Chris Pearce's Blog, page 20

History of Mount Trashmore Park, Virginia Beach, VA

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

Virginia Beach is one of the seven cities that make up an area known as America’s First Region, settled by the British in 1607. The city has many historic sites. Among its 208 parks is one that has an amazing history of its own. Mount Trashmore Park, the most popular park in the city, used to be a rubbish dump that served the entire municipality.

Burying rubbish is not possible at Virginia Beach as it sits on a water table just 6-8 feet below the ground. Consequently, trash was being disposed of at the site by means of a semi-open trench and cover process, but it was costing $75,000 a year and could not have been added to indefinitely. Roland E. Dorer, who was director of the Virginia Department of Health, Insect and Vector Control, came up with a plan to convert the open trench into a mountain of trash and create a recreational park.

The plan included an amphitheater, a lake, and a walking and jogging track, at an estimated cost of $192,674. Work on the project started in 1966. Problems were encountered with odors, and with gas due to the creation of landfill gas during decomposition of rubbish. About half of landfill gas is methane, which is very flammable and can explode if left to build up. Seven seepage points were dug into the landfill to allow the gas to escape. There has been only one fire at the site due to gas, in 1972. The odor problem was resolved by taking the waste on conveyor belts from the pit to the mound during rain. Adding soil and water to the landfill eliminated odor.

No more trash was dumped at the site after 1971. The “mountain” was compacted and soil was laid on top. The result was a recreational reserve on a pile of 640,000 tons of trash 60 feet high. The park opened in 1973. It has the distinction of being the world’s first park built on a waste landfill. The mountain of trash is the highest spot in the city. Located eight miles west of downtown Virginia Beach, the park is 165 acres in area and more than 800 feet long. Some people liken it to a green volcano. The park got its name when residents started calling it Mount Trashmore during its construction. The name is a take on South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore. It was only a nickname but it stuck and became official.

As an April Fool’s Day joke in 1992, local radio announcer Henry Del Toro warned that Mount Trashmore was about to explode due to a build up of methane gas. There were numerous 911 calls, parents wouldn’t let their children out, and some people fled the area. Despite it being found to be hoax, three hollow flag poles were soon installed to act as vents just in case. Lightning once struck one of the flags, causing it to catch fire. In 1991, residents formed themselves into a huge American flag at the park when troops came back from the Gulf War.

Mount Trashmore Park is popular for picnics, with 15 shelters for this purpose. It has a number of playgrounds, including one called Kid’s Cove which children helped to design and was built by volunteers on top of the landfill. There are four volleyball courts, a basketball court, and three horseshoe pits. It has several walking trails, including a two mile long Perimeter Trail, a 1.5 mile Lake Trail, and a 1.3 mile Mountain Trail. Slope-flying is possible on the landfill slopes, which are 30-45 degrees. It is often quite windy at the top, making kite flying popular. July 4 festivities are conducted at the park and the amphitheater soon fills up. There are restrooms at the park too.

The park has two artificial lakes, the smaller Windsor Lake and the larger 52 acre Trashmore Lake located at the landfill base and feeding into Chesapeake Bay. They are stocked with fish and fishing is permitted, although some visitors are reluctant to fish given the park’s background as a dump. Boating is not possible as the lake is too shallow.

A number of professional skateboarders have been attracted to Mount Trashmore Skate Park, built in 1978. This includes Tony Hawk, who has won many competitions and was the first skater to land a 900, or 2.5 revolutions in the air. The 24,000 square foot skate park has a street course with a seven foot deep bowl. It also has a vert ramp 13 feet tall and 40 feet wide used for competition. A fire did extensive damage to the skate park in August 2006 and it was rebuilt by March 2007. The skate park can be used by skateboarders and inline skaters as well as BMX riders. It opens at 8am and helmets are required. Users have to sign in and obtain a wristband.

Mount Trashmore Park is the city’s most popular park with more than one million visitors each year. The park’s address is 310 Edwin Drive and there is plenty of parking. It is next to the I-264 at exit 17. If you are visiting Virginia Beach, you might like to add this amazing park to your schedule.

A Guide to the Virginia Beach Farmers Market

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The Virginia Beach Farmers Market is the ideal place to buy a wide range of fresh food and other produce. It is an easy 10 mile drive southwest of the downtown area and is open seven days a week all year round. The market holds a number of special events during the warmer months.

The market opened on 5 April 1976 on the site of Norfolk City Market House. This was originally a small wooden building of 30 feet by 15 feet built in the 17th century. It was burned down by British soldiers early in the American Revolutionary War and rebuilt in 1782. The new one was also destroyed in a fire by the British. A slightly bigger third market house, made of brick, wasn’t built until about 1900. Another market house, considerably larger, was constructed in 1923, but was demolished in 1956. Over the following two decades, the market had three homes: St. Vincent’s Hospital, Tars Ball Park, and Diamond Springs Road. It moved back to its original site on Dam Neck Road in 1976.

There are a large range of merchants at the market. Most of them sell fresh fruit and vegetables. You can also buy organic food, meat, dairy food, bread, and candy, as well as flowers and gifts. You can buy plants and various other items from Chapman’s Flowers, who have been at the market since 1979. They have vegetable and bedding plants, hanging baskets, indoor and outdoor decorations, wind chimes, jams, jellies, sauces, and more.

Skippers Farms have plants of all descriptions as well as fresh foods and jams and jellies. Try Seasons Best Bakery for various breads, pastries, and candies. At the Nesting Box are birdhouses and other items to do with birds. The Country Butcher & Deli Shop sells a range of meats, cheeses and sandwiches. Yoder Dairies has a variety of milk, cream, ice cream, and eggs, as well as sundaes and shakes.

The Virginia Garden Organic Grocery offers a wide range of healthy vegetables and fruit. The owner had the region’s first certified organic farm. Creekmore’s Place, Holland Produce, and S & H Produce all have various fresh fruits and vegetables and other food. There are a number of other vendors at the market. Some of the stores open all year, whereas others open from April to December. Most open from about 10am through to 4 or 5pm. The market has spaces available for rent.

Special events are put on by the market every few weeks between late March and early December. On July 11, 2009 is a Family Fun Day. After that, there is a Watermelon Festival on August 8. Other events later in the year include Harvest Fair, Pumpkin Patch Party & Trick a Trunk, and a Chili Cook Off. Most events are from 11am to 3pm, although some start earlier.

For some real country entertainment, try the Friday Night Hoedown every week from May to October at 7pm until 10pm. It’s free! The organizers recommend taking a chair or blanket as the event is held outside. There’s a different band each week playing country or bluegrass. In July 2009, you will see Country Review, Long & Short of it, Otto & Bluegrass America, Back Porch Boogie Band, and Ed Beard & The Rounders.

On the fourth Saturday of each month from April to September, the market holds an event called Saturday Night Cruise In. Patrons are encouraged to bring their classic autos of 25 years and older and meet old and new friends. Times are 5pm to 10pm, but remember, no alcohol, music, or speeding.

There is also the Princess Anne County Grill, with the history of the area featured in the restaurant’s decor. It uses fresh ingredients bought from Farmers Market vendors. The restaurant replicates old-fashioned country meals like those at grandma’s, including large portions. You can enjoy seafood, steaks, pies, cakes, and fresh produce.

Virginia Beach Farmers Market is at 3640 Dam Neck Road, on the corner of Princess Anne Road. It is open from 8.30am to 4.30pm every day. There are picnic tables and restrooms. So if you’re in the Virginia Beach area and want to try some delicious fresh food, visit the Farmers Market.

Historic sites at Virginia Beach, Virginia, US

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

Virginia Beach is one of the oldest settlements in the United States. It is part of a group of seven cities which is often called America’s First Region. A short walk up the beach from the downtown area, near the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, is where the first English colonists set foot on American soil on 26 April 1607. Virginia Beach has many historic sites of interest.

Previously called Seashore State Park, the spot where the colonists landed is now called First Landing State Park. Development of the park started in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a public works relief program set up to provide employment in the Great Depression. The 1,060 acre park opened on June 15, 1936. It has since been expanded to 2,888 acres or about 4.5 square miles. In 1965, the park became a National Natural Landmark under the National Register of Historic Places. The name change, to First Landing State Park, came in 1997 to reflect the heritage of the area. It has 19 miles of walking and biking trails, as well as camping areas and cabins. More than one million people visit the park each year, making it the most popular state park in Virginia.

There is a memorial cross at the actual landing site within the adjoining Fort Story, a training area for US armed forces. This spot can be accessed by the public, as can the nearby Cape Henry Lighthouse. The original lighthouse, built in 1792, was the first lighthouse built by the US government. A new lighthouse was constructed in 1881 and is still in use today. The old lighthouse has been renovated and is now open to the public. People can climb the internal stairs to the observation platform and enjoy panoramic views. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1964.

A number of houses at Virginia Beach date from the time of the Virginia Colony, which existed from 1607 until the American Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783). The oldest one still standing is Adam Thoroughgood House, a brick dwelling built in 1636. Thoroughgood was a servant who came to Virginia in 1622 and became a community leader. The house is now fully restored and is a museum. It is a National Historic Landmark.

Nearby is the city’s second oldest house, Adam Keeling House, built in the 1680s or 1690s. Features include a center hall and decorative glazed headers. A privately owned house, it is thought to be the oldest house continuously occupied in Virginia. It is not open for viewing but is visible from the street. The house is also on the National Register. Other historic houses in Virginia Beach include Lynnhaven House built in 1725 and open to the public, Upper Wolfsnare House dating from 1759 and also open to the public, and Francis Land House constructed in 1732.

Virginia Beach has a number of historic farms and churches. Ferry Plantation House is a stately three story house built in 1830. It was built by slave labor and used bricks from the ruins of Walke Mansion which was constructed on the site around 1780 but was destroyed by fire. The site also had the county’s first brick courthouse.

The Old Donation Church is the city’s oldest Episcopal Church. The first service was held in Adam Thoroughgood’s home in 1637 before a church building was erected on his land two years later. A second church was built in 1692 as the original church was too close to the Lynnhaven River and was being eroded by it. The congregation soon outgrew the new church and a third one was built in 1736. When the Reverend Robert Dickson died in 1776, he left everything to the church and it became known as Old Donation Church. It was almost destroyed by fire in 1882, but an enthusiastic group rebuilt it between 1912 and 1916.

In all, Virginia Beach has 18 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. The city is well worth a visit by history buffs and anyone who enjoys a resort city with many miles of sandy beaches and numerous parks among its many attractions.

The rise and fall of Helium

I wrote and posted the following article to Bubblews last year. It too has now gone …

Many of the folk who post here have also written articles for writing site Helium over the years. On 14 May 2014, Helium announced its closure effective 21 May when no more articles could be added. It will terminate on 15 December 2014, giving members plenty of time to remove their articles if they wish to and to ask questions and commiserate on the forum.

It’s been an interesting journey, with Helium starting as a question and answer site in 2006. It then became an article writing site but allowed very short articles as well as longer ones. People were posting dozens of “articles” a day. Minimum article length soon rose to 400 words.

By the time I joined in February 2008, Helium was a thriving community of thousands of writers from around the world. There were regular paying contests, upfront payments for articles, revenue share, a marketplace of article writing assignments, payments by publishers if they wanted to use your articles, a very busy forum, and good customer service. Helium rose rapidly to become one of the top 1000 internet sites in terms of global ranking as measured by number of page views (www.alexa.com). As much as $3.50 could be earned upfront for an article, plus ongoing revenue share. My top earning article made me about $380.

Helium was riding the crest of a wave and everyone seemed happy, until late 2010. There had been talk since early that year that Google wasn’t particularly happy with the quality of certain sites, or types of sites, and that it was going to look at this. Perhaps in anticipation of having its revenue reduced, Helium made some sudden major changes in early December 2010. It cut out automatic upfront payments and revamped its Marketplace program, dramatically cutting the amount of money it would pay out. There was uproar on the forum.

Two months later in late February 2011, Google introduced a new algorithm known as Panda, after the engineer who put it together. Its purpose was to push poor quality sites lower in search results and good quality sites higher. Helium was lumped in with other writing sites, or content farms as they were often called, and was pushed down in search results. This was reflected in the site’s steady fall in global ranking and revenue share on articles in following months.

Unrest continued on the forum as revenue share and contest prize money fell. Marketplace was revamped again due to numerous complaints by members and called the Assignment System. There was a feeling of negativity as money paid to writers from all sources continued to fall. Helium made ongoing efforts to improve the quality of articles by putting a number of rules in place and carefully monitoring their implementation. There were plenty of promises by Helium that things would improve.

As part of its move to digital, print company RR Donnelley (RRD) bought Helium in June 2011, paying a total of about $70 million which included an earlier stake in the company. This was the great thing that was to result in a lot of extra work assignments and greater payments for writers. Members waited in eager anticipation. And waited. And waited. Nothing much ever seemed to come out of the takeover. The extra work and money didn’t happen. Instead, revenue share and other payments kept falling as Google, through Panda, continued to put the screws on the writing sites.

Helium kept up its move to try and improve article quality. It deleted most articles under 400 words, edited and fact checked huge numbers of existing articles, and added detailed writing guidelines. One of the more contentious rules was a ban on the use of first person (i.e. I, we, my, our) and the forum was full of threads with people arguing back and forth the merit or otherwise of writing in first person and whether it should be allowed in Helium articles. Page views and revenue kept falling. For a long time, the site had become increasingly cumbersome and hard to navigate and was full of old information, errors, and broken bits. By the second half of 2013, Helium’s global ranking was around 6000-8000.

Meanwhile, a new site or set of sites was being developed in the background. We were encouraged to fix up our articles and come up with a “headline” for each one. After many delays and a period of about two years from its first announcement, 27 “microsites” finally replaced the old site in October 2013. But the new sites still seemed to be a work in progress.

Members weren’t happy with them from the start. They could be tricky to use. Each one was completely separate. You had to wait for your article to be checked and edited before it went live. Contests were gone as was Marketplace / Assignment System. The Helium name had all but disappeared, perhaps in the hope of getting a better deal from Google/Panda.

The new headlines had become the article titles, instead of complementing existing titles as Helium had stated earlier. Many of the headlines didn’t stand by themselves. For some of mine, I had basically used a string of keywords, and this was now the headline/title. Capitalization in the headlines was all over the place and most punctuation had fallen off, including any colons, dashes, question marks, quote marks, hyphens and some apostrophes. There were thousands of examples of words and abbreviations messed up because they weren’t in the program used to fix the headlines when articles were brought across to the new sites, e.g. ID became I’d, R&B became Rb. US state abbreviations were messed up, e.g. Indiana was In instead of IN, Maine – Me, Oregon – Or, Ohio – Oh.

Any changes to articles had to be checked by volunteer editors before going live. But you couldn’t just fix headlines (although some editors did allow this). You had to also add keywords, add or fix the abstract (a new feature), delete any first person, and add links if the article had none. Some editors worried about article length, which was supposed to be 500-2000 words (previously 400-1500). I think a lot of people, including myself, baulked at all this, so errors in the headlines remained. Some people had thousands of articles to plough through.

Members’ lack of enthusiasm for the new sites was reflected in the number of new articles, although numbers had been declining for several years. In the months before the launch of the microsites, about 200-250 new articles were published each day, a fifth of pre-Panda levels. After the launch, this fell to about 100 or a tenth of pre-Panda, meaning that an ever-increasing proportion of articles were old and many probably needed updating.

Because the microsites were new and there was no link to the old site, the stock of well over a million articles were regarded as new by the search engines and started off way down the list in search rankings. In other words, indexing started from scratch. Also, over time, members had posted many of their Helium articles elsewhere and these copies became the original and the Helium articles became the copy, pushing these articles much further down the search rankings and attracting far fewer page views and revenue.

Early in 2014, the microsites had poor global rankings ranging from about 130,000 to about 3 million, with most around 300,000 to 900,000. In the following months, rankings fell steadily. Also, bounce rates were very high, with most of the microsites around 80-90%, meaning a large majority of people only viewed one page before leaving. An article, “How to reduce your website bounce rate”, states: “As a rule of thumb, a 50 percent bounce rate is average. If you surpass 60 percent, you should be concerned. If you’re in excess of 80 percent, you’ve got a major problem.” (http://www.inc.com/guides/2011/01/how-to-reduce-your-website-bounce-rate.html). Users’ time on site for the microsites averaged 1 to 1.5 minutes, meaning most people hardly read one article before moving on.

On 6 March 2014, I commented on the Helium forum: “I looked at the beyondprose [one of the 27 microsites] home page. ‘Today’s articles’ number just three. But they are dated 22 January 2014, 16 January 2014 (but I suspect this is an updated date to an old article, based on its number; initially the old dates didn’t stay on the article), and 5 March 2014. ‘Latest Articles’ lists five but they all go back to 2008 and 2009, with update date of today and seem to be writers fixing up headlines and so on. The other main thing on the home page invites people to join, though Helium isn’t mentioned until you click to go to the Helium network page. Overall, this can’t impress the search engines (Panda looks at whole sites). I’d be linking the 27 microsites and call the whole thing Articles Galore or some better name (let’s have a contest to find best name) if Helium can’t or won’t use the H name. It’d be better than what we’ve got now. I don’t think people relate to the new sites. There’s no brand name; nothing tying it all together; and with names like Science360 and the rest, well, a lot of people might think they are little more than scraper sites plucking odd articles from here, there and everywhere, given the bad headlines, old dates, etc.” I further commented: “A real mess, and just about dead.”

On 14 May 2014, there was an email from Helium with subject: “Important news from Helium Publishing”, announcing the closure. No reason was given. On the same day on the forum, these reasons were given: “Changing market conditions and the proliferation of competitive publishing outlets and free blogging tools, as well as declining usage and revenue, were all contributing factors. After careful consideration it was determined that the existing business model cannot be sustained.”

In my view, the fundamental reason for the demise of Helium was the release of the Panda algorithm by Google in February 2011, although a post by a staff member a couple of months after this indicated that Helium had never made a profit. It was a high cost and labor-intensive business model with many staff (about 60 at one stage) and an army of volunteers. Helium’s “backbone”, its rating system, never did work properly and article ranking was basically a lottery as members rated in so many different ways. The rating system also favored newer articles as I discovered in my many correlation analyses of ranking and article submission date.

After Panda, it might not have mattered what Helium did or didn’t do. I think Google’s aim was to get rid of the content farms, which it has basically done. Revenue fell steadily as soon as Panda was launched and continued to fall steadily. Perhaps the only reason Helium lasted so long was RRD funding. But I think RRD was only ever interested in Content Source (http://www.heliumcontentsource.com/), which will continue. There seemed to be little or no support in 2011-2013 to help Helium fix up its site, which became increasingly difficult to navigate and was full of old information and errors.

The final straw for Helium was probably the microsites. I don’t think they were ever going to work. Members didn’t like them, finding them hard to navigate and use, and being disappointed with extremely low and still falling revenue share. Web users didn’t like them as evidenced by the high bounce rates and lack of use. Google didn’t like them either and they steadily sank in terms of page view numbers. Maybe in the end, RRD got fed up propping up this part of Helium and pulled the plug.

I must say that for all its faults, Helium did offer good customer service by staff and a large number of hard-working volunteers. It’s sad to see the place go.

Tips for selling your antique collections

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

People sell their antique collections for various reasons. There are a large number of avenues for selling a collection and each has its advantages and drawbacks. Which one to use really depends on a person’s individual circumstances and the size, value and uniqueness of the collection.

The first thing to do is to get your antique collection valued. The best person to do this is a qualified appraiser. You can find a list of appraisers in the Yellow Pages, or through the American Society of Appraisers (www.appraisers.org), which also lists appraisers outside the US. At least three appraisals should be sought to reduce the chances of being paid less than your collection is really worth. You can also find antique appraisers through web searches. Ring them up and visit their premises. Appraisals are also done online. This is often cheaper than using a conventional appraiser but may be less reliable as the appraiser is valuing your items from photos.

Once you have an idea of the value of your collection, it’s time to consider the various ways of selling it. One of the best ways to sell an entire collection is through an auction run by an auction house. Visit a few local auction houses and see if they are willing to purchase your collection. Having items in your collection with a common link, such as those made in the same period or by the same manufacturer, will help.

Often there are specialist buyers at auctions who are interested in entire collections as they know they will probably pay less than what they would pay item by item. However, this also means that you will get less, but this might be far less time consuming than trying to sell one item at a time, and chances are that some items will be very difficult to sell. Auction houses charge various fees, although you can generally get a better price for your collection than selling by other means.

Consider online auctions too. You can do this from the comfort of your home. All you usually need to do is register with eBay or other internet auction sites and you can post your items straight away. You will probably have to break up your collection on most occasions as you’ll need to photograph each item for the internet. It depends on your collection as to whether this might be preferable to an auction house. An appraiser might be able to guide you.

If the items have no real connection with each other, internet auctioning might be the answer. For eBay, you get 80 characters (used to be 55) for the title of your item or items. Use them all and use them wisely, so that people are more likely to find your items when they search on various key words. Don’t use meaningless phrases such as “nice old chair”. Include the name of the maker of the item if known. The internet is probably the best way to reach a broad audience of potential buyers. As well as eBay and Yahoo, there are numerous smaller auction sites on the web. You may also like to consider a couple of specialist online antique marketplaces to sell your collection: http://www.oldandsold.com and http://www.igavel.com.

Antique dealers might be a good avenue to sell your collection. They are quite abundant and operate out of various shops, warehouses, and often the back room of their homes. They can be a mixed bag, so it is important to do your research to find a good one. Many specialize in certain fields, for example furniture, art, jewelry, cameras, gramophones, military items, and so on. Some specialize in areas such as Victorian or colonial, art deco, estates and imports. If your collection is specialized, an appropriate antique dealer may well be the best bet. You may receive less money than through auction, but you probably have more chance of selling the whole collection as one, and that could save you considerable time and bother.

Another option if you have a specialized collection to sell is collectors clubs. If you search the web, you might find a club whose members are interested in the same items as those in your collection. Most have contact details, although this might be a post office box number of a secretary or the like and your letter asking if a member might be interested in buying might only see the light of day at the next monthly meeting. So this can be a slow selling process, although you may find the perfect buyer who will buy your whole collection. Some clubs have stalls in museums or libraries and this might be a good place to try and sell your items.

You might like to try your luck and sell your collection at an antique fair. Search the web to see when and where antique fairs are held and obtain relevant details from the organizers. Ask about the cost of hiring a stand as this can vary greatly. If you can, seek a stand near to other stands selling similar items to your own as this attracts more customers to your stand. It’s good to get there early as keen buyers tend to be there at opening to secure bargains.

Flea markets may be an alternative, especially if your collection isn’t a particularly valuable one and you want quick cash. This might suit if your items consist of old books, records, kitchen items, toys, and sundry household goods. But be aware that many buyers who go to flea markets only intend to spend a small sum of money. Similarly, garage sales will get you quick cash, although most people won’t come along intending to spend up big.

Advertising in national, state and local newspapers is an option to consider. Some areas have newspapers or magazines that specialize in providing a marketplace for buyers and sellers. In Australia, for example, the Trading Post is a good place to advertise. It used to be a newspaper but is now online (www.tradingpost.com.au). They have categories such as Classic & Unique Cars, and Collectibles & Memorabilia. Right now, the latter category has 1175 items for sale. It costs as little as 50 cents to advertise and you only pay if you sell.

It’s time to weigh up the pros and cons of how you want to sell your collection. Are you happy for the collection to be broken up? Do you want money quickly or are you able to wait longer for potentially a higher price? In the end, pick the option that is best for you, and this might even be to keep your collection.

Antique auctions: A beginner’s guide

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

A large proportion of antique furniture, paintings, crockery, and other items are sold at antique auctions. They are a great place to pick up a bargain but also a likely venue to pay too much for an item or to spend more than you can afford. Don’t expect to make your fortune from buying and selling antiques. It rarely happens.

If you’re new to antique auctions, there are a couple of things you should do before you actually attend an auction with the view to buying. One is to go along to one or two auctions just to get a feel for how things are done. The other thing is to find out a bit about antiques. The value of an antique is not only determined by its age but also by factors such as how rare it is, its quality, and individual tastes of buyers and sellers. You also need to be able to tell if an item is a genuine antique or a reproduction or even a forgery. This can require a fair bit of research and learning. The American Society of Appraisers (see http://www.appraisers.org/) runs various courses in antiques and you might like to enquire as to where and when these courses are offered.

When you feel you are ready to hit the auctions, the first thing to do is to obtain a copy of the catalogue. This is usually available a couple of weeks before the auction and can be picked up from the auction house. Or it might be available on the auction house’s website, in which case you can simply print it off. The catalogue should contain a detailed description of each item to be auctioned, including its age, materials used (such as the type of wood if it’s a piece of furniture), a statement guaranteeing its authenticity, and an estimated price range the auctioneer expects to sell it for. The items in the catalogue are usually listed in the same order they are offered on auction day. Circle the item or items you think you would like to bid for. At this stage it might be a good idea to measure the height, width, and depth of the area in your house where you plan to put the antique. It’s no good coming home with a huge piece of furniture only to discover it misses fitting in the only spare spot in the house by a few inches. Now is also a good time to set yourself a limit as to how much you want to spend.

The next thing to do is to go along to the auction house and view the items that will be put on sale. Items will usually be available for the public to view at the auction house a few days before the actual auction. Take the catalogue with you, but also make sure you take a measuring tape and a torch. The latter item is important as auction rooms and warehouses are often dark, old buildings. A torch will allow you to inspect furniture, crockery and so on carefully for cracks, scratches, patch-up jobs, a manufacturer’s name, and date it was made. A magnifying glass may also be handy, depending on your eyesight. Make sure you look at the front, back, sides, top, and bottom of furniture. Test to see whether doors open and drawers pull out. Feel free to ask questions of staff. They might even be able to tell you more about an item than what is in the catalogue.

At an antique auction, you can’t usually just suddenly decide to bid if you feel like it. At most auction houses, you have to register your name and address, and they will issue you with a paddle or bidding number. You should be able to do this before the day of the auction. On the day, remember to take along your catalogue, which by now should be well annotated with dimensions of items and comments on them. Your paddle number is important as you will need this if you buy an item. It’s also a good idea to take a water bottle, and a cushion to sit on, as auctions can last a number of hours.

Bidding will usually start below the price range estimated in the catalogue. Bids might go up by about 5-10 per cent at a time. For example, if the estimated value given for an item in the catalogue is $100-$200, then bids might rise by $10 at a time. For more expensive items, and depending on how quickly the bidding progresses, an item might go up in increments of say $100, and then when bidding slows, the auctioneer might take increments of $50 and then $20. Don’t worry about scratching you head or coughing at the wrong time. An auctioneer will only act if he or she sees you are clearly interested in the item. When an item is sold, the auctioneer will ask for the buyer’s paddle number and this will be recorded in the auctioneer’s book. Be aware that you don’t only pay the price of the item you just bought but also a premium or commission to the auction house of about 10-17 per cent of the price. In some jurisdictions, taxes are payable too.

An alternative to conventional antique auctions these days is online antique auctions. There are many internet auction sites, with eBay probably being the best known. Once you become a member, which takes only a few minutes, enter the type of thing you’re looking for into the search box. I’ve just entered “Chairs” and “1800 – 1900” in the search box of eBay Australia and have found an old Edwardian grandfather’s chair. There’s a photo of the chair and a note that says “Needs restoring”. The current bid is $50. End time is 13 hours and 42 minutes away (auctions can last 1-2 days to several weeks). I can enter a bid, which has to be at least $51. But the location is South Australia, quite a long way from where I live in Queensland, and local pick up only is available.

With online antique auctions, you have to be aware of several things. Can you find a similar item cheaper elsewhere, either at another online auction site or at one of your local auction houses? Are you happy to buy based on a photo? Watch out for reproductions and fakes. You can click on “Ask the seller a question?” to find out more information. Look for the seller’s rating based on the experiences of previous buyers of items from this seller. In the example above, the seller’s rating is 99.3 per cent, which is very good. Be wary of a rating of less than 95 per cent.

Antique auctions, conventional or online, can be an excellent place to buy antiques. If you go to an auction house, make sure you get a catalogue, visit the premises before the auction to inspect the items, register as a bidder, and set yourself a spending limit. Online auctions can be quicker and easier, but have the disadvantage of only seeing a photo.

Antique appraisals: What you need to know

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The value of antiques such as old furniture, crockery, paintings and jewelry can vary enormously. There are well documented cases of people buying an old plate for a few dollars or pounds at a garage sale and later discovering it’s a rare 200 year old item worth many thousands. If you have an old cherished piece of furniture or other item in the family, or a more recently acquitted item you think could be valuable, it’s a good idea to get an appraisal done. This applies even if you’re not planning to sell it. You might simply want to insure it, as valuable antiques are not usually included in normal household insurance policies. Other reasons to get antiques appraised are for estate tax purposes, damage claims, donation and marriage dissolution.

Perhaps the most important thing to do when you want to appraise an antique is to get a valuation from more than one appraiser. At least three appraisals should be sought. That way, you are less likely to become the victim of a rip-off merchant who is simply trying to get themselves a bargain at your expense. Next day, this person could be selling the item to an antique dealer for several times the amount you were paid. But keep in mind that quotes for an antique have been known to vary by as much as sevenfold.

Do your research into appraisers. Ring them up, visit their premises, and check their website. Anyone can call themselves an antiques appraiser as there are no licensing laws governing this occupation.You could make sure the appraisers are accredited under the American Society of Appraisers (www.appraisers.org). You can then be reasonably assured the appraiser knows what he or she is talking about, and also won’t be underhanded. They have a section on their website called “Find an Appraisal Expert”. You can use it to search outside the US too. Their appraisers specialise in six disciplines. Those relevant to antiques mainly include personal property, and gems and jewelry. The ASA has specialists in areas such as antique furniture, glass and firearms, as well as in musical instruments, books, clocks and so on. Accredited appraisers need two years of appraisal experience. An accredited senior appraiser needs five years experience.

You can do other web searches to find appraisers. I just typed in the words “antique” “appraisers” and “Brisbane” (my home town) into my search bar and found a number of relevant sites. Your bank or solicitor can perhaps recommend qualified antique appraisers. The Yellow Pages is also a good place to find appraisers. Once you have found some suitable appraisers, carefully put your antique items into your car and take them to each appraiser. Get a valuation in writing if you can. Appraisers should be able to give you more details about an item than just price, such as age, style, history, perhaps who made it, and how to care for it. Be aware there are different prices such as fair market value and insurance value, the latter usually being higher. If you sell to a dealer who then sells to a final buyer, you will get far less than if you sell independently or by auction. A dealer needs to meet his costs, and the mark-up is often high. It’s a good idea not to sell to an appraiser for this same reason.

If you live in an area visited by a television show that appraises antiques, this would be an excellent option. These shows use the best and most experienced appraisers. In the United Kingdom, the Antiques Roadshow has been touring the country since 1979. Local residents bring in their antiques of all descriptions for appraisal. Approximate valuations are given on air. An American version of the show, under the same name, has been operating since 1997. Similar programs are or have been seen in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, and Sweden.

While it is best to have an appraiser see and handle the item, there are many online services offering antique appraisals these days. Getting an appraisal done can be expensive, with many appraisers charging large sums by the hour. Online appraisals are cheaper, usually costing from about $10 to $30 per item. Sometimes a collection can be valued online. This obviously costs more but is still cheaper than in-person appraisals. To obtain an online appraisal, you will need to fill in details of the item online and include photos. Make sure the photos are good quality and include all angles.

The main disadvantage of online appraisals is that the appraiser doesn’t actually see the items live and may miss important aspects of the piece just from photos. While you can talk to a live appraiser and ask questions, you don’t always know what you’re going to get online. You might get little more than a valuation, without additional details about the history of the piece. An advantage with online services of course is that you can use them any time of day or night and don’t have to wait until Monday morning and spend half an hour driving to an appraiser’s premises. Most online services offer quick turnaround. Try and check the credentials of any online appraiser. There might be something on their website, and you could check if they are a member of the American Society of Appraisers.

Whether you use appraisers who are online or in person is up to each individual and their circumstances. Some antiques experts advise against online appraisals, saying an item can’t be valued properly from photos. Others say online appraisals can be a useful tool. Whether you go one way or the other, or use both methods, the important thing is to get your antiques valued so that you at least have an idea how much to insure them for against loss, damage, theft or fire.

Thomas Pamphlett and the founding of Brisbane

On this day in 1823, explorer John Oxley found castaways Thomas Pamphlett and John Finnegan at the southern end of Bribie Island, half way up the east coast of Australia. Had this encounter not taken place, the whole history of this part of the continent may have panned out differently. Brisbane may never have existed and state boundaries may have been put somewhere else.

Ex-convict Pamphlett and convict Finnegan, along with ex-convicts Richard Parsons and John Thompson, had set out from Sydney on 21 March 1823 in a 30 foot open boat to fetch cedar wood at the Illawarra district, 50 miles south. They were nearly at their destination when strong wind blew them out to sea. After more than three weeks of being tossed about by the waves and running out of drinking water, they were able to beach themselves, but not before Thompson had succumbed to the elements.

With their boat having broken up in the waves and thinking they were south of Sydney, the castaways walked north along the beach They spent the next seven months island hopping and trying to get around rivers in their quest to get back to civilisation. Various Aboriginal groups looked after them and fed them during their journey.

In the late afternoon of 29 November, Pamphlett was on the beach with his Aboriginal friends as they cooked the day’s catch when he spotted a cutter offshore. On it were Oxley and his crew exploring the east coast for a place for a convict colony, but they had not yet found a suitable spot.

They told an astonished Pamphlett that Sydney was over 500 miles south, not somewhere to the north. Finnegan was rescued next day and showed Oxley the Brisbane River, a watercourse that was hidden from the bay by islands and had been missed by several previous explorers. Oxley was impressed and recommended it to the governor as a site for a new settlement.

A year later, in September 1824, Oxley found Parsons at Bribie Island before helping set up the Moreton Bay penal colony at Redcliffe. The outpost moved to the Brisbane River in May 1825. Back in Sydney, Pamphlett committed another crime and was sentenced to seven years at the new settlement, which may never have been established had he not met Oxley. The convict colony became Brisbane, a city of two million people and capital of the state of Queensland, Australia.

Pamphlett’s life, from growing up in the slums of Manchester, UK to his death at Penrith outside Sydney, is followed in detail in my non-fiction book, Through the Eyes of Thomas Pamphlett: Convict and Castaway, available at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H52SEEK) and elsewhere.

Heart disease

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

Someone in the United States dies of heart disease every 34 seconds. It is the country’s number one cause of death and is usually preventable.

Types of heart disease and their symptoms

The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease. This is where a build up of cell debris, including fatty acids and calcium, and connective tissue leads to swollen artery walls. These plaques finally rupture, restricting blood flow to the heart.

The build up can occur for decades without being noticed, with the first symptom often being a heart attack. Other symptoms can include heart failure, angina (chest pain), and pulmonary edema, or accumulation of fluid in the lungs causing breathing difficulties, blood being coughed up, pink frothy sputum, and excessive sweating.

Cardiomyopathies, or heart muscle diseases, are common too. Intrinsic cardiomyopathies are caused by heart muscle weakness itself. Most cardiomyopathies are due to extrinsic factors and are usually caused by ischemia or restricted blood supply.

An extrinsic cardiomyopathy can be congenital, or it can develop over time. For example, alcoholic cardiomyopathy is caused by long term alcohol abuse. Symptoms include fatigue, faintness, abnormal heart beat or pulse, breathing difficulties, reduced alertness, loss of appetite, coughing up mucus, chest pain, swelling, and more or less urination.

Hypertensive heart disease is where damage is caused by high blood pressure. Symptoms are similar to alcoholic cardiomyopathy but can also include nausea, difficulty sleeping, weight gain, and bloating.

Pulmonary heart disease is where a lung disorder causes slow blood flow to the lungs, resulting in the right side of the heart pumping harder and becoming enlarged. Symptoms can include breathing difficulties, chest pain, dizziness and fainting, tachycardia, fatigue, and weight loss.

Inflammatory heart disease is where the heart muscle or surrounding tissue is inflamed. Valvular heart disease affects the heart valves. Rheumatic heart disease is where rheumatic fever damages the heart, particular the valves. Symptoms are similar to other types of heart disease.

Tests to determine heart disease

Initial tests might include an exercise stress test, blood test and chest x-ray. The next test might be an electrocardiogram or ECG. For this, electrodes are placed on various spots around the body to pick up natural electrical changes with each heart beat. The tracing records whether the heart rate and rhythm is normal or affected by damaged oxygen-deprived heart muscles. A further test might measure how much blood is being pumped out of the heart’s left ventricle.

Depending on the results and the patient’s history and symptoms, the next step might be an echocardiograph or a multiple gated acquisition (MUGA) scan, or both. The echo is an ultrasound test that takes pictures of the heart to assess its structure and motion. A MUGA scan involves radioactive substances injected into the bloodstream, allowing computer generated images to show how the heart muscle and chambers are functioning.

New treatments for heart disease

New ways to treat heart disease are constantly appearing. Radio frequency ablation involves cutting pathways inside the heart with radio waves to correct irregular heartbeat. Transradial cardiac catheterization is where a tube and thin wire are threaded through an artery in the wrist to find and unblock clogged arteries in the heart. Miniature microwave antennas have been developed for use in keyhole heart surgery.

Another one is stent placement, involving putting a stent, or flexible wire mesh tube, over a catheter with a deflated balloon and guiding it through an artery to a blockage. The balloon is inflated and removed, with the stent left there permanently to restart and maintain blood flow.

Preventing heart disease

Regular exercise can protect against heart disease. Half an hour of moderate physical activity can include walking, housekeeping and gardening. Eating a diet low in salt, fat and cholesterol will help too. The best foods are vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low fat dairy products, legumes, fish and lean meat. Exercise and eating well will help maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Avoid tobacco as nicotine makes the heart work harder. Minimising stress is thought to be good for the heart. Regular tests for blood pressure and cholesterol will also help guard against heart disease.

Solving the nursing shortage

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

A worldwide shortage of nurses in recent years is the result of population ageing, low enrollment in nursing courses, the relative attractiveness of other occupations, and an increase in patient acuity and violence. There are a number of ways the nursing shortage might be addressed.

Thousands of applicants to nursing courses are turned away every year, compounding the shortage of nurses. More places are needed but traditional on-campus education at a university nursing school is expensive. The answer might lie in encouraging additional online courses where students can study nursing theory, while the practical component of the course is taken locally. The overall cost of producing qualified nurses will be lower. Many nursing schools already offer online courses.

More nurse educators are needed for both traditional and online nursing courses. This is one of the factors causing a nursing shortage. Additional public and private funding is needed to increase nurse educator numbers. Scholarship offers would be a good incentive to attract suitable applicants.

Most hospitals are already using various education strategies to help address nursing shortages. These include seeking private sector participants to partner with nursing schools, subsidizing nursing salaries, reimbursing part of the education costs of nurses, and allowing them time to attend courses.

Increased government funding is needed if various loan and scholarship programs are going to have an effect on reducing the nursing shortage. Additional nurses need to be recruited from overseas. This is a popular way of boosting the number of nurses in many countries. However, the US has restrictions on the number allowed to enter the country.

A safer and healthier work environment is needed to attract more nurses. Heavy workloads, an increase in patient violence, and greater patient acuity leads to additional stress for nurses. These pressures could be eased with higher nursing staff numbers. Adequate support is needed, such as safer needle systems, lifting devices, and computerized medication dispensing. More security and support in emergency rooms is required.

Nursing needs to be made more attractive if turnover rates are to be reduced and a greater number of nurses are going to be recruited into the profession. Offering shorter and more flexible shifts might encourage more people to remain in nursing. Refresher courses could be offered to nurses who have been out of the profession for some time to try and bring them back. Encouraging school students to consider nursing and improving the image of the profession may help ease the crisis.

Wages for nurses have slipped relative to those in many professions and need to be increased to entice people to join nursing. Studies show that hospitals offering higher salaries for nurses attract greater numbers, leading to better staffing levels, less stress among staff and improved patient care. Similarly, an increase in salaries of nurse educators will attract more people into these roles.

Better staffing ratios are required that set maximum patient numbers per nurse. Staffing plans could be developed between nurses and management. Compulsory overtime should be eliminated, ensuring nurses get adequate rest to allow them to provide high quality patient care. Access to ongoing education needs to be more readily available and flexible. A career path for nurses should be defined and opportunities created for promotion and advancement. Paperwork needs to be simplified and red tape reduced.

A lot of things could be done to reduce the nursing shortage, even if eliminating the problem altogether might seem unlikely in the short to medium term. In the end, nursing must be made more attractive, courses need to be expanded, and more funding is required.