plus 3, Oakland County man burned by rocket sled - WZZM 13

Oakland County man burned by rocket sled - WZZM 13
More thefts of iThings - BrooklynPapers.com
Man, 62, is burned in rocket sled stunt - Detroit Free Press
Workers Finding Fulfillment in Encore Careers - HappyNews.com

Oakland County man burned by rocket sled - WZZM 13

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 06:42 AM PST

(DETROIT FREE PRESS) - A 62-year-old Independence Township man remained hospitalized Monday with injuries he sustained after authorities said a rocket-like backpack he rigged to power him on a sled exploded.

Oakland County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a backyard sledding party in the 6000 block of Townview at 7:35 p.m. Sunday to aid the host, who had burns over 18% of his body, Undersheriff Mike McCabe said.

"Apparently, he has this sledding party every year, and he always does outrageous things at it, but he's never blown himself up before," McCabe said Monday.

The man had been drinking before the accident, McCabe said.

The man constructed the backpack from a used auto muffler, which he filled with gasoline and gunpowder, McCabe said. Wearing a motorcycle helmet, he got on an orange plastic sled.

"He asked another person to light a wick and then began to sled down a hill. At some point during the ride, the device exploded," McCabe said.

The man, whom McCabe would not identify, suffered second-degree burns to his face and right side of his body, and possible eye damage.

BY BILL LAITNER - FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

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More thefts of iThings - BrooklynPapers.com

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 06:28 AM PST

Two more iThings were swiped — this time underground. But one of the incidents led to an arrest.

In the first crime, a man told cops that he was listening to his iPod on the Coney Island-bound F train platform at Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street at around 12:30 am on Jan. 28 when two men approached and one said, "Gimme the iPod — I got a machete and I got a gun."

The victim surrendered the digital music device, and the thieves fled — but they didn't actually leave the station, actually getting on the same train as the victim.

At 36th Street, all three men got of the train, and the victim approached his assailants. Luckily, a cop was on the platform and quickly figured out what was going on. The two men were arrested and the victim got his music back.

The next day, a thief snatched an iPhone from a man while he was sitting on a Manhattan-bound 2 train that had just left the Grand Army Plaza station at around 6:15 pm.

Gym rats

Two exercise fiends were burglarized during their workouts at two area gyms.

• On Jan. 23, a thief stole the wallet out of an overcoat that one gym user forgot to put in his locker at the New York Sports Club on Fifth Avenue. The thief got $175, a $20 Metrocard and various credit cards in the theft from the gym, which is at Ninth Street.

• Two days later, a thug clipped the lock at the YMCA on Ninth Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues while its owner was exercising between 9:30 and 10:45 pm. This time, the gym rat got away with a cellphone, a monthly Metrocard and various credit cards.

Hospital pain

Yet another worker inside New York Methodist Hospital has had her stuff stolen from her desk.

In what has become a regular crime in these pages, a thief snatched the purse, which contained a cellphone, $50 and various cards, from the 64-year-old employee's desk at around 3 pm on Jan. 22.

Three burgs

At least three apartments were burglarized last week — two in the same building. Here are the details:

• Thieves forced their way into a Third Avenue apartment on Jan. 24, and left with a laptop and case. The 45-year-old resident of the unit, which is at Ninth Street, told cops that she was not home between 2 and 9 am.

• A thief busted into a St. Marks Place building on Jan. 29 and got away with an Apple laptop and a digital camera from one fourth-floor apartment and a laptop from the unit right next door in the building at Fifth Avenue. The 26-year-old resident of the first apartment told cops that she was not there between 8 am and 2 pm, while her 26-year-old neighbor told cops that he was not home from 8:50 am until 7:15 pm.

Wheel bad

At least three vehicles were stolen last week, continuing a pattern of high auto theft numbers in the 78th Precinct. Here's this week's damage:

• A thief swiped a 2004 Subaru from Prospect Park West near Fifth Street sometime between 6 pm on Jan. 27 and 1:20 pm on Jan. 28.

• A 2003 Dodge Caravan was stolen off Plaza Street West sometime between 11:50 am on Jan. 27 and 1 pm on Jan. 29. The owner lives around the corner on Union Street.

• A brand new Yamaha motorcycle was taken from Sixth Avenue between St. Johns and Lincoln places early on Jan. 29. The owner told cops that he parked the chopper at a few minutes after midnight, but returned to find it gone just an hour later.

— Gersh Kuntzman

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Man, 62, is burned in rocket sled stunt - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 04:41 AM PST

A 62-year-old Independence Township man remained hospitalized Monday with injuries he sustained after authorities said a rocket-like backpack he rigged to power him on a sled exploded.

"Apparently, he has this sledding party every year, and he always does outrageous things at it, but he's never blown himself up before," McCabe said Monday.

The man had been drinking before the accident, McCabe said.

The man constructed the backpack from a used auto muffler, which he filled with gasoline and gunpowder, McCabe said. Wearing a motorcycle helmet, he got on an orange plastic sled.

"He asked another person to light a wick and then began to sled down a hill. At some point during the ride, the device exploded," McCabe said.

The man, whom McCabe would not identify, suffered second-degree burns to his face and right side of his body, and possible eye damage.

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Workers Finding Fulfillment in Encore Careers - HappyNews.com

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 02:53 AM PST

FEBRUARY 01, 2010Eve Tahmincioglu , MSNBC

Penny Mudd, 55, previously worked in Silicon Valley and is now on her way to becoming a high school math teacher.Terry Ramey, 42, was an autoworker in Michigan and is now in his second year in nursing school.And Barbara Higbee, 57, was a district manager for a Texas merchandising company and now works as a case manager for a women's crisis center.These three left their former professions for a variety of reasons from layoffs to burn out, but they chose their career second-acts for a similar motivation: to give something back."Now it's my turn to help kids out there, to discover their abilities in math," said Mudd, who was laid off two years ago after a 20-year career working for technology startups and big-name companies."I feel like I'm going to make a difference," said nurse-in-training Ramey, who previously worked for Ford for 15 years."When I look at the personal rewards I get, that's more important to me than money," said Higbee, who in her old job often put in 80-hour weeks.In search of fulfillment, many workers are now turning to so-called "encore" careers, according to Marci Alboher, a senior fellow with Civic Ventures, a think tank focused on promoting community and social contributions by mid-career and older workers. Encore careers include jobs in health care, education, green industries, government, social entrepreneurship and the nonprofit sector.A 2008 MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures survey found that between 5.3 and 8.4 million Americans have already embarked on encore careers; and among workers between the ages of 44 and 70, half are interested in going in that direction.Workers in their 40s and 50s sometimes get to a point in their lives where they start thinking about a more meaningful career, said Lee Igel, assistant professor in the School of Continuing & Professional Studies at New York University. And that's been especially true during the economic downturn."They are turned off by the business world that didn't do for them what it was supposed to do, and at the same time their careers didn't really fulfill them anyway," Igel said.A more meaningful career It's not an easy transition. In fact, the tough economy that inspires some people to make the switch may also be the reason why some are unable to follow their more civic-minded career dreams, which may pay much less."People have lost their jobs and are looking to replace their income," said Scott Kane, founder of the national career networking, coaching and job search company Gray Hair Management. "Their nest eggs are shrinking, they've had to dip into their 401Ks, and they are focused on surviving."Some older workers also may face age discrimination, both real and perceived, when they decide to build a new career."The best way to overcome age discrimination is really be knowledgeable of the field you want to enter in and be prepared," Alboher said.She offered some tips on how to get started:Research fields you're interested in and find people who do the same work. Do information interviews. Check out sites such as Civic Ventures' encore career site that offer career networking and links to community colleges with retraining programs for mid-career workers in a host of socially minded careers. Attend community events or conferences for the industry you want to break into. Start reading trade publications and blogs for your chosen industry. Assess whether you need to updated your skills.Here's a look at the three encore careerists mentioned above and what they faced in their pursuit of a meaningful career: Dream of becoming a teacher After being laid off as a program manager for a medical device company where she had worked for eight years, Mudd went into a funk."It really destabilizes you. I went into shock after things unraveled in my high tech career," she recounted. "I felt uneasy about going to another company."Instead, she participated in career testing at a local community college, took some classes and attended a weekend teaching program through the EnCorps Teachers Program, which is working to boost the number of math and science teachers in California schools. The community college then connected her with a school where she could be a teaching assistant."In retrospect, it looks to other people like I had a clever plan, but sometimes you just stumble into things," said Mudd, who has relied on savings and unemployment benefits to help her stay afloat financially during this transition.Mudd already had a bachelor's degree but had to take additional classes in algebra and statistics. And now she has "a very clear path" and is focused on studying so she can pass her teaching exam this summer. She expects to start teaching this fall.From autoworker to nurse Physically and mentally, the job of autoworker was "tearing me apart," said Ramey. "I'm not diminishing the job a lot of people would want to have, but for me, I hated the work."Ramey wanted to do something different, and the weakening economy helped motivate him to make a change.Ramey had thought about a career in nursing, but the deciding moment came when he encountered a motorcycle accident on his way home from work. "Both (the rider's) legs were broke and his arm, but he was conscious," Ramey said. "My first instinct was to help him calm down, and I knew enough to try and keep him still and not take off his helmet. I didn't panic and it didn't freak me out."When offered a buyout from Ford for career retraining, Ramey accepted.Ramey, who only has a high school diploma, didn't plan on getting a four-year degree but decided to go for it. He's now finishing up his second year of nursing school at Washtenaw Community College, has been doing clinical work with patients, and will transfer to the University of Michigan this fall. He hopes to graduate with a bachelor's degree in 2012.Financially, it has been a struggle. Ramey and his son had to move back in with his father in order to make ends meet. "It's kind of weird, but circumstances don't determine the person you are. It's how you deal with those circumstances."Ramey has no regrets and believes he has found his calling. "My instructor in my last clinicals told me that I was wasted in the auto industry," he said proudly.Satisfaction from helping others In 2003, Higbee found herself out of work after mass layoffs at the pantyhose company where she worked in management. She ended up working briefly for the Women's Center of Tarrant County in Fort Worth, Texas, until she found another gig in corporate America."We had two boys going to college, and nonprofits don't pay a lot," she said.She landed a great job as a district manager for Archway, a third-party merchandising company, but eventually grew weary of the long hours and frequent travel. She also wanted more time to spend with her grandchildren.Nearing age 60, she asked herself: "What do I want to be when I grow up?"She remembered how much she enjoyed her work at the women's center. When an opportunity arose at the nonprofit, she decided to apply.She is now a case manager in a culinary arts training program, where she helps women in need with life skills such as resume writing and budget and stress management. Despite taking a huge cut in pay, she's happier than ever."Our children are out of college now, so expenses aren't like they used to be," she said. But, she stressed, money issues are always a concern."On the financial side, did I make a bad decision leaving corporate America? Yes. But when I look at the personal rewards I got, that's more important to me," she said.Eve Tahmincioglu writes the weekly "Your Career" column for msnbc.com and chronicles workplace issues in her blog, CareerDiva.net.

© 2009 msnbc.com
Reproduced with permission of MSNBC, from Workers finding fulfillment in encore careers: Some ditching corporate life for jobs in health care, education, nonprofits by Eve Tahmincioglu, January 25, 2010; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.

You can read this story in its original location at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34882646/

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