The Fonda Blog

Crocodiles move into luxury lagoon

CROCODILES are lurking in the man-made lagoon at a luxury estate at Trinity Beach, posing dangers for pets, children and the area’s wildlife, residents claim.  Residents of the gated community within the Blue Lagoon Resort say at least two crocs have been seen in the estate’s 2ha lagoon.

Danger: Chelsea and Lachlan Fonda at the entrance to Trinity Beach’s Blue Water Lagoon where crocodiles have been sighted swimming.

Pictures: Cairns crocodiles

In 2005 developer John Murphy built a croc-proof fence across a spillway at the northern side of the lagoon after reports of sightings.  Resident Justin Littlefield yesterday said the fence was failing to stop salties from entering.  “The fence until last week had a pipe protruding through into the Coral Sea to pump salt water into the lagoon to control algae growth; now the fence has a hole as the pump and piping has been removed,” he said.  “I observed with other residents a crocodile about 1.5m in length cruising the lagoon on Sunday.

“Other residents report the croc ate a duck swimming in the lagoon. I’m waiting for a little dog to get monstered.”  Resident Charlie Fonda said he saw a croc’s head, more than 60cm long, peering above the lagoon’s surface while walking through the estate with his son Lachlan last week.  “I have to remind the kids to not go too close to the lagoon,” he said.

Speaking to The Cairns Post while on holiday in the Philippines yesterday, Mr Murphy said he had not heard of any recent sightings but didn’t rule out the possibility.  “Anywhere in Cairns close to water is prone to crocodiles, it’s quite possible something could get in there,” he said.

“If there have been reports of sightings the EPA will get called to do a search and will relocate the animal but it’s the first I’ve heard about it.”  Mr Littlefield said a croc-warning sign had recently been erected at the entry into Trinity Beach.

written by admin \\ tags: Australia, Nature

BmoreArt

Thursday, January 21, 2010
Recent Works at the John Fonda Gallery Friday, January 29

www.leahcooper.com	www.juliebenoit.com

Opening Reception: Friday, January 29, 6-8 p.m.
John Fonda Gallery
45 West Preston Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Located at Theatre Project
Hours: M-F Noon-4 p.m. or by appointment

written by admin \\ tags: Achievements, Arts, Baltimore, Gallery

Faith & Finance: A Boom in Religious Funds

What if Jesus were a stock picker?

It’s a question more investors seem to be asking these days. At a time when investors’ confidence in the markets has been shaken—even after the big rally of 2009—experts say a growing number of Americans are integrating their faith with their finances. The number of religious mutual funds has tripled over the past decade, to more than 90—with one now available for almost every flock, from evangelical Christians to Mennonites and Muslims.

Religious funds now control more than $27 billion in assets, up from $10 billion in the late 1990s, making it one of the hottest sectors in the broader category of socially responsible funds. “People are waking up and saying, ‘What I do with my money ought to reflect my values,’” says David Miller, a scholar at Princeton University’s Center for the Study of Religion.

Socially responsible funds have been around for years, of course, attracting both diehard followers and critics who see their stock-screening methods as a drag on returns. But the faith-fund boom is part of a growing hunger among religious people for financial guidance. While some financial planners specialize in estate planning and others claim an expertise in taxes, more and more are claiming the label of Christian financial adviser. Churches are also getting into the act, setting up workshops that dispense financial advice. And just this month, five new religion-based exchange traded funds were launched.

While most mutual fund managers place a laser-like focus on financial measures such as earnings per share and balance-sheet debt, managers of faith-based funds first check whether they think a company violates scriptural teachings. But injecting morals into financing is not without its share of controversy. Catholic funds typically draw a line at companies they believe support abortion or contraception; the evangelical Timothy Plan bans stocks of companies deemed supportive of a “gay lifestyle.”

Personal beliefs aside, each fund’s interpretation of scripture is open to criticism. “Why single out companies that provide same-sex benefits when they also provide benefits to employees who are greedy or venal or in other ways immoral according to biblical teaching?” asks Gary Moore, an investment adviser and founder of the nonprofit Financial Seminary in Sarasota, Fla.

Of course, just because a fund claims to have God on its side doesn’t mean investors will be blessed with top returns. Diversified U.S. religious stock funds are up an annual average of 2.27 percent over the past five years, just below the 2.34 percent return for all diversified equity funds, according to Morningstar. Religious funds tend to have expenses above the industry average, and because they often screen out certain sectors, they can be handcuffed when market sentiment shifts to an industry they’ve excluded. To find the best options, we looked for funds with solid long-term records and managers who have been at the helm for at least three years. (more at site)

written by admin \\ tags: Achievements, Business, Professional

Fonda set to create Village Web site

Entering Village of Fonda from West Rt 5

FONDA – The Village Board unanimously approved a motion Monday to launch the village into cyperspace.

The trustees voted to contract with Digital Towpath, a government entity formed through municipal agreements that specializes in developing Web sites for smaller municipalities across New York state. Officials expect to have the site up and running within a few months, and it will help get residents and businesses more involved and informed.

“It’s better for the village to have a Web site so potential prospects who want to start businesses will have a way to get in touch with us,” Trustee Robert Galusha said.

The annual contract with Digital Towpath is not yet finalized. The village will pay about $600 a year for the service and will need no additional staff to maintain the Web site. The annual fee will include technical support for the system and phone and e-mail support for the software.

Fonda Main Intersection of Rt 5 and Rt 30A

“It’s a Web-based application and we provide access to the tools,” Digital Towpath Director Jeanne Brown said Tuesday. “Each municipality is responsible for the content on their site, and they don’t need technical knowedge. They just need to know how to use a word processer and open a browser to keep the site updated.”

Officials plan to use the site to post meeting times and minutes and an event calendar. Trustee Lynn Dumar said she hopes the site will have a feature that encourages taxpayers to ask questions of their elected officials. A newsletter published twice a year is the only village-sponsored information medium currently available.

“This will make people more aware of what’s going on and open more doors,” Mayor Kim Flander said.

Digitial Towpath powers several local municipalities’ Web sites, including the town of Johnstown, village of Canjoharie and town of Mayfield.

Headquartered in Syracuse, Digital Towpath went live with its first 10 municipal Web sites in 2000. In 2005, participating municipalities signed the agreement that formed the Digital Towpath Cooperative.

The village is not required to join the cooperative, but if it does, it will have a say in software changes, cost and the level of training included in the annual fee. Digital Towpath’s day-to-day operations are funded by annual fees.

Amanda Whistle covers Montgomery County. She can be reached at montco@leaderherald.com.

written by admin \\ tags: Montgomery Co., Towns, Village of Fonda

There are numerous ties between the Fonda and Lansing families… having followed very similar paths from Holland to Albany and beyond.   There is a new book published about the Lansing family entitled, “The Lansing Family Journey” which “begins with Henry Hudson’s journey to New Netherland and tracks the Dutch Lansing family as it spread out from Albany, New York. There are over 6,000 individuals referenced and 1,000 families tracked. It is a five-volume set of books including an index for easy searching.” The book was written by Bill Lansing and can be obtained from www.xlibris.com/bookstore. According to my records, there are no less than 18 marriages between Fonda’s and Lansing’s between 1700 and today (listed below).  Many of these marriages are documented in the “The Dutch Settlers Society of Albany Yearbook: The Fonda Family“, McConville, Howard A.; Albany, NY; 48:17-20 (1981), 49:28-36 (1984) which can be downloaded here.  Several of these individuals are also buried in the recently restored Fonda-Lansing Cemetery located on Rt. 9 in Colonie, which has been highlighted previously on this blog.

Most of these weddings were done in the Dutch Reformed Churches in Albany County.

Dutch First Reformed Church of Albany

written by admin \\ tags: Albany Co., Allied Families, Marriages