Latest news with #TomSawyer
USA Today
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Closing time for Tom Sawyer Island, Rivers of America at Disney World's Magic Kingdom
First, parts of DinoLand, U.S.A., then Muppets Courtyard. Now, another iconic corner of Walt Disney World is shuttering. Sunday, July 6 is the last operating day for Tom Sawyer Island, Liberty Square Riverboat and Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom in Florida. For decades, this tree-lined stretch of Frontierland and Liberty Square invited guests to break away from the hustle and bustle of the world's most visited theme park, to take in the scenery and slow down. The closing was announced at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event last August, but a specific date wasn't shared until June. Here's why the attractions are closing and what guests can expect from their replacement. What is Tom Sawyer Island? Like its counterpart at Disneyland in California, Tom Sawyer Island is a old timey island amid the Rivers of America, which guests can reach by raft or circle by riverboat. "Wander dusty dirt roads lined with tall trees, explore whirling mills and amble across creaky suspension bridges. Navigate narrow passages amid secret mined caves and uncover a frontier fort," read the attraction's page on Disney World's website. "Along the way, follow in the pioneering footsteps of early settlers, during an era when Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer reflected a new nation coming into its own. It's an unforgettable expedition into the heart of the American frontier!" D23, the Official Disney Fan Club notes both Disneyland and Disney World's Tom Sawyer Island were present on the opening days of their respective parks, but their attractions didn't open until later. Disneyland's version was personally designed by Walt Disney and given a pirate overlay in 2007. It's important to note that only Magic Kingdom's version is closing. Disneyland's Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island will remain open, as will its Rivers of America and riverboat. Why is Disney closing Tom Sawyer Island? Tom Sawyer Island, Liberty Square Riverboat and Rivers of America are closing at Disney World as part of Magic Kingdom's largest expansion to date. The Florida park is getting a whole new area beyond Big Thunder Mountain, including a new Villians land in years to come. The space where Tom Sawyer Island is now will be replaced by a new "Cars"-inspired area different from the Radiator Springs setting of Cars Land in Disney California Adventure. The new area will be called "Piston Peak National Park." "Imagine an awe-inspiring wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, roaring rivers and impressive geysers," Disney Parks Blog posted in June. "Inside Piston Peak, guests will be able to see and explore the visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, trails and more all set within the Disney and Pixar 'Cars' universe." Disney said Imagineers will use a style of architecture developed by the Natural Park Service to blend structures into Rocky Mountain-inspired Piston Peak, and trees will serve as a natural border between an off-road rally attraction and the rest of Frontierland and Liberty Square. Concept art shared by Disney shows water will also remain a prominent part of the landscape.
CBS News
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Ron Chernow on the life of Mark Twain
The Mississippi Valley is "as tranquil and reposeful as dreamland, and has nothing this-worldly about it … nothing to hang a fret or worry upon." It's a beautiful sentiment, and yet it contrasts with the fretful and worried life of the man who wrote those words: Samuel Clemens, known to the world by his pen name, Mark Twain. Twain died 115 years ago, but his books are still being read, and hotly debated, around the globe. It's quite the legacy for a mischievous boy of modest means raised in Hannibal, Missouri, just steps away from the roaring Mississippi. It was, said Jim Waddell, "the international highway of 1835." Waddell has portrayed Twain for three decades – a performance always in demand when Hannibal's streets are filled each spring for the Twain on Main festival. It's a good gig that requires of Waddell a clean white suit. "You keep the suit white by doing no work!" Waddell laughed. CBS News' Robert Costa with Mark Twain performer Jim Waddell, outside the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Mo. CBS News Korbin Asbury and Ainsley Ahrens competed against other eighth graders in the town to represent the characters Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher in Hannibal. "I love meeting the new people, 'cause there's 44 different countries that visited Hannibal last year," said Asbury. Asked if she were surprised that an author who lived more than 100 years ago still seems so relevant today, Ahrens replied, "I am, but not really, because his words that he said, they still work with us today. They're wise words." Wise words, with more than a touch of humor: "Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest." "Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." Twain is quoted as having called himself not just an American, but "the American." "I think that part of the continuing fascination with Mark Twain is that he combines in his person both the best and the worst of our national culture," said Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow. He has chronicled the lives of great Americans, perhaps most famously Alexander Hamilton, whose biography spawned the Broadway musical. Chernow's latest book tackles the life of Twain, a figure who has never left the national spotlight. Penguin Press Twain once wrote, "Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man – the biography of the man himself cannot be written." "That line was in my head every single day that I worked on this book," Chernow laughed. "I kind of had this image of Mark Twain coming back to life and saying, 'I told you so.'" Chernow traces Twain's sardonic humor to the pain in which it was rooted. Although he enjoyed boyhood adventures that would inspire "Tom Sawyer," his father was a failure in business. The fear of poverty, and an anxious pursuit of wealth, would dominate Twain's adult life. In Hartford, Connecticut, site of Twain's home, Chernow described the sprawling mansion that he had built: "I see his personality. All the angles and porches and turrets, it's like all of the different sides of his personality. And he always loved conspicuousness, and this is probably the most conspicuous house in the city." I asked, "Was Mark Twain happy here?" "Not just happy here, it was far and away the happiest 17 years of his life," Chernow said. "It was this idyllic period. He had this large expensive house. He had a rich and gorgeous wife. He had three beautiful and smart daughters. It was really a charmed life." Biographer Ron Chernow with Robert Costa at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Conn. CBS News Although Twain became wealthy as a writer and public speaker, he poured his fortune – and his wife's – into ill-fated investments. The most notorious was the Paige Compositor, a typesetting machine that Twain was sure would make him millions. The themes that run through Twain's life and his work – politics, corruption, money, class, race, get-rich-quick themes – all seem quite relevant to America today. Chernow said, "It's a great American story, and I think that there's so many things that he said – for instance, about politics – that really resonate today. One line that used to drive him crazy was, 'My country right or wrong.' You know, he said that we should support our country always, and our government when it deserves it." Chernow believes President Trump would be a familiar figure to the humorist, "to the extent that one of the great stock characters in Mark Twain's fiction is the salesman. You can see it in President Trump. You could see it in so many different figures in American life – the big talkers, the big shots." It's no small irony that Twain was nothing if not a big shot himself – a man who craved attention as much as money. But fame also emboldened Twain to speak truth to power, most enduringly through his masterpiece, "Huckleberry Finn." Chernow said, "One of the things that I argued in my book was that there was no White author in the late 19th century who engaged more fully, and I think more affectionately, with the Black community than Twain. Now, I had to point out early on, if you read letters that he wrote when he was a teenager, they're full of crude, racist remarks – and not only about Blacks, seems like just about everybody." By 1884, Twain had published "Huck Finn," which, said Chernow, "whatever its imperfections, is still, I think, the great anti-slavery novel in the language." For Chernow, Mark Twain is still a vital presence in American life. His words continue to make us think, and almost certainly laugh. Asked why his works have endured when so many other great authors' books are languishing, Chernow replied, "I think it's a very, very good question. He likened a fine literature to a wine, and he said, 'My writing is water, but everyone drinks water.'" And they are still drinking it (and still reading Twain). READ AN EXCERPT: "Mark Twain" by Ron Chernow For more info: Story produced by Ed Forgotson. Editor: Carol Ross. See also:
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FreightWeekSTL2025 showcases St. Louis' freight network
ST. LOUIS – Long dubbed the 'Ag Coast of America,' St. Louis remains a crucial hub capable of handling auto, river, and rail freight across the country and beyond. On Thursday, important international guests joined a local delegation on a riverboat cruise to see the region's multi-modal freight network from a unique vantage point. 'On the cruise, they're going to learn about rail and barge and trucking and how all those modes of transportation interact,' Mary Lamie, Bi-State Development's executive vice president of multi modal enterprises, said. 'You're going to see ports and conveyor belts and what makes the St. Louis region the Ag Coast of America and most efficient inland port system in the nation.' Starting under the Arch, the Tom Sawyer riverboat took off on a cruise upstream Thursday morning – the Midcoast Ag Tour. Onboard were educators, guidance counselors, a group from Argentina, along with civic leaders and business owners. Touring infrastructure improvements like the $222 million Merchants Bridge reconstruction in 2022 and businesses like Ingram Infrastructure group, who invested in St. Louis, adding jobs and opportunities into the economy. Musk says Trump is named in Epstein files 'In St. Louis, we are investing $50 million over the next three years,' Dan Lester, senior vice president of business development for Ingram Infrastructure, said. 'A combination of private and grant funds to revitalize the facilities on the Missouri and Illinois sides.' Touting the region's assets along the river, from barge to rail and freight, the St. Louis Regional Freightway hosted the cruise as part of FreightWeekSTL2025. 'We are on an exploring mission visiting the United States and Midwest corn belt ecosystem,' Gonzalo Valenci, executive director of Córdoba Innovate and Entrepreneur Agency, said. 'We've brought 30 people, mixing farmers, producers, public officials, startups, and universities. So, we can visit the state-of-the-art where the agriculture is happening.' Missouri educators on the trip got to learn of the career possibilities; knowledge they could take back downstream with them and pass along to their students. 'That's been the benefit of this whole experience,' Marc Reid, business teacher at Jennings High School, said. 'Just really getting a chance to see what's available in the marketplace for our students, so they can really take advantage of and start contributing to the St. Louis economy and getting really good jobs. So, it's exciting and I can't wait to take it back to my students.' With its location in the center of the county St. Louis leaders from the bi-state area showcased the multimodal freight network, roads and bridges, rail and barge, ports and infrastructure. Taking it all in, at a nice cruising speed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
27-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
NJ Local Marketing, LLC Announces Enhanced Local SEO Services to Boost Small Business Visibility in New Jersey
NJ Local Marketing, LLC introduces targeted local SEO services aimed at helping small businesses in New Jersey achieve top Google rankings and drive sustainable growth. New Jersey, USA, April 27, 2025 -- NJ Local Marketing, LLC Expands Local SEO Services for New Jersey Small Businesses NJ Local Marketing, LLC, a leading local SEO agency based in New Jersey, is proud to announce an expansion of its services to better serve small businesses across the region. Founded in 2018 by SEO expert Tom Sawyer, the agency has already earned a reputation for providing transparent, ethical, and results-driven local SEO solutions that help small businesses stand out online. The announcement comes as many local businesses in New Jersey continue to struggle with ineffective SEO practices that waste their marketing budget without producing meaningful results. Tom Sawyer, the owner and founder of NJ Local Marketing, identified this gap early in his career and committed to helping businesses avoid predatory SEO practices that harm their bottom line. 'I started NJ Local Marketing with one mission: to help local businesses grow and succeed by focusing on what really works in SEO,' said Tom Sawyer. 'For too long, small business owners have been taken advantage of by agencies that promise the world but deliver little. Our approach focuses on transparent, effective strategies that get our clients real results.' NJ Local Marketing's Proven Approach to Local SEO At the heart of NJ Local Marketing's success is its commitment to focusing on the three most crucial elements of local SEO: search engine optimization (SEO), ask engine optimization (AEO), and Google Business Profile (GBP) optimization. These three areas are key to achieving visibility in local search results, particularly in Google's Local 3-Pack, where over 70% of search engine clicks go. The company's approach centers around identifying the most relevant search terms for local service businesses and optimizing their online presence to secure a prominent position in Google's search results. This has helped countless clients, including roofers, tree service providers, and kitchen remodelers, achieve top rankings in their respective industries. 'We guarantee our clients top rankings in local search, but more importantly, we help them convert those rankings into phone calls and new customers,' Tom continued. 'For our clients, the phone ringing means growth, and that's what we focus on delivering.' The NJ Local Marketing Difference: Client-Centric, Results-Driven What makes NJ Local Marketing stand out in the crowded world of SEO services is its unique, client-centered approach. Tom Sawyer personally works with each client to ensure they understand the strategies at play and how each element of their SEO campaign contributes to their business growth. This direct involvement ensures that clients are always informed and confident in the services they receive. 'I'm not just another agency owner. I care deeply about the success of every business we work with, and that's why I take the time to understand their goals, challenges, and competition,' said Tom. 'It's not just about getting rankings; it's about delivering results that make a tangible difference for their business.' This approach has led to lasting relationships with clients who value transparency and trust. Many businesses that have worked with multiple SEO agencies without success are now seeing the results they've been looking for, thanks to NJ Local Marketing's focused, ethical strategies. Local SEO That Delivers Real Results Small businesses in New Jersey face stiff competition in their local markets, and being visible on the first page of Google can be the key to gaining a competitive edge. NJ Local Marketing has helped numerous businesses achieve top rankings in local search results, significantly improving their online visibility and attracting new customers. 'We don't promise to work miracles—we promise to get results,' said Tom Sawyer. 'Our focus is on ethical, sustainable SEO practices that build a strong foundation for long-term success.' NJ Local Marketing's strategies are tailored to each client's unique needs, ensuring that their SEO campaign aligns with their industry, competition, and budget. Whether it's ranking for specific keywords or optimizing a Google Business Profile, the team focuses on what matters most for local service businesses to thrive. About NJ Local Marketing, LLC Founded by Tom Sawyer in 2018, NJ Local Marketing, LLC is a New Jersey-based SEO agency specializing in local search engine optimization for small to medium-sized service businesses. The company is dedicated to providing transparent, ethical SEO services that deliver real results. By focusing on the most important aspects of local SEO—search engine optimization, ask engine optimization, and Google Business Profile optimization—NJ Local Marketing ensures its clients achieve top rankings and greater online visibility. Media Contact Tom Sawyer, Owner NJ Local Marketing, LLC Phone: 732-586-0346 Email: [email protected] Website: Contact Info: Name: Tom Sawyer Email: Send Email Organization: NJ Local Marketing, LLC Website: Release ID: 89158696 In the event of encountering any errors, concerns, or inconsistencies within the content shared in this press release, we kindly request that you immediately contact us at [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). 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Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How a president's death helped kill Washington's "spoils system"
"To the victor belong the spoils." For decades in the 1800s, that phrase was more than a slogan; it was the official hiring policy of the U.S. government. "You win the election, you're entitled to put all your own people in there," said journalist and historian Scott Greenberger. He says that under that "spoils system," the main job requirement for most federal employees was … loyalty. It was a system inaugurated by Democratic President Andrew Jackson. "When he came in, he was – and this will sound familiar – he was afraid that sort of entrenched bureaucrats would resist his policies. And so, he cleaned everybody out." Were people aghast at this? "I don't think they were aghast when it began," Greenberger said. "But by the time we get to this 1870s and the 1880s, it was the one of the top issues on the national agenda." This was a period of abundant wealth and corruption in American politics. "It's a fascinating period with so many parallels to our own time," said Greenberger. But a fight was underway to replace the spoils system with the hiring of qualified government workers, regardless of their political views, whose job security did not depend on whoever was president. "Civil service reform," as it was known, may not sound sexy, but it was one the hottest political issues of the Gilded Age, even attracting the attention of America's foremost author. In 1876, the same year he published "Tom Sawyer," Mark Twain participated in his first political rally in Hartford, Connecticut, said local historian Jason Scappaticci. It was a big deal: "He had voted, but he had never campaigned for anybody," he said. After marching through downtown in support of Republican presidential nominee Rutherford B. Hayes, the legendary humorist called for an end to the spoils system. "We will not hire a blacksmith who never lifted a sledge," he said on September 30, 1876. "We will not hire a schoolteacher who does not know the alphabet … but when you come to our civil service, we serenely fill great numbers of our minor public offices with ignoramuses." The speech landed on the front page of The New York Times. "That just goes to show how vital he is, how big his name is," said Mallory Howard, assistant curator at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford. She's not surprised that Twain would have been so horrified by the spoils system: "I think he felt it was embarrassing putting people in office who are not prepared. I think it doesn't make sense to him." Hayes made it to the White House, but little progress was made on civil service reform during his single term. Hayes was succeeded by President James Garfield, who ran on reform. But only months after being sworn in, the spoils system exacted its most horrifying toll. Garfield was assassinated by a disgruntled and delusional office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Guiteau had campaigned for Garfield, and believed that the president "owed" him. Worse still for reformers, Garfield's vice president, Chester Alan Arthur, suddenly elevated to the top job, had climbed the ranks of dirty machine politics, enjoying the fruits of the spoils system along the way. "This was a nightmare scenario for the reformers," said Greenberger. "And then all of a sudden, here he is, he's President of the United States, and he expresses support for civil service reform, which shocked everybody." Yes, in a surprising about-face, in 1883, President Chester A. Arthur – contrite, by some accounts, over the murder of Garfield – signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, the first of its kind in U.S. history. The law was strengthened over time, laying the groundwork for a professional bureaucracy responsible for everything from food safety to financial regulation. Greenberger said, "It really paved the way for a more active federal government." Of course, the federal government of the late 1800s, with about 50,000 employees, looked like a lot different than today's workforce of more than two million. And critics, including President Trump, believe the numbers – and the protections afforded those civil service workers – have gone too far. Hence, President Trump's executive order this past week aiming to make it easier to fire some federal workers. "We're getting rid of all of the cancer," he said. Scott Greenberger says maybe the time has come for another debate about the role of the civil service: "Yes, you should be able to fire people who aren't doing their jobs. And the protections shouldn't be such that someone who's incompetent is allowed to stay in a job. At the same time, if you eliminate those protections entirely, then you go back to the sort of system that we had in the 19th century, where only political loyalists are serving these positions." A system undone by an unlikely hero who most people don't even remember was president … one that even Mark Twain put on a pedestal. "It's funny that we hardly remember the guy today," Greenberger said. "But when he died, people, including Mark Twain said, 'Wow, that guy was the greatest president we'd ever had!'" For more info: "The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur" by Scott Greenberger (Da Capo Press), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Greenberger, executive editor, StatelineMark Twain House & Museum, Hartford, Scappaticci, "Bow Tie Historian" Story produced by Mark Hudspeth. Editor: Joseph Frandino. More presidential history from Mo Rocca: The rise and fall of President Martin Van BurenFranklin Pierce: America's handsomest president?Mo Rocca with lively thoughts about our deceased presidentsTime will tell: Historians on judging presidential leadershipThe Herbert Hoover you didn't knowFirst families: A reunion of presidential relativesPainting the presidentsAndrew Johnson: The unfortunate presidentChester A. Arthur and the original "birther" controversyWorst president ever: The ignominy of James BuchananHow doctors killed President James GarfieldThe long and short of President William Henry HarrisonJames Polk and America's "Forgotten War" south of the borderPresident John Tyler's great genesPresident Warren Harding: Sex, scandal and death in the White HouseUlysses S. Grant's last battleThe passions of Woodrow WilsonEleanor Roosevelt, first lady and humanitarianLady Bird Johnson, first lady and diarist Trump reacts to Republicans who won't vote for Hegseth Extended interview: Idina Menzel Behind the scenes at Sundance
