Water Main Break Raises Important Questions For Local Authorities, Baffles Engineers
by Betsy Burgundy
A warm, sunny summer day in the western Baltimore suburb of Catonsville quickly turned to a parched carnival of horror when a water main break caused taps in the area to quickly run dry.
"It is as if some kind of defect in the mains construction caused a loss of structural integrity," remarked Civil Engineer Doug Sparks. "I've never seen anything like it."
Across town, the birthday party of Susie Randols was tragically cut short when the water so desperately needed to lubricate the Slip-N-Slide (tm) stopped flowing. "It was horrible, a little boy scratched his entire belly when no slip was provided by the water. My condolences to his family," commented concerned parent Mark Shields.
At this point in time, no solution has been put forth, other than to "Fix the break, and hope it doesn't happen again."
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Older shoppers struggle with new coins
By BETHANY MARRETT
Wallets were lightened in July when small change became smaller but two months on the coins are causing confusion. For many Timaru shoppers the change from the original large 50c coin to a smaller model has become difficult to distinguish from the 20c coin. Timaru Countdown checkout manager Pauline Sullivan said customers have largely come to grips with the new coins. However, many pensioners were getting confused between the similarly sized 50c and 20c coins.
Ken Thoms, 72, liked the new lighter coins but said he relied on people's honesty when accepting them as he could not read the print.
"My eyesight is not the best so it's a bit dicey," he said.
Gladys Thoms, 70, agreed the coins were much easier due to being lighter although she usually paid for most things by eftpos. Mrs Thoms said she was becoming used to the different markings and the 10c piece was easily identified as it was a different colour. Hilary Hasell, 74, said for people with eyesight and colour difficulties the 50c, 20c and $1 coins were too similar in size and not easy to identify by feel. She admitted it was simply a case of getting used to the coins but she often pulled out a $1 coin instead of a 20c or 50c coin. Supermarkets had been very helpful but she too often paid by eftpos as it saved the trouble of doing the maths.
On July 31 the smaller, lighter coins came into circulation. A three-month transition was put in place to allow for a settling in period, but by the end of this month the old coins will no longer be be legal tender.
Trish Briggs, 46, said it was a change, just like the recycling but agreed it was harder for the elderly as it was easy to confuse the 50c and 20c coins. Faulks and Jordon pharmacy assistant Andrea Anderson said customers were mostly using new coins now and had coped well with the change.
"Occasionally they have to turn them over and have a look, but generally they're very good."
The Timaru Herald, 3 Oct 2006
Originally posted by ElleEffSeeeI don't know what those damn living fossils are complaining about. The new coins are easier to tell apart by feel than the old ones. The 10 and the 50 are hugely different sizes (as well as different metals) and the 20 has 4 divots on the edge so it can easily be told apart.
[b]Older shoppers struggle with new coins
By BETHANY MARRETT
Wallets were lightened in July when small change became smaller but two months on the coins are causing confusion. For many Timaru shoppers the change from the original large 50c coin to a smaller model has become difficult to distinguish from the 20c coin. Timaru Countdown check ...[text shortened]... d have a look, but generally they're very good."
The Timaru Herald, 3 Oct 2006[/b]
And pretty much everyone uses EFPOS all the time here anyway.
October 2, 2006 3:06 p.m. EST
Polish police search for farting dissident
Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent
Warsaw, Poland (AHN) - A 45-year-old Polish man is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt by the Polish police after he was charged for farting loudly in response to his sentiment about the president.
Hubert Hoffman was earlier arrested by the police in a routine check at a railway station in the Polish capital of Warsaw.
He complained to the arresting officers that President Lech Kaczynski and his twin brother Jaroslaw, was responsible for turning Poland back to a Communist style dictatorship. He was reprimanded to show more respect for the country's rulers.
Hoffman replied with a loud fart and was immediately arrested. He was charged for "contempt for the office of the head of state."
He was later released on bail but failed to show up at a Warsaw court early this week to stand trial and the judge on case rejected an appeal by his lawyers to drop the charges.
A court spokesman said, "Such a case of disrespect is taken very seriously."
Surprisingly, the court ordered the police to start a nationwide hunt for the man, and Interpol has been alerted.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) -- An 18-year-old man was struck and killed by a train as he reportedly stood on the tracks and made an obscene gesture at the train, the Kenosha Sheriff's Department said Saturday.
Andrew J. Grosenick and Keith A. Lien, 18, both of Silver Lake, were using the tracks as a short cut home around 11:30 p.m. Friday, Lien told deputies.
Authorities say they believe both men were intoxicated at the time.
A train approached and both men got off the tracks, but Grosenick walked back onto the track, Lien told investigators.
The Wisconsin Central Railroad conductor told authorities he also saw Grosenick return to the track, raise his arm and "flip off" the train.
The train struck Grosenick, who was declared dead at the scene.
Lien was not injured but was taken to a hospital for what the sheriff's department said was an "extreme state of intoxication."
The accident remained under investigation.
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Originally posted by XanthosNZI just really like the phrase, "parched carnival of horror".
[b]Water Main Break Raises Important Questions For Local Authorities, Baffles Engineers
by Betsy Burgundy
A warm, sunny summer day in the western Baltimore suburb of Catonsville quickly turned to a parched carnival of horror when a water main break caused taps in the area to quickly run dry.
"It is as if some kind of defect in the mains con ...[text shortened]... x the break, and hope it doesn't happen again."
Post your own AMAZING NEWS STORIES![/b]