IRMA

[shoreline99 137]

Any word on the Cabin loops? I heard there were trees down on some of the cabins, just wondering if anyone has had a chance to loop through there.

[WrigleysWagon 32]

Do they still have some of those cabins they removed sitting around?  There used to be several that could be seen from the monorail headed to Epcot.  Hopefully they can just swap them out as an easy fix.

[BigTom 76]

6 hours ago, Seals said:

Honest question because I really don't know -- can you explain the connection here.  Are orange groves closing because they can't find workers because everyone thinks they need a college degree?   I used to love seeing orange groves when visiting Florida as a kid. That makes me sad. 

There are a lot of reasons why the citrus industry is closing in Florida, one main reason is the free trade, it is cheaper to grow oranges where labor is cheaper than it is in Florida. Also there are not many small groves left, I have about 50 acres in trees and am one of the smallest growers I know. 20-30 years ago you could make good money on 10 acres, but now you would be loosing money on anything under 40 acres. Government regulations have increased work and cost to the farmer. one example, I have to measure all the water I irrigate with and report it to the state every month, the state comes around several times a year and checks to make sure I am doing everything the way they want it, even if it makes no difference, I have to stop and put up with them. I also have to have my pump and well and water meter certified every 5 years at my expense and report what crops I am watering every year.

   There are not any small processors, in this area there are just 2, Cutrale and Tropicana,  they set the price we get and we have to take it because they have so many acre both here and in Brazil the don't really need our fruit. They set the price and set the time to pick and how many they will take a day, This is the first year they have set a max price we can get regardless of what the fruit will bring on the open market.

Prices of chemicals and equipment have gone up making it harder to make a profit and a lot are just selling out to get out of the business

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

10 minutes ago, WrigleysWagon said:

Do they still have some of those cabins they removed sitting around?  There used to be several that could be seen from the monorail headed to Epcot.  Hopefully they can just swap them out as an easy fix.

No.  Those were all sold off.  What you saw was a temporary staging area.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

15 minutes ago, BigTom said:

There are a lot of reasons why the citrus industry is closing in Florida, one main reason is the free trade, it is cheaper to grow oranges where labor is cheaper than it is in Florida. Also there are not many small groves left, I have about 50 acres in trees and am one of the smallest growers I know. 20-30 years ago you could make good money on 10 acres, but now you would be loosing money on anything under 40 acres. Government regulations have increased work and cost to the farmer. one example, I have to measure all the water I irrigate with and report it to the state every month, the state comes around several times a year and checks to make sure I am doing everything the way they want it, even if it makes no difference, I have to stop and put up with them. I also have to have my pump and well and water meter certified every 5 years at my expense and report what crops I am watering every year.

   There are not any small processors, in this area there are just 2, Cutrale and Tropicana,  they set the price we get and we have to take it because they have so many acre both here and in Brazil the don't really need our fruit. They set the price and set the time to pick and how many they will take a day, This is the first year they have set a max price we can get regardless of what the fruit will bring on the open market.

Prices of chemicals and equipment have gone up making it harder to make a profit and a lot are just selling out to get out of the business

That is really sad to hear.

Nothing smells better than a grove full of citrus blossoms.

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

21 hours ago, keith_h said:

Most of the decline in farming as a whole are land costs. It is hard to justify staying in farming when you can make more money than you ever could farming by selling the land. It becomes even easier if you are older and no one in the family wants to buy you out and take over when you retire.

The last dairy operation in Hillsborough County (Tampa) closed up a couple of months ago.  It was owned by a family trust and they sold it to a developer over the objections of a couple of family members that were actually running the place.

They packed up all the cows and headed to NC.

[Travisma 1,317]

16 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

That is really sad to hear.

Nothing smells better than a grove full of citrus blossoms.

TCD

They have an APP for that! 

IE, the old Soarin!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

19 minutes ago, Travisma said:

They have an APP for that! 

IE, the old Soarin!

LOL-  That was close, but not as good as the real thing.

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

7 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

LOL-  That was close, but not as good as the real thing.

TCD

But that's how society as a whole is progressing.

Computers/smart phones can be a blessing or a curse.

Remember when computers were going to make jobs easier and cut down on your workload and hours spent at work?

All they did was add more work.

People are getting so wrapped up in artificial worlds they no longer enjoy whats around them.

Wait until they come up with a food synthesizer ala The Jetsons, people will never leave home!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

8 minutes ago, Travisma said:

Wait until they come up with a food synthesizer ala The Jetsons, people will never leave home!

If I could get all of the stuff George Jetson had, I wouldn't be mad- flying car, a robot, etc.

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

2 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

If I could get all of the stuff George Jetson had, I wouldn't be mad- flying car, a robot, etc.

TCD

Popular Science missed the mark on jet packs and flying cars by quite a few years!

[keith_h 420]

19 minutes ago, Travisma said:

But that's how society as a whole is progressing.

Computers/smart phones can be a blessing or a curse.

I was watching an interview with Melinda Gates last night and she was saying while technology is good and moves society forward parents need to stop giving 5 years old children cell phones and make older children put the gadgets down to spend time with real people. It is the only way to build empathy and other societal behaviors that bond us together. 

22 minutes ago, Travisma said:

Remember when computers were going to make jobs easier and cut down on your workload and hours spent at work?

All they did was add more work.

That's not the fault of the computers but the people who determine how they are used. I can show you countless cases of how they've reduced work and made it more accurate.

[keith_h 420]

21 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

If I could get all of the stuff George Jetson had, I wouldn't be mad- flying car, a robot, etc.

TCD

Yeah but you still might have to push the "Button" at work. Not sure I could handle that.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

7 minutes ago, keith_h said:

I was watching an interview with Melinda Gates last night and she was saying while technology is good and moves society forward parents need to stop giving 5 years old children cell phones and make older children put the gadgets down to spend time with real people. It is the only way to build empathy and other societal behaviors that bond us together. 

Amen to that.  But, what's really disturbing is how many really young children- younger than 5- I see in strollers in Disney parks and elsewhere with some kind of electronic gadget in the stroller.  Those kids are so focused on those darned things that they completely miss what's going on around them.

TCD

[mickeyfan0805 3]

18 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Amen to that.  But, what's really disturbing is how many really young children- younger than 5- I see in strollers in Disney parks and elsewhere with some kind of electronic gadget in the stroller.  Those kids are so focused on those darned things that they completely miss what's going on around them.

TCD

I'm entirely with you on this one. While there are exceptions for special needs circumstances where a device might help, I think it's unfortunate how many miss the park atmosphere due to electronics. 

We have three kids (currently 12, 11 and 8), and we constantly struggle to find the right balance with electronics, particularly with the older two since the phone is the basis of their social engagement. It's really hard to know where the line is.  That said, we have had the kids there at every feasible age from 8m to 12 - and we have NEVER allowed them to use any electronics in the parks. We play word games, I spy, or just sit and rest, but we never allowed them to miss the wonder around them by burying their faces in a gadget. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

11 minutes ago, mickeyfan0805 said:

I'm entirely with you on this one. While there are exceptions for special needs circumstances where a device might help, I think it's unfortunate how many miss the park atmosphere due to electronics. 

We have three kids (currently 12, 11 and 8), and we constantly struggle to find the right balance with electronics, particularly with the older two since the phone is the basis of their social engagement. It's really hard to know where the line is.  That said, we have had the kids there at every feasible age from 8m to 12 - and we have NEVER allowed them to use any electronics in the parks. We play word games, I spy, or just sit and rest, but we never allowed them to miss the wonder around them by burying their faces in a gadget. 

My "kids" are now 22 (x2) and 26.  I am thankful that they grew up before all of the technology we have today has become so prevalent.  We were all talking the other day about how lucky they are that they didn't have to go to Middle School and High School when social media was a thing.  It must be brutal.

TCD

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

We let our kids play on their iPODS when we are at the camper, but they are not allowed to take them into the parks. Besides worrying about losing them, a Disney trip is far too expensive to waste staring at something they have at home.  

[Travisma 1,317]

1 hour ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Amen to that.  But, what's really disturbing is how many really young children- younger than 5- I see in strollers in Disney parks and elsewhere with some kind of electronic gadget in the stroller.  Those kids are so focused on those darned things that they completely miss what's going on around them.

TCD

I've said that numerous times.  Parents are paying $80 for their kids to stare at a screen.  Could've left them home with the grandparents.

But then the parents would have their noses buried in an iPad recording everything so Muffy and Buffy could enjoy it later.

One good thing about FB and streaming, is you no longer get surprised with a 3 hour slide show of someones vacation when you go to their home.

[Seals 111]

18 hours ago, BigTom said:

There are a lot of reasons why the citrus industry is closing in Florida, one main reason is the free trade, it is cheaper to grow oranges where labor is cheaper than it is in Florida. Also there are not many small groves left, I have about 50 acres in trees and am one of the smallest growers I know. 20-30 years ago you could make good money on 10 acres, but now you would be loosing money on anything under 40 acres. Government regulations have increased work and cost to the farmer. one example, I have to measure all the water I irrigate with and report it to the state every month, the state comes around several times a year and checks to make sure I am doing everything the way they want it, even if it makes no difference, I have to stop and put up with them. I also have to have my pump and well and water meter certified every 5 years at my expense and report what crops I am watering every year.

   There are not any small processors, in this area there are just 2, Cutrale and Tropicana,  they set the price we get and we have to take it because they have so many acre both here and in Brazil the don't really need our fruit. They set the price and set the time to pick and how many they will take a day, This is the first year they have set a max price we can get regardless of what the fruit will bring on the open market.

Prices of chemicals and equipment have gone up making it harder to make a profit and a lot are just selling out to get out of the business

Wow! Yeah, I definitely wouldn't want to have an orange grove with all those rules and regulations. And price caps. I admire you for still trying, though.  I will be thinking of this as I drink my glass of Minute Maid Low Pulp / Acid Free oj every morning. 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

3 minutes ago, Travisma said:

One good thing about FB and streaming, is you no longer get surprised with a 3 hour slide show of someones vacation when you go to their home.

LOL!!!

I'm totally guilty of having my phone in my face taking way too many pictures and flooding my FB feed.  I've tried to be better on recent trips.  I figure unless I want to hang it on my wall, whatever photo I'm taking is probably already on the internet.  And while some folks at home want to see pics (hi Mom!) instead of posting 100 times a day, I post a few pics once or twice a day.

This upcoming trip will be a challenge since we're there for quite a while and knowing me, we'll still be in the parks a bunch. 

I'm going to try my best to keep the phone in my pocket and just take it all in with my eyeballs - unless I'm checking wait times or  FPs/ADRs.

Oh who am I kidding... it'll be November.  There will also be at least 2 dozen photos of the castle lights.  

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

1 hour ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Amen to that.  But, what's really disturbing is how many really young children- younger than 5- I see in strollers in Disney parks and elsewhere with some kind of electronic gadget in the stroller.  Those kids are so focused on those darned things that they completely miss what's going on around them.

TCD

I don't have kids so I probably shouldn't comment on this but it is one this that drive me nuts.  I love having my cell phone and having access to almost anything anywhere, but I also have no problem putting it in my pocket and ignoring it. 

 

My 11 yo nephew was here for a month this summer, it was literally a battle to get his tablet away from him. When we went anywhere he had that tablet with him playing games or whatever he did on it. When I was his age and younger I traveled all summer with my grandparents, we spent days on the road in the motorhome and yes I had toys to play with but most of the time was spent watching out the windows and usually actually learning stuff about things we had seen or the next place we were going. I remember the one dreaded summer we went to Niagara falls and I had to learn all the great lakes before we got there.  Nope not with this kid, you ask him something or try to get him to learn something and his answer was I'll look it up on the tablet. It made me insane. He would do the same thing at dinner, rush through eating then take off and hide in his room to play on the tablet. It's like why actually experience something when you can just watch a YouTube video? 

30 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

My "kids" are now 22 (x2) and 26.  I am thankful that they grew up before all of the technology we have today has become so prevalent.  We were all talking the other day about how lucky they are that they didn't have to go to Middle School and High School when social media was a thing.  It must be brutal.

TCD

I'm glad of this too, I can't imagine being a teenager now adays. Not only the social media aspect but the amount of trouble I would have been in if my mother could have tracked my cellphone and know my location all of the time. I did have a pager then a cellphone in highschool but the phone was strictly for emergencies. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

17 minutes ago, Cortezcapt (Derek) said:

My 11 yo nephew was here for a month this summer, it was literally a battle to get his tablet away from him. When we went anywhere he had that tablet with him playing games or whatever he did on it. When I was his age and younger I traveled all summer with my grandparents, we spent days on the road in the motorhome and yes I had toys to play with but most of the time was spent watching out the windows and usually actually learning stuff about things we had seen or the next place we were going. I remember the one dreaded summer we went to Niagara falls and I had to learn all the great lakes before we got there.  Nope not with this kid, you ask him something or try to get him to learn something and his answer was I'll look it up on the tablet. It made me insane. He would do the same thing at dinner, rush through eating then take off and hide in his room to play on the tablet. It's like why actually experience something when you can just watch a YouTube video? 

We are getting far off of the Hurricane Irma topic, but this is an interesting issue to me, so one more thing.

I've shared before that Mrs. TCD is a pre-school teacher.  She teaches 4 year olds, and has done it for years. Every year, after the first few weeks of school, she does an assessment to see where the kids are.  It is a sad phenomenon that kids know less and less basic information each year.  You would think that with all the technology out there, they would have some kind of advantage.  But, the opposite is true.  Kids do not know their ABC's.  They especially do not know how to write, or even color.  They've never heard of nursery rhymes of songs like the ABC song that we probably all knew.  There are some that don't know how to hold a pencil or crayon to even try to write their names- not even the first letter.  And, she teaches at a school where the parents are affluent and have good jobs.  They just don't spend any time working with their children on basic skills.  Very sad.

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

14 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

We are getting far off of the Hurricane Irma topic, but this is an interesting issue to me, so one more thing.

I've shared before that Mrs. TCD is a pre-school teacher.  She teaches 4 year olds, and has done it for years. Every year, after the first few weeks of school, she does an assessment to see where the kids are.  It is a sad phenomenon that kids know less and less basic information each year.  You would think that with all the technology out there, they would have some kind of advantage.  But, the opposite is true.  Kids do not know their ABC's.  They especially do not know how to write, or even color.  They've never heard of nursery rhymes of songs like the ABC song that we probably all knew.  There are some that don't know how to hold a pencil or crayon to even try to write their names- not even the first letter.  And, she teaches at a school where the parents are affluent and have good jobs.  They just don't spend any time working with their children on basic skills.  Very sad.

TCD

It's a sad sad state of affairs that our society has come to this.

 

Nuff said...

[fotofx....Steve 34]

My 9yo nephew was at Epcot with me this past weekend. He was amazed by the lights in the stepping stones. If he is going to have a tablet in front of him it may as well be for a useful purpose. I told him to look up how it is done and gave him a few keywords to use.

I think the key is to not allow them to just play games. If you use the device like a dictionary or encyclopedia and force them to actually learn with it, there are possibilities.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

24 minutes ago, fotofx....Steve said:

My 9yo nephew was at Epcot with me this past weekend. He was amazed by the lights in the stepping stones. If he is going to have a tablet in front of him it may as well be for a useful purpose. I told him to look up how it is done and gave him a few keywords to use.

Love that idea!