Fun facts about the largest fireworks display in America:

• The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks is comprised of more than 30,000 shells, which translates to over 1,000 shells bursting per minute.

• The shells are precisely timed to fire to the beat of the music. This is controlled via a computer with 10 miles of wire necessary for synchronization.

• Each aerial shell is individually launched from its own mortar. This translates to 63,000 feet of pipe made of steel and fiberglass for the 30,000 shells.

• The entire Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks uses 55 times more fireworks than the average show in the United States.

From Macy’s.

For great places to watch this year’s Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks on the Hudson River go to New York Magazine.

Dorito Casserole

Ingredients
1 pound ground hamburger
1 small can of chopped green chili peppers
1 can 15oz mild or spicy enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package of Dorito chips
1 1/2 c of monetery jack

Instructions
1. in large skillet pan: cook the hamburger, then drain the excess fat.
2. medium pot pan , add next 4 ingredients, mix well and let it cook until bubbly.
3. in baking dish 9×13 spray pam and spread the doritos chips.
4. soup mixture , pour over the hamburger and mix it really good. then pour over the casserole, then sprinkle with monetery jack over the casserole.
5. bake at 400 degree and let it bake for 20-25 mins

From FamilyOven.com

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The fate of Neverland Ranch, Michael Jackson’s former home, is up in the air following the death of the entertainer last week at the age of 50.

Jackson held the ranch in a joint venture with Colony Capital, which helped bail the singer out after he defaulted on a $24.5 million loan for the property last year. The investment company bought the loan for $23 million.

According to Owen Blicksilver, a spokesperson for Colony Capitol, “It’s premature to talk about the future of the property,” he told Access Hollywood.

But earlier this month, Kyle Forsythe, the property manager of the company, told the Wall Street Journal the group planned to sell the property. The company had been renovating the 2,600-acre estate in recent months, removing amusement-park rides and animals including elephants and orangutans.

The company planned to change the name of the property before selling it. The WSJ reported that the group was also planning to let charities host fundraisers there before its sale.

Forsythe previously told the paper that the property, which he believed could be worth $70-$90 million, possibly stood to make Jackson a profit.

From “Fate Of Neverland Ranch Up In The Air Following Michael Jackson’s Death” published June 209, 2009 at Access Hollywood.

As of June 24, 2009, there are 34,680 homeless individuals in New York City.

From NYC Department of Homeless Services.

Oh come on! You had to post it, didn’t you? Don’t you think this is kind of over the line. Even for you? Do you have no shame? No couth?

For almost three decades, Adopt-A-Dog has “Come to the Rescue” by meeting the medical and emotional needs of dogs and cats and maintaining its position in the battle of over-population by neutering the creatures that enter our shelter. Adopt-A-Dog is a dog and cat rescue organization serving New York and Connecticut and beyond for nearly three decades.  Our shelter is open seven days a week.  Our dedicated staff and volunteers strive to provide the best care possible while the animals are at our shelter awaiting safe and permanent homes.

Go to Adopt-A-Dog.org to see the latest dogs available for rescue.

Ahh vacation… There’s nothing like it.

A central furnace or boiler’s efficiency is measured by annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). The Federal Trade Commission requires new furnaces or boilers to display their AFUE so consumers can compare heating efficiencies of various models. AFUE is a measure of how efficient the appliance is in the energy in its fuel over the course of a typical year.

Specifically, AFUE is the ratio of heat output of the furnace or boiler compared to the total energy consumed by a furnace or boiler. An AFUE of 90% means that 90% of the energy in the fuel becomes heat for the home and the other 10% escapes up the chimney and elsewhere. AFUE doesn’t include the heat losses of the duct system or piping, which can be as much as 35% of the energy for output of the furnace when ducts are located in the attic.

The minimum allowed AFUE rating for a non-condensing fossil-fueled, warm-air furnace is 78%; the minimum rating for a fossil-fueled boiler is 80%; and the minimum rating for a gas-fueled steam boiler is 75%. A condensing furnace or boiler condenses the water vapor produced in the combustion process and uses the heat from this condensation. The AFUE rating for a condensing unit can be much higher (by more than 10 percentage points) than a non-condensing furnace. Although condensing units cost more than non-condensing units, the condensing unit can save you money in fuel costs over the 15- to 20-year life of the unit, and is a particularly wise investment in cold climates.

From U.S. Department of Energy

Agee delivers an enthralling family saga set in Missouri’s boot heel, a place so remote, “it’s as if the whole state of Missouri has been trying to shake it off for years, like a vestigial tail.” Seventeen-year-old Hedie Rails arrives in 1930 as the pregnant bride of Clement Ducharme at his family estate, but little does Hedie know that she’s carrying on a tradition: in 1811, young Annie Lark is rescued from the Midwestern New Madrid earthquake by French fur trapper Jacques Ducharme and becomes the first “river wife.” Hedie discovers this—along with the dark side of the Ducharme legacy—through old diaries she finds at the family home. She also learns of the other women involved with Jacques: Omah, the freed slave girl who joins him in river piracy, and Laura, his fortune-hunting second wife whose daughter, Maddie, is Clement’s mother As Hedie’s experiences become increasingly ominous (where does Clement go at night, and why does he come home beaten up? Are those footsteps she hears upstairs?), parallels develop between her life and those of past river wives. Lush historical detail, a plot brimming with danger, love and betrayal, and a magnificent cast (Jacques is larger than life, and the wives are sassy, sexed-up spitfires) will keep readers entranced.

Reviewd by Publishers Weekly

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