| Posted by Editor Click here for source article Sunday, 29 August 2010 | |
| Third generation agricultural engineer, Lyle Jaworski and the Jaworski family have decided to take on a new challenge this fall at their South Eastern MI farm. The Jaworskis have dedicated their summer to building the world's largest corn maze. In doing so, they also hope to help raise money for charity and break some other world records along the way. The world record corn maze located in historic Dundee MI, just off Highway US 23 at exit 17 is officially called Farmer J's Cornmaze and is a labor of love for the Jaworski family. "This is our tenth year in the corn maze business" says Lyle Jaworski, who also runs the full time farm, and manages the Sexy Pheasant Farm & hunting preserve that raises pheasants. Lyle gets particularly excited about the corn maze itself however; "You get to experience something that not many people can do. Also you get to test how aware you are of your surroundings along with your navigation skills as you work through the maze" While Dundee is more typically famous as the home of the gigantic sporting goods store some say is visible from space, Farmer J's corn maze will be breaking its own records when it opens this fall and promises to put a new feather in the Dundee, MI cap. This year's Farmer J's maze is a record breaking corn maze indeed as it is both the World's Biggest Corn Maze as well as having the World's Longest Corn Maze Path. Working from an American theme, the world record corn maze has checkpoints throughout where visitors seek and can "check off" as an accomplishment inside the maze. The maze has a total of 24 such checkpoints, the goal for some is to reach all 24 while still able to get out of the maze. That goal can be particularly difficult inside any corn maze, let alone a world record corn maze. As visitors wander through various passages of the maze, they travel through the words "we the people" and the faces of historical figures from America's past. "People who experience the world record corn maze get to learn what it's like to actually have to navigate through something that doesn't have roads or people to tell them where to go. They actually have to use their minds to get out" adds Lyle. On September 18th of 2010, the Farmer Js world record corn maze will attempt to break a 3rd world record related to the maze. Farmer J's has invited anyone and everyone to come to the maze and help break the world's record for the Longest Torch (flash light) Lit Parade. Anyone can attend this event and be a part of history. The event starts at 6pm on September 18th and visitors should bring their own flashlight. Finally, as if three records aren't enough, Farmer J's wants to break a charity record too. Visitors to the World Record Corn Maze can support their own favorite charity while working through the maze. Farmer J's website (see below) has a downloadable sponsor form. Visitors can sign up sponsors based on the number of checkpoints they are able to reach. Sponsor can promise a certain donation per checkpoint, and with 24 checkpoints in total, individuals as well as any type of group can raise funds to help out others in need. All Farmer J's asks is that the visitors report back to them how much was raised so they can keep a running total in their hopes to raise millions of dollars for local and national charities. Hoping to break four separate Guinness World Records this year at Farmer J's and enjoying themselves while doing it, the Jaworski family have turned a labor of love into a benefit to the community as well. The maze opens this September, in Dundee MI, just off highway US-23 at exit 17. For more information about this record breaking attempt visit http://www.worldrecordcornmaze.org |
Shares plunged on Wall Street and the dollar fell sharply tonight after an increase in jobless claims and weak signals from industry prompted fears that the US is heading for a double-dip recession.
The Dow Jones index fell 200 points at one stage in morning trading in New York after the US labour department reported that 500,000 new claims for unemployment benefit were filed in the week ending 14 August – an increase of 12,000 on the previous week and the highest figure for nine months.
The already gloomy mood was compounded when the Philadelphia Fed, one of the Federal Reserve's 12 regional reserve banks, published its monthly health check on manufacturing in America's mid-Atlantic region. The survey, seen by Wall Street as a barometer of US industrial conditions, showed activity had contracted unexpectedly for the first time since July 2009.
President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass a bill providing support for small businesses, but Wall Street believes the threat to the world's biggest economy will also require action by the Federal Reserve to expand the money supply through its quantitative easing programme. James Bullard, president of the St Louis Fed, said tonight that the central bank would need to step up its purchases of bonds should the threat of deflation intensify.
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On June 29, 2010, Ankara, in a first sign of frustration, called on Iran to return "as soon as possible" to the negotiating table over a nuclear fuel swap deal. According to a senior Turkish diplomat, Turkey voted against tougher UN sanctions under the condition that Iran would engage itself in talks on its controversial nuclear program. However, on June 28, 2010 Ahmadinejad announced that any negotiations will be postponed until late August in order to "punish" Western powers. Tehran left it unclear when and if it will continue to talk with Brazil and Turkey, its two allies.
A flotilla of nine vessels organized by pro-Palestinian activists is currently en route to Gaza carrying various goods. However, the total amount of supplies transported by the flotilla, 10,000 tons, is less than the weekly average amount of goods transferred by Israel into Gaza.
Private Israeli citizens organized a flotilla of their own to draw attention to the fact that Hamas continues to illegally hold abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The Israeli flotilla is also calling attention to what they say is the poor treatment of minorities in Turkey, since some of the pro-Palestinian activists' vessels sailing to Gaza embarked from Turkey.
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Maze Cartoon of a Predator Drone as the border of US and Mexico
Maze cartoon of a predator drone in place as the border between the USA and Mexico. Created by Yonatan Frimer.
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US to Deploy Predator Drones Along Texas-Mexico Border
Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano has confirmed plans for the United States to deploy unmanned Predator drones to patrol the US-Mexico border in Texas. The United States currently has four drones patrolling the border with Mexico in Arizona and one in the northern border with Canada in the state of North Dakota. Napolitano made the announcement during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Janet Napolitano: "I’m also proud to announce today that the Federal Aviation Administration has approved the use of CBP unmanned aircraft system flights along the Texas border and in the Gulf region...These types of flights aren’t useful everywhere, but in some places they’re part of the right mix of infrastructure, manpower and technology that improves border security."
Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano also unveiled new plans to increase government surveillance along the border by developing a system to begin photographing the license plates of every vehicle.
Janet Napolitano: "We’re partnering with the Office of National Drug Control Policy to implement Project Roadrunner, an automated license-plate recognition system. Project Roadrunner was conceived to target both north- and southbound drug trafficking and associated illegal activity along the Southwest border."
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Maze cartoon of a motorcycle lableled, "middle east" speeding down a road in the direction of war, and away from the direction of peace. Created by Yonatan Frimer
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Turkey’s provocative flotilla—often described in Orwellian terms as a humanitarian mission—has set in motion a flurry of diplomatic activity, but if the Iranians send escort vessels for the next round of Turkish ships, it could present a casus belli.
It is also instructive that Syria is playing a dangerous game with both missile deployment and rearming Hezbollah. According to most public accounts, Hezbollah is sitting on 40,000 long-, medium- and short-range missiles and Syrian territory has served as a conduit for military material from Iran since the end of the 2006 Lebanon War.
Should Syria move its own scuds to (Click here to read the full article)
NEW MILFORD -- On Monday, farmer Dean Schultz finished planting corn seeds that will eventually grow and be landscaped into a haunted corn maze.
Since it opened in 2000, the Larson's Farm Market corn maze has become a local tradition.
The corn maze may also be an integral part of saving Schultz's livelihood. He is hoping he can use agritourism, or bringing visitors to the farm, to sustain the business originally started by his grandfather.
Schultz sells sweet corn to a local farmers market and is getting ready to open his own produce stand in a couple of weeks, but his main focus is expanding the agritourism part of the business.
He plans to have two mazes next year and perhaps start a garden where people can pick their own produce.
Schultz tried to start a community supported agriculture program, commonly referred to as a CSA, at the beginning of the season to bring in income. In a CSA, community members buy shares of the crops before the season starts. In return, they are given part of the yield every week during the growing season.
Initial interest was strong, Schultz said. More than 300 people inquired about joining.
"But when it came time to sign on the dotted line, we didn't get enough of a response," Schultz said. Only 40 people made a commitment, so Schultz has had to scrap the CSA idea for now.
"I don't see how anyone could survive on crop sales alone," said Stephen Paproski, who owns the 100-acre Castle Hill Farm in Newtown. "A third of our income comes from agritourism."
Agritourism has been growing for the last 10 years and has become more popular in the past five years, said Jane Eckert, the president of St. Louis-based Eckert Agrimarketing.
Agritourism can include all types of activities, from pick-your-own crops to hunting, Eckert said.
"When people step into our personal properties, they're willing to pay for the experience," Eckert said. "There is a growing category of people who have their weddings or large group picnics on farms. Farms have large spaces that can accommodate large numbers of people."
Castle Hill Farm has a maze, a hay ride, a pumpkin patch and bonfires in the fall. Paproski is a third-generation farmer, but the first who has had to turn to agritourism to survive.
Schultz is also a third-generation farmer. His grandfather owned Larson's Farm, where New Milford High School was built. Schultz now leases land because it is too expensive to buy. He used to farm the cornfields on Junction Road in Brookfield, until that property was sold to the Steiner family for development.
He is hesitant to invest too much money in his current farm, out of fear it will be sold as well.
"This is my last shot, but if this piece goes I'm done for sure," Schultz said.
Contact Vinti Singh at vsingh@newstimes.com or 203-731-3331.
Check out some cool maze art by Yonatan Frimer
Maze of Monkey Illusion - 2009
Optical illusion maze caused by conflicting horizontal and vertical lines.
John Lennon Psychedelic Maze Portrait
Imagine All The Mazes
Israel could see what was coming. Before the convoy set sail, Israeli leaders pleaded with Turkish officials to stop it; they offered to allow the supplies to be delivered through an Israeli checkpoint. But Erdoğan’s government let it go anyway. Thus, Israel had no choice but to intervene directly. And those on the boat made sure it turned violent.
Now, Turkey is milking the event for all it’s worth. It accused Israel of state-sponsored terrorism. It compared the psychological impact of the incident on Turks to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Americans. Turkish President Abdullah Gül called the Israeli raid a crime against humanity and said Israeli-Turkish relations will never be the same. Erdoğan labeled it a massacre. Turkish armed forces announced several cutbacks in cooperation with Israeli forces. The government also offered to supply Turkish naval protection for the next “aid” convoy to Gaza; “This would be, in effect, an act of war,” wrote Mark Steyn, “—more to the point, an act of war by a nato member against the State of Israel.”
(Read the full article on The Trumpet)
The United Nations Security Council approved a new round of sanctions against Iran last week for its refusal to curb the country's nuclear program, which the U.S. and its allies suspect is aimed at producing weapons. Iran denies that.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran favors a dialogue with the West, but will announce its conditions soon. He said the carrot-and-stick approach doesn't work and Iran will not make "one iota of concessions" to the West.
"You showed bad temper, reneged on your promise and again resorted to devilish manners," he said of the powers that imposed sanctions. "We set conditions (for talks) so that, God willing, you'll be punished a bit and sit at the negotiating table like a polite child," he told a crowd during a visit to the central Iranian town of Shahr-e-Kord. His speech was broadcast live on state TV.
Click here to read the full AP article| Maze Of Monkeys jumping off a building in 3-D maze goodness Maze Kong - by Yonatan Frimer | Mushroom Maze  Maze-a-delic by Yonatan Frimer |
When I was in high school, I had to drive a long distance on a freeway to get to school. After arriving, I often wondered how I got there. I didn't remember the drive or even thinking about driving.
This feeling is a common (and, yes, somewhat scary) experience that a group of neuroscientists think they can better explain. In an experiment with rats, researchers at MIT identified two distinct neural circuits in the brain that show distinct changes when the rats were learning to navigate a maze and, later, after they mastered the task.
The rats were placed in a maze that had chocolate sprinkles at the end. The activity in specific parts of their brains was analyzed as they learned the maze, which included a T-juncture where they had to stop and choose to turn right or left. The rats performed the maze repeatedly until they had learned it.
The study showed that one specific neural circuit became stronger with practice. A second neural circuit showed high activity occurring at times when the rats had to make a decision in the maze. But as they learned the maze, activity in this circuit declined. The task had become habitual.
So, arriving at school in one piece wasn't just a matter of luck. "It is good to know that we can train our brains to develop good habits and avoid bad ones," the lead author of the study, Ann Graybiel, said in a news release.
Understanding how specific regions of the brain change through learning could help in developing new treatments for brain-based diseases. The study was published Thursday in the journal Neuron.
-- Shari Roan
Photo credit: Advanced Cell Technology Inc.
UNITED NATIONS -- After several months of grueling diplomacy, the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday imposed a fourth round of sanctions on Iran's military establishment -- a move that the United States and other major powers said should prompt the Islamic Republic to restart stalled political talks over the future of its nuclear program.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the foreign ministers of allied nations asked the European Union's chief diplomat to pursue talks with Iran at the "earliest possible opportunity," and President Obama asserted that "these sanctions do not close the door on diplomacy."
"We think that the sanctions send a kind of message to the entire Iranian leadership, which.... (Read Source Article)
I am appalled that Helen Thomas's comments on Israel prevent her from speaking at Walt Whitman High School's commencement ["Helen Thomas bows out of speech," Metro, June 7]. I am also disgusted that Ari Fleischer and Lanny Davis conducted a campaign to punish Ms. Thomas, no doubt as retribution for her outspoken questions when they served in earlier administrations. Freedom of speech, however, is lost to their petty maneuvering.
Most of us would not agree with Ms. Thomas's unfortunate and seemingly uninformed comments about where Jews might live in peace. But she has the right to say what she thinks, and listeners can decide whether she is foolish, biased and out of touch. Had she spoken at Whitman, perhaps she would have retracted, perhaps she would have lamented further . . . or maybe not.
Whitman's cancellation under...Read entire article
