I had that Black Caviar in the back of my cab once. Well, not quite, but London taxi driver Paul Gardiner has had his cab decked out in salmon pink with black spots, the colours of Black Caviar. One hopes the tips he gets are better than the tip he is giving, the 1-3 shot for Saturday’s Diamond Jubilee. He can rely on plenty of Aussie trade between now and the Olympics and it is all good fun, even if, from a distance, his cab looks like the Mr Blobby mobile.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
A rare stop for Great Race - Buffalo News
[getrss.in: unable to retrieve full-text content]
The Great Race -- the annual antique automobile competition -- is coming to Buffalo for the first time in 25 years, with a stop at the Buffalo Transportation/Pierce-Arrow Museum. As they motor thousands of miles in nine days around the Great ...Source: www.buffalonews.com
Antique engines create modern wonder - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
For a while Saturday, 6-year-old Trevor Lyons was fascinated by a wonder of technology that was as fresh to him as the latest video game — only it was 100 years old.
Trevor watched as soda cans he dropped into a little slot were crushed by a piece of wood pushed along with the power of a gasoline engine built in 1912. His sister, Tammy Lyons, could see a bucket catching the crushed cans was close to overflowing.
"OK Trevor, give it a break for a minute, look at your bucket," she said.
Tammy, though, hoped her brother's interest in small engines would linger. "He'll probably grow up with the microchip," she said.
The engine, built by International Harvester, was one of perhaps 200 antique gasoline, kerosene and steam engines and farm tractors on display Friday and Saturday at the New Old Town Picnic in St. Peters' Old Town Park. Formerly known as the Olde Tyme Picnic, the event also featured rides, food, a beer garden, music, a horse show and a tractor pull.
Many of the antique engines sputtered and hummed along, some with large spinning flywheels that rhythmically moved pistons back and forth. Their owners and restorers, members of the Illinois and Missouri Tractor and Engine Club, were demonstrating cutting-edge technology from the early 1900s to World War II, particularly in rural areas.
"I just like to watch them," said Tom Nowak of New Boston, Mo., about 25 miles southwest of Kirksville. His 1910 'six-mule team" engine, built by Associated Manufacturers of Waterloo, Iowa, was pumping water. "I could sit there watch that all day."
Before electrical lines were available throughout the country, engines were used to supply power to pump water, wash clothes, grind corn, cut wood, move conveyer belts, thresh wheat and perform a host of other tasks.
"They were used wherever you needed power at," said club President John Zalabak, 64, of Foristell. "It was pretty hard to pump water or run a saw with horses."
Small fueled engines became less common around World War II, when many were turned into scrap metal, and available electricity brought with it new efficient electrical engines. Amish and Mennonite farmers still use fuel engines, which also remain in common use in India and Africa.
Near the club's display in a shaded area, traffic moved by on Interstate 70. Zalabak said the small engines helped lead the way toward modern automobiles.
"Basically what we've got are four-cycle engines that were doing the same things that our car engines are doing today," he said. "It's a whole lot simpler here."
Small one- to two-horsepower gasoline or kerosene engines were part of a technological evolution that began in the 19th century, he said.
"Just about anybody that could meld metal was experimenting with these engines," Zalabak said.
"There were 500 companies once upon a time," Nowak said. In 1910, Nowak's engine cost $150. Zalabak said smaller engines may have cost $40 to $75, a lot of money for the times.
Many club members are old enough to remember when they were used. Zalabak, a tool and dye maker for more than 40 years, became interested in mechanics when he was a kid hanging around an old blacksmith shop.
"I grew up on a farm. Of course I couldn't hardly stay in the farm business back then," said Tom Forster, 72, of Warrenton. Forster had rigged up the can crusher. He had four old International Harvester engines running, the others dating back to the 1920s.
"Like like most farm kids in my generation, I went to the city to get a job that paid every Friday instead of once or twice a year," said Forster, a retired UPS manager. "I always said when I was a kid that someday I would own some tractors and engines." He now has 50 small engines and 30 tractors.
George Ehll, 78, used to go with his father to thresh grain using huge steam tractors that functioned as movable sawmills and harvest machines. His father, who in the early 1900s started St. Peters Garage in what now is the city's Old Town section, had several of the machines.
Ehll had his 10-ton engine, built in 1910 by A.D. Baker Co. of Swarton, Ohio, set up as a portable sawmill on the park grounds. It's more similar to an old steam railroad locomotive than a modern tractor and wasn't designed to pull a plow. "Years ago, they traveled from here to there, all the way out to the country, going about 3 to 4 miles an hour," Ehll said.
"I've been bitten by the bug a long, long time ago," said Dave Endres, 57, of Kirkwood, who admitted he was wandering the engine club area to "pick the brains" of club members.
Endres and Nowak said the engines are available from collectors and at auctions. Occasionally a "barn find" — a piece of equipment or tractor literally stored away in a barn — shows up.
Barn finds are becoming less common, along with interest from younger collectors or enthusiasts. "They're interested in electronics," Forster said. "Something mechanical like that, they don't want to get their hands dirty."
Zalabak and others fear that mechanical knowledge as well as a bit of history may be lost.
"My grandkids — one that's a little bit mechanical is fine — but a couple of them could care less," Zalabak said. "They're not interested. When their car breaks down they haven't got a clue as to what's wrong with it or what's going on with it."
Still, working with old engines isn't easy — steam can scald, fuels are flammable, and moving flywheels and pistons and parts can literally exact a pound of flesh. An ambulance arrived at the club's display Saturday afternoon to attend to an engine owner who got too close. Zalabak said the person lost part of his thumb.
Endres, who teaches some high school shop classes, said some states have outlawed them. "I tell my kids that if one kid gets hurt, this class is gone forever," he said.
Source: www.stltoday.com
California sailor rescued after whale hits boat 40 miles off Mexico coast - New York Daily News
A Northern California man was rescued after his 50-foot boat was struck by a whale while he sailed alone about 40 miles off the western coast of Mexico, authorities said.
The impact from the collision knocked out the sailboat’s steering and the vessel began taking on water late Tuesday, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Pamela Boehland said.
Max Young of Sacramento stuffed a mattress into the hole caused by the whale, turned on four bilge pumps and was “trying to bail out water as fast as he could, because he didn’t know how long it would take to be rescued,” his wife, Debra Young, told The Associated Press.
He also activated an emergency beacon, which alerted the Coast Guard.
“His EPIRB delivered an exact position to us, contact information that allowed us to quickly discern the sail plan of and number of persons on the vessel, and really took a lot of the search out of the search and rescue,” said Lt. Charles Kelly, of the Coast Guard’s command center in Alameda, Calif.
With that information, officials at the command center were able to immediately direct a merchant ship, which was about 60 miles away, to the sinking craft.
Meanwhile, as the rescue efforts were just beginning, Young was initially unaware that the boat was taking on water, his wife said.
“He was steering the boat and trying to get it back on course,” Debra Young said. “It took him a while to realize he didn’t have any steerage at all. It took him a bit longer to realize he was taking on water.”
When the freighter arrived at around 4 a.m. Wednesday, Young scrambled off his boat by a rope ladder thrown by the ship’s crew.
Young had been on the final leg of a trip from the East Coast to a marina in Emeryville, Calif., when the collision took place. The 67-year-old has been sailing for at least 30 years, but having worked on boats with his father, who was a commercial fisherman, he’s been on the ocean most of his life, his wife said.
Debra Young said she has been able to talk to her husband while he’s on board the merchant ship. He’s not expected to make it back to Sacramento for another week or so.
AP-WF-06-18-12 0242GMT
Source: www.nydailynews.com
Antique Trends Revealed to Thousands at the 17th Annual Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show - Yahoo Finance
LAS VEGAS, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Antique Shows, a major producer of antique shows in North America, announced today an increase of five percent in attendance at this year's 17th Annual Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, which took place on May 31- June 3, 2012, at The Paris Hotel. The Show attracted nearly 400 exhibitors from over 19 different countries and attendees included "trade only" collectors from the United States and from around the world.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120516/NY08436LOGO )
"Every year we are overwhelmed by the success of this show that exposes rare and unique antique jewelry and watch collections from all over the world," said Andrea Canady, Fair Director. "It's apparent by the attendance numbers that this show continues to shine and be a frontrunner in showcasing the latest trends affecting the antique, estate and vintage jewelry community."
Exhibiting items throughout the showroom floor unveiled the latest trends including fancy colored diamonds, vintage watches to a high-demand in signed estate jewelry. Also featured this year were items ranging from antique watches, diamonds, and necklaces from various time periods including the Renaissance to the modern day. Most sought-after pieces, according to exhibitors, also included oversized vintage platinum rings, coral jewelry and reptile inspired pieces, such as gold snake necklaces and pendants.
"This year we saw an increase in not just vintage platinum engagement rings, but rings of all kinds, especially cocktail sized rings," said Kurt Rothner, owner of Excalibur Jewelry. "We sold all across the board including Cartier and were very pleased with the show. We even came out with several new customers, which is always a highlight."
Dealers witnessed increased sales and performed well throughout the Show. The Show also announced a five percent increase in attendance over last year's show. Exhibitors also experienced an increase in US and Asian buyers at the Show.
"We felt that US retailers were back at the buying table and sold a number of pieces in America," said Jorge Chamizo, owner of McTeigue. "We also saw an increase in the number of Asians at the show, which is always nice to see their interest in traveling to buy to the U.S. This was definitely one of the most successful shows we have ever done."
"This year we made connections we believe will have an everlasting effect on our business," said Jeff Cohen, N. Green & Sons. "This show continues to deliver an exemplary platform for our company to gain exposure to the trade market."
The next show on the calendar for US Antique Shows is the New York Antique Jewelry & Watch Show. This show is scheduled for July 20 –23, 2012 at The Metropolitan Pavilion. Next year, the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show will be held May 30 – June 2 at The Paris Hotel. For more information, visit www.VegasAntiqueJewelry.com.
About the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show
The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show is produced by GLM®. GLM is a leading producer and marketer of consumer product tradeshows in North America, serving industries as diverse as giftware, home furnishings, social stationery, home textiles, tabletop, gourmet housewares, contemporary furniture, personal care, antiques, jewelry, art, surf, skate, water sports, swim and resorts. GLM also manages business expositions and conferences on behalf of others, within the hospitality industry. Additional information about GLM is available online at www.glmshows.com. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/VegasAntiqueJewelry. For additional information, visit www.USAntiqueShows.com.
Source: finance.yahoo.com
California Adventure breaks attendance record - msnbc.com
Anaheim -- Eleven years ago, visitors waited just five or 10 minutes for rides during Disney California Adventure's first, rainy weekend.
But visitors stayed in line for up to six and a half hours on the day of the park's grand re-opening, on Friday, when Disney unveiled keystones to a $1 billion transformation, most notably Cars Land.
Over the weekend, guests endured hours-long waits.
"It's night and day," said David Koenig, an author of unauthorized Disney books, including "Mouse Tales." "The place was empty (in 2001)."
Although Disney won't discuss attendance figures, Miceage.com, a Disney watchdog site, said California Adventure enjoyed its all-rime record on Sunday.
On Sunday, about 45,000 guests visited the park, more than any day since the park debuted in 2001, reported Al Lutz of Miceage. The day that the park held its grand re-opening -- Friday -- it reportedly drew about 43,000 people.
Disney did acknowledge the park was busy.
"As expected, Disney California Adventure's grand re-opening weekend proved to be extremely popular," said Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman, in a statement. "Thanks to countless hours of planning by our operations teams, we were able to accommodate all of our guests who raced to the resort to be among the very first to experience Cars Land."
Visitors waited about two hours Saturday and about three hours Sunday for Radiator Springs Racers, the attraction that goes through the mountain backdrop in Cars Land, said Kelly Johns, founder of Mousewait.com, an app that tracks wait times.
Terri Garfinkel of West Hollywood got to Disney California Adventure at 7:40 a.m. on Sunday; the park was scheduled to open at 8 but was already welcoming in guests. He was riding Radiator Springs Racers within 20 minutes, but the line for Luigi's Flying Tires was already 75 minutes by the time he left the first ride.
Some rides broke down a few times, creating longer waits.
"There were occasional downtimes," Brown said. "During the initial opening period for a new attraction, it is not uncommon to experience more downtimes than with other attractions while we are testing and adjusting."
Contact the writer: 714-704-3793 or stully@ocregister.com
- Chief's wife convicted of shooting at cops
- Dog reported stolen from girl with cancer
- Anaheim's 'Battle of the Dance' closes
- 1 injured in Westminster shooting
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com
California Public Unions Win Budget Concessions - Businessweek
The budget California’s Democratic- controlled Legislature sent to Governor Jerry Brown last week granted concessions to public employee unions even as talks continue on cutting programs for the poor.
Democrats removed language that would have authorized the governor to order unpaid days off, known as furloughs, if unions balked at a proposed one-year, 5 percent payroll reduction. The $92 billion spending plan, which counts on higher taxes and cuts in health care and welfare to close a $15.7 billion deficit, also prevents expanded use of private contractors for some government jobs.
Unions contributed $76.7 million to California politicians and ballot measures in 2010, when Brown and lawmakers were running, according to data compiled by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonpartisan group based in Helena, Montana. Labor represented the single largest interest group in terms of contributions that year.
“It’s pretty clear who the winners in this budget plan are,” Senate Republican Caucus Leader Tom Harman of Orange County said during a floor debate June 15. “It’s the public- employee unions and not students, beneficiaries of state services or taxpayers.”
State workers were forced to take unpaid days off three times a month beginning in 2009, in what amounted to a 14 percent pay cut, as California faced annual deficits of as much as $42 billion. The unions agreed to pay more toward pension and retiree health-care costs and gave up some paid holidays. Their leaders have said any new concessions must come through negotiations.
Sign or Veto
Brown, a Democrat, hasn’t said if he’ll sign the budget or veto it over a welfare spending disagreement with legislators.
The budget adopted last week includes a $400 million general-fund savings in state personnel costs. Brown has proposed achieving that by having employees work 9.5 hours on four days instead of 8 hours in five days.
The largest union representing state workers, Service Employees International Union Local 1000, opposes use of furloughs to get that savings. Yvonne Walker, president of the 95,000-member union, wrote May 23 that unpaid time off is “not on the table.”
The SEIU wants any pay reduction to be linked to time off, according to a June 14 update on its website. The union wants to reduce the number of state contracts with private vendors and limit the number of retirees and student assistants the state hires to save money.
Talks Continue
“The negotiations are still ongoing and we know there is more work to do and we wanted to give some time for the governor and the unions to finish their negotiations,” Senate President Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat from Sacramento said when asked why he took the furlough language out of the budget.
Jim Zamora, a spokesman for Local 1000, declined to comment on whether union leaders are satisfied with the budget, noting that labor terms remain under negotiation.
Because some agencies must operate around the clock and can’t shut down for a day, unions for those workers are in talks to find the savings in other ways. Prison guards, forestry firefighters, mental-health hospital staff and the California Highway Patrol have already agreed to have their pay reduced by the equivalent of eight hours a month, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Leaders of the Professional Engineers in California Government, a union of 13,000 workers, said they wouldn’t agree to a 5 percent pay cut unless the state dropped a proposal for a 1-percentage-point increase in the number of private contractors that can be hired by the Transportation Department.
Contractor Costs
While contractors can cost more per hour, they are only paid when needed. State workers continue to draw pay even when not on a project and also collect pensions and benefits.
“One of the things we talked to the administration about initially was that outsourcing our jobs costs twice as much,” Bruce Blanning, the union’s executive director, said in a telephone interview. “We told them that if they would stop wasting money on outsourcing, then we would talk about saving some money through our members as well. Outsourcing costs money and they should get rid of that first.”
Republican lawmakers also said that Democrats included in the budget new language not proposed by Brown that prevents the University of California from contracting out some services.
During budget committee hearings, the Democrats approved Brown’s proposal to extend statewide collective bargaining to county-level in-home service workers, something unions have sought.
Cushion Cuts
Unions were also able to cushion cuts to that program, said Steve Smith, a spokesman for the California Labor Federation, which represents 2.1 million employees, about half of them working in government.
Unions continue to resist cuts to the state welfare-to-work program and to subsidies for child care for the working poor, both issues contained in supporting bills still to be voted on, Smith said by telephone.
“In our view, there aren’t any winners,” he said of the budget. “What small victories working people achieved here were staving off even deeper blows.”
Even as pay reductions are negotiated, many state workers are poised for raises in July 2013. During collective bargaining in 2010, Brown’s predecessor, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to raises of 2 percent to 5 percent for workers at the top of their pay scales in return for concessions.
“Unions don’t exist to solve the state’s problems,” said Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger’s former press secretary. “They exist to get the best deal for their members, and in California, they’re really good at what they do.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Michael B. Marois in Sacramento at mmarois@bloomberg.net; James Nash in Los Angeles at jnash24@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at smerelman@bloomberg.net
Source: www.businessweek.com
No comments:
Post a Comment