grandson of Ole, and Lego's CEO from 1979 to 2004. Some 20million bricks are made each year not in China, or at least notyet anyway and each brick connects with every other made, tothe same scale, since the plastic technology was perfected in 1963.Lego likes to say that sufficient bricks have been made since 1963for every person in the world to plastic toys own more than 60; that means someof you out there must own thousands.While it's true that Lego has been cashing in on fashionable filmtie-in and other crazes in recent years, creating toys based on Star Wars, Harry Potter and other heavily marketed children's favourites, the basic bricksstill allow, and encourage, fresh generations of children to thinkand play and to make things for themselves. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:36:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/inflatable-plastic-toys-gaining-popularity-23423.html Inflatable plastic toys gaining popularit.By Zakir Hassnain.PESHAWAR: Chinese inflated plastic toys have flooded local marketsand are in great demand due to hot weather.Both adults and children enjoy relaxing in toy swimming poolsfilled with water to beat the sizzling heat while small childrenrest in water-filled homes, chairs, ducks, lions, fish, aeroplanes, and other such floating toys.Local shopkeepers and roadside toy sellers purchase inflated toysfrom Karkhano markets, a few kilometers from Peshawar, which arefamous for smuggled goods. Roadside sellers have a variety ofinflated plastic toys and do a roaring business in hot season..I have a variety of swimming pools at reasonable prices rangingfrom Rs 450 to Rs 1500 and they are for both adults and kids,Ijaz, a roadside seller, told Daily Times.Ijaz, a young boy and resident of Mansehra, Hazara, said he boughtplastic toys from Kharkhano markets. Most Chinese plastic toyscome from Lahore to Karkhano markets in containers and hugestocks, he said.Ijaz said inflated toys were used only in summer and were of no usein winter. We dont have any customers in winter for water-filledtoys. However, rocking toys for kids give us little business, hesaid.I save Rs 20 to 50 on a small piece. Large swimming pools give agood profit, he said..Ijaz charged customers extra money for air pumps. He said customerswere given one glue sticker free of cost for punctures. He saidplastic toys lasted for two to three years if properly handled.Tanvir Ahmed, another roadside toy seller on Sher Shah Soori Roadin front of the railway station, said he had left school. Myfather has given me money to do this business. Sometimes I purchasetoys from Karkhano market shopkeepers on credit. They trust me,said Tanvir, 14.Sometimes we dont have a single customer for two or three daysand its really disappointing, said Kashif, anther roadsideseller. Kashif said Karkhano shopkeepers increased prices ofinflated toys in summer.Home National . Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:36:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/how-do-you-choose-safe-toys-23422.html Your toy shopping could be a bit more limited next year.The US house and senate have reached a deal on new toy safetylegislation. This, after a year of a number of toy recalls.The new law would ensure that toys don't have lead in them or thatthey don't have certain toxins found in some plastic.It could come up for a house vote this week.News Three is on your side with what you need to know.It's certainly not the worst place to clock into every day, MainStreet Toy Shop. Just ask the owner, Gladys Griffin, "I kindof keep the kids active and playing while moms playing."A self described big kid, Gladys Griffin say she loves workinghere, but lately aside from the little ones she's been answeringsome grown-up questions from the parents.Says Griffin, "They ask about lead paint. They want to makesure we're not carrying things with lead paint in them."Griffin says over the past year - she's gained a new awarenessabout lead and she's learning about new proposed laws that mayaffect her plastic toys.Griffin says, "If its been recalled, I look around make sureI don't have anything on the shelf, I pull it right away."So what do the experts say when it comes to cleaning off theshelves?Dr. Richard Mansfield, a local pediatrician says to steer clear oflead. But he says when it comes to toxins and plastic, congress maybe being a bit cautious.Says Mansfield, "I think data is young. I don't think we havesignificant data to say one way or another, its always best safethan sorry so limiting that can be a proven step."And even though the shelves at Main Street Toy Shop may look alittle different in the future , they'll still be full.And Gladys Griffin won't stop playing, she'll just be playing it -alittle safer.So what should you look out for if your in the market for sometoys? We're on your side with some safety tips.Dr. Mansfield says to look for non toxic labels on toys, he saysalso - to avoid toys made with lead. Also important - to read theguideline on age requirements. And the Georgia Department of HumanResources tells us that if you want to play it extra safe, look fortoys that are made in the USA. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:36:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/health-canada-recalls-plastic-toys-23421.html The toy guns and binoculars were made in China and imported bySymak Sales Co. Inc., St.-Laurent, Que.Health Canada is also recalling 164, 15.2 cm tall horseshoe magnetswhich have a red plastic coating on the handle end.The department says the surface paint on the magnet also containsdangerous levels of lead.The plastic toys magnets were sold between March 2003 and April 2008 in Alberta,Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba at EducationStation, Helping Hands Tools for Parents, J et M Kool Ltd.,Kidsource Inc., Dynamic Learning Toys and Supreme Learning Productsstores. The magnets were manufactured in China by Dowling Magnetsof Sonoma, California.Health Canada is advising parents the recalled toys shouldimmediately be taken away from children and safely disposed of.To date, it has not received any reports of illness or injuryrelated to the use of these toys.Canwest News Service 2008 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:35:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/ban-weighed-on-children-s-toy-ingredient-23420.html What Is All The Fuss About Chemicals In Toys?by Jon Hamilton.House and Senate lawmakers this week moved toward banning sometypes of phthalates, a family of chemicals found in many softplastic children's toys. Here, a look at where phthalates are foundand the health concerns they raise.What are phthalates.They're chemicals widely used to soften plastics such as vinyl.Manufacturers use hundreds of million of pounds of phthalates eachyear in productsincluding children's toys.What kinds of toys are they found in.They're found in a variety of soft toys, including some rubberducks, bath books and soft vinyl blocks. However, about a decadeago, companies voluntarily removed phthalates from toysspecifically designed to be chewed by children, such as teethingrings and rattles.What are the health concerns?Phthalates are part of a group of chemicals called "endocrinedisruptors." Some of these chemicals act like a hormone in thebody; others block the effect of the body's own hormones. Healthconcerns center on what happens when children chew on toyscontaining phthalates, and small amounts get into their bodies.Just handling toys isn't a problem. There are more than a dozenphthalates in common use. Studies have shown that some of thesephthalates can cause reproductive problems in rodents, but theeffect on humans is under much debate.Why are lawmakers acting now?The Consumer Product Safety Commission has come under fire in thepast couple of years amid a rise in recalls of unsafe products,including imported toys that contained lead paint. Both the Houseand Senate have bills to revamp the Consumer Product SafetyCommission. The Senate version called for banning some phthalatesin children's toys as part of the commission's overhaul. The Houseversion did not. House and Senate lawmakers, who met to reconcilethe two bills, told reporters that they had agreed in principle toadopt the ban. The final bill still needs to go to a vote.If you're a worried parent, what should you do with toys that maycontain phthalates?That depends on whether your children are mouthing or chewing onthose toys. A 2003 study by the CPSC found that most children spentonly a few minutes a day mouthing soft plastic toys, and that afterage 2 children pretty much stop putting these toys in their mouthsat all.Will toys containing phthalates be recalled?Some consumer groups want that to happen. But there is no languagein the current legislation to suggest a recall. The ban would applyonly to toys sold after it becomes law.Is the ban likely to meet resistance?Some companies that make the plastic, like Exxon Mobil, havelobbied against the legislation. They say the science suggestingthat children are at risk from phthalates is weak. President Bushhas said he opposes the ban, but he has not said he would veto thebill. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:35:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/transformer-fault-caused-blackouts-19842.html Ndangi Katoma told The Namibian that the city lost one transformer and had to shift the entire load to other transformers. He added that if everything went well and spares were found, thetransformer could be fixed in a day or two. On Tuesday, NamPower announced that load shedding could be expectedbecause of a shortage of electricity, and some residents who phonedThe Namibian on Tuesday night thought that was happening. But Katoma said the City had not been requested to implement powerrationing yet. Power cuts were experienced in Ludwigsdorf, Windhoek West and asection of Avis. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:12:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/promserv-taking-its-technology-to-mideast-19841.html GEORGE TOWN: Promserv Sdn Bhd, an electrical engineering servicesprovider, plans to tap the Middle East market with its newtechnology for testing of electrical systems. Many oil and gas companies in the Middle East would requirePromserv's technology to test their power installations, saidmanaging director Chen Chin Peng. Our software-based technology allows the testing of current transformer and electrical systems without shutting down theplants operations. Conventional technology takes a long time to check the electricalsystems of a plant, he told StarBiz. He said this after receiving a Malaysian patent for his Live andLoaded Testing Method for Current Transformer from the EnergyCommission chief operating officer Ahmad Fauzi Hasan. A medium-sized company would normally have to shut down itsoperations for days or even weeks for such checks, causing the lossof a lot of money, Chen said. Promserv's technology would alert a customer on any faults in theelectrical system and the parts that need replacing, he said. The company can then order the replacement parts ahead of time.Millions of ringgit and valuable work time will be saved, headded. Chen is an electrical engineering graduate from Universiti Malaya.He spent eight years developing the Live and Loaded Testing Methodfor Current Transformer technology, which also has patentprotection in China and Singapore. Chen said Promserv had a technical support office in Beijing, whichwould be used for its expansion in China. We also plan to expand overseas by licensing the patent tointerested parties, he said. Promserv, which has 30 to 40 engineers, provides electricalengineering services for over 200 multinational customers in thecountry. It has operations in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Kuantan. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:11:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/new-transformers-almost-in-place-at-hhs-track-resurfacing-also-...-19839.html Pickering said power in the classrooms will be turned back onfirst. "When we turn it back on, you never know what's going to happen,"Pickering said, naming potential problems that could be discoveredwhen the school is repowered. "We're right on time. It's goingreally well. Anything could happen, but I seriously doubt it." He added that American Inc. is about 80 percent of the way throughthe project. The cost of the transformer project came in well underbudget, he said. Cheryl Silva, district assistant superintendent of businessservices, agreed with Pickering that she was pleased with theprogress of summer facilities projects at the high school. "Our projects all seem to be running on schedule," Silva said."We're keeping our fingers crossed that the transformers actuallyget done a little ahead of schedule." But the track at Neighbor Bowl will take slightly longer thanPickering hoped. When the prior track surface was lifted, cracks and rough areaswere found in the concrete and asphalt underneath. Silva said thedistrict is anticipating a change order to raise the cost of theproject due to necessary concrete repairs. Concrete repairs requirea 28-day cure. The all-weather surface is expected to go downbeginning Aug. 11, and take about two-and-a-half weeks to complete. "The big deal was getting a lot of work done before the Fourth [ofJuly]," Pickering said. Neighbor Bowl is the site of the city'sannual fireworks show. Both the track and transformer projects were at a stoppable andsafe point for the fireworks and festivities to go on as planned --festivities were powered by donated generators. Pickering said he anticipates Neighbor Bowl to re-open to thepublic by the end of August -- in plenty of time for the first homefootball game in September. The reporter can be reached at 583-2424. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:11:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/pamekasan-residents-release-two-pln-employees-19837.html 07/23/08 04:26 Pamekasan residents release two PLN employees Pamekasan, (ANTARA News) - Some residents of Plakpak village,Pamekasan subdistrict, Madura, East Java, eventually released twostate power compay PT PLN employees Sirat and Junaidi they had heldhostage. They released the two hostages on the condition that PLN repaired adamaged local power transformer. PLN had earlier taken away thetransformer, but it has not been repaired, police said Tuesdaynight. As three days had passed since PLN took away the damagedtransformer apparently for a replacement, which PLN had not done,some of the villagers got angry, and when a PLN car passed theirvillage, they stopped it and held the car including its twopassengers hostage. The villagers became so angry by the power failure, which hadcaused their tobacco plants to wither, and some had even died, dueto lack of water, which could not be pumped into the field withoutelectricity to operate their water pumps. Later the two PLN employees were released, not the car, thanks tothe inteference of some ulemas and community leaders, the policesaid. The villagers will also release the car only if power had beenrestored. "It is alright to release the two, but not their car. And if PLNfailed to restore the power supply, we will set fire on thevehicle," one angry villager shouted. Head if the Pamekasan PLN office Mohamad Rifa`ie said the damage onthe transformer was a pure technical failure, and not intentional. "Today at 4.30 p.m, six PLN employees came to the village forrepair work, and God willing, power supply might be restoredtonight," the police said.(*) COPYRIGHT ? 2008 Terms of Use Print Version Send to Friend Write a Comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:10:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/plane-clips-ocean-ridge-town-hall-before-crashing-nearby-19831.html Gillot had surgery Tuesday evening for wounds to his face and head.He did not break any bones, and his condition was listed as seriousbut stable, said Detective Chris Yannuzzi of the Ocean Ridge PoliceDepartment. His family could not be reached for comment. As fuel gushed from the plane's punctured tanks, a transformer suspended above the power lines exploded in a shower of sparks butdidn't start a fire, officials said. Firefighters spread aflame-retardant foam over the spilled gas. Beachgoer Jennifer Scalisi was walking toward a restroom when shesaw the blue-and-white Cessna careening toward the ground. "His engines were clearly not on," Scalisi said. "It looked like hewas trying to come through here to land on the parking lot." She turned to run back toward the water when she heard the planesmash into the road. "It was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life," Scalisisaid. "It looked like it was going to explode right here." Ten or 12 minutes passed before the man was freed from the mangledfuselage. He was conscious as firefighters worked, police said. The pilot had not filed a flight plan and was operating on visualflight rules, said Kathleen Bergen, a Federal AviationAdministration spokeswoman in Atlanta. FAA records indicate theplane is registered to Jean P. Bayardelle, who listed a BoyntonBeach address that turned out to be a post office box. It wasn'tclear how Bayardelle is associated with Gillot. The FAA is checking with its regional flight surgeon and nationalregistry in Oklahoma City today to determine whether Gillot had theproper medical certification to be at the plane's controls, Bergensaid. Federal law requires yearly checkups for pilots with Gillot'srating, to keep certificates valid. Gillot's most recent medicalexam was submitted in July 2004, Internet records show. On the streets of South Florida, Gillot was cited two dozen timessince 1997 for traffic violations ranging from speeding to carelessdriving, state records show. At least a half-dozen of thoseresulted in convictions, according to state records. In April 2006,he was cited for having an open container of alcohol while drivingin Palm Beach County, though adjudication was withheld. A witness said the plane looked like it was going about 70 mph whenit shaved a piece off the tall white fa?ade of the new townhall, spun and wrapped itself around a concrete utility pole upsidedown. Paramedics rushed to the wreckage of the plane, on its backon the west side of A1A with its wings sheared off and debrisscattered in the roadway. After the transformer exploded, traffic lights went dark on BoyntonBeach's east side. The crash knocked out power to 1,350 householdsand businesses. Workers restored connections for 85 percent ofthose within a half-hour. All but a few were back online by about4:15 p.m., Florida Power et Light Co. spokesman Ed Brennan said. Ocean Avenue in Boynton Beach and northbound A1A south of OceanRidge remained closed for several hours, through rush hour. A lifeguard at the nearby beach saw the plane approach out of thecorner of his eye. "There was no engine power," he said. "He just stalled." Later, in the shade of a tree near the beach, the lifeguard watchedfirefighters pick through the wreckage. "The way he hit, I can'tbelieve he's still alive." Ocean Ridge Town Clerk Karen Hancsak said she and her staff, whoare working out of a mobile home while the new building is beingfinished, heard the plane approaching from the northwest. "We could hear that something happened. It didn't make an explosionsound, but we could hear something happened. "One of us could see it flying fairly low toward the building,"Hancsak said. Staff writers Don Jordan and Kevin Deutsch and staff researcherMichelle Quigley contributed to this story. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:07:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/transformed-by-deferred-gratification-19829.html The headquarters of the BEZ Group, a transformer maker, could usemore than a lick of paint. The executive parking lot is a patchworkof cracked asphalt, while the main office building, a stodgycommunist low-rise on the outskirts of the Slovak capital,advertises space for rent. Inside, the furniture and fittings dateback to the 1970s. Not what you might expect from a fast-growing, export-based companythat saw sales jump 55 per cent last year to almost ??7m. But forJuraj Smatlik, the chairman, modesty is a cardinal corporatevirtue. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:07:00 GMT http://my-world.spoonylife.com/schools-rush-to-fix-flood-damage-19828.html Posted at: 07/22/2008 04:31:50 PM Updated at: 07/22/2008 06:51:19 PM By: Jackie Orozco Print Story Email to a Friend Schools Rush to Fix Flood Damage (ABC 6 NEWS) - Teachers are preparing to welcome students intotheir classrooms in about a month, but will flood damaged schoolsbe ready? Estimates are in and the floods will cost the school district about$75,000 in repairs. And a lot of those repairs are especially needed for John AdamsMiddle School. The Mason City School District Superintendent says the concretedriveway near the alternative school is one of the many thingsalready repaired after the June floods. The school got hit the worst. John Adams Middle School is on the north end of the building, whichstill doesnt have electricity. Now they're fixing the electricity to began cleaning the poolbefore school starts and before August 18 when the high schoolgirls swimming team is scheduled to hold its first practice. John Adams Principal says they're re-organizing a few things toprevent future damage. "[The] main work has been on the transformer and we're going torelocate the transformer to the ground level instead of being downat the basement, says T.J. Jumper. The transformer alone costs more than $45,000 to repair. And since day one of the floods there's been non-stop work on theschool. "A lot of scrambling, a lot of work and a lot of efforts fromAlliant Energy and construction folks and our staff to get thingsready for school, says Dr. Anita Micich. The school district says its optimistic about everything beingready for the upcoming school year. The superintendent says their number one goal is to get power fullyrestored at the middle school and at the alternative school withinthe next couple of weeks. School is scheduled to be back in session on August 20. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:06:00 GMT