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White House Unveils America's College Promise Proposal • County Receives More Than $1 Million in Grants • MD Is Nation's Most Improved State in 2014 • Baltimore's Neighborhood Bars Remain the Community Meeting Place • Sidewalk Snow and Ice Removal in PG County
January 22 - January 28, 2015
White House Unveils America's College Promise Proposal
By Press Officer Office of the White House
Nearly a century ago, a movement that made high school widely available helped lead to rapid growth in the education and skills training of Americans, driving decades of economic growth and prosperity. America thrived in the 20th century in large part because we had the most educated workforce in the world. But other nations have matched or exceeded the secret to our success. Today, more than ever, Americans need more knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a growing global economy without having to take on decades of debt before they even embark on their career.
Today the President is unveiling the America's College Promise proposal to make two years of community college free for responsible students, letting students earn the first half of a bachelor's degree and earn skills needed in the workforce at no cost. This proposal will require everyone to do their part: community colleges must strengthen their programs and increase the number of students who graduate, states must invest more in higher education and training, and students must take responsibility for their education, earn good grades, and stay on track to graduate. The program would be undertaken in partnership with states and is inspired by new programs in Tennessee and Chicago. If all states participate, an estimated 9 million students could benefit. A full-time community college student could save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year.
In addition, today the President will propose a new American Technical Training Fund to expand innovative, high-quality technical training programs similar to Tennessee Tech Centers that meet employer needs and help prepare more Americans for better paying jobs. These proposals build on a number of historic investments the President has made in college affordability and quality since taking office, including a $1,000 increase in the maximum Pell Grant award to help working and middle class families, the creation of the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit, reforming student loans to eliminate subsidies to banks to invest in making college more affordable and keeping student debt manageable, and making available over $2 billion in grants to connect community colleges with employers to develop programs that are designed to get hard-working students good jobs.
The President's Plan: Make Two Years of College as Free and Universal as High School
By 2020, an estimated 35 percent of job openings will require at least a bachelor's degree and 30 percent will require some college or an associate's degree. Forty percent of college students are enrolled at one of America's more than 1,100 community colleges, which offer students affordable tuition, open admission policies, and convenient locations. They are particularly important for students who are older, working, need remedial classes, or can only take classes part-time. For many students, they offer academic programs and an affordable route to a four-year college degree. They are also uniquely positioned to partner with employers to create tailored training programs to meet economic needs within their communities such as nursing, health information technology, and advanced manufacturing.
The America's College Promise proposal would create a new partnership with states to help them waive tuition in high-quality programs for responsible students, while promoting key reforms to help more students complete at least two years of college. Restructuring the community college experience, coupled with free tuition, can lead to gains in student enrollment, persistence, and completion transfer, and employment. Specifically, here is what the initiative will mean:
Enhancing Student Responsibility and Cutting the Cost of College for All Americans: Students who attend at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA while in college, and make steady progress toward completing their program will have their tuition eliminated. These students will be able to earn half of the academic credit they need for a four-year degree or earn a certificate or two-year degree to prepare them for a good job.
Building High-Quality Community Colleges: Community colleges will be expected to offer programs that either (1) are academic programs that fully transfer to local public four-year colleges and universities, giving students a chance to earn half of the credit they need for a four-year degree, or (2) are occupational training programs with high graduation rates and that lead to degrees and certificates that are in demand among employers. Other types of programs will not be eligible for free tuition. Colleges must also adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms to improve student outcomes, such as the effective Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) programs at the City University of New York which waive tuition, help students pay for books and transit costs, and provide academic advising and supportive scheduling programs to better meet the needs of participating students, resulting in greater gains in college persistence and degree completion.
Ensuring Shared Responsibility with States: Federal funding will cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college. States that choose to participate will be expected to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate community college tuition for eligible students. States that already invest more and charge students less can make smaller contributions, though all participating states will be required to put up some matching funds. States must also commit to continue existing investments in higher education; coordinate high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions to reduce the need for remediation and repeated courses; and allocate a significant portion of funding based on performance, not enrollment alone. States will have flexibility to use some resources to expand quality community college offerings, improve affordability at four-year public universities, and improve college readiness, through outreach and early intervention.
Expanding Technical Training for Middle Class Jobs. Additionally, in order to spread the availability of high-quality and innovative programs like those in Tennessee and Texas, which achieve better than average completion and employment outcomes, the President is also proposing the American Technical Training Fund. This fund will award programs that have strong employer partnerships and include work-based learning opportunities, provide accelerated training, and are scheduled to accommodate part-time work. Programs could be created within current community colleges or other training institutions. The focus of the discretionary budget proposal would be to help high-potential, low-wage workers gain the skills to work into growing fields with significant numbers of middle-class jobs that local employers are trying to fill such as energy, IT, and advanced manufacturing. This program will fund the start-up of 100 centers and scale those efforts in succeeding years. Smaller grants would help to bring together partners and start a pilot program. Larger grants would be used for expanding programs based on evidence of effectiveness, which could include past performance on graduation rates, job placement rates and placement wages. Building on the President's community college initiative, known as the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants and for which 2014 was the final year of funding, these funds will help community colleges become more job-driven.
Building on State and Local Programs. In the past year, Tennessee and the City of Chicago initiated free community college programs. In the first year of the Tennessee program, 57,000 students representing almost 90 percent of the state's high school graduating class applied for the program. The scholarship is coupled with college counseling, mentorship, and community service that early evidence suggests supports greater enrollment, persistence and college completion. This is coupled with efforts to spur innovation and improvement by funding colleges using performance outcomes based on student success and an innovative approach to career and technical education through the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology. These Tennessee Tech Centers have a graduation rate of 80 percent and a job placement rate of 85 percent.
Building on a Record of Progress. Since taking office, President Obama has taken steps to expand federal support to help more students afford college, while calling for a shared responsibility in tackling rising college costs. Key achievements include:
• Doubling the Investment in Pell Grants: The President has raised the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,730 for the 2014-15 award year — a nearly $1,000 increase since 2008. The number of Pell Grant recipients has expanded by 50 percent over that same time.
• Expanding Education Tax Credits: President Obama established the American Opportunity Tax Credit in 2009 to assist families with the costs of college, providing up to $10,000 for four years of college tuition.
• Pay-As-You-Earn Loans: All new borrowers can now cap loan payments at 10 percent of their incomes. The Department of Education has begun the process to amend its regulations and will make the new plan available on all direct loans by December 2015. We expect it to benefit up to 5 million borrowers.
• First in the World Grants: In September, the Department of Education awarded $75 million to 24 colleges and universities under the new First in the World grant program to expand college access and improve student learning while reducing costs.
• College Ratings Program: The Department of Education continues to develop a college ratings system by the 2015-2015 school year that will recognize institutions that excel at enrolling students from all backgrounds; focus on maintaining affordability; and succeed at helping all students graduate with a degree or certificate of value.
• Job-Driven Training Grants: Through the Trade Adjustment Community College and Career Training program more than 1,000 institutions have received $2 billion in federal funding to design education and training programs, working closely with employers and industry that prepare workers for jobs in-demand in their regional economies, such as health care, information technology and energy. These programs have shown early success -- through the end of FY2013, among the nearly 164,000 individuals who had enrolled in these programs 88 percent either completed a program or continued the program into a second year.
• White House Summit on Community Colleges: In October 2010, the President convened community college leaders, faculty and students; business leaders; philanthropic organizations; and other workforce development experts for the first White House summit dedicated to the role that community colleges play in our efforts to increase the number of college graduates and prepare those graduates to lead the 21st century workforce.
• Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness: Last August, the Department of Education launched a new $10 million Institute for Education Sciences-funded Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) that is working to strengthen the research, evaluation, and support of college readiness efforts across the nation. CAPR is documenting current practices in developmental English and math education to identify innovative instructional practices that improve student success.
• Call to Action on College Opportunity: Last December, the President, Vice President, and First Lady joined college presidents and leaders of non-profits, foundations, and other organizations to announce over 600 new commitments to produce more college graduates. Community colleges made commitments individually, and in partnership with neighboring school districts and four-year institutions, to build seamless transitions among institutions, develop clear educational and career pathways, implement strategies to increase student completion of STEM programs, and establish more accurate measures of student progress and success.
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County Receives More Than $1 Million in Grants
By Press Officer PG County Government
Largo, MD - Prince George's County Government and the Chesapeake Bay Trust announced funding for 13 new projects to support stormwater restoration efforts throughout Prince George's County. The collaborative Stormwater Stewardship Grant Program was created earlier this year to encourage on-the-ground restoration activities that reduce nutrient and sediment pollution and community education activities that engage Prince George's County neighborhoods, faith-based organizations, non-profits, and residents in the restoration and protection of local rivers, streams, parks, and other natural resources. In total, $1,050,000 was awarded through 13 projects
"Prince George's County residents and local businesses alike are doing their part to help protect the rivers and streams of our County and the broader Chesapeake Bay watershed," said Adam Ortiz, Director of the Prince George's County Department of the Environment. "Through this partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, we are able to implement projects that not only reduce polluted runoff from entering local waters, but also educate our residents, neighborhoods, communities of faith, and others on how they can partner with us to help improve our community."
The Stormwater Stewardship Grant Program sought proposals in two specifics areas: water quality projects that achieve nutrient and/or sediment reduction (funding from $20,000 - $200,000 was available for each project); and engagement projects that aim to involve residents in efforts to improve local watersheds ($5,000 - $50,000 was available per project). The projects announced today include on-the-ground efforts such as rain gardens, bioretention practices, and impervious pavement removal as well as outreach campaigns related to green workforce development and stormwater management. Non-profit organizations, community associations, civic groups, and faith-based organizations were encouraged to apply, as well as municipalities, higher educational institutions, and public agencies.
"These stormwater practices truly accomplish two goals: Improving water quality and improving our communities. It's a classic win-win," said Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. "This new partnership with Prince George's County allows nonprofit organizations like faith-based organizations, homeowners associations, community groups, and others to play a much-desired larger role in the community effort to restore our collective green spaces and waterways."
Grants approved in 2014 include:
1. Alice Ferguson Foundation, $23,836: This grant funds the development of a clean water educational course for citizens who are interested in obtaining stormwater management jobs.
2. City of District Heights, $34,862: This grant will support the design and installation of a highly visible rain garden to allow the area to better handle stormwater runoff while promoting green infrastructure.
3. Town of Landover Hills, $126,578: Funding through this project will install rain gardens, a bioretention swale, and permeable pavers as a centerpiece in a community park.
4. The Low Impact Development Center, Inc., $55,895: This project will provide a highly visible demonstration area for the seven stormwater practices promoted by Prince George's County's Rain Check Rebate Program.
5. Town of Forest Heights, $49,794: This grant will
train a team of high school students to water, weed and mulch 500 street trees as well as educate homeowners about the benefits of trees on their own properties.
6. Anacostia Watershed Society, $48,000: This grant will educate and train residents in watershed protection issues and empower them to design and implement projects that prevent stormwater runoff and engage additional community members.
7. City of College Park, $66,180: This project will treat stormwater flowing from roadways and demonstrate the use of bioretention, tree planting, and tree boxes for improved stormwater management.
8. City of Greenbelt, $187,700: This project will include the redesign, retrofit, and treatment of impervious surface, replacing it with low impact development techniques and environmental site design practices.
9. Pheasant Run Home Owner's Association, Inc., $11,730: This grant will fund a citizen engagement campaign focused on erosion, stormwater runoff, and pet waste reduction.
10. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, $25,000: This initiative will include workshops to educate faith leaders on stormwater runoff and provide tools to help congregations overcome technical and financial obstacles to project implementation.
11. The Empowerment Institute, $152,145: This grant will remove 20,000 square feet of existing asphalt and replace it with stormwater facilities with native plants to help filter and store rain water.
12. Neighborhood Design Center, $79,308: Funding will assist community groups, small municipalities, schools, and faith based organizations with creating a comprehensive plan for how they can retain and treat stormwater on their property, rather than having it flow into storm drains and local waterways.
13. Alice Ferguson Foundation, $188,972: This grant includes construction of a rooftop rainwater collection system and cistern, rain garden and bioswale as well as educational programming for students, teachers, and Prince George's County residents.
In addition to these 13 grants, the Chesapeake Bay Trust also announced funding for five new projects in partnership with Prince George's County through the collaborative Rain Check Rebate Program. For more information on both grant partnerships, visit www.cbtrust.org.
MD Is Nation's Most Improved State in 2014 America's Health Ranking
By Press OfficerDHMH
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The UnitedHealth Foundation today released "America's Health Rankings 2014," which found that Maryland had the greatest improvement of any state this year. Maryland improved eight spots from 24th last year to 16th in 2014. Key areas of improvement cited in the report include increased immunization rates and reductions in rates of preventable hospitalizations, smoking, and binge drinking.
"Over the course of the O'Malley-Brown Administration, we have made better choices to bring low-cost, high quality health coverage to more Marylanders across our State," said Governor O'Malley. "Today's news shows a lot of improvement, but our work is far from finished. We are focused on strengthening Maryland's middle class, and helping to lift families out of poverty -- continuing to ensure that more Marylanders have access to quality, affordable health coverage is a key ingredient of that effort."
"This jump in national rankings is another sign of significant public health improvement in Maryland," said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, Secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "It reflects efforts in communities and coalitions across the state to support well-being and prevent disease, as well as our strong clinical care system."
The report, which is in its 25th year of production, also found that Maryland is one of the most improved states for health since 1990. The report noted that in Maryland:
• Since 1990, children in poverty driven down by 7 percent from 16.4 percent to 15.3 percent of children.
• Since 1990, infant mortality driven down by 43 percent from 11.6 to 6.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• Since 1990, cardiovascular deaths driven down by 40 percent from 415.8 to 250.7 deaths per 100,000 population.
• Since 1990, violent crime driven down by 38 percent from 768 to 477 offenses per 100,000 population.
As part of the O'Malley-Brown Administration's 16 strategic goals to move Maryland forward, the State is working to reduce preventable hospitalizations by 10 percent by the end of 2015 and to reduce infant mortality in Maryland by 10 percent by 2017. To date, Maryland has reduced preventable hospitalizations by 11.5 percent per 100,000 people since 2011, exceeding the state's goal, and has surpassed the goal to decrease Maryland's infant mortality rate by 10 percent by driving it down by 17.5 percent.
In April 2014, the Commonwealth Fund issued a report highlighting the substantial progress Maryland has made over the last five years. The report noted that Maryland is one of only four states that "stand out for their net improvement across indicators." The State improved in fourteen indicators, while only four indicators deteriorated, making Maryland only one of two states to have a +10 differential. Additionally, Maryland was one of five states that improved on ten or more indicators of health equity, rising from a rank of 30 to a rank of 12.
Additionally, the O'Malley-Brown Administration has embraced CRISP, Maryland's statewide health information exchange (HIE). CRISP's Regional Extension Center for Health IT and HIE efforts serve to advance health and wellness of Marylanders by enabling healthcare providers to share clinical data with other providers and hospital systems across the State. These initiatives, and others, were detailed in an August 2014 report from Business Insider titled, "An Amazing Healthcare Revolution Is Happening In Maryland — And Almost No One's Talking About It."
Baltimore's Neighborhood Bars Remain the Community Meeting Place
BBy Josh Logue Capital News Service
BALTIMORE – It's game day on a cool Sunday afternoon in Baltimore. Tavern owner Dan Macatee is sitting at the corner of the bar, sipping coffee and wearing a black-and-purple Ravens fleece under a white apron. Three wall-mounted TVs in his quiet Locust Point tavern show the Ravens are holding their own (for now) against the San Diego Chargers.
He's talking about the role his place, and others like it, played in the community 30 years ago.
"The neighborhood bar," he says, "back in the day when we first started, damn near every corner had its own spot. And the community -- people that worked in the community, people in the neighborhood -- it was a spot where they would come to find out what was going on in the neighborhood. It was sort of a meeting place."
An audit of the Baltimore liquor board last year sparked controversy and a significant overhaul of the state agency, but life in the city's bars proceeds at it has, in some cases, for generations.
Most of those corner bars are long gone, but Macatee's place, Hull Street Blues Café, has survived.
Macatee bought it in 1984 when it was still called Buck's Place after its original owner, Charlie Krepp, who first opened the tavern in 1936.
Its clientele has changed over time, Macatee says, but Hull Street Blues has always attracted a blend of local, blue-collar workers and younger professionals.
"When I first moved to the neighborhood in 2001, it was very working-class," said Melissa Abernathy, a Hull Street regular who was sitting a few seats down the bar from Macatee, watching the game.
"To this day a lot of people live in their grandparents' houses, but over the years that's shifted. There aren't so many of those people. It's shifted so the newcomers to the neighborhood like me are taking over the place… .
"This has pretty much been my living room for the last eight years."
Since Macatee took over, his bar has weathered the manufacturing slump that killed the nearby Procter & Gamble factory, the rise and fall of the '90s tech bubble that followed, and the influx of new, younger clientele who appeared when Under Armour moved its national headquarters a few blocks away.
It's still a place where people in the community gather, socialize, and even attend functions like weddings and funerals.
"Of course (that part of the) history of bars probably goes back to Revolutionary times," he says, "You know, to talk politics or find out what's going on in the community. That's where you went to get your information, and you went there for social interaction, and then of course you had a few drinks and something to eat while you were there."
Which, according to Nancy Struna, the chair of the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, is absolutely right.
In that respect, Hull Street Blues is preserving, at least in part, the role taverns originally played back in the 17th century.
Back then, Struna said, the term for such a place was "ordinary," and in addition to acting as social centers, ordinaries played the role of workplace and hotel.
"The earliest taverns were actually set up for … the entertainment of travelers and visitors," she said. "Every tavern had to provide a certain number of beds, food, both cold and hot at particular rates, and stabling….
"Businessmen conducted business there. People got their mail there," Struna said. "There were weddings. You name it, they did it in the taverns."
Tavern owners were still required to obtain a license, which they could purchase from the Maryland General Assembly for 7 pounds, -- the equivalent of two or three weeks' income, Struna said. State government also set rates for all its services until both those responsibilities were handed to county governments in the 1700s, Struna said.
A "Hot Dinner, with Small Beer, or Cyder," for example, cost 26 pence in 1789, according to a digital copy of the official Tavern Rates that Struna has.
So important were taverns to the social fabric of communities then, that the courts and legislators actively promoted the purchase of new licenses.
"These people were committed to the encouragement legal taverns," Struna said. "Because they served all these functions.
But by the late 1700s and early 1800s, the advent of boarding houses and the appearance of upper-class, European-style hotels around the country re-routed and undercut the original role of taverns as temporary lodging.
The exodus of wealthier people to those new, expensive hotels also served to link taverns more closely to the working -class, ethnic communities in the city.
Despite the gentrification, Baltimore taverns kept their role as important social centers in working-class communities around the city. And by the turn of the century, they had come to resemble the tavern-on-the-corner environment Macatee says has survived.
In those years leading up to Prohibition, "there were a lot of neighborhood bars, and they were on corners," said Rob Kasper, who has written extensively about the history of beer in Baltimore.
"Traditionally people who lived in about a one- or two-block area would go down to the tavern…. It was a focal point for the community."
Taverns would provide services like check cashing, he said, and they often served as hiring halls, particularly for immigrants who, as soon as they arrived in the city, would be directed to a tavern whose owner was connected politically and could find him or her a job.
Prohibition rolled around eventually, but Baltimore and the entire state of Maryland essentially ignored the 1920 constitutional ban on alcohol sales in the United States, Kasper added.
Maryland never adopted a state-level ban, so enforcement in the state fell to federal agents, who couldn't possibly keep up. Baltimore city cops certainly weren't about to help.
"Mencken said, if you come to Baltimore and need a drink, ask a policeman," said Kasper, referring to the well-known writer and one-time Baltimore Sun editor H.L Mencken.
Still, alcohol was less abundant, even in Baltimore, and it was still technically illegal. Speakeasies in Baltimore would shine red lights to indicate they had booze available.
Prohibition ended in 1933 with the 21st Amendment, and Mencken famously hoisted a glass of Arrow Special beer outside the Rennert Hotel in Baltimore and said, "Pretty good, not bad at all." (Though it probably wasn't good at all, Kasper said. Arrow beer "was pretty terrible stuff.")
The end of Prohibition in Baltimore ushered in the framework for the city's modern liquor regulation. "It became apparent that appropriate controls and licensing of alcoholic beverages at the retail level were necessary in the State of Maryland to insure public safety," according to Baltimore City Liquor License Board website.
Enter the Baltimore City liquor board and Article 2B of the Annotated Code of Maryland, which still enshrines the city's liquor regulations.
Those laws have changed over time, often acquiring confusing loopholes and exceptions. But taverns continued to act as social centers in working class communities around the city throughout much of the 20th century.
Today, there aren't bars on "damn near every corner," like Macatee says there used to be. Still, "some of these younger professionals are still willing to come in and have a few beers and have lunch and talk a little business," he said.
"And oftentimes they tell me they're somewhat productive here, you know, that they do get some, get a little bit of business done." But the days of factory workers stopping by for a shot and beer at lunch are long gone. And people don't need a local tavern to find out what's happening in their community.
"Now you've hardly got to leave your house," Macatee says. "All you've got to do is open up your computer and you find out what's going on in the neighborhood and what your friends are doing. You go on Facebook and see up-to-the-minute updates on what everybody's doing and going on in their lives."
Sidewalk Snow and Ice Removal in PG County
By PRESS OFFICEROffice of the Lt. Governor
Largo, Maryland - With the first snowfall of the year, Prince George's County's Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) wanted to make citizens and business proprietors aware that they are responsible for removal of snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their properties. Per Prince George's County Code, Section 23-150, it is the responsibility of the owner or lessor of a residential dwelling or commercial property to remove snow and ice from an abutting sidewalk within 48 hours after snow has fallen or ice has formed as a result of inclement weather.
If possible, residents and business proprietors are encouraged to remove snow or treat ice from an abutting sidewalk prior to the 48 hours to alleviate residual buildup on the sidewalk.
County inspectors will rotate through various areas of Prince George's County to identify trouble spots that could create dangerous conditions for walkers of all ages. If trouble spots are identified, inspectors will leave a door hanger to "remind residents and business proprietors" to remove the snow and ice from abutting sidewalks.
If a door hanger is left, an inspector will return to the site the next day. If the sidewalk has not been cleared by that time, a violation notice will be left, which carries with it a $100 fine. Thereafter, the site will be re-inspected every 24 hours to ensure that it has been cleared. If it has not, subsequent violation notices will be issued, each of which carries a separate $100 fine.
As in all inclement weather conditions, if you know of a neighbor who is elderly or unable to shovel snow or remove ice from areas abutting their properties, please do the "neighborly" thing and try to help him or her. Local middle and high school students also could be contacted to assist, as they can earn community services hours required for graduation.
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Aaron Hernandez Indicted for Murder, Kicked Off Patriots
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with the first-degree murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd in Massachusetts in June. He was also arrested on gun charges. The charges led the Patriots to dismiss Hernandez as he remains behind bars while the trial is currently being conducted.
(Photo: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
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subset: commoncrawl


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2015 Summer Farm Share
We are offering our most beloved customers (that's you!) an opportunity to bring the Island Creek home shucking experience to a new level this summer--become a member of the Island Creek Farm Share.
What this entails:
-5 different shipments of the freshest seafood Duxbury Bay has to offer at the peak of each species' respective season. Oysters, littlenecks, lobsters, steamers, razor clams with a sprinkling of odd goodies like sea beans and periwinkles in each shipment.
-Orders ship on the last Wednesday or Thursday (your choice) of every month, June through October to wherever you would like in the lower 48 (read: hostess gifts, summer homes, vacation cookouts).
-You can also opt for the main product in any shipment to be oysters (Endless Summer, Endless Oysters).
-A sweet little farm share membership handbook replete with recipes for all products from notable chefs from New England and NYC.
-Elevated, one-on-one customer service through a dedicated phone line and email address.
Shipping is included in the price!


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Minnesota's economic growth ranks No. 11 nationwide
Minnesota's production of goods and services grew 3.2 percent last year to $243.4 billion.
That tops pre-recession levels and reverses a decline of 2.9 percent in 2009, according to a report released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis that breaks down gross domestic product by state.
Minnesota's economic growth ranks No. 11 among all states and the District of Columbia.
Neighboring North Dakota ranked No.1 with 7.1 percent growth to $32.3 billion. North Dakota's economy has grown throughout the recession, and its recent unemployment rate has consistently ranked lowest in the nation.
Total GDP by state grew 2.6 percent in 2010 to nearly $13.1 trillion, after declining 2.5 percent in 2009.
Real GDP increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia in 2010. Durable-goods manufacturing, retail trade, and finance and insurance were leading contributors to the upturn in U.S. economic growth.
Comments (1)
And yet, to hear some tell it, we are a backward cesspool of a society who has gotten it all wrong politicall/economically, where the job producers have leased every moving van in the state to move themselves and their jobs to more compatilble places (like maybe the Mexican border, Polaris?). We have ranked higher on the economic well-being rankings in earlier years before the last decades of trickle-down economic theory began to hold sway. What we could use in Minnesota is a good second political party. One, say, that would stand up for workers and those who truly make the economy of the state spin.
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Unfortunately I didn't know of the evils of rinse agents like Jet Dry until recently. I have a large back log of bottles to be used for beer bottling and a bunch of beer glasses that I've run through the dishwasher (some glasses have been run countless times). Is there any way to get rid of that Jet Dry film? I've been washing glasses by hand now with mild dish detergent (some glasses 10 times) and they still have plenty of Jet Dry residue - they way the shed water and kill beer head indicates that. I also probably have two cases of beer bottles that are still coated. Does anyone know of any commonly available techniques out there for getting rid of the stuff? Please help if you can! Cheers!
I saw a post on a 'home tips' site that advocates using vinegar in place of jet dry. That might help with the film.
You could check out this thread:http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/dish...-enemy-147012/
Yes, I've read of many "substitutes" for Jet Dry, but nothing to do with how to effectively remove it. I could try the salt scrub... If anyone is curious I have middle-of-the-road water when it comes to soft vs hard. But I know from drinking beers at restaurants and the same beers at home that my dishwasher has effectively killed all the head retention of my beer glasses. I search through the "dishwasher/enemy" thread and didn't come up with an answer. I will have to read all the posts later today. Any other guesses? Thanks for the help!
Maybe just soak them in PBW/Oxiclean. If that doesn't work maybe try following it with a Starsan soak. The caustic-followed-by-acid cleaning works well in a lot of cases.
Wow! I wrote to Finish (the makers of Jet Dry) and asked them how they would recommend removing the surfactant left behind from the rinse agent - and I heard back in one day! What nice people... Hermit was dead-on! They suggested using a 50/50 mixture of distilled vinegar and water to soak the Jet Dry teated dishes to remove the surfactant coating. I used straight Heintz distilled vinegar (5% acidity). I gave the glasses about a 90 minute soak (probably way overkill). I tested a vinegar-treated glass and a glass washed in the dishwasher with Jet Dry countless times over several years. I poured two bottles of Lagunitas Brown Shugga (a beer that has blown my mind with its head-retention capabilities on tap... I've seen a 25oz glass keep a 1/4" foam head till it was gone... which took probably 90 minutes) into the glasses, built a nice foam head, then set a timer and periodically checked back. The end result? The vinegar-treated glasses had a 60-75% better head retention than my plain ol' dishwasher-washed glasses. It worked! The head retention, while much improved, was less than I was hoping for: the 90 minute wonder. I wondered if my hand-washing dish soap was adversely affecting things. Not being able to go through five bottles of Brown Shugga, though, I resorted to a simple "salt" test as described in the "Dishwasher/Enemy" thread. I checked a vinegar-treated glass, a long-since handwashed glass that was re-washed with a new detergent (in case my hand washing soap was part of the problem) and for control, another beer glass that had been dishwashered and jet dried many times over the years. All three stuck the salt evenly like the glass was perfectly clean. My conclusion? The salt test can indicate if you have a very dirty glass (e.g. someone who never uses soap on beer glasses might build up other strange deposits over time). But it will not reveal the presence of rinse-agent surfactants (i.e. Jet Dry), which has definitely played a big roll in hampering my glasswares' head retention. For those who ask "does any of this matter?"... it depends. This season Brown Shugga has shown up at several joints around my town. I've had it in glasses that lose their head in 5 minutes and I've had it in glasses that keep the foam until it's gone. Make your own call. For me that creamy foam head does more to give the perception of thick mouthfeel than the actual dextrin content does... and I love a thick beer. A friend of mine really dislikes "nitro" pours for exactly the same reason. Beauty is in the eye (and mouth) of the beer-holder. Do what's right for you! In the mean time I have to figure out how to vinegar treat something like 30 pint-sized logo glasses... Cheers, everyone!


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Hey everyone. Quick backstory: My now-wife lived in the Fairfax, VA area for the past few years and became a huge fan of a brewpub called Sweetwater's Tavern (they have a couple locations), and especially their annual "Happy Trails Christmas Ale". It's a really good beer that she misses terribly now that we live outside Chicago. Last year before we got married, she moved out to Chicago to be with me, so this will be her first holiday season without any of the beer. As a thank you for putting up with my new "hobsession", I'd love to do my best to brew a clone for her. The beer has similar spices to a normal holiday beer, but it's much closer to an amber in flavor and appearance than some of the rich/dark ones I'm used to (Great Lakes, Goose Island, etc). I contacted the brewer, and this is what he was willing to tell me: "The grist involves german caramunich malts and caraaroma. No Black. The hops used were Northern Brewer." I plan on using a lot of freshly grated ginger, and a moderate amount of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I have very little experience using the malts he mentioned, so that's what I was looking towards this community for help with! How does this look: 6 lbs Light Dry Extract 1.5 lbs CaraMunich (Steeped) .5 lbs CaraAroma (Steeped) .5 lbs Carapils (steeped) .5 oz Northern Brewer (60) .5 oz Northern Brewer (30) All at 10 minutes: 2 tsp fresh grated ginger 1 tsp clove 1 tsp nutmeg 1 stick cinnamon --- Taste, and add more spices at bottling as necessary. According to TastyBrew, that's a 5.5% alcohol and the color looks about right. I have no idea what kind of yeast to use...still learning about all those little guys. Thanks! Appreciate it in advance.
Bump up for the morning crowd!
That's probably way too much C-malts. Drop the C-pils (there's some in the DME), reduce the C-munich to 1/2 lb and bump the DME to 7-1/2 lbs. That puts you in the 15% range. Adjust next year if necessary.
Clove can be pretty powerful in a beer, I would suggest cutting that back to maybe 1/2 tsp. You can always add more in the secondary. For yeast, I would suggest London ESB (Wyeast 1968) or something that favors a malty profile or low attenuation.
Awesome thanks for the input guys. Is there a reason you want to avoid using too much cara malts? I've seen that before but not sure what is "too much". I was just adding until I got the color I wanted.
The recipe you show is almost 30% unfermentables. C-malts+C-pils. That's too much for any style. Beer will be loaded with body (mouthfeel) and will probably taste sweet. Don't know what style you are looking for but 30% is a bit much. An American Amber beer (if that what it is) might be in the 10-15% range. YMMV...


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Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 18:53
Are these seeds actually plantable!? I have 5 more seed pods that i have on my plants, today is the first time ive seen this... If they are plantable seeds, what time of year can i plant them??? |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by MsMorningSong SW FL 10A (My Page) on Fri, Aug 1, 14 at 11:54
Yes! Plant them, they are fresh and should come up within 7 days. Good luck :) |
- Posted by mallory13 none (email@example.com) on Fri, Aug 1, 14 at 14:44
Awesome! Thank you!!! |
- Posted by butterflyman 5 (My Page) on Sun, Aug 3, 14 at 15:36
Tropical milkweed will germinate within a week - but plant it on top of the soil. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Seeds on top of soil.
- Posted by flutterby64 7a North Central AR (My Page) on Tue, Aug 5, 14 at 2:02
Butterflyman, Should native milkweed such as Purple MW and Butterfly Weed also be surface sown? Dana |
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text: Images Major divisions of the Austronesian languages. Figure 1: A subgrouping of the Austronesian languages, with the approximate number of languages in each group shown in parentheses. AN = Austronesian family; F = Formosan, a cover term for perhaps six primary branches of the Austronesian family; MP = Malayo-Polynesian; WMP = Western Malayo-Polynesian; CEMP = Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian; CMP = Central Malayo-Polynesian; EMP = Eastern Malayo-Polynesian; SHWNG = South Halmahera–West–New Guinea; OC = Oceanic. Major languages and peoples of Africa.


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Side by Side: On Britain's School Wars
The idea that the standard types of state school have "failed" and that successful innovation in education requires new institutional models, with new "freedoms" from state control, has gained ground in several countries in the past couple of decades. In Britain the form that has been much vaunted is one in which state schools are allowed under certain conditions to convert to "academy" status, which gives them more freedom from local government control, exemption from various national agreements about pay and conditions, and a significant injection of funds. Academy schools began as a Labour government idea to attract philanthropic and commercial sponsors to revivify "failing" schools in inner-city and other deprived areas, but David Cameron's Tory-led coalition government has been enthusiastically extending the scheme to cover "outstanding" schools as well. In addition, some academy schools, sponsored by large commercial companies, focus almost exclusively on vocational qualifications, boasting that their post-school employment record is better than that of conventional state schools (many of which still seek to give children an education, not mere job training). In some cases, these schools seem to do little more, notes Benn, than to guarantee to their commercial sponsors "a captive future workforce." These and other developments reflect, she says, the "extraordinary sense of presumption concerning the right of private enterprise to interfere at every level in our education system."
It is becoming clear that academies involve a substantial use of public money to support private educational agendas. One of the most crucial functions of local authorities in education, as Benn justly remarks, is "to balance the interests of the whole population against powerful interest groups." The academies program does the opposite, empowering particular interest groups. Business and religious organizations are no substitute for the whole community, working through its democratically elected form of government, national or local. Moreover, the commitment of some of the sponsoring bodies is proving to be fickle or short-term: "The philanthropic edu-entrepreneur can always walk away; the state, quite rightly, cannot." Worse still, these schools are allowed to select pupils on the grounds of "aptitude" for their curricular focus or of "congruence" of religious values, which means in practice that energetic and knowledgeable parents can find yet more ways to get their children in to what are perceived to be the "best" schools, to the detriment of the education of the children of the less knowledgeable majority. "Despite being officially phased out over forty-five years ago," comments Benn with icy accuracy, "selection still defines and moulds our education system. Every piece of legislation over the past twenty-five years has resulted in more, rather than less, selection, covert or overt."
As she notes, policy-makers in Britain point to the alleged success of the "free schools" in Sweden and the charter school movement in the United States as justification for liberating certain schools from local control. The latter now has 5,000 schools educating more than a million and a half children, and large claims are made about the startling improvements these schools have made in the educational attainment of neighborhoods of "deprived" children. But in reality the evidence that these schools have been a success is decidedly mixed. The most thorough analysis of the Swedish free schools concludes that they have brought some benefit to the children of the already most advantaged families but have lowered standards in the national system overall. A former government minister is quoted as saying, "We are now seeing segregation in our schools, along lines of social class," and Sweden's international ranking has been falling as a consequence.
In the United States, charter schools are, in effect, "privately run state schools, whose funds are often significantly bolstered by philanthropic and private sources," Benn writes. But here again the record is not wholly positive. Some of these schools do well, some less well, but the former depend heavily on selective recruiting of the most highly motivated children, strict parental support and a high rate of exclusion of troublesome pupils. And, of course, these schools receive significantly larger funds than their public counterparts: charter schools in the Knowledge Is Power Program (launched by Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin in 1994) receive as much as $6,600 more a year per pupil than public high schools, while one celebrated charter school in Washington, DC, receives three times as much money as its public counterparts. Benn summarizes these arguments with her usual incisiveness:
The problem is not that these semi-independent schools spend generous sums on the education of poor children, but that they claim superiority, in approach and method, to a state system that is educating far more challenging pupils on far less money, and then they suggest—as politicians and right-wing policy-makers are increasingly arguing in the UK—that revenue is irrelevant to school performance and results.
In addition to various forms of nonprofit organizations that are increasingly taking over responsibility for schools from the state, there is the prospect of for-profit providers being allowed to run selected state schools. And such companies make sure that they make a profit out of their business: Cognita, one of the leading for-profit providers in Britain, made £3 million in 2010 alone from a school it had taken over in London, though its methods hardly provide a sustainable model for the system as a whole. Meanwhile, difficult pupils who are excluded by these various privately run schools in order to boost their exam scores and their disciplinary record have to be picked up by much less well-funded state schools.
* * *
Alongside these changes to the state system—changes commonly referred to as forms of "privatization"—elite "public schools" in Britain have continued to flourish. As Benn notes, they have shrewdly moved with the times and rebranded themselves as "independent schools," disowning their ages-old association with upper-crust privilege and marketing a narrative that "stresses high academic standards, good discipline, motivated staff, operational efficiency, high levels of extra-curricular activities, and so on." Prime Minister Cameron (Eton) and his Lib Dem coalition partner Nick Clegg (Westminster) typify the new elites produced by these schools: confident but not overtly superior, advantaged but not remote, as at home with popular culture as with high culture; in a word, modern. In 2011 there are approximately 2,600 private schools educating 628,000 children (about 7–8 percent of the school-age population), but the alumni of the top layer of these schools are still staggeringly overrepresented in all the upper reaches of British life—the political, legal and financial sectors above all. Increasingly, these schools educate the direct beneficiaries of the huge transfer of wealth from the less advantaged to the financial and business elite that has taken place in the past three decades, and they are prospering correspondingly. "Private-school fees have risen almost three times faster than average income over the past two decades," Benn writes.
The charitable status (and hence favorable tax position) of private schools in Britain is indefensible, and the relative media and political silence about it is a minor scandal. One notable exception to this silence is Simon Jenkins, former editor of the Times of London and no one's idea of a left-wing ideologue, whose scathing observation is quoted by Benn: "An exclusive education is not a public benefit—if anything, the opposite. It is far from the dictionary's 'voluntary granting of selfless help to those in need.' Many schools exist to help rich parents compete for university places with those in need." In tax terms, their charitable status exacts "a compulsory donation to these schools from the taxpayer." Private schools, like private medicine, function in the same way as do the large, electronically surveyed entrance gates on the driveways to "exclusive" homes—as a way of insulating the social experience of global capitalism's financial elite from contact with their less privileged fellow citizens.
Comprehensive education is an unfinished project, one that has never been fully attempted in Britain. Benn tellingly invites us to imagine the level of public support that might obtain if a National Education Service had been created to parallel the National Health Service. Now even the limited progress that was achieved in the 1960s and '70s is being put into reverse. We need a comprehensive, democratically accountable public system, but within that we should give teachers as much autonomy as possible. The current policies do the opposite: under the cover of a rhetoric of "diversity" and "choice," they break up the public system into competing, differentially advantaged categories of schools that reproduce rather than correct for socioeconomic advantage, while minutely controlling the curriculum and how it is assessed. Teachers are scorned by government as an obstructive interest group rather than regarded as the qualified professionals best placed to make day-to-day educational decisions, though it must be said that the teachers' trade unions and other representatives have provided successive governments with some justification for these attitudes. Meanwhile, the real interest groups—wealthy parents committed to social segregation, religious zealots perpetuating mistrust, commercial companies making profits out of public subsidy—are given more freedom and power, and in some cases large amounts of public funding, to pursue their divisive ends.
* * *
Recent schools policy in Britain, like so much of current politics in Britain and the United States (and elsewhere), is founded on a toxic mix of individualism and fear. The fear is evident in the various metaphors of contamination that turn up in responses to any proposal that suggests the more advantaged may have to share life experiences with the less advantaged. Even parents who profess to believe in greater equality among adults want their children's schooling to be protected against behavior associated with the lower orders. But the deforming perspective of individualism is more poisonous still—a refusal to place one's experience and concerns in a larger social context, an indifference to the overall pattern, an obtuseness about the social determinants of behavior, a denial of the legitimate claims of others. One of the main lessons to be drawn from School Wars is that the overwhelming priority, when thinking about schools, should be to focus on the larger picture of society as a whole. All attempts to justify various forms of selective schooling focus on the beneficiary group alone.
This does not mean that those who believe in free, public, socially inclusive education should be reproached for not consistently choosing such schooling for their children, regardless of the circumstances. Benn may seem to understate the agonizing dilemmas education-conscious middle-class parents face when their local state school option is manifestly inadequate. Campaigning to improve such schools is admirable, but it is understandable why, in the short term, some parents feel unable to deny their children the more stimulating education available at a selective or private school. Indeed, the most common form of reproach leveled at such behavior may express another aspect of the fallacy of individualism. There is an instructive parallel here between thinking about tax and about education. As things stand, I am not prepared unilaterally to send to the revenue office a substantial check each year representing the additional tax I think people in my income bracket should be charged, but I would enthusiastically vote for a candidate who pledges to raise the tax rate for everyone at that income level. Similarly, if schools are divided by various forms of social and academic selectivity, as they are at present, one might well not be prepared to send a child to the "worst" school in order to widen his social experience and to contribute, minimally, to social solidarity; but one might enthusiastically vote for a candidate who pledges to abolish selective schooling across the country. It cannot be said often enough that the state is not some alien behemoth from whose "impositions" we should seek to escape. The state is us, acting collectively to do the things that are in the collective interest but that we are unable to bring about by acting individually.
Benn quotes a commentator who observed that, for all the vehemence of disagreements on the matter, "everyone wants the same thing: a good, free, local school for all." But it may be, alas, that not everyone wants that; what many people want is for their children to have more educational advantages than others, and they are prepared to do anything legal to get that. One of the most striking features of middle-class norms of ethical propriety is that a degree of self-interest that would be condemned as unacceptably selfish if attached to one's own wants becomes irreproachably "normal," even altruistic, when attached to the education of one's children.
Benn is too rigorous a writer to rely on those vox pop vignettes that have become a substitute for evidence and argument in so much contemporary journalism. But at one point she reports the reaction of a mother who, having been closely involved with her local state school, is driven to distraction by the comments on state education of her friends who choose to send their children to private schools: "I mean, the way they talk about these schools and these children. We start having arguments and I just can't bear what they say, the ignorance. I have to get up and leave the table. But that's exactly why social cohesion is so important. To break down that ignorance." School Wars makes an impressive contribution to breaking down that ignorance. You really ought to read it before you attend your next dinner party.


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Nissan Maxima vs. Toyota Camry
I am trying to decide between the 2006-07 Nissan Maxima or the 2007 Toyota Camry XLE.
The car I choose will be equiped with all the bells and whistles.
What are your recommendations, should I go for the Camry or the Maxima?
The car I choose will be equiped with all the bells and whistles.
What are your recommendations, should I go for the Camry or the Maxima?
lmacmil Posts: 1,756I suspect the Camry V6 will get several mpg better mileage, at least on the highway. Check the Maxima turning circle, Consumer Reports says it's 44 feet which would make for a lot of turns in tight spaces. Apples to apples equipped, I think the Camry will be a little cheaper. The Maxima, otoh, is perceived as being more "upscale."
Both will be very nice vehicles. In the end, only you can decide which one is best for you. -
tristan1 Posts: 39I just bought my wife an 06' Maxima SE a week ago. I test drove bought Camry SE V6 & max SE. Both cars pulls the same but the handling on the max is tighter for it's size. Max has a bigger interior. I like the memory seating too. But the max price is higher than the camry. Camry has a better MPG. Camry has a voice activated navigation. Bottom line is test drive both and see the difference.
blindmantoo Posts: 139We traded in our Maxima for our new V6SE. My words of wisdom are to check out the Edmunds Maxima forum and Consumer Reports vehicle history reports for the Nissans. You'll end up with a pretty cool car w/ lots of features - but you'll get to know the Nissan service dept much better than you ever wanted to. I guarantee you'll know everyone by name in less than a year.
suydam Posts: 1,045We bought our Maxima in 2001 over the VW Passat partly because Consumer Reports rated the Maxima highly for reliability. We haven't been sorry. In 5 years the only problem it's had was replacing brake rotors (just a month ago) at 60,000 miles.
That said, the two vehicles will drive quite differently. Drive them both and see which appeals to you. Is the turning radius on the Camry that much different? -
maximafan Posts: 592One thing I've noticed when reading about
the problems and solutions section of Edmunds
forums on the Maxima is that most of the
questions relate to Maxima's that are almost
ten years old, with a few exceptions. I
don't know. To me, that's a pretty good
indication of some good reliability. I mean,
things are bound to happen on a car that's
over 7 years old. Even the 2004 to current
Maxima's don't seem to have a whole lot of
problems, except for the recurrent vibration
issues. And the 2004 to current Maxima is
made in the USA. So, I'm trying to still
keep an open mind about the new Maxima and
even the new Altima, due to my positive
experience with my 2002 Maxima.
I would like to wait and see if any issues
come up with the new CVT trannie in the 2007
Maxima. Just my two cents! -
blindmantoo Posts: 139Ours was a 2000. Had a "serious driveability" issue when new (only on the 5sp manual tranny cars). Nissan denied that it was an issue - when in heavy traffic at about 10 - 15 mph the rpms would drop out suddenly. If you simply pressed down on the gas pedal nothing happened. You had to let off, then press down and the car would lurch forward. You could re-create the problem 100% of the time. "That's normal for this car" was the answer. Finally I found a dealer w/ a master mechanic that took it on as a "pet" project. He worked w/ Nissan engineers to finally solve it - after eight trips to the service dept.
The rotors were replaced at 19k miles, the Oxygen sensor died at 25k (killing a trip to a friends surprise birthday party). I had to limp back home on the highway for two hours at about 25mph. One ignition coil went - so all six had to be replaced at about 40k miles. The drivers outside mirror worked some of the time from about 40k miles until I got rid of it. The drivers power window would go up, then bounce halfway back down when closed w/ the auto up feature for the last two years. The leather on the drivers seat started wearing through at about 12k miles - Nissan called it normal wear & tear. If a bug, sap or bird droppings sat on the paint for more than six hours, it killed the paint (black car).
One rear rotor locked up at about 75k miles. Nissan wanted over $1,000 to replace the pads, rotors and calipers - A local independent did it for a mere $650.
I'm sure there was more - I just can't bear the memories. Yes - the car looked good (black w/ beige heated leather, SE pkg, Bose, Moonroof, etc. It was fun to drive - except for the awful turning radius - always took two manuvers to get into a parking spot (Camry & Odyssey are way, way better with tighter turning radius). -
jeep1999 Posts: 6I'm in the thinking stage about whether to purchase a new Camry or a new Maxima. I've been doing some research about both cars on Edmunds. I like the styling of the Maxima but I also like the new design of the Camry. I would give a little edge in reliability to the Toyota product. I would appreciate any comments anyone might have as to which car is the best for the money overall.
I know it comes down to personal choice but any comments would be appreciated. Thank you. -
maximafan Posts: 592Thanks, Pat. I forgot about that. I have
to remember to check the "Recent Messages"
and even when I do that, it takes me back
to the top of where I was on the "so-called"
page before and I have to scroll all the way
down again. Usually, what happens is if I
don't see any recent replies near the bottom,
I assume there is no recent posts. But I'll
remember the "30-minute" edit rule.
Thanks again. -
jeep1999 Posts: 6I just had a general question for anyone out there. I have a 2001 VW Jetta that I'm thinking of trading in for a new car. I still owe about $9,000 on the car. Would the dealer give me a portion of what the car is worth minus what I owe on the car? This is my first trade in and I'm not sure totally how it works. Thanks for whatever help you can give.
mfletou1 Posts: 508The dealer will buy your car, literally, from you, and then pay off what you owe and apply the difference to your new purchase.
I rented a Maxima for a few days, and now I drive a 2007 Camry. I'm sure I would have gotten used to it SOME but I found the Maxima VERY difficult to live with. The turning circle was ridiculous---I suppose once you are aware of it, you adjust, but I had to pull a u-turn that would have been easy in any other car I had driven and I nearly got killed because the Maxima didn't make it. There is a lot of room in the back seat and it has some neat features.
But I think the feel of the controls and layout design are better in the 2007 Camry, and I think you'll find it quite a bit more nimble. Mine is a hybrid so obviously the Maxima is much faster, but the V6 Camry is pretty quick also. -
perna Posts: 533We traded in our Maxima for our new V6SE. My words of wisdom are to check out the Edmunds Maxima forum and Consumer Reports vehicle history reports for the Nissans. You'll end up with a pretty cool car w/ lots of features - but you'll get to know the Nissan service dept much better than you ever wanted to. I guarantee you'll know everyone by name in less than a year.
This is ridiculous. The Maxima is one of the most reliable cars you can buy, bar none! SUre, there is the occasional "my headlights were stolen" or "My 1991 Max won't start", but for crying out loud. Cars are machines, they aren't meant to last the owner's lifetime*!
*unless they're Buicks :P -
jeep1999 Posts: 6Thanks for the tip. I still think Toyota's reliability is better than Nissan. We are seriously condsidering buying the new Camry over the Maxima. Granted the Maxima is a very sharp looking sedan. The new Camry is also very sharp also compared to the older models. Good luck with yours!!
I hope you have it for a long time without any major problems. -
maximafan Posts: 592I agree with Perna whole-heartedly. I've
been perusing these forums on the Maxima problems and solutions reading back two or three years, and it seems that most of the questions involve Maximas that are anywhere from 5 to 11 years old. You're bound to have some things occur on a car that's over five
years old. Yes, there are some newer Maximas
from the last couple of years that have had a
few problems, but it still doesn't add up to
anything more scary than the well-known problem
with the 2007 V6 Camrys with the transmission issues.
Unfortunately, my 2002 Maxima was involved in
a wreck Monday evening, so my car my be totaled
out. It's been a fantastic car! The 2007
Maxima will still be at the top of my list to
consider when I get ready to shop for my next
car. -
lmacmil Posts: 1,756
troe Posts: 1I have extensively researched the 2007 Nissan Maxima, 2007 Honda Accord and the 2007 Toyota Camry. I plan on buying one of these vehicles with the works. A few of the Internet tools I've used to help me narrow down my decision are Edmunds, epinions, and consumer reports. I can't remember which site directed me to an article by the Gadget Guru, but it was an in depth article on the Camry's navigation system and to beware. Because I so badly want GPS in my next vehicle I may still buy the Camry, but I will be sure to go with an after market GPS instead.
pat Posts: 10,421Was that article about the Camry or the Avalon? The Gadget Guru has repeated an extensive review here of what he sees as issues with the Avalon's GPS in 6 consecutive posts starting here: thegadgetguru, "Avalon Electronics" #18, 10 Jul 2006 10:34 am.
It's very possible that the 06 Avalon has the same GPS system as the 07 Camry, but unless you know that for sure, you probably want to get that confirmed. And if I were you, I'd also ask the folks hanging out in the Toyota Camry: Navigation discussion what their experiences have been.
Keep us posted on your research and decisions. -
bv050506 Posts: 97I had a 2004 Maxima, a fine car. I now own a 2007 Camry XLS. The Camry is a better car, the Nissan looks cooler. The turning radius drove me absolutely insane! The Camry V6 is quicker than the Nissan VQV6, but doesn't sound as mocho when you get on it. ( 6.1 vs. 6.5 0-60) I also opted for the Bose system and sacrificed the sunroof. Bad move on my part, the panel in the Maxima while cool, isn't a sunroof, and if your used to one and like it, the glass panel won't excite you. I live in the north and one very interesting fact about the Maxima was it went through snow like it had 4-wheel drive. Haven't had my Camry in snow yet. The Max was bigger, especially the trunk that could swallow 4 sets of golf clubs easily, and the rear seat. The Camry is finished better and remember it has a 6 speed and gets great gas mileage, far superior to the Max. You gotta love that quad exhaust tho! Either way you'll have agreat car, so enjoy the ride!
tristan1 Posts: 39Camry is a nice car and is known for reliabilty. But you are comparing a 2004 Max to a fully redesign 2007 Camry. It don't seem fair to me. Both cars are great but the Max's turning radius is starting to get to me. The 6-speed is nice for the camry but I would prefer the cvt on the 07 max. The dual exhaust on the camry v6 is not bad either. And 18-inch wheels on the max.
bv050506 Posts: 97You're right, perhaps not a fair comparison. I haven't experienced the CVT tranny yet but must do it. Yes the 18's on the Max are stylin' for sure. I think the Max is a sexier car for sure. I'll test drive a new Max the next time I'm close to a dealer just to see how much it has improved since my '04. The exhaust on my Camry was made big enough by toyota to notice. The duals on a Fusion/Milan are hardly visual when you see them. I'll bet if the Max had 16's or even 17's the turning radius issue would go away. there just isn't enough clearance in the whell wells to allow for more turn. Do you have the new Max with CVT? How is it? Enjoy your ride!
tristan1 Posts: 39Unfortunately I just bought my wife a 2006 SE couple months ago. Neighbor got a blue SE camry so it's between the TL or Avalon and we ended up with a max(lol). Had a murano w/ CVT for rental feels weird but it drives nice through the mountains. Funny coz I never did notice fusion/milan had dual exhaust. You can put 18's on a camry and still would'nt have a problem making a u-turn on a narrow street.
bv050506 Posts: 97she'll like the Max, its a real looker and rides well. My Avalon was very nice, just didn't like how it handled. The TL is really superb but about $3K more than an avalon. I still think my Camry is a better car than the Avalon was, mostly because of handling. It's not a TL though. Nissan better watch out they're getting to a point where others are in superior cars. I put wider tires on the Camry as soon as I got it and that helped a bunch. I don't think 18's will fir but a 17 will.
thenebean Posts: 1,124if i am not mistaken, i think the turning radius has a lot to do with the suspension on the car, and being that nissan put a sport suspension on the maxima, you get less of a turning radius because of it (though wheel size probably affects it too)
something to consider...
im a nissan nut, had a 92 max that i loved loved loved!!! if i had the money when i bought a new car 3 years ago, it would have been a max, but being fresh out of college, i went for a sentra ser spec v (which has a larger turning radius than the regular sentra due to the sport suspension) but i deal, i'll take a bad turning radius for the sporty feel!
-thene -
correkmino996 Posts: 1I think all the problems that you guys are saying about the Maxima has to be related with the way you maintain the car and drive it. I had a 2000 Maxima SE 5 Spd and never had problems with it. I kept it well maintained and serviced it. The oil i used was synthetic and the clutch lasted till 85,000 miles thats quite a lot. my brake pads lasted untill i traded the car for a 2004 Maxima SE Automatic. These one already has 28,000 and the only problem i have is that it dosen't turn. Then any other issues none. I also put syntheic oil and 93 otane fuel in it. The car is perfect and would not prefer any other.
bv050506 Posts: 97
gaudreau Posts: 2Turning radius is really lousy. This is my 3 Maxima (94,99,04) and probably my last. Had to replace rear breaks, discs etc after 27000 miles fronts at 36 000, the electric engine mount, rear right bearing at 36 000.
I guess the one thing that I don't like is if I leave the car in the driveway for a awhile (5 days) rust starts to form on the discs (front and rear) and sometimes that rust feels like the discs are warped. I was "lucky" the dealer replaced the front discs before the 12000 miles limit. Front tires had to be replaced because of mis-alignment on the dealer part. (those 18 inch tires are very expensive.)
I have a Jeep Wrangler that I store in the winter in my backyard for the past 7 years. I never had to worry about rust on discs.
This discussion has been closed.


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The government on Thursday decided to sell 5.82 per cent stake in SAIL at a minimum price of Rs 63 apiece, a 1.41 per cent discount to closing price, to raise Rs 1,514 crore.
"The EGoM has set the floor price for SAIL stake sale at Rs 63 per share," a top government official said.
Government will sell 24.03 crore shares or 5.82 per cent stake through Offer for Sale (OFS) on Friday.
In an unusual move, a high powered ministerial panel met for the second time in two days to deliberate on the pricing of the OFS as the stock slumped 8 per cent in past one week.
The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, is believed to have decided on Wednesday on the pricing of the issue and a formal announcement was expected after the close of market hours Thursday.
But departing from the practice followed in previous disinvestments, the panel again met apparently perturbed by the volatility in the stock.
Shares of SAIL closed at Rs 63.90, down 1.77 per cent on the BSE, trading at its four-year low level. The stock has lost more than 30 per cent since March last year.
"We need to keep market condition in mind," SAIL Chairman C S Verma said after the EGoM meeting Thursday.
Keywords: SAIL shares, Public offer


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Cute Pic of the Day: Adrienne and Julissa
Empire Girls co-stars and besties Adrienne Bailon and Julissa Bermudez were ready for fall at US Weekly's celebration of its "25 Most Stylish New Yorkers". We were loving Adrienne's bright, cobalt blazer and can we talk about those nails?! Julissa also rocked an on-trend, beauty look in the form of a deep-plum lip to the eventtry Yung Rapunxel by MAC for a similar, colored pout (it girl rapper Azealia Banks helped create it!).
Which Empire Girls's look would you want to steal? Let us know in the comments!


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A GIGANTIC bowl of popcorn. And I don't feel bad. It was sooo good.
i just ate...
Posted 07/07/2012
Married the man of my dreams 3/18/11
Welcomed our little love bug on 2/14/13!
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Chrissy + J
Mama to my little monster, Joseph(11/27/2010)
And little lady Juliette (2/25/13)
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Sounds soo good. DF laughed at me last night cause I ate a full tub of ice cream in one sitting.
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Hoping for Blue but Pink Will Do
EDD-02/02/13- Our 1st Little Bundle
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Movie popcorn with so much butter tasty I need to wash my hands would make me soooooooooooo happy right now!
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20 fresh soft pretzel sticks. Its the only thing I can keep down.
R+H= A&A Twin girls 2/1/13 36+6
5lbs 1 oz and 5lbs 4 oz 18 inches long TTTS SURVIVORS
Having a Father's Day Surprise edd 6/21/2015
Posted 07/07/2012
Yummy wet burrito from Rojo... Then the toilet got some right back, lol
Step-mom to awesome 5 year old twins
Expecting my first in Feb. 2013!
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