#is different from the county which is different from the greater area i think??? which is what i want

[broke-on-books]

Me months ago: omg easy science gened! I like maps I can def make maps this will be great

Me now: *trawling through a 2180 page pdf listing every mailbox in the UK* how the fuck do I turn this into a data layer

[moleshow]

what would you say to someone (me) who is thinking about moving to chicago

it's a good city. without information on what you're looking for, where you're coming from, what your line of work is, what your finances are like, or whether you want to study here i can only give general advice. so without further ado

what exactly is a chicago

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

POPULATION:

we have the largest population of polish people outside of poland

we are located within COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS which contains the ring of inner suburbs that border chicago. our 3 transit systems are the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), which operates the L (back to that in a second) and our city bus system. the suburban bus operations are run by Pace, and the L has two lines which extend into the northern suburbs of Skokie, a predominately jewish and to a lesser extend filipino neighborhood (don't quote me on that), and Evanston, which is where the main campus of Northwestern University is located. Metra runs our suburban commuter trains, but they don't own all of the tracks. metra trains have a few stops within the city, but generally serve the Greater Chicagoland area.

note that Chicago and Chicagoland are different places and the terms are not used interchangeably. chicagoland is always the burbs. this is a chronic issue: people from the suburbs will claim they are from chicago. do not let them trick you. ask them what neighborhood.

the CTA operates the Red, Purple, Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Orange, and Pink Line trains. all of these converge in the Loop. because they form a Loop. the other stuff in this picture that do not go into the loop are metra lines.

the "base point" for our address system is in the loop, at Madison/State. major roads will have numbers and N/S or E/W on them to indicate where they are relative to that intersection. you might hear, like, "5200 block on north clark", which will tell you where along clark that location is (in this case, clark street is 5200 N at foster).

regarding politics

if you live here, you will benefit greatly from understanding the politics. we have a council-mayor system. each city council member (known as an alder-wo/man/person or sometimes just alder) represents one of 50 wards. we use a weak-mayor system, but there's coalitions and mayors usually tap into that (unless they're hostile nutjobs)

as you might be able to tell there's a lot of politics happening here. to that point, we do big city democrat boss/machine politics here. you should look up richard j daley and then richard m daley to get a peek into that. it's the politics of knowing a guy

we have a new mayor. you might know this already but this is a lead-in to a larger point which is that chicago is, relative to the extent that any place can be after the 1980s, a union town. brandon johnson comes to us, broadly speaking, out of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). they are to city hall progressives what the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) are to the conservatives. teachers union vs police union. fight

note that our conservatives are not republicans. our conservatives and progressives are democrats, because everyone only votes for democrats. the national party labels don't apply so the policies are what's different

vexillology

we have one of the finest flags possibly in the history of man.

there is no east side because there's a lake.

where to move

you'll get more transit access for your money if you look for apartments on the north side east of ashland, or at the very least, damen. around the brown line might be tempting but it doesn't run 24h and i found that difficult to rely on when i was along it. the area i've described has decent redundancy so you can have a lot of options a few blocks apart.

older buildings almost always use gas stoves and steam radiators. that's something to be aware of when you're looking depending on whether or not you care.

rapid fire north side neighborhood ratings from someone who doesn't go west of ashland because i refuse to cross it

rogers park good, mid around loyola university, edgewater mid if you aren't on wilson, uptown good, andersonville overpriced and mid, ravenswood barely a neighborhood but cheap and mid

this area is so lame it's uninhabitable. over here it's always christian girl autumn. drivers are aggro as fuck, they all drive SUVs, and the food sucks. don't move there

continuing further south: lakeview after belmont (e/w) is good and better on broadway to the east. this is where boystown is due to gay men being there. lincoln park nice to look at but mid to be in. downright bad around depaul. "ranch triangle" is barely a neighborhood, wealthy and mid. near north side is complicated due to proximity to the Viagra Triangle. gold coast is not a neighborhood but has good peoplewatching. nonetheless, mid. old town is where they invent new ways to be mid. and river north is a nuclear mid-off but has fairly swank restaurants if you don't spend too much time there

6. the dollar

apartment prices vary depending on what amenities you want. a basic oldschool unit without a dishwasher or central air but with laundry in the building will generally set you back $750-1000 for a normal, rather than weird, studio. you shouldn't pay more than $1600 for a one bed. it is better to look for places in person but come off of anon and i can give you the name of a company i rented from that had good units in good areas for good prices. and parquet wood flooring.

if you are poor and or gay we have medical services for that. the howard brown health system does sliding scale and has locations across the city

things aren't too pricey here in terms of having fun but the main thing people do is drink, go to the lake, and drink at the lake. there's other stuff of course. the restaurants are good generally speaking and the industry is frankly enormous here. usually all around the same price point, we don't do a whole lot of the Fine Dining stuff here.

culture notes

this is longer than i intended it to be

we have sports teams only three of which matter. these are the cubs, white sox, and bulls. cubs and white sox are both baseball teams and appeal to different demographics. cubs fans usually live in the suburbs or on the north side, white sox fans are largely from the south and west sides. the bulls are a basketball team. you'll see all of this stuff on hats

we got a few newspapers: the chicago tribune, chicago sun-times, and block club chicago are some of our heavy hitters

all the cops and firefighters live out here in the bungalow belt

don't move there

[nonooddo]

Just What is this Developer Up To..?

Oddo Developments is building, planning or has built tower blocks of thousands of beds and and 'townhome' developments across this part of the county and the greater Kansas City area.

The developer is relentless in fighting communities across the region - with teams of architects, lawyers, illustrators, PR people and paid-up engineers all producing 'unbiased reports', 'scenic' renderings and of course candid submissions in multiple sets of municipal planner meetings. Meetings that local residents know nothing about until the Oddo Project is already baked - and its odor has already seeped all through the corridors of the various city halls.

"You Cant Handle The Truth" - until its too late for you to do much about it..!

And IF there is a need for high stacked rental housing - maybe all these legal maneuverings - that just happen to NEVER include the locals and the communities Oddo moves it resources into - are meeting that need. But that doesn't explain why Oddo is determined to grab hold of the gateway to Cedar Creek...

Hiddeous

The Oddo company's other plans, on a much less significant Cedar Creek adjacent site - (between Valley Parkway & 103rd/Hwy 10), are much more modestly scaled. Not on a high elevation - those plans are only intended to be TWO STORIES HIGH...!

Yet More ODDO It will be doubly difficult to sell apartments with traffic views if the luckless Oddo residents wake up to find that Oddo over-development in Lenexa is causing traffic to back up onto Hwy 10...!

Of course selling views of traffic on K-10 would be more of an uphill battle than selling views from the top of the hill on Cedar Creek parkway. Cedar Creek views that we provide, at our expense, and Shadow Glen golf course views that Oddo will appropriate along with the name 'Shadow Glen'.

So is the deal - 'stacking "synthetic stone cladding" and "cement board" multi-level micro apartments' all along K-10 designed to catch the eye of commuters? Those forced to wait for a space on the Cedar Creek off-ramp will have noting to look at but tail-lights and 'ANOTHER ODDO DEVELOPMENT' billboards? Logical maybe - if cheap and nasty.

But what does that do to the claims of luxury resort living..? Is that really the way you recruit top level tenants? Somehow I think not. So really - what is Oddo Developments doing trying to take over the entrance to Cedar Creek..? Why does THIS site have to be 6 stories of building - as opposed to 2 elsewhere (from which he clearly must be able to turn a profit...)?

I'll tell you - this is all about what we have, we created, we should own and we should be in charge of (were it not for another developer who clings onto control through a faux HOA)...

Oddo Developments wants to loot Ceder Creek of its views, its open spaces, its character and its green resources... He has no way to prevent his tenants using our open property, crowding the carefully stewarded natural spaces - and our absurd developer-run HOA has no plans, ability or inclination to stop Oddo. After all - birds of a feather....

So we should be in no doubt that the rapacious machine presently gnawing at our door, does not have a better face or a nicer plan. There are no 'more acceptable' approaches or alternatives. Not from an entity that is here for the singular reason of appropriating for itself all that we have worked for, contributed to, managed, observed, maintained, stewarded and paid for. Oddo's very presence in Cedar Creek is fundamentally at odds with all of us who live here. And that difference is irreconcilable.

The essence of Cedar Creek is at stake here. Nothing more, nothing less.

NO...!

Oddo can't be allowed to win.

[trainsinanime]

Trains in Wednesday

If you watched Wednesday (2022 Netflix TV show), then you've probably wondered what the train was, and whether it makes sense. The answer to that is: Sorta, by accident!

We see the train briefly in establishing shots in a number of episodes, but especially episode two, where it pulls into the station. The station is full of American flags everywhere, and the show is set in America, so as you'd expect, the station and train are from…

…Romania, actually. Not quite Transylvania, but close (at least the castle, I don't actually know about the station). This train is a CFR class 96 DMU (diesel multiple unit).

Picture by Stefan Bichler (Stbichler), via Wikimedia Commons, published under CC BY-SA 3.0

To much the rest of the world, this type of train is known as a Siemens Desiro. Specifically it is nowadays known as a Siemens Desiro Classic. There are plenty of other trains named Siemens Desiro, generally with a suffix, that are technically and visually completely different (e.g. the ones for the UK, Russia, Belgium, the newer ones for Germany and Israel, the one for Malaysia… all completely different trains).

The Desiro Classic was designed to offer better service on rural German branch lines, with high acceleration, level boarding, air conditioning and accessibility. Several other companies built similar trains during the late 1990s and early 2000s as part of a big program to modernise Germany's regional rail lines, and all of them managed to sell theirs far and wide beyond Germany as well. Siemens in particular managed to get a good foothold on south-east Europe. They sold significant numbers of these trains to Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, as well as Denmark in a different direction. Most were diesel, but some electric versions also exist. Romania in particular got 120 trains (all diesel), about half of which were produced locally, which makes them the second-biggest user of this type after Germany.

As a train designed to continental European standards, it does not meet US-american crash worthiness requirements, which are all designed around "the heavier the train the better", and have largely ignored "built stuff in to avoid collisions". As a result it can't run on the US mainline rail network. And so you'd expect me to say that this makes no sense in the US, and I'd really like to…

…but as it turns out, for almost any early-2000s low floor German DMU, you can find like one or two lines in the US were these were used as a super innovative regional rail project. For the Desiro, that place was North San Diego County, California, where twelve of these trains run under the name "Sprinter" between places I never heard of (Oceanside and Escondido) in the greater LA metro area.

Picture by Amtrak455, via Wikimedia Commons, published under CC BY-SA 4.0

Different colors, obviously, and I think it got more AC units on the roof, but it's still the same train. The lower crash standards means that it's considered "light rail" in the US, meaning it legally counts as a better type of tram, and freight trains can't run when these trains are running.

Twelve of these trains isn't a lot, but it's still more than the three Bombardier Talent DMUs (a similar type by a different company) that used to run in Ontario, and that people always bring up whenever I talked about a Bombardier Talent somewhere.

Wednesday is set in Vermont, obviously, far from California. But Nevermore and the town of Jericho are clearly fictional, and it's absolutely possible that in the alternate universe of the show, there is a branch line in Vermont that got these trains in the mid-2000s. It's a bit of a stretch if you get down to it, e.g. with the Romanian colours (and for that matter why is the station electrified? Is Jericho a junction on a branch of the North-East Corridor?). But it's way more plausible then the show's love triangle.

[libraryofcirclaria]

17 January 1261

Library of Circlaria

Third Level Society: First Version

Story Five: Oscar Lehman

Last I wrote, I was about to head to Bridgetown. Now I am in North Kempton.

Two months ago, November 16th through 17th, I think, I made my way to Bridgetown and met with Meon. I took a plane from Gentry County Airport to the Airfield in the greater area of Lerutan. From there, I took a cable train which arrived to Midway Station in Bridgetown. Meon's flat was one block East and one block North of the Midway Platforms, on the Bridge, itself, on the Combrian side. 

So it was a long day of travel, I think about three hours. 

When I arrived, Meon invited me in and sat me down with some coffee. I told him of everything that happened between Marcus Terrings and Karlin Maryk, more than what I could say over telephone or ticker. Meon seemed to listen intently; but when I finished, instead of providing insight and advice on the matter, he simply stated that he had nothing to say and then changed the subject.

The conversation drifted into politics, during which Meon felt certain that Jackson would win.

"I don't see how a radical third-party candidate from an upstart organization can bring down the mighty Foundationist-Laborist establishment," I remember saying.

"You would be surprised how many think differently," Meon said.

Of course, I did not believe him at that moment. In fact, I was completely dumbfounded by his actions. He seemed a completely changed individual, not the Meon I knew for years and years. And in this case, I even began to wonder if he was either politically swayed or knew something that only few others knew.

And my dumbfoundedness was increased even moreso by what he said next.

"Go back to Cabotton next week, and finish your semester," Meon said. "After finals, I need you to do me a favor. I will send over 500 qors to your bank account that week. Whenever you see that, and whenever your academic break starts, take the plane and train routes necessary to reach the town of North Kempton. See if you can find Cray Fenton."

"I thought you no longer had interest in the happenings of Cray Fenton," I protested. Indeed, that was true. Meon had made countless mentions with me in conversation throughout the years about his fallout with Cray Fenton. After Fenton's downfall, Meon was hoping to reach out in the hope of consolation. He had tried this many times but was met with cold silence. Eventually, Meon gave up, or so it would seem.

But Meon placed his hands on my shoulders. "Don't mention me," he said. "Also, when you get there, approach him as if normally someone from the outside wanting to make friends. In the process, get as much information from him as possible, his whereabouts, his relations, especially with the Galleston family, and especially his craft."

"What is the meaning of all this?" I asked. 

"Just do as I ask." Then Meon smiled. "It will benefit all of us."

Usually, a conversation with Meon made me feel whole whenever I came to him during low points in my life. But that particular conversation made me feel even more fragmented and confused. I returned to Cabotton the same way I came. And during the last week of November, first week of December, I just simply felt emptier than before. I stopped engaging on the most part with the Third Level Society, not just because of having to focus on my final examinations, but because I simply became a shell of who I was.

My mind turned quite frequently to the Four Towers on the University Campus.

I went through the motions. I took and passed my exams. At the end of the first week of December, I put the Society and Meon completely out of mind.

And then, in the late hours of Friday December 7, news broke that the electoral Docks District in South Masonia was handed to Edward Jackson. That was the final building stone in this year's contested election, the outcome of which determined the outcome of the election. So Edward Jackson of the radical Diplomatic Party was named the next Prime Minister, unseating the incumbent James Black and breaking the Foundationist-Laborist dynamic having been in place since the beginning.

Meon Bell was right.

In all this chaos and uncertainty, Meon Bell's seemingly off-hand and semi-delusional statement regarding the politics in the outside world was actually right on point. I actually had thought that Meon was converted into a brainwashed hopeful of that libertarian campaign platform. But now I realize that perhaps I was misunderstood. With Meon Bell serving as the point of fixture in the socio-political soup, I decided to finally follow through with his advice.

I still paid a visit to my family for the first week or so of winter break, staying over the holidays of Stellacrux and the New Year. But afterward, I set out to North Kempton. I decided to take the following Spring Semester off from Cabotton University.

When I got there, I realized that the rumors I heard in the past spoke true about North Kempton. I saw pictures of the town before everything happened. Nothing but a few farmsteads. But when the Airship Pirafone crashed in one of their cropfields, national attention was drawn here. Before long, the airship industry saw the place as a potential stopover; so they built an airfield here, dedicating it to Captain William Solomon, having received a hero's honor for having landed the Pirafone on the ground without casualties. In fact, Cray Fenton having broken his wrist was the only injury requiring a hospital stay.

Things changed dramatically for that town. Before 1251, it was said that "nobody outside of North Kempton knew that North Kempton existed." Where there used to be nothing but open fields and scattered farmsteads stands, today, a proper town. There is a town square with intersecting avenues and traffic lights. And there's line after line of shops.

That was not what got my attention, however. What struck me was the arrangement of the residential housing estates. Those, in North Kempton, are complete squares with uniform houses and uniform lawns. Now we've had estates throughout Middle Remikra and the Great North for the past half-century or so, but these housing plots here in North Kempton are peculiar with their yard decorations, more specifically the bushes and hedges, whose shapes are obviously crafted by humans. And for the past thirty-six hours, I learned from a few North Kemptonians that there is a norm to have the best hedge and the best-kept lawn. Not necessarily an actual competition, but more like a competitive vibe. And this extends to fences, housing exteriors, and even sidewalks.

Another element of culture here is a similar incentive to produce the best model family of the town. In other words, there is a stronger drive here than I've seen elsewhere to graduate from school, join the military if you are male, obtain a college degree, obtain a job, then marry and start a family. And may I add that there is a strong expectation for adolescents to participate in sports. In fact, that norm is so popular that the local high school has more than one team for each of their sports.

And there also seems to be a community expectation extending to even relatively private behaviors such as one's conduct at the family dinner table, as well as pressure to attend Alconist worship every Sunday.

I'm not able to pinpoint what exactly about this bothers me slightly. All the norms here are present elsewhere, including Cabotton. But something feels a bit extreme about all of this. It seems that North Kempton and its very function seems to revolve around the norms of the individual and of the family. And North Kempton is the first town I've seen to boast a slogan: "Tradition and Community."

Regardless, I was happy to finally meet Cray Fenton. At first, I found someone who knew him, but that person would not respond to my inquiry other than "He's busy these days with private matters." I had booked an extended stay at the Town Center Hotel. So I decided to take another approach by leveraging some rumors.

What I gained from that was that Cray Fenton and members of the Galleston family were setting up and running a dymensional plane that simulated the city of North Kempton, itself, with avatars only in the form of humans and animals doing normal things. It seemed boring the way these sources conveyed these activities.

But then I came across Carla Solden. I told her everything that I heard about the Cray Fenton project, and explained to her how I had, on the most part, separated from the Third Level Society. That seemed to catch her interest; and when I asked to observe a session one night out of pure curiosity, she obliged and gave me the address to the Galleston Farmhouse.

So I arrived on the evening of January 14th to the Galleston Farmhouse. It was snowy, and had been all day. But I could see that they had about an acre of crops that they grew during the appropriate season. Indeed, they were right next to the William Solomon Airfield, which was quite a vast area; and Peter Galleston, who met me upon arrival, explained how that all belonged once to the Galleston family, initially as a large grainfield. The airship industry had paid a large sum of money to that family for purchase of the field, as well as paid for a lifetime of wheat flour imports.

The dymensional plane was in the house basement, but we convened in the living room on the first floor, where I finally met Cray Fenton, members of the extended Galleston family, and some of their close friends. 

Fenton seemed quite calm and friendly, in stark contrast to what Meon Bell had told me. I guess that being away from the Third Level Society for as long as he was did much to calm him. So I told them everything regarding my recent experiences with the Third Level Society.

For a moment, Fenton's jolly vibe disappeared and was replaced by an air of serious acknowledgement. "Indeed, some things may have changed. But some things also remain the same." Then he beckoned for me to follow him down into the basement, where he showed me the dymensional plane.

It was basically a rendition of North Kempton. "Every significant building, every street, every zone, every geographical feature, crafted to the best possible detail with respect to our ability," Fenton explained to me. "It's not much, I know. Just a simple re-creation of the real world. But it serves an important purpose. Of course, that would take all night of explaining. So it is better for you to cast your own avatar and take part." 

And I did. Thus far, things seem a bit less structured here. They do not even have a name for their organization let alone a policy book or Statute of Principle. But one rule here is that the avatar you cast must be an exact replica of yourself, with no unreasonable alterations.

But aside from that, there are no rigid leadership roles, although Fenton seems the "head of the round dinner table." There are no bizarre political dynamics here like in Cabotton. There seems to be an air of common sense for once. I haven't yet fully indulged, although I will in due time. But this already feels more comfortable for me than the Society ever did.

"There's probably more of you where you came from," Fenton said at one point. "Let them know that I would like to extend my perpetual invitation."

I am taking Spring Semester off from Cabotton University. In fact, I may even take off Fall Semester.

<- 13 November 1260 <- || -> 01 March 1261 ->

[naturecoaster]

How NatureCoaster is Making a Difference for Florida's Nature Coast

We love Florida's Nature Coast. We work hard to support the many organizations that help make the wonderful place what it is, whether through events, activities, preservation, or assistance to residents and visitors. That is why NatureCoaster.com covers the best of the area and not the crime and politics that divide it. Being involved in politics - the organizations and governing entities that manage our area's resources - is important. Attending County Commission meetings, Southwest Water Management District meetings, Florida Fish and Wildlife Meetings, City Council meetings, and Metropolitan Planning Organization meetings are all ways that we can shape how our area grows. NatureCoaster.com covers notices about when and where you can get involved. When you speak up and get involved in the process you can influence positive change and chart direction. Today's feature story is about the details: who, what, where. Let us know what you think in the comments. Supporting the Florida Wildlife Corridor One of our passion projects is the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which is certainly bigger than our Nature Coast. The Corridor extends from the Keys to Alabama and Georgia, providing a connected path for wildlife to move freely and somewhat safely through the entire state. The Nature Coast is an important piece of the Corridor. The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation has partnered with us to promote you, our readers, getting involved. To that end, Diane Bedard, NatureCoaster's founder has been involved with this organization for several years. "I believe that each of us can contribute to something greater by trying. I believe God honors effort and when we take the time to put our vision into action, we can contribute to a greater good," Diane says. A Celebration to Help the Cause On April 6, 2024, NatureCoaster.com held a party for our tenth anniversary at the Masaryk Winery in Masaryktown, Florida. We invited all our readers, our advertising partners, and the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation's friends to come out and celebrate with us on the 53-acre u-pick farm, winery, restaurant, and venue. Autum Proctor of Traveling Art Parties kicked our celebration off with a custom paint class featuring a Nature Coast theme. Here are some of the finished pieces with their creators. Image by Dennis Bedard. We made a custom art piece under the guidance of Autum Proctor, owner of Traveling Art Parties. We enjoyed some of the finest blues music around by the Sarasota Slim Band. We held a silent auction that had donations from small businesses throughout Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco Counties, and we learned more about the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation by watching their latest film, O2O: the Path to Connection and hearing from a panel that included Justin Alsedek, the artist who created the Florida Wildlife Corridor Brooksville mural, Austin Jenkins, US Army Veteran and Trek participant on the O2O film, Donayle Whitmore, FCWF's Director of Outreach Programs, Barry Meindl representing Brooksville Main Street, and myself. The event was catered by Suzy's Kitchen, a farm-to-table place inside the Masaryk Winery. We had a marvelous turnout at our celebration and raised over $1,300 to donate to the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. This donation, while not monumental in size, will help the organization continue fighting to connect and protect the nature that makes our Nature Coast such a magical place. https://youtube.com/shorts/sOi1nTZrxKE?si=Z3MUslnycn1denWa Let's take a moment to thank the partners who contributed to the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation fundraiser at our Tenth Anniversary Celebration. What a great team! - Chop Block Grill - Florida's Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau - Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation - Freedom Boat Club - Gypsea Arts - Main Street Eatery - Marilyn Tate, Artist - Movin’ Grooms - Philip Bomhoff, Attorney - Richey Suncoast Theatre - Roots Creative Company - Sally White Photography - Tampa Bay Retired Police K9 Foundation and Dog Phonics - The Plantation on Crystal River - The Red Brick Place - The White Heron Tea & Gifts - Traveling Art Parties Raising Funds and Presenting a Check Mallory Lykes-Dimmitt, Chief Executive Officer of the Corridor Foundation, stated, "The awareness you raise through your efforts is significant to our goal of connecting and protecting a safe space throughout our State and we are grateful for your partnership." Her thank you letter for the financial donation stated, "Together we’re continuing to make tremendous strides to keep the Corridor connected and working with a growing array of partners and resources to collectively achieve our critical mission. " We were able to go to the June 8th Gallery opening at their St. Petersburg office to present the check and share some of our NatureCoaster.com branded wine made by Masaryk Winery. NatureCoaster Sponsors Organizations and Events to Help Raise Funds for Local Charities And NatureCoaster is a local publication with a global reach. We help sponsor and promote events year-round to raise funds for charities that provide everything from food for food-insecure schoolchildren to animal care and everything in between. Here is a list of some of the local events and organizations we donate to - The Arc Nature Coast - Florida Manatee Festival - Heroes Boat Parade - Florida Strawberry Festival - Summer Bark Festival - Kumquat Festival - Chasco Fiesta - Live Oak Theatre - Friends of Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park - Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs - Brooksville Main Street - Art in the Park - New Port Richey Main Street - Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival - East Pasco Chamber - Pigz in Z’Hills Blues & BBQ - Tampa Bay Retired Police K9 Foundation - Walk of Arts Sidewalk Chalk Competition - Drive for Champs Golf Classic - Brooksville Gallery 201 - Red, White & Brews - Walk for Alzheimer's - Floral City Heritage Council - Citrus County Historical Society - 100 Women Who Care Nature Coast If we go back more years, there are more, and I am certain there are some that have been inadvertently left off the list. We want to make a difference for our Nature Coast and with your help, we do. Support the organizations that invest in advertising with NatureCoaster.com. Without our partners, we would not be able to continue connecting you to the best of our area. We hope to see the Butterfly Lady at the 2024 Monarch Butterfly Festival in the newly renovated Touchton Park. Miles the Butterfly, photo ops and much more are sure to be at the annual Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival on October 26. Image by Dennis Bedard. We Partner with Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Bureaus We belong to several Chamber of Commerce organizations in our region, including the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce and the East Pasco Chamber of Commerce. In previous years, we have been members of the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Hernando Chamber of Commerce. We work with all three County tourism or destination marketing organizations: Discover Crystal River, Florida's Adventure Coast, and Florida's Sports Coast. They support us and we support them in attracting visitors to the area to experience the best we have to offer. Some of Our Readers' Remarks about NatureCoaster.com In May 2024, we did a reader survey, asking what readers like about NatureCoaster, and here are the comments. Some are repetitive in this list format, but we didn't want to take away from any of the responses. Let us know if you agree - or if you have some to add. - I learn about the Nature Coast. Helps this snowbird feel connected until we return. - Information on events and restaurants - Just good local events and news and I like how much there is about nature! - Events from a couple of counties for better options for family time/memory makers - It's relevant to my home - So fun and informative! - I learn things about my county that I would not think about. - Good Local News Articles and Events - Interesting - Wide and varied coverage - It alerts me to events that I may want to attend. - I get news about the community! - You are local and you are passionate about promoting local! - Keeps me updated on community news and events with interesting stories and things to do - Gives me the facts about what is happening - It provides interesting information about the local area. - "The articles are informational and local and I love to share them on various Facebook pages that I manage. - It lets me know what events are going on and where! - It is an incredible source of local events, local businesses, local news and overall local spots to be visited! - Up to date - It keeps me up-to-date on local places to go - I like the feature stories, and event notices, along with community news. - It goes where other media doesn't. - It informs me of events and places in my county - The background history of places on the Nature Coast - I am interested in learning and participating in outdoor educational activities - Good local information If you get to this paragraph, know that we are trying to help make Florida's Nature Coast a better place with our God-given talents and we couldn't do it without you. Read the full article

[evanvanness]

A screening list for an English club to buy

It's long been a dream of mine to buy a football ⚽ club in England and bring it up the divisions and try to turn it into a big club worth billions.*

What would be an ideal club to buy:

League Two (or possibly League One). League Two is the 4th division, league One is...the third division. In American terms, very roughly speaking, League One is AA minor league baseball, and League Two is A.

Close to an international airport with a direct flight. In practice from Houston this means greater London, maybe greater Manchester/Liverpool (there's a direct singapore air flight). On the other hand, maybe you move there and go 24/7.

Big stadium without urgent need for renovations where fans attend even in lean times. The gate is a big piece of the economic puzzle in lower divisions. The better the attendance in lean years means that you can (theoretically) lever up more with debt because the downside is lower (theoretically)

Higher GDP in surrounding area the better. More sporting success means more economic success. Also generally less xenophobia for when you buy the club and for the inevitable times when your team doesn't live up to expectations.

League Two (via Wikipedia)

League One:

Clubs on this list (12 in League One, 6 in League Two) roughly within an hour of Manchester airport without traffic: Bradford City, Tranmere Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Wigan, Barnsley, Port Vale,

Within an hour of Heathrow: Swindon Town, MK Dons, Charlton Athletic, Reading, Portsmouth, Oxford United.

Top of League One and League Two (by stadium capacity) are both clubs who would probably be pretty gunshy, for some different reasons. Derby County went busto, MK Dons got moved in controversial circumstances.

Even knowing how football mad the general area is, it's somewhat surprising how many clubs are within an hour of the Manchester airport.

You notice Wrexham in the bottom left corner, as it's a short drive from the airport. A few actors managed to buy the club in a particularly brilliant manner by cross-promoting all their investments using a documentary, all the while acting as if they're losing money.

[I find the documentary really annoying. Lots of dumb jokes, overacted "reality scenes," not enough football, business or Wales. I do enjoy the Wales bits though.]

They did manage to go from the 5th division to the 4th division, however, which is a big accomplishment. They got the club apparently for free, by simply promising to invest in the club.

There's a few clubs in London if you're willing to look at the 5th division, but the stadiums are small. For example, of that map, the largest stadium is Barnet at 6400. Since it's London, presumably expanding or building a new stadium when you need to is much more expensive.

I also think that 5th division complicates an obvious blueprint: for me, it would be recruit from Argentina relatively young and create a culture where players aren't homesick and can perform. Beyond that, Chelsea also showed us that buying lots of players cheap when they're young and loaning them out until you sell or play them is a profitable strategy.

_* Almost 20 years ago I spent hours figuring out Peter Thiel's email when he was at the height of his success as a macro trader to send him an extremely half-baked suggestion of buying a club in administration. If you assume he didn't respond, that is the safest of calls.

_** Technically the top level (the Premier League) is no longer a member of the EFL.

[cashloans2go]

Lifestyle as Associated with Your Vehicle Choices 

Finally, you are going to own your car. Alternatively, maybe it is time to get the second (or the third one. Have you arranged your finances? Did you finalise your car model? If you haven’t, then this post might do you good. 

To get a suitable car for your life, you have got to think about your lifestyle first. Your lifestyle does get a boost. However, the same lifestyle choices determine the best car for you. Read on to find out more about it.

What Car May Fit Your Lifestyle the Best?

You know very well that vehicles are meant for different purposes. Of course, your responsibility comes more relevant here as a car owner. If you can choose the vehicle meant for the purpose you have, then materially, it’s a correct decision.

However, one may need a minivan not only for the purpose it is created for but also for something extra. For example, people buy a minivan to commute with many passengers. However, simultaneously, you may use it for your business shipment process with delivery people.

It all then comes down to your personal preferences. Put more focus on why you want to own a car’ to come to a clarified decision. It will help you with your purchase. Types of vehicles you might need to consider:

Coupes (cars with two doors) 

Sedans (cars with fur doors)

Vans 

Mini-Vans 

SUVs (utility vehicles)

Trucks 

Campervans or Motorhomes   

When you are sure of the kind of vehicle you want to buy, then you can organize your finances better. Nevertheless, what if you don’t have a good financial condition? What if you have spotted your favourite car and an affordable limited-period offer, yet you cannot own it for lack of money? In that case, take a car loan from the new direct lenders in the UK. They can offer you personal loans for buying your car. Yes, you can get money for your car without having to use it for collateral.

Your Residential City or County Matters a Lot

Maybe you live a lifestyle from which others gain inspiration. We can define the lifestyle we live based on our choices. However, part of that is defined by the location we live. If you are a person on a hamlet in the UK, then you would live differently than a Londoner. It’s that simple. 

In case you are staying in a city that got narrow roads or navigational areas, then it is wise to choose a smaller vehicle. You can navigate through the city more easily. You can squeeze your car into tight parking spaces.

Nevertheless, staying in the countryside or a more wide space than a city, such as a town or a village, can help you own a larger vehicle like an SUV. You won’t have issues driving or parking it. Besides, the larger wheel diameter can get more distance covered for you. 

How about the Type of Driving or Commutes You Are Looking at 

I am going to give you an example with skateboards. My friend Zack has a longboard. The longboard comes with a greater size and softer wheels. Hence, it helps a person to roll with stability for a longer period. The plain reason for that is the length of the board deck and the larger wheel diameter. He uses it to commute to the office, which is about 5 miles from his home.

Chen is another mate of mine who bought a penny board. It is a cruiser. These are smaller longboards with the same sort of wheels. However, their sizes are comparatively shorter. They are great for navigating the roads, alleyways, and pavements of a city.

Have you got your answer? If you are into a cab business or your navigational area is mostly in the city spaces with tight twists and corners, a small SUV will be a good fit for you. You might also go for a coupe that comes in smaller. On the other hand, you can choose a larger SUV if you stay in a freer area with long-distance travelling as your necessity. 

Family Members 

I would ask you to consider sedans and SUVs if you have a family. I mean, if your family consists of only 2 people, and you know that the number of members is not increasing in the future, then that two-door car is going to be good for you. Again, having a sedan or an SUV is more important when you have many family members.

A van might also be a good option if you have a large family. There will be times when you want to go on road trips. A family of that kind needs these occasions at times. If you have a high-budget capacity, I might want to recommend the campervan or motor home. It is splendid not to carry too many people but to accommodate them for a short period quite comfortably and safely.

For the Solo Travellers 

Some people like to call the road their friend. No, I am not trying to tell you that you need to live in your car like a few people are doing these days. That’s a different thing. However, wanderlust may have made you infected with an urge to travel. With that, you’ll need a stronger car.

I want to pick an SUV. However, if you are a traveller who does not like the company of others, then a small truck is good. It can get your things loaded at the back. It has a good hauling capacity, which you can use for long road trips or for things like camping. 

For Businesses

Now you want to ship things. You have a brand, and you would like a transportation partner that is going to get your things moved from one place to the other. You might be working in retail, manufacturing, or the restaurant industry, where you have to come across shipping needs for your customers constantly. It is also a common thing for businesses like dropshipping.

A small truck or a pickup truck will work as a perfect business partner for you. Yes, they are a little costly. However, we can pay that high price if we put our brains to use. 

To Conclude: Financing a Car in Poor Conditions

Sometimes, for an individual or a business, buying a car or any vehicle gets mandatory. But they might face a financial hurdle. A poor credit score or low income can be a few of these issues.

Why worry much? You can take out long-term loans for bad credit from a direct lender online. These loans may not be secured loans. You can take them out without collateral. Your lender wouldn’t mind a bad credit score as long as it is a direct lender organisation and you are transparent with repayment using your salary. 

As a parting piece of advice, I would only like to reflect on the fact that you should research a little more about the car you want. Maybe this post has told you enough about what areas to check. You might have special requirements. Take time to understand them and then finalize your purchase. It is then going to be effective. 

[rgvrollo]

Clearly, #spacex feels their launch was a success!

I would agree to a certain extent, but it's failures alarm me! Here's why:

When NASA, was been placed on the back burner for deep space enthusiasm, Elon has gone somewhat rogue. This can lead to serious consequences for People, Environment, and Sea Life.

NASA spent billions of Tax-payer dollars that funded the research of its launch facilities to accommodate the Saturn 5 Rockets, and The Space Shuttle. Although the fuels, and oxidizers may be different, the concept remains. Very high heat at launch, and lots of down force blast at take-off. NASA has it down. Elon chose Boca Chica, built his own dreamy launch system, and his incredible Merlin engines. Clearly, He didn't account for, or neglected the math. Not only did his launch facility fail at its most Basic design, but destroyed his craft. There was tons of fine silica particles from sand, and concrete blasted even smaller into the Atmosphere in the huge dust cloud after take-off. The prevailing winds carried the Dust Cloud up towards South Padre Island, and West, NW of the Launch site. This would encompass The Entire Rio Grande Valley, and up to Central Texas(San Antonio). This alarms me more than a launch failure. Elon, who has Tesla, a green car company, isn't concerned about Air Quality?

Something to consider, is the fact that Mexico deliberately burns their trash dumps during these predictable winds from the Gulf Coast, that blows carcinogens, and toxic metals, directly into the above mentioned regions. We cannot control Mexico, aside from an invasion, which I will mention in upcoming posts. What we can control, is What We Are Doing Here!

Also, The Ripley Sea Turtles, which many scientists still believe to be highly endangered, nests right on the Beach next to SpaceX launch facility. Often consumed in Mexico for it's eggs, meat, and prized oil for cosmetics; This turtle continues to be challenged for survival! We can't control Mexico, but we can control Our coast! Not Elon! He has tunnel vision!

Why then, would a billionaire, build a launch facility, not up to NASAs well researched standards, and in the Center for breeding of a protected species, like the Ripley Sea Turtle? Good question! Its clear, that something made it easy for him!

The Rio Grande Valley is a predominantly impoverished region of either Extreme Wealth, or Extreme poverty. The same as in Mexico! Very little is gained via legal routes to success. Basically, if you got money; Anyone in politics here, can be bought! Look up RICO arrests in Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron counties for the last 50 years..Much higher than anywhere else in the country! Why? Greed! The levels of success are envisioned by The car you drive(important), and the boat you have! Notice I didn't mention the home? That doesn't matter here! Success is what people see outside of the home! A shanty area will have homes worth >30 grand, with a 80 thousand dollar truck parked in front. Those may be street level thugs(Drugs, human smuggling). My fear is that under this highly volatile mixture of greed, and corrupt politics; Elon got his launch pad...No oversight, no further discussions! A Carte Blanche to thrill the world with explosions, and failed attempts to launch! Why, when Elon, and his Money could go to NASA, and SHARE their Well-built, and Launch proven facilities? It's called negotiations! Sadly, in the RGV, pay under the table, and now we're friends, is Daily business! Elon knew he could go to The RGV, and Brownsville to accept his offer. I'm sure he thinks we are just dumb Mexicans here! Yes, we have about a 50% or greater illegal population than anywhere else, and the border is highly porous; yet vastly militarized, in presence...Nothing makes sense here!

Folks, I am NOT against Elon Musk, and his Ventures! I actually support him immensely! My issue is the Environment after this last failure, and detonation of hundreds of thousands of tons of contaminated sand blown into our Air! The long-term effects on an arguably near-extinct Sea Turtle, and most importantly; The shoddy construction, and design of its launch pad facilities. Who was the code-enforcer on this one?

Mexicans build this countries roads, homes, and buildings. They later cut the grass, and clean those homes, and buildings! We feed the Country by picking their fruits n veggies, and working their farms. They process the meats you eat! When no one will, and no one can? Ask a Mex-I CAN! They will try. One thing for sure, and after watching the work crews at SpaceX; They don't know Rockets, or understand why NASA had sterile environments... Hence, it will never succeed there!

NASA needs to allow a merge of facilities to SpaceX for launch purposes! We know this Rocket can go up, yet no one considered the downward thrust, and high temperatures of its 33 Merlin Engines. Unprecedented! So testing continues till success? At what cost to the poor, and uneducated? They don't understand the extent of damages it actually costs. All this to line the pockets of a very few...

In closing, I urge you to voice your thoughts! Good or Bad; It's time to go beyond a shoddy Environment Impact Study by the FAA..Dig deeper; it smells worse than methane!

We now need to #investinelon, and provide a BETTER launch facility; One that may have already seen a Moon trip... Hence, NASA! It's already built, it's elsewhere, and it's proven!

Win/Win!

Good day!

[luxuryapartmentsinriveroaks]

The Definitive Guide to High Rise Apartments in River Oaks

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Since River Oaks continues to be small, strolling to your preferred cafe in the region hardly ever takes greater than half-hour. Even so, community transportation is often a a lot better possibility if you wish to go downtown.

If you have Youngsters in the household, training can be a very important Think about selecting your rental dwelling. Several mom and dad pick their rental dwelling or apartment based upon the training means zoned for that home tackle.

The alternative three penthouse units had been becoming bought in shell difficulty so individuals could opt for just the place To put the partitions, Leibovitch defined.

[justeditor]

Rove pest control

Rove pest control how to#

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Rove pest control how to#

I talked to a Rove Pest Control Associate Certified Entomologist on staff to discuss how to ward off different pests in and when to call in an expert. Living in Michigan means different pests throughout ALL the seasons. Rove serves Oakland County, Metro Detroit and all of SE Michigan. Rove eliminates mice, bed bugs, rats, carpenter ants, wasps, bees, mosquitoes, and more… any pest you can think of. Rove Pest Control Novi residential and commercial pest control.

[oumaheroes]

hii its bougie <3 if you're still taking hc requests, i was wondering if you'd have thoughts on something that's been on my mind for a while. i was interested in the nuance to english culture due to regional differences. eg.,dinner being called "tea" in the north of england, rugby being more popular in the south, the difference in how scones with jam and cream are enjoyed in Devon and Cornwall?? or how certain english accents are perceived as... "less attractive" i guess (the black country accents are unpopular apparently?) -- you'd probably know more about these particularities than me ;u;

i was wondering how these cultural differences might map onto hws England's character, and how they might influence his attitudes and behaviours. because there's such a clearly defined stereotype of the english that i think shape people's expectations of what the english are like, i usually think that Arthur usually consciously acts according to what counts as positive interpretations of himself. however, i love nuanced and somewhat subversive interpretations of his character, and am very curious if you might have any ideas on how these kind of internal regional differences might shape him.

--------------------

Bougieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee <3

I’m not gonna lie this sent me down a RABBIT HOLE of thoughts, so hang on tight cos we're gonna get messy.

Accents:

Let’s start with my personal favourite, so excuse me whilst I geek out for a second. I’ve gone into this area already in this headcanon, but I personally see England being a very proud little dragon regarding English accents, those both native and non-native to the British Isles. Focusing just on accents within England for this post, the way Arthur himself sees them, (regarding class and general preference), comes a lot down to how I see him feeling about language and the unification of England in general.

England is a tiny country. It’s really teeny, compared to some, and yet holds an incredible number of regional accents and dialects (from digging about the internet for a good source, I keep finding numbers ranging from 37 to 43). There are a number of reasons for this, but the one that I love the most is that accents are influenced by the previous/ influential other languages spoken in a given area. Accents on the East of England are more influenced by Viking invaders, both phonologically and via the dialectal words used, and accents/ dialects in the West are more influenced by Welsh, for example.

Accents and dialects tell the history of a place, all who ever came there and influenced it to some degree. The map of English accents is a patchwork quilt of old cultures and people now lost to time, but their ways of speaking have been preserved in the modern tongue. The old English kingdoms might now be mere counties- Kent, Essex, Sussex, East Anglia, etc- they may not have their own influence or language these days as they used to, but their old ways have been imprinted on their people of today whether they know it or not and they carry pieces of the past in their words and how they speak them. Older speakers of the Northern English dialects liek the Yorkshire dialect still use ‘thou/thee’ where this has fallen out in other areas, the Midlands and parts of the South-East still keep the ‘-n’ ending for possessive pronouns (‘yourn’ instead of ‘yours’, ‘ourn’ instead of ‘ours’), and there’s even some linguistic research into how Brittonic, the ancestor of Modern Welsh, influenced English structure and phonology (for references, see notes at the end).

Back to England the person (to contain myself slightly), his regional accents are a story of himself, his history being kept alive in all of its variety every day. He doesn’t hold a classist view of a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ accent because he knows why they’re all there- what languages and people influenced them and how these events affected him- the older generations now lost and forgotten being kept alive in the smallest of phonemes.

Every dialect, every accent, and every language tells the story of a people, from the smallest phonological marker right up to a language as a whole and England takes comfort and pride in his dialects and accents’ longevity and variety. He is as much of the North as he is the South, as much of the East as the West and a patchwork man born of patchwork cultures it makes no sense for him to favour one particular accent over another.

That being said, he is aware that there is a common cultural stance on accents as well as an opinion regarding ‘ugly’ ones, ‘common’ ones, and ‘classy’ ones, but he himself doesn’t partake in these ideas. I like to think that a nation takes on the speech of the people and the area they’re in, matching the person they speak to or the area they visit to relate to their people. So, for me a Chav Arthur exists as much as a Brummie one does, or a Scouser, or a Geordie, or a Cockney. They’re all English, and thus they’re all a part of him.

Class

I have to include this one, if only to touch on it lightly regarding accents and dialects. Class does influence which words you speak, arguably just as much as which accent (this is known as a sociolect). Although I said that England adopts the accent of whatever area he’s in, or whomever he’s talking to if they’re English, the class people are will also affect which words he choses to use.

Here’s a short example from here:

'It is pudding for the upper class. Dessert is sometimes used by upper middles, but afters and sweets very clearly put you below stairs.'

Have some more!

Upper class: Spectacles, Lavatory or loo, Die, Napkin, Sofa

Middle class: Glasses, Toilet , Pass on, Serviette, Settee or couch

(Working class is a mix but harder to find sources for).

This is where England treads a fine line. It could be that he again adopts more of a class lexicon regarding who he is speaking to, matching his people word for word. However, England is not unaware of the affects of class, regardless of how he himself feels, and also although class snobbery and divide frustrate him, he cannot deny using this understanding to benefit himself, which also conforms to how his own people behave. (I myself have, many times, diluted and filtered my speech to be seen as ‘better’).

Want to be seen as more reliable and powerful? Want to be taken more seriously? RP and Estuary English (a lot more so these days), hold undeniable sway and England is not above adopting a manner of speaking to come across ‘better’ or more polite, or a more ‘common’ accent to fit in with the working classes. I think of England as leaning more towards a working-class mindset- he’s very hands on, very up for and used to manual labour and this particular English class has always made up the bulk of his population. It makes no sense for a nation, who represents all of their people, to have a snide view or a preference for a particular group and England as a person I see is someone who does not enjoy the foppery and false airs of aristocracy.

That being said, England is an intelligent man. He knows how to work a room and use a crowd to his advantage, knows what must be done and what he needs to do to achieve a goal and if this entails courting the upper classes for a time then he will do so. He’s adepts at switching himself like a chameleon, blending his behaviours, accent, and dialect to match who he’s talking to to achieve a goal or to fit in with someone’s perception of him, or to gain influence or prestige. He also doesn’t hate his upper classes- they are of him too, and the middle and working class have their own prejudices and ideas against the others. But he doesn’t adopt a stereotypical distain of lower classes because to him, it really doesn’t make much sense.

Abroad, this need to cultivate a particular perception defiantly comes under greater pressure. RP and Estuary English are more well know, more heard and taught, and more recognisably ‘British’, and so these are what he uses when speaking English to other nations or foreigners, either wanting to uphold an image of himself (more so in the Victorian/ Edwardian period than nowadays) or just for the ease of being understood.

Regional Differences

Okay, this one is a lot more fun. Does England put in his milk first or last when making tea? Does he put jam first, or clotted cream when having a scone? Does he have chips with gravy, or curry sauce? Does he have dinner at 6, or 9? To marmite, or not to marmite.

Ah, that is the question, and England does not know the answer. Does he do what he does because that’s what he likes, or because that’s what his people do? He didn’t grow up with these habits, after all, they’re all relatively recent in his lifetime, and so these habits are defiantly things he cultures for a particular audience.

I’m not really sure if the above preferences are class based, (well, milk first when making tea is argued to be, but I can't find any sources I'd consider entirely credible. I put the ones I did find in the notes below, in case any one's interested), so it’s hard to get a sense of which one to use. Overall, it doesn’t matter which you do and neither is right or wrong, but the English feel strongly about them, one way or another, and often Arthur the man isn’t sure at all which one he himself actually thinks is better.

Food in another sense though is something he can be surer of. A Cornish pastie not from Cornwall is not worth eating, nor is a Bakewell tart outside of Bakewell. England can be very particular about this sort of thing and enjoys maintaining and supporting the ‘original’ flavour or recipe of a thing where he can, considering this to be the ‘best’. Sally Lunn Buns from Bath, Gypsy tarts from Kent, Eccles Cakes from Eccles.

England wants to preserve his food and culture and has what could be considered a snobbish view on the ‘best’ way of creating or eating his national foods. Some things he is more lenient with: he will eat cheddar cheese, whether or not it is from Cheddar, same from Cumberland sausages not from Cumbria. But he certainly has a preference and he is not afraid to voice this when asked for his opinion.

Okay, we're done

Phew! This had me digging out my old linguistic student brain. To anyone who has made it this far down, gosh golly miss molly thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the ride, and especially @prickyy who was kind enough to want to hear my opinions about all of this <3

----------------------------------------

Notes:

Brittonic influence on English:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittonicisms_in_English

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_url?url=http://journals.mountaintopuniversity.edu.ng/English%2520Language/Celtic%2520Influences%2520in%2520English%2520A%2520Re-evaluation.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2ohDYdq3BoWImwHn6oWQAg&scisig=AAGBfm29zTF0FBCpd1KqDiAbjM-0X7nfoA&oi=scholarr (PDF)

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_url?url=http://www.oppi.uef.fi/wanda/unicont/abstracts/14ICEHL_MF.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2ohDYdq3BoWImwHn6oWQAg&scisig=AAGBfm3UvOXbJEb0b51J73eBnTJvgGaQOA&oi=scholarr (PDF)

Sociolects and class distinction within language in English:

https://languageawarenessbyrosalie.weebly.com/social-dialects.html

https://www.grin.com/document/313937

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_and_non-U_English

Milk in tea first and the potential class reason:

https://www.theteaclub.com/blog/milk-in-tea/

https://qmhistoryoftea.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/milk-in-first-a-miffy-question/

[timefortrees]

Review of the schools of thought related to measuring tree vitality in urban trees through tree growth, physiological measurements and chlorophyll fluorescence testing

Understanding the health of our urban trees is an important part of any arboriculturist role, but how exactly is it that we can measure this? There are different schools of thought related to the measuring of tree vitality which revolve around tree growth, physiological measurements and the testing of leaf chlorophyll fluorescence. However, measured, the subsequent information from measuring a trees vitality can be essential in some tree management situations. Being able to know the vitality of a apparently declining tree can make all the difference in the decision to fell or retain, if it shows good vitality then there is an argument for retaining as the tree may be through whatever stress or strain has caused the initial decline and may now be in the process of recovering, however if a tree is in decline and shows poor vitality it is likely it will continue along the downward spiral of decline and removal may be a justified option.

Tree Growth

Tree growth as a method for measuring tree vitality is based upon the principle that a tree will grow less if it is stressed or unhealthy (poor vitality) and as such will be smaller than it would otherwise be if the tree was healthy and without significant stresses. There are several different measurements of tree growth that can be used to measure tree vitality.

A measurement of tree height and diameter at breast height have been used for many years in regard to tree vitality. These measurements have been used in many experiments into the effects of various commonly occurring tree stresses such as planting depths and the effects of drought. These measurements are simple and quick to attain and can be carried out by anyone with a basic understanding of how to measure heights and diameters. The methodology is based around the principle that a stressed or tree with low vitality will have a thinner diameter stem and be shorter in height, whilst I cannot dispute the logic or the accuracy of this there are a few issues with the use of this method on mature urban trees.

The measurement of tree height and diameter at breast height has significant benefits on assessing young , newly planted trees in experiments and the urban environment, however when it is used on older and larger trees they are some questions over its effectiveness. Over the course of a trees life it is likely to experience a wide range of external stresses and strains which may vary from natural environmental stresses to those caused by the activities of humans. The intensity and frequency of these external factors may vary from tree to tree within the same street and even more so over the expanse of a city, county or country. As such the tree height and diameter at breast height is likely to be so variable on older trees that it cannot be definitively used as an accurate measure of a trees vitality and this doesn’t include the natural genetic variance between specimens that may have a significant effect on the potential growth rate of any one tree. Of course, extremes will be present and reliable such as an avenue of lime trees all planted at the same time, if one of them is significantly shorter and has a smaller trunk diameter at breast height it is likely that its vitality is lower than its surrounding larger neighbors, however, this could be genetic.

It is important to remember that trees have stored resources and their growth rates partly depend on the previous years stored carbohydrates. As such all tree growth measurements will suffer from time lag, meaning that there is potential for either the reductions in growth rates to be measurable too late after the external factor occurred and subsequently caused significant harm to the tree or the event has occurred and has been ”dealt with” by the tree making the measurement “out of date” and fairly irrelevant as a one off measurement.

It is important to remember that trees growth varies from year to year due to an immeasurable amount of external factors, unless the measurements are fairly extreme one way or another I feel that the usefulness of one years measurements have the potential to be fairly irrelevant within the lifetime of many tree species.

However, what about the leaves? On deciduous trees these are replaced each year.

There are methods for measuring the leaf area of trees and using this as a measure of tree vitality. Leaf area index is the ratio of leaf area to ground area and is a widely used method for analysing the growth of crops or forest areas. It is not really practical or effective when used for individual urban trees. For individual specimens we are able to measure direct leaf areas and combine this with leaf weights to create a ration call the specific leaf area (SLA). SLA is defined as the ratio between projected leaf area and leaf dry mass. The SLA reacts sensitively to many factors that affect trees such as the availability of resources (light, nutrition) and hydraulic limitations and lower water potentials in greater branch heights. Because of this it is essential that leaves are harvested from similar positions within the trees (aspect, height, distance along branch) to ensure accurate comparison with surrounding and other measured trees. SLA is effectively a measure of density and subsequently health of individual leaves. Because leaves are regularly replaced (albeit at different rates for different species) this allows for a more “up to date” measurement of tree vitality. A lower SLA will tend to indicate a lower tree vitality, in studies by Pierce et al. 1994; Cornelissen et al. 2003; White and Scott 2006; Poorter et al. 2009, it was found that trees that are well supplied with nutrients tended to have a higher SLA than the same species of tree positioned in nutrient poor environments.

The SLA of a leaf is highly sensitive to a wide range of factors, many of which may vary throughout a growing season, light, nutrient availability, and as such the results should be compared against many other trees of the same species and in similar growing positions to allow for an accurate result. The impracticality of this method is a significant downside to it, the removal of leaves from different parts of the tree, whilst also being the same positions on other tested trees, will require aerial access (climbing, MEWP) which requires time and money. Unless the tree is particularly valuable or a study is being conducted it seems unreasonable to expect a tree owner to be funding such a investigation when there are many other methods available.

Tree canopy architecture can be used as a measure of tree vitality. It is commonly used by tree inspectors, to be honest it is commonly used by everyone who looks at a tree and states they think it looks “unhealthy” or “that tree doesn’t look right, I think we should get someone to look at it” , although many people are using the basis of this method unknowingly. In 2017 at the arboricultural association annual conference Dr Andreas Roloff presented a methodology of using above ground symptoms as a measure of tree vitality, within which he proposed that the crown transparency and branching patterns of trees are the most practicable methods for assessing tree vitality.

Crown transparency is an easy to learn, fast to carry out and above all a practicable method for tree vitality assessment, it relies upon the differences in the amount of light penetrating a tree canopy and is graded on a scale of 0-3.

Although it has important benefits there are significant disadvantages with this method.

· There are natural variations in crown transparency. E.g Betula pendula allows high amounts of light through its canopy whereas at the other end of the scale Cupressus × leylandii allows very little.

· In deciduous species this methodology is only really reliable for 4 months of the year

· Fructification and weather can influence the results

· Damage to the tree such as branch loss will result in increased light penetration and can lead to result misinterpretation.

· In some trees it is not possible to have 10% crown transparency due to their growth characteristics, which will mean they are at best ranked as 1 or 2 on the scale despite not having any vitality issues.

· Tree age can affect the results

Because of the above issues Roloff proposed that the use of branch architecture is a more accurate measure of tree vitality. He proposed that using branch and canopy architecture we can assess a trees vitality at all time of the year. Below is an image showing the vitality stages 0-3 in relation to branch and canopy architecture.

0 At stage 0 we can see the canopy is dense, there is good crown extension, and the branch architecture is very spear like.

1 At stage 1 the outline is spikey, the outer crown has started thinning, and the canopy has some bottle-brush type shapes at its periphery. There is little or no spear like architecture.

2 By stage 2 the canopy is getting sparser, it only contains short shoots and appears more bushy in nature rather than as a singular canopy.

3 Stage 3 shows the canopy retrenching. The leader has died back and the crown is reducing in size and density.

(the image to the left is originally from A.Roloff presentation at the 2017 AA conference)

This methodology is easy to understand and put into practice, in fact many people utilize its principles everyday without necessarily knowing. Most importantly it is effective for 12 months of the year.

The main downside or at least potential for misuse/ misdiagnosis is that the rough age of the tree should be known and whether the condition of that tree is normal for that age. For example, Quercus robur is a long-lived tree, but is known for its natural retrenchment until it becomes short and squat. If a mature Quercus robur is at stage 2 and is considered to be approximately 500 years old we could consider that to be fairly normal and that unless there is obvious indication otherwise, it is likely entering its natural retrenchment stage. However, if the same tree was only around 150 years old, being in stage 2 would indicate that something is wrong and causing the tree to enter early retrenchment or mortality spiral.

While this is an extremely useful and effective method of measuring tree vitality, I do feel it is also only formalising what many people do when assessing trees already.

Physiological measurements

Electrical admittance/impedance

Shigo and Shortle developed the principle of using electrical admittance/impedance for measuring the vitality of trees. The principle states that trees with a higher vitality have higher moisture content, therefore a higher concentration of mobile cation in their vascular tissues and lower concentration of mobile ions. Shigo developed his “Shigometer” as a tool for measuring electrical admittance/ impedance. It uses two needle probes that are pushed through the bark, cambium, and slightly into the wood. The pulsed electrical current from the meter passes through one needle, through the tree tissues and back through the other needle to the ohmmeter in the “Shigometer” where resistance in kilohms is measured. Because the cambial zone is so moist and contains high amount of cations most of the current flows through this zone. The higher the electrical resistance, the less vital the tree. It is important to have a baseline for which to compare the readings against, to do this at least 20 healthy trees of the same species need to be measured prior to testing.

Harris, Clark, & Matheny, developed the plant impedance ratio meter in 2004, it used two needle probes like the “Shigometer” but instead measured the impedance of an alternating current over 2 frequencies to measure the cambial electrical resistance (CER).

There have been many studies into the effectiveness of measuring cambial electrical resistance (CER) and using it has a measure of tree vitality which have produced mixed results. Effectively there are some issues with the methodology. The reliability of the results fluctuates between different tree species, cause of tree stress and time of year, there is certainly a difference in the amount of moisture within the tree at differencing times of year. Research cited in “The measurement of plant vitality in landscape trees” by Denise Johnstone, Gregory Moore, Michael Tausz and Marc Nicolas, stated that Clark, Kjelgran, Hushagen, and Fiore (1992) found that CER was not able to detect changes in tree vitality when compared against the diameter growth on Liquidamber styraciflua but conversely Martinez-Trinidad et al. (2010) could detect the tree vitality in mature Quercus virginiana when compared to a visual assessment of the trees when their symptoms were acute. A number of other studies produced similar variance in the effectiveness of CER.

In 2006 Gibert, Le Mouel, Lambs, Nicollin, and Perrier found evidence of a direct relationship between sap flow and electrical potential in the trunk of a Populus nigra in the spring, but not so in the summer. This indicates that the time of the year is likely to have a significant effect on the results of any electrical resistance or admittance-based testing.

Gaseous exchange

Carbon dioxide intake and water release take place through tree stomata. The measurement of gaseous exchange can provide an indication of tree vitality. These measurements allow for the estimation of CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance and transpiration. Research by Epron, Dreyer and Breda in 1992 found that a Quercus petraea suffering from drought stress showed declines in leaf CO2 assimilation, similar results were found on Quercus ilex by Peria-Rojas et al in 2005. If very little gaseous exchange is occurring then it is likely that low vitality is present, whereas high amounts of gaseous exchange would indicate a good vitality and healthy tree. There really needs to be a baseline to compare the readings against in many cases and tests on multiple trees of the same species in the same area would be needed to form any reliable conclusion on a singular urban tree in the absence of some extreme results, e.g. no gaseous exchange. The measurements taken in measuring gaseous exchange are carried out by an infrared gas analyser (IRGA), this is a complex tool to use and is also expensive to purchase, because of this it is primarily only used for research purposes. Gaseous exchange can only be carried out while the tree is in leaf and presumably while the tree is not subjected to some external factors such as drought. While droughted a tree will close its stomata so there is likely to be a notable reduction or cessation in gaseous exchange and water release through transpiration as such testing at this time would not provide an accurate measurement of tree vitality and it would be predictable that the tree would not be in full health, although after the drought event the use of this method could indicate which trees, for example, along a street suffered worse because of the drought event and subsequently may need different management.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing

Normally a healthy tree will use about 78-85% of the sunlight it receives at the leaf surface for life processes such as photosynthesis. The remaining sunlight is dispersed or reflected. A tree leaf will do this through non-photochemical processes: re-emitting in the form of infra-red radiation (heat) or as far-red radiation (chlorophyll fluorescence). This all changes when a tree is not in optimum health, lowered vitality. For example, after a period of drought the rate of photosynthesis is likely to be reduced, and as such more energy from the sun will be dissipated as infra-red radiation (heat) or as far-red radiation (chlorophyll fluorescence).

Chlorophyll fluorescence is a non-invasive measurement of photosystem II (PSII) activity, it has developed from a fairly novel technique to a widely used technique in plant physiology. Photosystem II is extremely sensitive to the influence of abiotic and biotic factors and as such the measurement of this allows us to understand otherwise invisible physiological changes a plant has/is experiencing and provides us with an accurate measure of how environmental change can affect a plant. The tools and equipment to carry out chlorophyll fluorescence testing have vastly improved over the last decade or so, it is now an affordable piece of equipment that can fit in a pocket or small pouch which connects to a portable computer device such as a tablet which provides detailed and easy to understand data about the test subjects physiological health. Some tests are now so sensitive that they may pick up physiological stress weeks before it manifests as a visible symptom.

Although the use of many modern devices is very simple, the science behind it remains complex. Below is a diagram that shows a simplified depiction of events in photosystem II that allow for identification of the key parameters used in chlorophyll fluorescence testing. It is originally from Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis: a guide to good practice and understanding some new applications written by E.H. Murchie and T. Lawson.

A-     A schematic figure which shows the electron transport within the photosystem II reaction centre complex. Energy that is absorbed by chlorophyll within this light harvesting complex is either dissipated vie photochemistry, by heat or as fluorescence. These processes are always in competition which allow for the efficacy of photosystem II to be measured.

B-     Shows a typical fluorescence trace made on a dark-adapted leaf material which shows how and are formed. The measuring beam of the chosen testing tool excites the chlorophyll but is not enough to be able to cause electron transport through photosystem II. This gives , the minimum amount of fluorescence, reaction centres are open at this point. Once the measuring tool creates a pulse of light the maximum possible yield of fluorescence () can be found. During the pulse of light, the reaction centres are closed.

C-      Shows a schematic figure which explains how the transfer of energy and electrons within photosystem II results in open and closed centres as well as the creation of and . The excited state and the subsequent transfer of an electron to the primary acceptor causes a closed centre. cannot accvept another electron until it has passed its electron onto the next electron acceptor (). It should be noted in the context of chlorophyll fluorescence that and are bound quinones and is a type of chlorophyll.

The most commonly used measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence is / where F is the difference between the maximum () and minimum () fluorescence. / is widely considered to be the theoretical measure of the quantum efficiency of photosystem II if all of the reaction centres are open during photosynthesis. The values of / are generally between 0.78 and 0.85 on healthy and non-stressed specimens with the optimal value for most leaves being 0.83.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing has a vast array of uses within arboriculture from monitoring the health of nursery stock during growth and before planting to inspecting trees suspected to have been adversely affected by changes in surrounding land use or development. The modern devices and tools for carrying out measurements have made this form of vitality testing widely available and affordable and I expect to see an increase in its use in the future. The largest drawback of this testing is that it requires leaves, limiting the time of year when testing can be carried out quite significantly.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles

The development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the last decade or so has created a potential arboriculturally related platform for their use. As UAV’s become more affordable, accessible and are developed so as to be able to carry more complex equipment it was almost inevitable that someone was going to attempt to use them in the field of arboriculture at some point. A UAV with a camera allows the user to quickly view large areas of land, for example some woodland, or view the upper parts of a tree in greater detail than if that person was stood on the ground using binoculars. The images/video is also recorded and stored for future analysis.

It is now possible for UAV’s mounted with thermal and/or narrow band multispectral imaging equipment to be used in the assessment of tree vitality. The ability of a UAV to fly and view a large area in a short time makes it a very versatile tool indeed. Areas of woodland or forest can be assessed in a fraction of the time compared to on foot and individually inspecting each desired tree and a tree or group of trees vitality can be easily compared against the wider tree population. This is an important feature as it allows the surveyors to assess whether it is individual trees that are stressed, groups of trees or even an entire tree population, being able to highlight pockets of stressed trees amongst a forest or urban forest is useful for assessing how species are coping in certain areas.

Aerial imagery using thermal and narrow band multispectral detects the sun induced fluorescence (SIF) or dissipated heat produced by trees during photosynthesis. Any alteration in the efficiency of one of the components will affect the other. Light that is re-emitted by the tree as sun-induced fluorescence is a small emission but is a strong proxy for tree photosynthesis. Tree responses to environmental stress, such as, light, nutrients, water availability and, extreme temperatures, affect the photosynthetic rate and therefore fluorescence emission.

Tree temperature is related to stomatal conductance and transpiration associated evaporative cooling. When stoma close, under water stress conditions, vegetation temperature increases and the transpiration rate decreases accordingly. Consequently, the temperature of the tree can be used to learn information about transpiration and the health of the tree.

Trees have various mechanisms to overcome the excessive reduction of the light energy transferred when photosynthesis is reduced. This includes downregulating the rate of electron transport in cells and dissipation of excess energy controlling the pool of xanthophyll pigments. The dissipation of excess energy by non-photochemical quenching through the xanthophyll cycle is one of these mechanisms. Non-photochemical quenching is linked to tree stress, caused by limited resources and to the tree photosynthetic activity through the associated changes in the reflectance of the blue and green regions of the spectrum. When excess excitation energy accumulates in the leaf, the chloroplast thykaloid pH gradient increases, and the xanthophyll cycle is activated. These chemical changes affect the spectrally selective absorption of light, the relative absorption by each pigment and hence the leaf spectral reflectance and transmittance factors.

The use of UAV’s allows the aforementioned tree changes to be monitored on a wide scale in relatively small amounts of time. The results can easily be compared over multiple surveys and years. The main downside to this technique is that like, chlorophyll fluorescence testing, it relies on the trees being in leaf which limits the months each year this is usable, however, the large number of trees able to be tested at a time reduces the hindrance of this as a forester could easily survey their entire stock within the limited time window each year. There are restrictions to UAV usage in and around urban environments and airports, however with the evolution of licenses and professional competencies this has become less of an issue over recent years, there are now many professional UAV survey companies available who are licensed to operate in urban areas.

Conclusion and discussion

There are a number of different methodologies and techniques for measuring tree vitality, some are more complex than others, whilst some are used in their basic form by many people without them even knowing (crown/branch architecture).

Methods such as electrical impedance/admittance testing were promising and useful in their time, however advances in technology and scientific understanding of trees has, in my opinion, made this an outdated method with only niche uses in current times. Their unreliable results that were affected by the time of year and the subsequent changes in moisture within the cambial layer of the subject tree made the reliability of the results unpredictable.

The use of tree measurements, height and trunk diameter at breast height, is limited. Although these are basic bits of information regularly recorded during tree inspections/ surveys they are effectively useless on their own. To give insight into the health of the tree there needs to be baseline measurements for that species or a number of previous years measurements of the inspected tree to compare against. Where such information exists these basic measurements can be useful, similarly when a group of the same tree species, that was planted at the same time is compared such measurements will highlight specimens that are not growing as well as the rest of the group. However, there are endless factors that may impact on tree growth over a period of years or even a single year so this methodology should be used in conjunction with other visual findings.

The use of branch architecture is a great system for assessing tree vitality, it can be used 12 months of the year and take little skill or time to learn. I do think that it is not a new discovery or methodology, rather, a formalization of what many people did already, some without realizing. It is however extremely important to take into account the point in its life cycle that the tree is already in, concluding that a veteran tree does not have a positive future outlook due to some thinning of the canopy is not only a gross misunderstanding of the tree and methodology but potentially damaging to the development of future veteran and ancient tree habitats.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing, this is a highly complex method for assessing tree vitality, behind the tools. But using the modern advancements in testing tools is simple, quick and accurate. The development of some of the most up to date tools that produce graphs and easy to understand data on a tablet is a significant step in not only being able to assess tree vitality, but in communicating it to the client whilst also justifying any management decisions with hard data.

The advancements in UAV technology over recent years has allowed for the development of their use for surveying trees. The usage is still relatively low, compared to the other methods, however it has the potential to be a game changer. For a tree manager to be able to survey the vitality of their entire tree stock in a fraction of the time it would normally take is a significant advancement in tree health care. It will allow the tree manager to pin point trees that are showing early signs of ill health that are invisible to the naked eye, allowing for early treatment.

The important part of any tree vitality assessment is choosing the most appropriate method for the situation. Visual checks and measurements are arguably the most commonly used and, in my opinion, always will be due to their everyday occurrence, sometimes sub consciously but every day for tree managers nonetheless and even with advancements of other techniques, such as UAV’s tree managers and surveyors will still visually inspect a tree that has been highlighted by other techniques when they are sent to investigate further. The advancements of chlorophyll fluorescence testing may narrow the gap in future years due to the affordability and production of tree vitality data that can be used in reports, however, I believe that UAV technology is going to be a significant part of the future of tree management. The ability to survey large areas of tree populations in a short period of time, whilst detecting changes in tree physiology that are invisible to the naked eye is a game changer. I foresee this technology being widely used in the coming years and decades as the basic and initial survey technique, with traditional physical inspections being used once trees have been highlighted as stressed or showing lower vitality than normal.

Ultimately, as with most inspection techniques and tools, a combination of multiple techniques will, in my opinion, provide the most accurate and reliable results whilst allowing the tree managers tool kit to remain versatile and able to accommodate the wide range of situations and environments that the future will bring.

(The above text is based on information originally found in “  Specific leaf area of European Larch (Larix decidua MILL.)” written by Helga Fellner, Gerald F. Dirnberger and Hubert Sterba, Pierce LL, Running SW, Walker J (1994) “Regional-scale relationships of leaf area index to specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content. Ecol Appl 4:313–321”, Cornelissen JHCA, Lavorel SB, Garnier EB et al (2003) “A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide. Austria J Bot 51:335–380”, White JD, Scott NA (2006) “Specific leaf area and nitrogen distribution in New Zealand forests: species independently respond to intercepted light. For Ecol Manage 226:319–329”, Poorter H, Pepin S, Rijkers T et al (2006) “Construction costs, chemical composition and payback time of high- and low-irradiance leaves. J Exp Bot 57:355–371”, “ The Measurement of plant vitality in landscape trees” written by Denise Johnstone, Gregory Moore, Michael Tausz and Marc Nocolas, “Visual assessment of tree vitality via branch architecture” by Professor Dr. Andreas Roloff – PDF presentation and audio of initial presentation viewed from https://www.trees.org.uk/Amenity-Conference-2020/Conference-Presentations/Conference-Presentations-2017#wednesday , “Modern Arboriculture” written by Alex L. Shigo, Kate Maxwell, Giles N. Johnson, “Chlorophyll fluorescence—a practical guide, Journal of Experimental Botany, Volume 51, Issue 345, April 2000, Pages 659–668”, “Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis: a guide to good practice and understanding some new applications” written by E.H. Murchie and T. Lawson, “Early Diagnosis of Vegetation Health From High-Resolution Hyperspectral and Thermal Imagery: Lessons Learned From Empirical Relationships and Radiative Transfer Modelling” written by R. Hernandez-Clemente, A. Hornero, M. Mottus, J. Penuelas, V. Gonzalez-Dugo, J. C. Jimenez, L. Suarez, L. Alonso and P. J. Zarco-Tejada, “Estimating chlorophyll with thermal and broadband multispectral high resolution imagery from an unmanned aerial system suing relevance vector machines for precision agriculture” written by Manal Elarab, Andrres M Ticlavilca, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Inga Maslova, Mac McKee)

[eretzyisrael]

Interviews with volunteers from the Jewish community who are helping victims of the disaster in Florida.

On Thursday, June 24, 2021, tragedy struck Champlain Towers, a 12-story residential building in the Miami suburb of Surfside. Half of the complex suddenly collapsed in the early hours of the morning, burying entire families in the rubble. Days after the disaster, the remains of several people killed in the crush have been recovered and 150 people remain unaccounted for.

Champlain Towers is home to a diverse community that includes many Jews. In the days that followed this catastrophe, Jews and others around the world have come together to help search for victims and to comfort the families desperately waiting for word of their loved ones.

Searching Through the Rubble

Leon Roy Hausmann, a volunteer with the Mexican Jewish rescue organization Cadena, is on the scene in Surfside and spoke with Aish.com about the sense of solidarity he feels with the community and the many victims of the calamity.

Cadena volunteers help people “regardless of nationality, regardless of religion; we don’t discriminate,” he explains. After working around the world to help search for and rescue victims of over 1,000 natural disasters, helping search for residents of Champlain Towers feels close to home. “It just feels more immediate when it’s our people who are victimized by this event.”

When Cadena volunteers heard about the Chaplain Towers collapse, they sprang into action, dispatching seven Jewish search and rescue experts to Miami, and mobilizing local Cadena volunteers in the Miami area. “This is the highest technology in the market,” Hausmann notes of his team’s equipment, which includes sonar devices that can detect sounds underneath dozens of feet of rubble, search dogs trained to detect human scent, and x-ray machinery.

“We’re working with the Fire Department of Miami-Dade County," Hausmann notes, describing their work as round the clock and nonstop. Cadena volunteers have also dispatched psychologists and therapists who are working with family members who are still awaiting news.

Thousands of local residents have been volunteering to bring food and clothes and other items to the family members who are waiting and also to those families who made it out of Chaplain Towers alive and are currently homeless. “Thousands of volunteers have been bringing food and clothes and anything the families need. It has been very touching to see.”

One of Hausmann’s most moving moments during the past few days came on Shabbat, the day after the collapse. About 17 Cadena volunteers were at the site late on Friday night, providing support to the local fire department rescuers. “We made Kiddush for the whole team,” Hausmann recalls, “and also for all the Jewish people who are still trapped underneath the rubble.”

Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai at the site of a building collapse in Surfside, Florida, just outside Miami, on June 27, 2021

On Sunday, June 27, a group of ten Israeli Home Front Command soldiers arrived in Surfside. They went straight to the site of the building collapse and got to work alongside Cadena volunteers and local Miami-area first responders, searching in the rubble for survivors and also for the remains of victims of the collapse, bringing their unique search and rescue experience and expertise.

Rabbi Counselling the Bereaved and the Waiting

“The need right now is endless. You think of all these different families that have been erased in the blink of an eye,” explained Rabbi Dr. Fred Klein, one of the key responders in the area.

Rabbi Klein is the Executive Vice President of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, Director of Mishkan Miami, and is board certified in clinical pastoral care. When Champlain Towers collapsed, the Jewish Federation of Greater Miami sent Rabbi Klein to help. He spoke with Aish.com during a busy day, filled with meetings and work coordinating the many elements of response to the disaster.

Right now, there are two main areas where Rabbi Klein and other volunteers are focusing their efforts. “One is actually the area where they’re doing search and rescue,” he explains. Throughout Sunday, June 27 – the Jewish fast day of the 17th of Tammuz, when Jews were fasting despite the extreme heat in Surfside – Rabbi Klein worked to take groups of family members to visit the site. “It’s extremely traumatic for them.”

A second area where Rabbi Klein is working is a local hotel where hundreds of family members of people who are still missing are gathered. “They came from around the country. They’re waiting for news and I think it’s a very difficult place to be psychologically.” He notes that many family members are praying “for a miracle” that their loved ones are found alive. “It’s hard to know what to do, or how to feel, or how to plan,” without knowing whether their loved ones are still alive. The hotel is offering kosher meals, all prepared by local volunteers. “So much good will has been flowing in from the Jewish community since the tragedy," Rabbi Klein explains, helping both Jewish and non-Jewish victims alike.

He notes that donations have poured in from throughout the area and that some local synagogues have transformed themselves into distribution centers for donated goods. “It’s not just the families who are waiting for news of a loved one,” he notes: “There are also families who lived in Champlain Towers who escaped. They are in need too. They’re homeless right now and are going to have to rebuild their lives.”

“I’m an Orthodox rabbi,” he notes, “but you see rabbis from all different walks of life – men and women – they’re on the ground right now. They’re trying to help diverse groups of Jews.”

Vital Medical Support

Many of the volunteers supporting the first responders in Surfside and aiding families of missing people are members of Hatzalah of South Florida, a Jewish group that improves health and medical outcomes by “augmenting existing emergency medical services in South Florida with community-based state-certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) volunteer responders.”

Joseph Dahan is one of the Hatzalah volunteers working in Surfside. “We’re broken down into several different teams,” he explained to Aish.com – with each team focusing on a different area of need.

At the site of the building collapse itself, “we’re providing the triage and medical support for the search and rescue teams,” he notes. When rescuers become injured or dehydrated on the job, Hatzalah volunteers help tend to the first responders.

Hatzalah also operates units of volunteers at the hotel where hundreds of family members are waiting for news. They employ psychotherapists and also work with other organizations to help counsel people. Hatzalah provides support medically and emotionally during these trying times.

Running a Storehouse of Donated Goods

Rabbi Gidon Moskovitz currently lives in Houston, but he and his family are soon planning to move to Bal Harbor – a neighboring suburb near Surfside – when he becomes the rabbi of Young Israel of Bal Harbor later this summer. As soon as Rabbi Moskovitz heard about Champlain Towers disaster, he knew he had to be with his Florida congregants, and flew to the area to help.

What he found was a huge outpouring of chesed (acts of kindness and help). Local Jews were collecting food, toiletries and other items to donate to families who lost their homes and possessions in the collapse. Soon, the garage of Young Israel of Bal Harbor was filled with donated items to distribute. Many of his congregants have friends and relatives who are still missing, and they are doing all they can to help.

“We knew they had nothing.”

“As soon as we heard about things Thursday morning at the crack of dawn, we checked on our (congregational) families,” recalls Mike Baranek, the Director of Congregational Engagement of Temple Beth Shalom in Miami Beach, in an Aish.com interview. He soon found that two of his synagogue’s members lived in Champlain Towers. “Thank God, both families were alive,” he notes. “One family walked out (of the building) in their pajamas” – unable to return to the destroyed building, they cannot access any of their family possessions.

Baranek notes that local Jewish families immediately opened their homes, giving displaced residents places to stay. “It’s been an amazing response from the city and from the Jewish community.” His congregants have been working to gather donations and to help in any way they can. “We got to the point where announcements were made that no more physical supplies are needed.”

The day after the collapse, Temple Beth Shalom delivered Shabbat dinner to their congregants who’d lost their homes. In addition to food, the synagogue also delivered kippahs, tallitot (Jewish prayer shawls), siddurs (Jewish prayer books), wine and candles for Shabbat. “We knew they had nothing,” Baranek explains.

What we can do

With the search and rescue operation still underway, there are many ways that we around the world can also step up to help. “At this moment the most important thing is to pray for the lives of the people who perished and who may still be alive,” notes Cadena volunteer Leon Roy Hausmann. Rabbi Moskovitz has been emphasizing the “power of what prayer can do.” He wants people to understand that prayer is just as important as other types of actions.

During times of tragedy, it’s a Jewish custom to recite Psalms. Consider spending some time reciting one or more Psalms each day. Here is a link to English translations of these powerful, timeless Jewish prayers. https://tehillim-online.com/tehillim-translated-into-english

We can also donate funds to help sustain the volunteers working in Surfside and the families who are in dire need.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has set up a fund to help victims of the Champlain Towers collapse. https://jewishmiami.org/gift/surfsidebuildingcollapse/?fbclid=IwAR318kF3kFQzOJaVXD3mVG0Zedgd0-f1SGr-wWGCZGi5B0zUhMOKafbr4Rk

The Shul of Bal Harbour, which is near to Champlain Towers and has served as a center for receiving and sorting donations, has set up the 8777 Collins Avenue Relief Fund. This fund will “be dispersed as needed directly to the victims and families.” https://www.theshul.org/8777

Donations to Hatzalah of South Florida can be made at this site: https://www.hatzalahsouthflorida.org/donate

[alessandrxs-a]

a lil history lesson for @highnessaisling​ ( and @ anyone else who wants 2 know a bit more abt britain dkjgfkfgj ). a pre-warning, this got long so i’m v sorry! fellow brits pls @ me if i got anything wrong bc i studied this years ago and it’s highly possible i forgot smth!

ok so i just wanted to say that britain is actually the worst when it comes to this bc counties here are reorganised and created as areas have been abolished or whatever reason ( it’s rly confusing, i’m not abt to get into that dfkjfgkjngf ) but essentially, most british counties named after some sort of city or river that’s in them ( i.e. york is in yorkshire, lancaster is in lancashire ) and there are 48 counties, most of which have been around since anglo-saxon times, and a lot of them are the shires ( which if ur not from britain will probs confuse u a lot fjgnfkkgfj ). they were initially created for legal reason, taxes and military organisation, but then were used for local government reasons and elections. they can be split into four categories by name!

shires

in simple terms, shire comes from anglo-saxon times and is french for the word “county”, which is why most of the counties ( 19 of them to specific ) have the word “shire” as a suffix, which is just tagged onto the name of what the county is named after. if u want a list, the shires are bedfordshire, buckinghamshire, cambridgeshire, cheshire, derbyshire, gloucestershire, hampshire, herefordshire, hertfordshire, lancashire, leicestershire, lincolnshire, northamptonshire, nottinghamshire, oxfordshire, shropshire, staffordshire, warwickshire, worcestershire, and yorkshire ( east, west and north ridings, south ) ( that’s a lot of shires skdfgndsfg )

former kingdoms

so these ones don’t end in shire which is probably where it’s gonna get confusing, which relate to the tribes that settled there. first we have essex, middlessex, and sussex ( east and west ), which were eastern, western, and southern areas where the saxons  settled. surrey means “southern district. there used to be a wessex but it cover a big part of southern england so it was broken up into different counties. then there’s norfolk and suffolk, which literally mean “north folk” and “south folk” ( we think we’re funny kjnkfjg ) which came out of the kingdom of east anglia. then there’s kent, which was an anglo-saxon jute kingdom deriving from the celtic british word for “border” ( cantus ). julius ceasar called it “cantium”, but now it’s just kent. last we have northumberland, which is a modern way of saying “kingdom of northumbria. historically, it used to be known as northtyneland.

tribal

these counties are named after the tribes that settled there. somerset and dorset are old english names meaning “people of somerton” and “people of dorchester”. devon derives from a celtic tribe call the dumnonii, which basically means “valley dwellers”. good ol’ cornwall gets the first part of it’s name from a local anglo-saxon tribe, the cornovii; “wall” comes from the old english word “weales”, which means “foreigners”. cumbria used to be cumberland, which has links to the welsh and comes from the celtic tribe, the crymry; cumberland meant “people from cumbria”. last we have rutland which is named after a guy named rota.

odd ones

west midlands are basically just the west midlands lmao. county durham is literally just taken from it’s county city durham. then there’s merseyside, tyne & wear ( icr where these came from ajsdndkjsf ) and the ones named after their cities; greater london, greater manchester, bristol. then there’s the isle of white, no explanation needed. it’s just that.

[stevishabitat]

CHICAGO — They acknowledged that they could have shown up months ago. Many were satisfied that they were finally doing the right thing. A few grumbled that they had little choice.On a single day this past week, more than half a million people across the United States trickled into high school gymnasiums, pharmacies and buses converted into mobile clinics. Then they pushed up their sleeves and got their coronavirus vaccines.These are the Americans who are being vaccinated at this moment in the pandemic: the reluctant, the anxious, the procrastinating.

In dozens of interviews on Thursday in eight states, at vaccination clinics, drugstores and pop-up mobile sites, Americans who had finally arrived for their shots offered a snapshot of a nation at a crossroads — confronting a new surge of the virus but only slowly embracing the vaccines that could stop it.

Duncan Beauchamp, 17, was vaccinated at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, Conn. His father had been concerned by how quickly the vaccines were rolled out.Credit...Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times

Ever Diaz, 42, was vaccinated at the Polk County Health Department in Des Moines. He said it had been hard to get a vaccine because of his job in construction.Credit...Kathryn Gamble for The New York Times

The people being vaccinated now are not members of the eager crowds who rushed to early appointments. But they are not in the group firmly opposed to vaccinations, either.Instead, they occupy a middle ground: For months, they have been unwilling to receive a coronavirus vaccine, until something or someone — a persistent family member, a work requirement, a growing sense that the shot was safe — convinced them otherwise.

How many people ultimately join this group, and how quickly, could determine the course of the coronavirus in the United States.Some of the newly vaccinated said they made the decision abruptly, even casually, after months of inaction.

One woman in Portland, Ore., was waiting for an incentive before she got her shot, and when she heard that a pop-up clinic at a farmers’ market was distributing $150 gift cards, she decided it was time.

A 60-year-old man in Los Angeles spontaneously stopped in for a vaccine because he noticed that for once, there was no line at a clinic. A construction worker said his job schedule had made it difficult to get the shot.

Ronald Gilbert, 60, was vaccinated at a light rail station in Hawthorne, Calif. He said he didn’t really believe in the vaccines, but that with an uptick in cases it was “better to be safe than sorry.”Credit...Rozette Rago for The New York Times

Cliberman Centeno, 36, was vaccinated in Los Angeles. He said he was tired of wearing a mask.Credit...Rozette Rago for The New York Times

Many people said they had arrived for a vaccine after intense pressure from family or friends.“‘You’re going to die. Get the Covid vaccine,’” Grace Carper, 15, recently told her mother, Nikki White, of Urbandale, Iowa, as they debated when they would get their shots. Ms. White, 38, woke up on Thursday and said she would do it. “If you want to go get your vaccine, get up,” Ms. White told her daughter, who was eager for the shot, and the pair went together to a Hy-Vee supermarket.

Others were moved by practical considerations: plans to attend a college that is requiring students to be vaccinated, a desire to spend time socializing with high school classmates, or a job where unvaccinated employees were told to wear masks. Their answers suggest that the mandates or greater restrictions on the unvaccinated that are increasingly a matter of debate by employers and government officials could make a significant difference.

Audrey Sliker, 18, of Southington, Conn., said she got a shot because New York’s governor announced that it was required of all students attending State University of New York schools. She plans to be a freshman at SUNY Cobleskill this fall.“I just don’t like needles, in general,” she said, leaving a white tent that housed a mobile vaccination site in Middlefield, Conn. “So it’s more like, ‘Do I need to get it?’”

Lisa Thomas, 45, was vaccinated at the People’s Market in Portland, Ore. She first wanted to see how the vaccines affected Americans. “I do know people who have gotten it and they haven’t gotten sick, so that’s why,” Ms. Thomas said.Credit...Tojo Andrianarivo for The New York Times

Patricia White, 46, took her son Tariq, 17, right, to be vaccinated at Michele Clark Academic Preparatory Magnet High School in Chicago. Her grandson Diaunta is too young to be vaccinated.Credit...Taylor Glascock for The New York Times

Many people interviewed described their choices in personal, somewhat complicated terms.Willie Pullen, 71, snacked on a bag of popcorn as he left a vaccination site in Chicago, one of the few people who showed up there that day. He was not opposed to the vaccines, exactly. Nearly everyone in his life was already vaccinated, he said, and though he is at greater risk because of his age, he said he believed he was healthy and strong enough to be able to think on it for a while.

What pushed him toward a high school on the West Side of Chicago, where free vaccines were being administered, was the illness of the aging mother of a friend. Mr. Pullen wanted to visit her. He felt it would be irresponsible to do so unvaccinated.“I was holding out,” Mr. Pullen said. “I had reservations about the safety of the vaccine and the government doing it. I just wanted to wait and see.”

The campaign to broadly vaccinate Americans against the coronavirus began in a roaring, highly energetic push early this year, when millions were inoculated each day and coveted vaccine appointments were celebrated with joyful selfies on social media. The effort peaked on April 13, when an average of 3.38 million doses were being administered in the United States. The Biden administration set a goal to have 70 percent of American adults at least partly vaccinated by July 4.

But since mid-April, vaccinations have steadily decreased, and in recent weeks, plateaued. Weeks after the July 4 benchmark has passed, the effort has now dwindled, distributing about 537,000 doses each day on average — about an 84 percent decrease from the peak.

About 68.7 percent of American adults have received at least one shot. Conservative commentators and politicians have questioned the safety of the three vaccines that the Food and Drug Administration has approved for emergency use, and in some parts of the country, opposition to inoculation is tied to politics. An analysis by The New York Times of vaccine records and voter records in every county in the United States found that both willingness to receive a coronavirus vaccine and actual vaccination rates were lower, on average, in counties where a majority of residents voted to re-elect Donald J. Trump.

Barnet Gaston, 14, was vaccinated at Michele Clark Academic Preparatory Magnet High School in Chicago. He wanted to get vaccinated so he could spend more time hanging out with his friends, most of whom were vaccinated.Credit...Taylor Glascock for The New York Times

Anastiacia Rincon, 15, was vaccinated at the Polk County Health Department in Des Moines. She says that she got vaccinated “to protect myself and others, and I have asthma.”Credit...Kathryn Gamble for The New York Times

Despite the lagging vaccination effort, there are signs that alarming headlines about a new surge in coronavirus cases and the highly infectious Delta variant could be pushing more Americans to consider vaccination. On Friday, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said there had been “encouraging data” showing that the five states with the highest case rates — Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada — were also seeing higher vaccination numbers.

In Florida, a clinic in Sarasota County was quiet, a brightly lit waiting area full of mostly empty chairs. Several people wandered in, often no more than one or two in an hour. Lately, they are vaccinating fewer than 30 people there a day.

Elysia Emanuele, 42, a paralegal, came for a shot. One factor in her decision had been the rising case numbers in the state, which she had been watching with worry.“If everything had gone smoothly, if we had shut down immediately and did what we needed to do and it was seemingly wiped out,” she said, “I think I would have been less likely to get the vaccine.”

Some people said they had heard snippets that worried them about getting shots on social media or on cable television — misinformation about vaccines has circulated widely — but they said they ultimately dismissed the rumors.In the shade of a freeway underpass in South Los Angeles, volunteers and would-be vaccine patients tried to talk over the roar of passing cars.

Charlene Bradley, 71, was vaccinated at the People’s Market in Portland, Ore. “I was kind of against it, but I promised my son I would do it,” she said. “It just took a while.”Credit...Tojo Andrianarivo for The New York Times

Cindy Adams, 52, was vaccinated at the Polk County Health Department in Des Moines. It was her workplace’s requirement to wear a mask as an unvaccinated person that changed her mind.Credit...Kathryn Gamble for The New York Times

Ronald Gilbert, 60, said he did not really believe in the vaccines and has never been a fan of needles, but with an uptick in cases he reasoned that it was “better to be safe than sorry.”

“I feel better having this now, seriously I do,” he said. “I’m going to be walking like a rooster, chest up, like ‘You got the vaccine? I got the vaccine.’”

News of the Delta variant also changed the mind of Josue Lopez, 33, who had not planned on getting a vaccine after his whole family tested positive for the coronavirus in December.

“I thought I was immune, but with this variant, if it’s more dangerous, maybe it’s not enough,” he said. “Even now, I’m still not sure if it’s safe.”

At a vaccination site at Malcolm X College in Chicago, Sabina Richter, one of the workers there, said it used to be easy to find people to get shots. More recently, they had to offer incentives: passes to an amusement park in the north suburbs and Lollapalooza.

“Some people come in and they’re still hesitant,” she said. “We have to fight for every one of them.”

Otchere Darko, 44, was vaccinated at Westchester Community College in Ossining, N.Y. He waited until he felt the vaccines had proven to be safe.Credit...Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times

Frederique Moretto, 59, was vaccinated at a Florida Department of Health site in Sarasota, Fla. She got vaccinated to visit her daughter, who is going to a school in Washington in the fall.Credit...Octavio Jones for The New York Times

Cherie Lockhart, an employee at a care facility in Milwaukee for older and disabled people, said she was worried about the vaccines because she did not trust a medical system that she felt had always treated Black people differently.

She was not anti-vaccine, she said, just stalling until something could help her be sure. Her mother ultimately convinced her.

“My mom has never steered me wrong,” Ms. Lockhart, 35, said. “She said, ‘I feel this is right in my heart of hearts.’ So I prayed about it. And, ultimately, I went with my guiding light.”

Many of the people who newly sought shots said they had wanted to see how the vaccines affected Americans who rushed to get them early.

"I do know people who have gotten it and they haven’t gotten sick, so that’s why,” said Lisa Thomas, 45, a home health care worker from Portland, Ore. “I haven’t heard of any cases of anyone hurting from it, and there’s a lot to benefit from it.”

Leslie Vences-Avena, 14, was vaccinated at a Florida Department of Health site in Sarasota, Fla. The F.D.A. approved vaccinations for children age 12 and older in May.Credit...Octavio Jones for The New York Times

Cherie Lockhart, 35, was vaccinated in Shorewood, Wis. Her mother convinced her to get the vaccine.Credit...Marla Bergh for The New York Times

For Cindy Adams, who works for a Des Moines insurance company, it was her job’s requirement to wear a mask as an unvaccinated person that pushed her into the Polk County Health Department drive-up clinic for her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Ms. Adams, 52, said she had been concerned about possible long-term effects of the vaccines. But now her husband, children and most of her extended family have been vaccinated, as have most of her co-workers.

“I just honestly got sick of wearing the mask,” Ms. Adams said. “We had an event yesterday, and I had to wear it for five hours because I was around a lot of people. And I was sick of it.

“Everyone else is healthy and hasn’t had any side effects, gravely, yet, so I decided I might as well join the crowd.”

Julie Bosman reported from Chicago. Contributing reporting were Matt Craig from Los Angeles, Elizabeth Djinis from Sarasota, Fla., Timmy Facciola from Middlefield, Conn., Ann Hinga Klein from Des Moines, Emily Shetler from Portland, Ore., and Dan Simmons from Milwaukee.