Wills With A Difference

Your Best wills online  is written to help your loved ones manage the disposal of your estate when you’ve bit the dust. Whilst yours may be simple, here are one or two memorable ones.

Notable Will’s
It is sensible to make a will. The majority of us know this, but actually doing it seems such a hassle.  How much thought went in these “wills with a difference”?

Even the legendary magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini, couldn’t trick death. Having died from a burst appendix, one of his greatest surprises came with the will reading. His magic equipment went to his former partner Theodore, who was in addition his brother. His magical skills fizzled on the next items – his considerable library of tomes on magic and the supernatural. He left these to the American Society for Psychical Research, but only on the term that their research officer J Malcolm Bird, who additionally was the editor of their journal, resigned. They declined the terms the compilation passed to the Library of Congress.

The white rabbits that he used in his act abandoned their hats and were given to the kids of friends. Continuing the strange theme, his gave his spouse 10 words, which formed a secret code, with the avowal that he would use these words to contact her from the afterlife. Each year for ten years, following his death, she faithfully held séances, but Harry never made contact.

Rock and blues singer Janis Joplin had a short but memorable history. She wrote several rock classics and four albums, including “To Love Somebody” and “Me and Bobby McGee”. After years of drugs and drink, she passed away from an overdose, aged twenty seven. Two days before her death in 1970 her will      the figure of $2,500 to fund an all night wake at her favourite bar so that her friends could “get blasted after I’m gone.” It must have been some party – that was a large amount of cash back in 1970.

We’ve all read about people that, randomly, donate all their money to the cats’ home, much to the disbelief of their relatives. Many family feuds start when a will is read. As long as there is no reason to doubt the clarity and liberty of the person when the will is made, there is often nothing that can be done to contest such a decision.

Quirks aside, if you die without writing a will, those who you would wish to inherit wont always be the ones that do so. You might have a partner of many years, but if you’re not married or in a legal partnership, he or she won’t get your money, regardless of your wishes and assurances. This can be sad when it’s not clearly stated and can cause terrible fiscal results.

The up to date method to get your will started is to search online and locate a cheap wills      . However simple your intentions are, it’s advisable to get the professionals to write it for you and you can be sure that you’re leaving things exactly how you would want.

The Future of Demolition

Introduction

The definition of the word ‘demolish’ is deliberate and controlled collapse of a structure. In the late 1970′s Fred Dibnah became the most famous steeplejack in Britain when his work on demolishing tall chimneys without the need for explosives was shown on Television. Fred was an specialist on repairing tall chimneys, so when it came to taking them down he knew just how to do it. He would cut an alcove at the base of the chimney, and then place wooden props to support the structure. By carefully positioning the props, the chimney would collapse in the right direction when the wood was set alight and burned away. Once he was nearly crushed when he miscalculated demonstrating how dangerous demolition work is.

The actual word to demolish only came into being in 1570, and was used after that to mean the deliberate taking down or destroying of a building or structure. Although in fact the process of demolition in some form or other has been occurring for thousands of years. Buildings have been destroyed either by natural disturbances of the Earth’s crust or during battles or attacks on villages for as long as there have been structures. The remaining ruins would be removed and rebuilt or used for other buildings nearby and must be the first examples of recycling.

Preserving the past – preparing the future.

To preserve Britain’s history of agriculture the land between built up areas of the villages and towns is protected from development of urban sprawl. This land is known as Green Belt and is preserved for farming which is vital to the continuing economy of the country. By containing the Green Belt, urban areas are squeezed to provide housing, so developers have to be more creative to find suitable sites.

Britain is a country with a very dense population per square mile. The amount of land available for development is limited compared to other countries. Therefore there is always a high demand for space on which to build. Taking down old and unused buildings and replacing them with new is one way to counteract this shortage.

Land that may be disused industrial and commercial sites, but could be contaminated with hazardous waste or pollution, are called Brownfield sites. Once the land has been cleaned up they are potentially valuable for redevelopment. Both Glasgow and South Wales created gardens out of old industrial sites and put in Shopping centres to attract visitors.

Greyfield sites are distinct from Brownfield sites in that they do not have the environmental concerns of toxic waste. The term greyfield comes from the large areas of asphalt which had once been car parks of commercial urban properties. Their value is in the fact that the infrastructure such as roads, electricity, water, sewage, and gas is already in place. These urban areas are underutilised or abandoned and are valuable because require very little remedial work to be exploited. Cities such as Leeds and Manchester have had a massive programme of converting the old warehouses or factories into apartments, shops and restaurants, retaining the original shell and refurbishing the interior into modern accommodation.

The Demolition process

Building and office demolition must have careful consideration given to the following points.

• The construction and size of the building.
• What items are valuable for re-use?
• How will the old site be re-used?
• How is the waste to be disposed of?
• Electricity water, sewage and gas mains.

Hydraulic excavators and bulldozers can be used to undermine the walls at the base, so that the structure will topple; at the same time controlling the manner and direction of the fall. Safety issues are paramount, and clean-up strategies are also taken into account when choosing how the building will be demolished.

Traditional Demolition

Once all the services were disconnected, the men and machinery would go in and just knock down the walls. The whole structure would collapse and the resulting debris would be piled onto lorries and disposed of in landfill sites. Concrete foundation would be broken up by pneumatic drills and the site would be cleared of rubbish. However today demolition practices are subject to strict planning, safety and monitoring regulations and are highly controlled by the local authority.

Deconstruction and Recycling

The new approach to demolishing buildings is known as deconstruction – a green approach. Landfill sites are in short supply so the aim when demolishing a building is to reduce the amount of waste remaining.

Small structures such as two or three storey houses can be dismantled quite easily. The work may be a painstaking task of dismantling by hand – brick by brick – or beam by beam but by going carefully costly materials are preserved for re-use. The value of deconstruction is that 90% or more of waste is saved from going into landfill sites and reclaimed materials can be re-used and recycled for future buildings. The farmer opposite my house sold his barns in the farm yard for housing; when the builder demolished the barns he cleaned up the bricks and reused them for the wall around the farmhouse thus retaining the character of the farm.

Modern techniques and machinery allows demolition companies to efficiently segregate waste types on or off-site. Construction materials are recycled and re-used whenever possible in the new structure making considerable savings in project costs as well as being good for the environment.

Concrete can now be rapidly broken up with a new machine called a guillotine.Demand increases daily of 6f2 recycled material as it provides a viable alternative to disposing of the demolished building remnants to landfill. It can also be used on site as a sub-base for any new buildings.

Copper pipes, lead, roof tiles or slates, floor tiles, wiring and doors, and wood panelling are valuable artifacts that are saved for recycling and re-use. Many specialist firms sell reclaimed old or antique building items in most towns and cities.

Tall Buildings

Tower blocks and chimneys are the type of tall buildings that may need to be demolished. The demolition of tall buildings necessitates specialist techniques. The tallest building to be demolished lawfully was in 1967/8 of the Singer Building in New York. The collapse of the World Trade Centre after the 9/11 attack in 2001 demonstrates the terrible devastation that occurs if the demolition is uncontrolled and haphazard.

In the demolishing of tall buildings and large structures a wrecking ball on a crane can be used, but is rarely practiced because the swinging ball is rather uncontrollable. The proximity of other buildings is a determining factor which prevents the use of explosives to implode a tall structure. So ‘High Reach’ demolition excavators are used where other methods are not suitable to demolish the top part of a tall building. Once it is down to a manageable height demolition can continue in the usual way. The various methods of demolishing tall buildings are by implosion using explosives, controlled collapse and piecemeal. To control the dust produced in demolition, water hoses and spray equipment are sometimes used and then it is called a wet demolition.

Explosions

The use of explosives in demolition is very specialist work and getting it wrong would be disastrous. If for instance there is atmospheric pressure from low cloud above the implosion site, the shockwave may spread outwards instead of upwards causing the wave of energy and sound to break windows. If an implosion is not prepared correctly the danger may be damage to surrounding buildings where flying debris may cause injury to spectators.

For many people when they think about demolition they may have in mind the use of explosives in the dramatic collapse of a tall building. This process is actually called implosion using explosives. Implosion is essential for dense urban areas as it brings down a tall building so that the surrounding environment is damaged as little as possible. The collapse takes only seconds for the building to drop into its own footprint.

Because of the dangers of working with explosives they will only be used when other methods are too costly or impractical. Where there is a partial collapse of a building and there are still primed explosives that failed to go off, workers are in great danger because the remaining structure is highly unstable. At the same time the demolition has to continue to secure the safety of the site.

Health and Safety

The work of demolition is a much more technical and complicated process than most people would appreciate. The job is highly dangerous and requires experienced and skilled operators to carry out the work. It is essential that personnel working in the industry are thoroughly trained. Health and safety awareness is crucial in demolition services so it is advisable for operatives to have gained a Certificate of Competence in Demolition to ensure safety for both workers and public alike. All demolition work is regulated by the Construction, Design and Management Regulations.

Sequence of Demolition

An incorrect sequence of dismantling will result in accidental collapse of a building because the stability of any structure is reliant on the interdependence of its component parts. Think of a house of cards and what happens if one of the supporting cards is removed.

There is a strict sequence of events before any demolition can take place. Councils throughout the country will have their own specific list for planning approval in their area, but a typical order would be as follows:-

• Provision of Information
Information must be provided about the construction of the structure to be demolished. Details of its previous use and the appropriate demolition methods to be used, including disposal of hazardous substances, have to be submitted by the demolition company.

• Survey of Demolition
A thorough survey of the site to identify any structural problems, as well as risks associated with hazardous or flammable substances, will need to be discussed in detail with the authorities. (E.g. A disused garage where petrol has been stored is a potential fire hazard so preventative measures will need to be taken).

• Preferred and Safe Method of Work
A reputable demolition company will be able to select the appropriate method of disposal showing the outline dismantling process. Planning is essential for vigilant monitoring. The authorities will require a detailed statement of the safety procedures to used, and all parties involved need to agree the methods before any demolition can take place.

• Preparation and Planning
Issues such as asbestos abatement, rodent baiting, dealing with hazardous substances, disconnecting utilities, and making safe any electric, gas or other services have to be shown in the planning stage. There is a lot of preparation to be done before even starting work on demolishing the building itself.

• Protection of the Public
Safety cannot be compromised so where there are heavily populated areas around the demolition site the protection of the public is paramount. Any health hazards will need to be assessed and temporary services arranged, and people affected will have to be informed.

Prior to commencement of dismantling taking place, your demolition company should demonstrate they have adhered to a similar process as the above in order to gain demolition planning permission.

Conclusion

The aim in demolition is to eliminate an unwanted building as safely and quickly as possible and in our modern environment efforts are made to recycle or re-use most of the old material. This is not a new idea although the word itself is relatively modern. On the borders between England and Scotland after the Romans left, a large part of Hadrian’s Wall was hauled away and use was made of the beautifully dressed stone to construct the new buildings in the towns and villages nearby and some are still standing today.

Demolition work by its nature is a very dangerous business and demolishing any building is a complex and skilled process. Next time you see demolition work occurring on a building give a thought to the people who work in a dangerous situation daily and how much is involved in the meticulous planning, regulations compliance, care and skill that goes on to carrying out the project to clear the way for our future.

Vintage Sewing Machines: Own an Ageless Heirloom

As a child, I often hear the buzz of my Granny’s antique sewing machine. Though it seemed extremely ancient, it was gorgeous and stylish. My grandmother revealed that she obtained the sewing machine from her Aunt who taught her how to use the mechanism. Everyday, she constantly appeared to have sewing work varying from pillows and drapes to clothes. Sometimes, I would also see my mother give granny’s antique sewing machine a try. Together, they made several beautiful designs that I have always treasured until this day.

When my parents passed away, I inherited almost everything including my dear grandmother’s wonderful white sewing machine parts. I was so stunned at how gorgeous it still looks. And the most amazing thing about it is that it works flawlessly although slow. Thankfully, my mother had a ability for keeping valuables undamaged and maintained.

One day while I was browsing the internet, I came across a photograph of the antique singer sewing machine that looked like the one I inherited from my grandmother. It turns out that I own an antique sewing machine from Singer. The specific model that I have was named The Family or more prominently known as The Turtleback. A uncommon piece, the Turtleback has been hunted by lots of antique collectors who are eager to pay top dollar for it. Because of my unforeseen discovery, I loved my antique sewing machine even more. Eventually I got addicted into researching more information about various antique sewing machines that made a mark in the textile industry as well as in the lives of millions of households. By then my interest for these beautiful machines increased and I started collecting earlier models of sewing machines as well.

After countless flea markets, garage sales, and online auctions later, I have acquired several antique sewing machines that are truly coveted of many antique collectors. What’s so great about my acquisitions are that they are for the most part in perfect shape. Though some of them could do with a bit of maintenance, my antique sewing machines look beautiful.

Bicycles Posters Remain a Popular Choice

Ever since the bicycle was invented in the early 1800s, this two-wheeled transporter has had a huge impact on society. Today it’s estimated there are around one billion bicycles in the world and, according to singer Katie Melua, nine million of those are in Beijing! It’s not in question that cycling remains the principal means of transport for much of the world’s population.

It was in 1817 that Karl von Drais invented his “hobby horse”, a wooden bicycle with wheels but no pedals or chain. You pushed along with your feet, but it was still faster than walking.

Around 1840 Kirkpatrick Macmillan from Scotland took the next step by adding pedals. The “Safety Bicycle”, with gears and a chain to drive the rear wheel, became popular around 1885 while the introduction of the pneumatic tyre, not long after, made a big difference to rider comfort, helping public acceptance of the new design.

But it was only in the 1930s that cycles became a popular form of transport as a result of reduced production costs coupled with higher wages.

Having played such a pivotal role in society during the last century, it’s natural that the bicycle has been – and still is – a popular subject for artists and photographers.

This has resulted in a wonderfully diverse selection of cycling posters and vintage bicycle posters, in the form of art reproductions, becoming  accessible to those for whom originals or limited-edition prints are simply too expensive.

Because of modern technology and advances in digital printing, it’s now possible to print small quantities of art reproductions at affordable prices. And, while costs have dropped for small print runs, the quality of art prints and posters has improved. Sophisticated inkjet printers using a broad array of inks can produce brilliant, saturated colors, exceptional detail and subtle tones previously only manageable with very expensive machinery.

This means the normal art enthusiast now has access to modern cycling posters and vintage bicycle prints reproduced from original artwork. Reproductions are made on archival quality materials and often include canvas prints, providing an even more authentic appearance.

Giclée bicycle prints (pronounced “zhee-clay”), a type of inkjet print that comes from the French phrase meaning to spray or squirt, offer additional options. Giclée prints can be produced on a variety of substrates, including various textures such as matte photo paper, stretched canvas, or artist textured vinyl.

When choosing cycling posters or vintage bicycle prints, one has various framing options available that allow one to infuse the artwork with individual taste, ensuring a degree of originality. Selecting a frame that complements not only the print but also the interior design space will add immensely to one’s enjoyment of the artwork.