Wellington, New Zealand

 

Wellington Oct 18, 2022

Wellington is a lovely city.  A few homeless, but not nearly as bad as US cities.  Many people know Sarasota from hurricane Ian.  They are fascinated that we have alligators in our front yard. No alligators or crocodiles here. In fact they have no indigenous wild animals other than lizards! 

Beautiful city.  As lovely as Cape Town, but not nearly as many social problems. 

We see indigenous Maori pretty integrated into society.  Many mixed races including many Asians. 

Had the best Chinese food ever last night.  Ate at a darling Bistro restaurant tonight.

Funicular up to a glorious view of the city with lunch.   Walked around the cliff. 

Tomorrow catch the ferry to the South Island. 

 

Click for more photos of Wellington

https://photos.app.goo.gl/c6XWxgDS9LPRrHdo6

More about our trip to New Zealand at:

https://catonewzealand.blogspot.com/

Feeling Guilty

Feeling guilty. We will miss Hurricane Ian that is headed for our home near Sarasota, Florida. We are in the Pacific Ocean on a cruise headed to New Zealand.

I helped form a CERT Team (Community Emergency Response Team) for our development. Went to the training and got some nice gear. And now we will have a disaster and I am not around to help.

Oh, well, our condo is new and built like a fortress. Unlikely for it to suffer damage. I feel for the folks in older buildings.

Our friends live closer to the beach. We told them to move in and they should.

https://waterfrontatmainstreet.blogspot.com/

https://lwrcert.org/

______________________

Beth and I were prepared for Hurricane Irma in 2017, in the closet with our motorcycle helmets on.

 

Cityplanningnews.com will change to Planningnews.blogspot.com

We will cease to use Cityplanningnews.com as the address for this blog. 

The address will be Planningnews.blogspot.com

Chicago Population Up 2% Over The Past Decade

The City of Big Shoulders has always been a melting pot — but new U.S. Census data suggest it’s gaining in diversity.

Despite national headlines about political corruption and street violence, Chicago saw its population grow by 2% over the past decade, allowing it to hold onto its title as the third-largest city in the United States.

Of the more than 50,000 residents added over the past decade to the city’s total population, most are Latino and Asian.

The Latino population grew by more than 40,000 people — about 5% — in the past 10 years, and the Asian population grew by almost 45,000, a 31% increase.

That helped offset the continued loss of Chicago’s Black population, which dwindled by almost 85,000 people during that time — a nearly 10% drop.

Click to read the full article:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/8/12/22622062/chicago-census-2020-illinois-population-growth-decline-redistricting-racial-composition#:~:text=The%20Latino%20population%20grew%20by%20more%20than%2040%2C000,10%25%20drop.%20It%E2%80%99s%20far%20from%20a%20full-fledged%20comeback.

Information about Chicago - I used this blog to teach a few classes about Chicago.

http://chicagocityofbigshoulders.blogspot.com/

Population Change in the US

 

Click to read more:

https://usafacts.org/data/topics/people-society/population-and-demographics/our-changing-population?utm_source=Quora&utm_medium=Paid&utm_campaign=OCP&utm_content=OCP_Ripped_Topics

Heliport

"The heart of the operation will be at Vertiport Chicago, an existing downtown heliport facility. In the UAM world, heliports are Vertiports, where eVTOLs take off, land, collect passengers and recharge their batteries. Eve has assembled an impressive group of participating stakeholders to facilitate the three-week simulation and make it meaningful. These include Blade, Republic Airways, Halo Aviation, SkyWest Inc, Speedbird Aero, ACCIONA, Vertiport Chicago, and Tinley and Schaumburg villages.

Replicating Eve's future eVTOL, the helicopter will transport passengers from the vertiport to two helistops located northwest and southwest of Chicago. Two routes will be operated, the first from Vertiport Chicago to Schaumburg Municipal Helistop and the second connecting Tinley Park Helistop to the vertiport. By involving a broad range of stakeholders, Eve hopes their differing views and feedback will help it develop the right solution for cities like Chicago."

____________

I had to look up where Vertiport Chicago was (1338 S Wood St if you are interested) after this article about EV helicopter commuting tests being run there.

https://simpleflying.com/eve-first-north-american-uam-simulation-chicago/

This sounds like exciting stuff, but raises some questions.  Why are EV helicopters any safer, faster, more useful than existing helicopter technology?  And why doesn't someone have a heliport there for regular helicopters?  And who wants to fly into that neighborhood?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Will Hepburn MPHS 66

_______________

Answer - I don't know about safety of the EV helicopters. I can address the other questions.

The Heliport in Tinley Park has existed since 1999 and has been and is used by regular helicopters. 

I worked on the heliport in Tinley Park north of I-80 when I was the assistant Village Manager. The Village was constructing a large Fire Department training facility with a tower and a very large parking lot for firetrucks to practice putting out fires. The facility was used by many fire departments in the region. Someone (I can't remember who but will try to find out) suggested that we put a heliport on the site. I think we had to have the FAA certify it and paint it to their standards.  

My boss David Dorgan led the charge, I think. We liked it because we were working to enhance and improve our business park clustered around I-80, Harlem (Rt 43) and LaGrange Road (Rt 45), 183rd St and 191st St.  We worked on developing the Tinley Park Convention Center with a number of hotels nearby. The World Music Theater was growing strong. We felt that the heliport would help us market our community as an upscale destination.

The Heliport was Part of our Comprehensive Plan

Tinley Park Comprehensive Plan

Village staff developed the Comprehensive Plan in house. The plan proposed the Downtown Improvement Plan / Transit Oriented Development Plan, the Housing Renovation Plan, the extension of 183rd Street, extensive landscaping improvements, the development of a Village wide bikeway system, forest preserve improvements, heliport, flood control improvements, the Tinley Park Convention Center and the Economic Development Incentives required to fund these improvements.

Comprehensive Plan Document

Craig Hullinger MPHS Jan 66

________

Tinley Park Helicopter Activity

Pat Carr,Neighbor
Posted Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 9:02 pm
https://patch.com/illinois/tinleypark/tinley-park-helicopter-activity

The helicopter activity over the Mental health center today was law enforcement training. The airspace over Tinley Park is very active since we are in the flight pattern for Midway Airport. In addition, we have high tension power lines, underground pipelines and rail that traverse through our town. All of these have some sort of inspection from the air with helicopters. On any given day we have as many as 10-15 helicopters flying over our town. Tinley Park also maintains a public use helipad that is utilized frequently by public and private agencies. If we know there will be prolonged air activity we will notify the public.

_____

FAA INFORMATION EFFECTIVE 11 AUGUST 2022

Location

FAA Identifier:	TF8
Lat/Long:	41-33-33.0000N 087-48-21.0000W 41-33.550000N 087-48.350000W 41.5591667,-87.8058333 (estimated)
Elevation:	760 ft. / 232 m (estimated)
Variation:	02W (1995)
From city:	20 miles SSW of central business district of the associated city
Time zone:	UTC -5 (UTC -6 during Standard Time)
Zip code:	60477

Heliport Operations

Heliport use:	Open to the public
Activation date:	02/1999
Control tower:	no
ARTCC:	CHICAGO CENTER
FSS:	KANKAKEE FLIGHT SERVICE STATION
NOTAMs facility:	IKK (NOTAM-D service available)
Attendance:	UNATTENDED
Wind indicator:	lighted
Segmented circle:	no
Lights:	SS-SR

Heliport Communications

CTAF:	122.9
WX AWOS-AV at C56 (12 nm SE):	119.125 (708-534-5256)
WX AWOS-3PT at IGQ (12 nm E):	119.275 (708-889-6319)
WX AWOS-3 at LOT (13 nm W):	118.525 (815-588-4802)
WX ASOS at MDW (14 nm N):	PHONE 773-884-4424
WX AWOS-3 at JOT (17 nm W):	119.975 (815-730-9560)
WX AWOS-3PT at GYY (18 nm E):	134.575 (219-944-0010)

Nearby radio navigation aids

VOR radial/distance		VOR name		Freq		Var
CGTr284/10.9		CHICAGO HEIGHTS VORTAC		114.20		02E
EONr356/17.4		PEOTONE VORTAC		113.20		02E
JOTr086/23.0		JOLIET VOR/DME		112.30		02E
DPAr127/31.5		DUPAGE VOR/DME		108.40		02E

Heliport Services

Parking:

tiedowns

Runway Information

Helipad H1

Dimensions:	40 x 40 ft. / 12 x 12 m 60 FT BY 60 FT HELICOPTER PARKING PAD LOCATED 75 FT NORTH OF LNDG PAD.
Surface:	asphalt, in good condition
Runway edge lights:	PERI
Traffic pattern:	left		left

Heliport Ownership and Management from official FAA records

Ownership:	Publicly-owned
Owner:	VILLAGE OF TINLEY PARK 16250 S. OAK PARK AVENUE TINLEY PARK, IL 60477 Phone 708-444-5000 24 HR NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER 708-444-5300.
Manager:	PAT CARR, DIR EMER MGMT 17355 S. 68TH CT TINLEY PARK, IL 60477 Phone 708-444-5601 24 HR DISPATCH CTR 708-444-5300

Heliport Operational Statistics

Aircraft operations: 50/year * 100%  transient general aviation * for 12-month period ending 31 May 2021

Additional Remarks

-	32 FT UNLIT PLINES 95 FT SOUTH; 40 FT BLDG 120 FT NW; & 33 FT LGTD POLES 293 FT W; 90 FT LGTD TWR 250 FT NW OF PAD.
-	INGRESS/EGRESS ROUTES ARE 090 DEGS & 270 DEGS.
-	FOR CD CTC CHICAGO APCH AT 847-289-0926.
-	+31 FT TREES 190 FT E OF FATO AND 100' N OF APCH CNTRLN RESULTING IN 5:1 APCH CLNC TO THE E

Corruption By Nation

  

The Corruption Perception Index rates nations by corruption. The lower the corruption the lower the ranking. The lighter yellow colors are less corrupt.

The United States is rated 27 out of 180 countries in 2021, which is down from 19 out 177 Countries in 2013. The graph below shows the years of our decline.

Our neighbor Canada is less corrupt that the US and Mexico more corrupt. Russia is rated at 136 out of 180 countries while Ukraine is 122.  Most of our G-7 partners are quality ethical countries - part of the reason they are successful. The Scandinavian countries are the least corrupt.

Iraq is 157 while Afghanistan is 174. So we invaded and tried to modernize these crooked countries into functioning democracies with a fair and good economic system.  Not easy to do. Really stupid on our part.

Wringing corruption out of government and society is a challenge. You can't have a quality country with rampant corruption. Your top officials simply steal the country blind. Less corrupt countries usually have more successful economies.

We must work at electing less corrupt politicians.  In a democracy, if we elect crooks, shame on us. We need to pick honest, decent, and hard working politicians.  When we elect crooks it damages our country. 

transparency.org/en/cpi/2021

cpi.transparency.org/cpi2013/results

CERT

  

August 2022 To ensure we're all ready to activate if a hurricane hits LWR, the Operations Committee is planning a Simulated Hurricane Exercise. Rumor has it, it may be headed for LWR really soon... watch your email and phones for notifications and respond quickly. Can't view email? Click Here. From the top Gulf water temperatures are nice and warm right now. While this makes it easy to enter the water at the beach, storms that enter warm water in the Gulf can spin up into powerful hurricanes. Last July, LWR CERT activated for Hurricane Elsa. We are hoping that the Gulf continues to be quiet this year. However, hope is not a plan to protect your family. Please prepare for the season while the skies are blue.   LWR CERT members, we will be testing our readiness in the next few weeks. Members should be on the lookout for Hurricane “LWR CERT 2022 Exercise”. If you receive notifications about that storm, it is an organization-wide exercise to help us prepare. We are excited to have several new Team Captains with us this year who will be performing their activation duties for the first time during this exercise.   There is information below for our next public event. Hurricane Prep for LWR Residents will be held on Aug. 27. Please invite your neighbors to this free, 90-minute educational event. While it is great that years can pass between major hurricane impacts in our neighborhoods, complacency builds over time. Having prepared neighbors may help ease our activation response.   See you around the neighborhood, Jim Emanuelson President, LWR CERT 850.396.2695 LWR is entering peak hurricane season -- the time of year when Florida has historically seen the most tropical storm and hurricane activity. A free public education session Hurricane Prep for LWR Residents is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27 from 9-10:30 AM at LWR Town Hall. It will cover the same information which was shared at our May 10 hurricane prep event. LWR CERT members, encourage your neighbors to register for this free educational session. It's a great way to introduce them to LWR CERT and to help them (and you) prepare for the upcoming peak of hurricane season. Click the link below to register up to 4 people or ask your neighbors to visit www.lwrcert.org/events for more info to register on their own. Click to Register for Aug. 27 Hurricane Prep event Hurricane Prep for LWR Residents is a 2022 Active Responder qualifying event Fall course scheduled Grow your team Register a neighbor now Lakewood Ranch is always seeking new CERT members. LWR CERT, which covers the CDD area of LWR known as Phase 1, offers Basic Training for everyone in the LWR area. The next LWR CERT Basic Training course at Town Hall begins Oct. 13. We encourage our members to grow their teams by inviting their neighbors to attend this course. Registration and details at lwrcert.org/join. This will be the last LWR CERT Basic Training offered this year. Tackling the 2-Hour Speed Basic Training Challenge With only 120 minutes to refresh the entire Basic Training course, the Training Committee pulled off what seemed like the impossible. On Thursday, July 21, more than two dozen members accepted the Speed Basic Training challenge and completed the 2-hour course. Hands-on activities included jaw thrust maneuvers; placing survivors in the recovery position; controlling bleeding, proper use of tourniquets; helping administer an EpiPen; splinting using a SAM splint or other available materials; creating a sling from a triangular bandage; stabilizing impaled objects; and setting radio channels and privacy codes. Attendees also reviewed Readiness Conditions, activation procedures and all 8 sections of the Basic Training manual including CERT size-up, treating shock, triage, disaster psychology, managing a death scene, fire safety, and the Run-Hide-Fight active shooter response (click graphic below to watch the FBI video). Attendees were awarded special Speed Basic Training course completion badges for their CERT helmets. Thanks to Training Manager Nigel Pilling and instructors Brenda Nusbaum, Bud Goetzinger, Mike Modisett, Kalena Ostrosky, Pat Knowles, Sharon Defferding, Tim Sherer, and support from Eddie Russell, Hillary Harter, Jim Emanuelson and Ray Arroyo. Based on feedback, this event was a huge success. Speed Basic Training was a 2022 Active Responder qualifying event SRVA-wide Team Meeting at Summerfield Park LWR CERT Membership Manager Bruce Bedford is also currently serving as Team Captain and Group Leader for Teams 1, 2 and 3 in Riverwalk and Teams 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 in Summerfield! Bruce organized a SVRA-wide team meeting at Summerfield Park the morning of Saturday, July 23 to review plans for the 2022 Hurricane Season with SRVA members. Radio Communications Committee members Frank Giannone and Tim Sherer were on hand to answer questions and help team members with their radios. Attendees were treated to donuts and beverages as they heard the latest LWR CERT updates and had their activation questions answered. A few attendees were lucky and walked away with door prizes. At the meeting, Maureen Corristan agreed to serve as Team 2 Team Captain. Thank you to Maureen and to all who attended. Team 8 reviews Search and Rescue skills Team 8 Team Captain Cynthia Olcott and Alan Blair hosting an evening of Search and Rescue review skills for their team. We heard it was fun, entertaining, and quite informative. Team members learned how important it is to work, discuss, and decide as a team what course of SAFE ACTION they should take before moving on. Pictured are Mike Staley (left), Paul Jackowski, Alan Blair, Cynthia Olcott, Karen Lily, and Patt Staley. Thanks to our CERT Volunteers! On the hot, steamy Saturday morning of July 2, Gary Cockfield, Elaine Cockfield, Jean Hritz, Sharon Defferding, and Mike Defferding joined several other residents in cleaning up Lorraine Road as part of Keep Manatee Beautiful 's 1st Saturdays Clean Ups. Thanks to all your hard work that stretch of Lorraine looks great! Team Leadership Changes Thank you and welcome to our newest Team Captains and Backup Team Captain. We appreciate you stepping up to lead your neighborhood teams. Maureen Corristan - Team 2 (Riverwalk) George Jenckes - Team 26 (Country Club) Polly Greene - Team 36 (Country Club) - Backup TC Thank you to retiring Team Captain Connie Farmer (Team 26). We are glad you plan to remain an active LWR CERT member. Congratulations to our newest 2022 Active Responders Tier 1 Maureen Corristan Deborah Jernigan Jack Mathews Julie Russell Art Taber Tier 2 Maureen Corristan George Jenckes Click here to learn how you can earn points toward Active Responder awards or visit the Member Section of our website, www.lwrcert.org. Member News and Things to Know Happy August birthday to members Bruce Bedford, Mark Burton, Don Diven, Paul Drzal, Kathy Epstein-Leis, Frank Giannone, Jean Hritz, Gordon Kuhn, Don O'Leary, Cindy Peirce, Bill Plerhoples, Rich Raymond, Eddie Russell, and Lorraine Wright. ERCN Auxiliary Hubs - Radio Communications Committee Manager Bud Goetzinger has been working with two of the newest RCC members, Alan Blair (KQ4BOJ) and Tony Gula (KO4ZWX), to set up their ham radio equipment, so they are ready and prepared to step in to help the LWR CERT Emergency Radio Communications Network when needed. ECRN Quarterly Test - On Saturday, July 16, the LWR CERT Emergency Radio Communications Network ran a successful scheduled test of their equipment and communications. LWR CERT Polo Shirts - Have you noticed the sea of dark green polo shirts at LWR CERT events? Want a shirt of your own? Become an active volunteer on a committee or order one here. Marking a house before entry - LWR CERT backpacks are currently stocked with a marking crayon. During Basic Training, attendees received instruction to only mark a building near the front door if there has been sufficient enough damage that entry is warranted. No marking of every house necessary if there is no damage and if the home was not entered. If windows are broken or there is a reason to enter the home, marking should be done at outlined in the Quick Activation Guide and taught in Basic Training. Neighborhood Newsletter - Does your neighborhood have a newsletter? Want more neighbors on your team? LWR CERT sends special preview information to Neighborhood Newsletter editors each month, which they can include in their publications. Send your editor's name and email address to cert@lwrcert.org to have them added to our special distribution list. CERTs Across The Country Did you know that members of the Highland Park, Illinois CERT were some of the first responders on the scene after last month's 4th of July parade shooting? Sponsored by the Highland Park Police Department, Highland Park CERT was performing crowd control duties and providing public information for the parade. Because they were on the scene, a number of CERT members provided emergency first aid to some of the shooting survivors before professional first responders arrived. We thank our fellow CERTs for their efforts to assist their fellow residents in time of need. Upcoming LWR CERT Meetings and Training Meetings take place at LWR Town Hall unless otherwise noted and are open to LWR CERT members Events and registration links available via Google calendar Add communications@lwrcert.org Google Calendar to YOUR Google calendar Executive Board Meeting - Tuesday, August 2 at 11:30 PM - Location TBD Board Meeting - Monday, August 8 at 7 PM Training Committee - Wednesday, August 17 at 4 PM - Virtual only Radio Communications Committee - Thursday, August 18 at 7 PM FREE PUBLIC EVENT: Hurricane Prep for LWR Residents - Saturday, August 27 at 7 PM Advance Registration Requested Save the Date: Member Meeting - Tuesday, September 27 at 7 PM FREE PUBLIC EVENT: When Bad Things Happen to Good People: Emergency First Aid You Need to Know - Saturday, Oct. 8 at 9 AM

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