Interesting news

On TBO.com, currently, there is a little thing in the interactive section about a new ringtone that teenagers have begun using to get away with getting phone messages during class. The tone is at a pitch that cannot be heard by many middle-aged to older adults, but can be heard by younger people. It's quite interesting. If you've not heard of this, and it's still up on the site, you may want to check it out. It's in the lower right-hand part of the page with a title of "Can you hear this sound?" They're taking a poll... Might not be there anymore if too much time has passed and not everyone can hear it... It's not much anyway, just a very, very high pitched tone that is somewhat irritating. I could hear it in my left ear quite clearly, but could just barely hear it in my right due to the decreased hearing acuity in that ear.

Another interesting thing they talked about on the local news tonight was that there is a sinkhole developing in southern Lakeland this week. It's in the bottom of a private lake, surrounded by million dollar homes. One house is crumbling due to the shifting ground, and a dock, boat ramp and gazebo have also bit the dust. More may follow and the lake itself may disappear altogether as the ground settles. Because the land (or, in this case, lake) where the sinkhole has developed is private property and not public, the reporters said that home owners must pay for any repairs that are necessary all by themselves. Word to the wise, people, don't just buy property cause it looks pretty or the house that the developer is building on it looks prestigious. Check flood patterns, yearly rainfall, the distance above sealevel, and find out of what the soil is composed, as well as the bedrock... There might be other things to check for too, but that's what I'm thinking would be a prudent start off the top of my head. I know that developers sometimes do not disclose pertinent information when they know that the property could be unstable to the people who are buying the property from them... One reason I dislike developers in general. :D