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What is a "food system"?
Food systems comprise all aspects of food production (the way the food is grown or raised; the way the food is harvested or slaughtered; and the way the food is processed, packaged, or otherwise prepared for consumer purchase) and food distribution (where and how the food is sold to consumers and how the food is transported). Food systems can be divided into two major types: the global industrial food system, of which there is only one, and sustainable/local (or regional) food systems, of which there are many. The global industrial food system has a much wider geographic reach than a local or regional food system. F
What is a "local (or regional) food system"?
The term "local food system" (or "regional food system") is used to describe a method of food production and distribution that is geographically localized, rather than national and/or international. Food is grown (or raised) and harvested close to consumers' homes, then distributed over much shorter distances than is common in the conventional global industrial food system. In general, local/regional food systems are associated with sustainable agriculture, while the global industrial food system is reliant upon industrial agriculture. F
What is local? What is regional?
Commonly, "local food" refers to food produced near the consumer (i.e., food grown or raised within X miles of a consumer). FHowever, because there is no universally agreed-upon definition for the geographic component of what "local" or "regional" means, consumers are left to decide what local and regional food means to them. A 2008 survey found that half of consumers surveyed described "local" as "made or produced within a hundred miles" (of their homes), while another 37% described "local" as "made or produced in my state." FThe ability to eat "locally" also varies depending on the production capacity of the region in question: people living in areas that are agriculturally productive year-round may have an easier time sourcing food that is grown or raised 100 miles (or even 50 miles) from their homes than those in arid or colder regions, whose residents may define "local food" in a more regional context.
Is local food the same as sustainable food?
Not necessarily. Many people now equate the terms "local food" and "sustainable food," using local as a synonym for characteristics such as fresh, healthful, and produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Technically though, "local" means only that a food was produced relatively close to where it's sold - the term doesn't provide any indication of food qualities such as freshness, nutritional value, or production practices, and can't be used as a reliable indicator of sustainability. For instance, while meat from a factory farm could be accurately marketed to a nearby community as "local," the meat would certainly not be considered sustainable. Furthermore, as noted above, the maximum acceptable distance from a "local" food's point of production to its point of sale isn't actually defined or regulated - it's left up to the interpretation of whoever is using the term.
Unfortunately, in order to capitalize on increased consumer demand for local food, less scrupulous producers have begun to use the term to "greenwash" (or "localwash") their products. By taking advantage of the ambiguity regarding the term's definition, these producers can mislead consumers by using the local label to imply that their foods are grown closer and/or more sustainably than they actually are.
Of course, it's important to note that food marketed as "local" isn't always industrial food in disguise; indeed, plenty of local food is produced according to the highest sustainability standards. Nonetheless, since local is not defined or regulated, consumers should always be prepared to find more information about production practices in order to determine whether a local food is sustainable.
Food Distribution: the Way Local Food Reaches the Consumer
The ways in which food reaches the consumer vary widely between local food systems and the conventional global industrial food system. The development of refrigerated trucking, in combination with subsidized fuel costs and changes to methods of harvesting and transporting food, enable conventional food to be shipped over very long distances at fairly low cost to producers. F FThe conventional food system also heavily relies upon centralized processing and packaging facilities that are often located far from the grower and the consumer. FLocal food systems value a shorter distribution distance between grower/producer and consumer. In addition, local food systems often cut out the middlemen involved in processing, packaging, transporting, and selling food.
Sustainable/Local Food Distribution
Local food production-distribution networks often start on smaller, sustainable family farms. Farm products are transported over shorter geographic distances, generally processed either on the farm itself, or with smaller processors. Sustainable/local food distribution networks rely on two primary markets: the direct-to-consumer market and the direct-to-retail, foodservice, and institution market.
The Direct-to-Consumer Market
The direct-to-consumer market is currently the most established sector of local food distribution. FDirect-to-consumer means that all middlemen are cut out of the food distribution equation - farmers sell their products directly to consumers, rather than through third parties, such as grocery stores. Common direct-to-consumer operations include:
- Farmers' Markets
Farmers' markets are communal spaces in which multiple farmers gather to sell their farm products directly to consumers. Farmers' markets may be municipally or privately managed and may be seasonal or year-round. Farmers may have to pay a vendor's (or other similar) fee to participate, and must usually transport their own farm products to the farmers' market site. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the number of farmers' markets in the US increased from 1,755 in 1994 to 7,175 in 2011. F
- Community Supported Agriculture
Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) are direct-to-consumer programs in which consumers buy a "share" of a local farm's projected harvest. Consumers are often required to pay for their share of the harvest up front; this arrangement distributes the risks and rewards of farming amongst both consumers and the farmer. CSA participants often pick up their CSA shares in a communal location, or the shares may be delivered directly to customers. The USDA estimates that there may be as many as 2,500 CSAs currently operating in the US. F
- Other Direct to Consumer Programs
A much smaller proportion of the direct-to-consumer market are options such as pick-your-own farms, on-site farm stands and stores, and gleaning programs, in which consumers are invited to harvest crops that are left in fields, usually after harvest.
The Direct to Retail, Foodservice, and Institution Market
A growing component of local food systems are programs that provide farm products directly to retail, foodservice, and institutions. These types of programs cut out the (usually corporate) middlemen involved in storing, processing, and/or transporting food destined for grocery (and other retail) stores, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and other institutions. F
Direct to retail, foodservice, and institution programs may involve farmers delivering farm products directly to these establishments, or may rely upon a "food hub," which is a centralized location where many farmers drop off their farm products for distribution amongst multiple establishments. (Read more about food hubs below.)
The Global Industrial Food System
The mainstream food production-distribution network starts on large, industrial farms, where monocropping #GL_4652 (in the case of fruits and vegetables) and factory farming #GL_4426 (in the case of animal products) is often the norm. F FFarm products may be transported to a centralized facility for further packaging, processing, and/or inspection, then transported nationally or internationally to finally reach their destination - usually a conventional grocery store or retail establishment. F
As farms have consolidated over the past 50 years, so has the food processing industry. #FN_3150 This consolidation means food is transported over vastly greater distances, and the production and processing of our food is in the hands of only a small number of corporations. FThis has implications for food safety, food security, and the loss of small processing establishments (e.g., slaughterhouses and canneries).
- Read more about factory farming and meat processing
Why are local/regional food systems important?
Supporting local/regional food systems helps support local, sustainably run farms, can help protect our health and the health of our communities, and helps stimulate local economies. We outline some of reasons why local/regional food systems are important below:
Local food systems rely upon a network of small, usually sustainably run, family farms (rather than large industrially run farms) as the source of farm products. #FN_3080 Industrial farming negatively impacts the environment in myriad ways (e.g., by polluting the air, surface water, and groundwater, over-consuming fossil fuel and water resources, degrading soil quality, inducing erosion, and accelerating the loss of biodiversity G). FIndustrial agriculture also adversely affects the health of farm workers, degrades the socioeconomic fabric of surrounding communities, and impairs the health and quality of life of community residents. FIn addition, although the concept of "food miles" (i.e., the number of miles a food item travels from farm to consumer) has been criticized as an unreliable indicator of the environmental impact of industrially produced food, Fit should be noted that conventional food is estimated to typically travel between 1,500 and 3,000 miles to reach the consumer and usually requires additional packaging and refrigeration. FMany small-scale, local farms attempt to ameliorate the environmental damage done via industrial farming by focusing on sustainable practices, such as minimized pesticide use, no-till agriculture and composting, minimized transport to consumers, and minimal to no packaging for their farm products. F
- Read more about sustainable farming and industrial crop production
Food Safety, Health, and Nutrition
As production networks in the conventional food system have become increasingly consolidated, and as distribution networks have become increasingly globalized, the risk of food safety problems, such as foodborne illness, has also increased. FThe consolidation of meat and produce production, including animal slaughter and processing, means that there are more possibilities of improper processing, handling, or preparation affecting vast quantities of food (and subsequently consumers). Recent multi-state outbreaks affecting hundreds of people have been traced to individual farms, food processing facilities, and even individual food handlers. FWhen a small amount of contamination (e.g., bacteria) enters these consolidated production systems, vast quantities of the food product being processed and distributed nationally (or globally) may be affected due to the sheer volume of food being produced. This risk is heightened by weak food safety standards, inadequate food safety inspection procedures, and in the case of meat production, the trend toward increasingly rapid line speeds at industrial processing facilities. Tracing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses also becomes more difficult because the production and distribution of conventional food products, such as ground beef, often involves multiple farms, food processors, and food distributors. The distribution of these food products over vast geographical areas further complicates the capability to quickly track an outbreak. F
In addition, higher yielding plant varieties suitable for industrial production and international travel have come at the expense of nutrition. FThe global industrial food system relies on crops that have been bred primarily for higher yield and ease of transport, while farmers involved in local food systems often place a higher value on plant varietals that are more nutritious by virtue of their variety (i.e., not bred for yield alone) or by their method of production. F FLocal, sustainably produced farm fruits and vegetables are often fresher, as they do not require long distances for transport, and thus can be harvested closer to peak ripeness. Many fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients when allowed to ripen naturally on the parent plant. FMeat from animals raised sustainably on pasture is also more nutritious - for example, grass-fed beef is higher in "good" cholesterol (and lower in "bad"), higher in vitamins A and E, lower in fat, and contains more antioxidants than factory farmed beef. FSustainably produced food also means less (or no) agricultural chemicals (such as pesticides), antibiotics, #GL_4307 and hormones, all of which are common in conventional farm products.
- Read more about the health and nutrition of sustainable food, foodborne illness, pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones
Food Security
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says that "food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life." FLocal food systems may help improve food security by making local, fresh food available to populations with limited access to healthful food; this is especially salient as more farmers' markets accept food stamps (or the equivalent). F F
- Read more about food security
Support Local Economies and Protect Local Farms and Farmland
Evidence indicates that local food systems support local economies; Ffor example, farmers' markets positively affect the business surrounding them, while also providing significant sources of income for local farmers, thus maintaining the viability of many small, local farms. FUnlike large industrial farms, small family farms are more likely to spend their dollars in the community on farm-related inputs (e.g., machinery, seeds, farm supplies, etc.); in addition, food grown locally, processed locally, and distributed locally (for example, to local restaurants) generates jobs and subsequently helps stimulate local economies. F
In 1959, there were 4,105,000 farms in the United States, while the latest US farm census in 2011 recorded only 2,200,000 farms. F FIn the last 50 years, though the number of farms has shrunk, the size of the farms still in existence has grown tremendously, which demonstrates the consolidation and industrialization of US agriculture. FLocal food systems help preserve farmland by providing small family farms a viable outlet through which to sell their farm products. In addition, the creation of relationships between farmers and their urban/suburban customers through direct-to-consumer markets can help preserve farmland as protecting family farms becomes a shared goal for both farmers and their local consumers. F
- Read more about local/regional economies and protecting local farms
Barriers to the Creation of Local and Regional Food Systems
Although local and regional food systems are growing, there are a number of barriers to their creation and expansion. As a result of the consolidation of food processing, small, local farms may have difficulty finding a local slaughterhouse for their pastured #GL_4161 animals or a local food processor (e.g., canner, bottler, commercial kitchen, etc.) for added-value farm products. FAs large corporate entities begin to capitalize on the "local" moniker, small farmers may have difficulty competing with large-scale producers with large-scale marketing apparatuses. FFinally, farmers may have logistical problems finding reliable and convenient transport for their farm products, especially during the growing season. However, there is an emerging network of small-scale, local (and even mobile) slaughterhouses, a growing trend of farms processing their own added-value products (e.g., jams, pickles, etc.), and the creation of food hubs to solve the dual challenges of transportation and marketing for small family farms.
Food Hubs: Expanding Local and Regional Food Systems
As the demand for local, fresh produce and animal products continues to grow, innovative programs to help small farmers bring their farm products to market are also expanding. One increasingly common solution to the logistical, transportation, and marketing challenges faced by small family farmers is the creation of local and regional "food hubs." The USDA describes a food hub as the "drop off point for multiple farmers and a pick up point for distribution firms and customers that want to buy source-verified local and regional food." FSome food hubs also provide transportation of farm products directly to consumers and retail, restaurant, and institutional customers. Food hubs take much of the burden of marketing and transportation from local farmers by finding viable consumers, and provide other business-related services, such as logistical coordination. FIn addition, they often provide refrigerated storage facilities and auxiliary services such as commercial kitchens and light food processing. FFood hubs can expand the market reach of small, local farmers, help create local jobs, and can expand access to fresh, local food in urban and suburban markets. F


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With the rising demands on managed services to achieve cost efficiency and the highest service quality, operators around the world are increasingly realizing the value of delegating managed services to specialized companies like Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) so they can focus more on their business and subscribers. To continue to serve its clients with high quality and cost effective services both globally and locally, Ericsson has inaugurated its fourth Global Network Operations Center today to boost its existing Global Service Center (GSC) in Mexico with ICT capacity and strengthen the services and technology leadership.
The new facility, called Ericsson Tecnoparque in Mexico City houses highly skilled ICT and services professionals.
The existing GSC in Mexico operates and delivers remotely and serves operators and service providers mainly in North and Latin America. It is also building up LTE competence to cater for the growing demand of LTE in Latin America. By introducing the new Global Network Operations Center, Ericsson is expanding its operations capabilities in the region.
Orvar Hurtig, Head of Service Delivery, Ericsson says: "More and more, operators are asking for a partner that can take a true end-to-end approach for their networks. They also need help to keep costs down while launching new and attractive services. With this new center, we're investing in more ICT capabilities to meet these new demands for remote service delivery."
Delegating their non-core activities to specialized companies like Ericsson, for whom these activities are its core business, enables operators to concentrate on their subscribers, customer sales and marketing activities. The result for the operator is improved quality and reduced costs. The Global Network Operations Center holds a multi-disciplinary team with capacity to serve multiple platforms with multiple customers and technologies, employing several hundred bilingual professionals from various disciplines and specializations, which are highly trained on advanced tools for network management and customer service.
Humberto Rezende, Head of Ericsson Global Services Center Mexico, says: "We are committed to provide high quality services to our customers, no matter where they are. With this new facility we will be able to even better server our customers in the Americas and globally. Ericsson is committed to nurture local talent and drive development of telecommunications in the region."
Ericsson currently provides support for networks with more than 2 billion subscribers, and is managing networks for more than 900 million subscribers worldwide.
At present, Ericsson has four Global Services Centers, each connected to a Global Network Operations Centers, in Mexico, India, Romania, and in China. By centralizing the delivery personnel to these centers, Ericsson's mission is to achieve quality, productivity and cost efficiency in its service offerings. The centers support global and regional demand by providing expertise and scale in a wide range of services, such as consultancy, integration, network operations and support.
Notes to editors
Our multimedia content is available at the broadcast room.
Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.
Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the "prime driver in an all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 90,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 203.3 billion (USD 28.2 billion) in 2010. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.
For further information, please contact
Luis Javier Flores
Public and Media Relations, Region Latin America
Phone: +52 55 1103 0442
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com

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I have a question about the memory allocation of MIPS assembly program. I need to declare a array to hold the dates, like mm/dd/yy
I declare the .data section like this:
size .word 0
dates .space 0
First i input the number of dates that i need, (for example:4), and then 4*4, and then store it to the dates of the .data section? Is that right? I don't know how exactly to allocate the space? Dose anyone have idea for that? Thanks!


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LAKE SUCCESS, NY – The North Shore-LIJ Health System announced today it has received a $300,000 grant from the US Department of Defense to train Hampton University undergraduates in research that will focus on the racial disparities in prostate cancer treatments, access to care and outcomes.
Prostate cancer affects about one in six men, although it most adversely impacts African American men. About 230,000 African American men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 compared to about 150,000 Caucasian men in that same time period, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. African American men had the highest incidence of prostate cancer of all of ethnicities studied from 1999 through 2009.
Hampton University is a predominantly African American college in Hampton, VA. The students in this program will be studying the differences in how African Americans receive care for prostate cancer and their outcomes compared to other ethnic groups. The students will be reviewing patient charts, doing tissue block collections and interviewing recently diagnosed patients at the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology in Lake Success, NY, this summer. North Shore-LIJ medical professionals will then use video conferencing to instruct students during the winter of 2014.
The Hampton University program will be led by Emanuela Taioli, MD, PhD, the chief of epidemiology at North Shore-LIJ, who received the grant. She will be collaborating to provide a multidisciplinary education for the students with Peter Gregersen, MD, head of the Center for Genomics and Human Genetics at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, NY; Alicia McDonald, PhD, an epidemiology researcher in North Shore-LIJ's Department of Population Health; Renee Pekmezaris, PhD, vice president of community health; and Manish Vira, MD, director of the Smith Institute's urologic oncology fellowship program. Each of these healthcare professionals will be serving as mentors for a student. Dr. Taioli has previous experience working with Hampton University students under a different grant.
"The data and information the Hampton University students will be collecting is vital to more effectively treat all men with prostate cancer and to determine how each group should receive treatment that is appropriate for them," Dr. Taioli said.
The grant allows the program to run for three consecutive summers; each year, new students will enroll. Each student entering the program is assigned a project and will work with a mentor who will co-author a research paper with the student. The summer program runs between 10 and 12 weeks, starting with orientation and classes and then the program progresses into collecting and analyzing prostate cancer research. Students will work over the summer at the Feinstein Institute, the North Shore-LIJ Cancer Institute and the Department of Population Health.
"We are honored to receive this important training grant from the Department of Defense," said Jacqueline Moline, MD, vice president of population health at North Shore-LIJ. "Providing training and mentoring opportunities for under-represented minority students is a mission of our department and I look forward to meeting students who will be the future of our country in healthcare and the sciences."
For more information about the prostate cancer research program, call 516-465-3093 or email [email protected].


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Finally Microsoft Ships Windows Defender
Almost two years after it purchased GIANT Company Software for its best of breed antispyware solution, Microsoft has shipped its own nonbeta version of the product. Now called Windows Defender, the free add-on protects Windows XP users against spyware and other malicious software. A version of Defender will be included in Windows Vista as well.
Microsoft purchased GIANT Company Software in December 2004 shortly after shipping XP Service Pack 2 SP2 which included pervasive security features. At the time, Microsoft said its version of the GIANT tools, then called Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware, would complement the features in XP SP2.
Over time, Microsoft renamed Windows AntiSpyware to Windows Defender, added the application to Vista, and built connections between Defender and related products, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer IE 7.0 which was released last week and Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft's subscription based PC health solution.
Windows Defender is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions and supports Windows Server 2003 SP1, XP, SP2 and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
Today, Mozilla will officially unveil Firefox 2.0, the latest version of its Web browser, and increasingly a credible challenger to Microsoft's Internet Explorer IE. Unfortunately, some of Firefox's more trend setting features have been delayed to a later release and the new release suffers as a result. What's left is pretty unimpressive.
Disclaimer: I've been a Firefox user and advocate for a long time, so long in fact that I used the browser when it was still called by its Phoenix code name. Although I'll likely provide a longer review on the SuperSite for Windows in the days ahead I think it's relevant to supply a few first impressions here.
I don't like it. The new Firefox visual refresh replaces the previously clean Firefox UI with muddy and vague looking icons. So one of the first things I did was download a theme that returned the old Firefox 1.5 look and feel. The built-in phishing protection is truly third rate. There are two antiphishing options: Mozilla's weak blacklist based protection (yes, seriously) and Google's antiphishing technology which is both poorly rated and a privacy nightmare. The new Options dialog box is a miasma of choices some of which are hidden in embedded tab controls. It's ugly, confusing, and illogical.
Firefox doesn't offer many truly neat features. It does include improved tabbed browsing functionality and puts a Close Tab button on each tab. The browser features inline spell checking handy for blogging and a session restore feature that helps users recover from browser or system crashes. The new Add-ons Manager is simple and effective. But honestly, that's about it.
Firefox 2.0 is free but it's a woefully minor improvement over Firefox 1.5 that suffers from various incompatibility problems, especially with themes and other add-ons. I wouldn't recommend this new version to be honest. I'll be sticking with Firefox 1.5 at least for now. I recommend you do the same or switch to the surprisingly solid IE 7.0
Although Mozilla hasn't yet changed its Web site to reflect the new release, you can find the final version in the company's FTP site.


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The two-story foyer of the stately Waterford II opens to a turned staircase; upstairs a dramatic balcony overlooks the family room. The formal living and dining rooms, situated on either side of the foyer, offer the perfect space for entertaining. The spacious two-story family room features Palladian windows. The well-appointed kitchen includes a breakfast area and a Butler pantry, which can also be accessed through the dining room. The first-floor master bedroom includes a cathedral ceiling; two large walk-in closets; and a luxurious bath with a Roman tub, a dual-sink vanity with a dressing area, a shower, a linen closet, and a private toilet area. Additional highlights include a conveniently located laundry room, and nine-foot ceilings on the first floor.
Learn what it takes to make your dream home a reality – with absolutely no obligation.
Contact a TBI Mortgage Company representative to answer all your financing questions.
Visit TBIMortgage.com to learn more about the wide variety of financing programs we can offer you and complete the online Pre-Application Worksheet.


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Avery Lynn Schmitz, 8 Pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches long, born on March 23, 2012 at Covenant Medical Center to Brent and Katie Schmitz and big brother Jacob of Grundy Center.
Proud Grandparents are Bill and Cindy Saak of Reinbeck, Dale and Denae Haack of Gladbrook and Steve and Kim Schmitz of Gladbrook. Great Grandparents are
Eldon and Geri DeVries of Grundy Center, Patricia Benson of Hudson and Bill and Shirley Young of Gladbrook.


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Jobs, Not Handouts
David Korten: Wall Street's plunge shows what's wrong with phantom wealth. Why support that system when we could be creating jobs in the real economy?
Compassion Comes First
Seattle makes a 10-year commitment to become a more compassionate city.
Neighbors for a New Economy
In Greenfield, Mass., a group of neighbors have formed a support group to face their changing world.
David Korten on His Work and Mission
YES! Magazine board chair David Korten speaks about his life's work, and what drew him to become involved with YES! Magazine.
Beyond Us and Them
Very often, what we dislike in others is something that we need to acknowledge, heal, integrate, and empower in ourselves.
Cochabamba's Message: Let the People Speak
The World People's Summit broke new ground by allowing those most affected by a changing climate the chance to speak out about their ideas for just solutions.
Bill McKibben's Message to Cochabamba
The author addresses the thousands who gathered in Cochabamba for the World People's Summit on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth.
Fix the Economy, Not Wall Street
Would-be Wall Street regulators aren't asking the right question: How do we create a financial services sector that directs money where it is actually needed?
Welcome to Eaarth
Bill McKibben's latest book explores what it'll take to live on a planet less sweet than it used to be. During a recent stop in Seattle, he described the smaller, slower, and wiser future that may be our best bet.
A Climate Summit for the Rest of Us
Video: The Cochabamba climate summit was designed to respect the power and knowledge of world social movements and indigenous peoples.
Cochabamba Postscript: Lessons, Reflections, and the Road to Cancun
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the alliance gathering around grassroots solutions.
Cochabamba's New Direction
What did the World People's Summit accomplish, and what's next for climate justice?
The Climate's Second Chance
Video: What is the World People's Conference on Climate Change?
From the Climate Justice Frontier
A global movement is building strength. Meet some of its most dynamic leaders.
On the Path to Climate Neutrality
Seattle hopes to become North America's first climate neutral city. City council president Richard Conlin asks: What exactly are we getting ourselves into?
From Crisis to Opportunity
Will the World People's Summit be a turning point in the climate crisis?
Local Knowledge and Local Technologies
At the World People's Conference on Climate Change, the emphasis on local and indigenous knowledge stands out.
Beyond Vaccines: Addressing the Social Causes of Poor Health
One health clinic in Port-Au-Prince is using art, education, and community to help its patients heal. What can international aid agencies learn from their model?
Changing the Climate for Justice
At the World People's Conference on Climate Change, a new set of voices is being heard.
The Open Veins of Climate Change
Message from Eduardo Galeano, the author of Open Veins of Latin America, to participants of the First World Peoples' Summit on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba.


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Sony Ericsson W760i on Orange Contract Deals UK
The new Red edition of the Sony W760i has now been made available on Orange contract tariffs in the UK, the w760i in red offers the same great features including the latest Walkman software as the rest of the Sony Ericsson W760 models which now includes: Black and Silver editions.
The Sony Ericsson W760 is the first truly global Walkman phone with tri-band HSDPA, enabling broadband speed downloads of the latest music and content wherever in the world it is used. Offering music on your mobile and much more, the phone delivers built-in GPS to help you find that secret gig, distinctive Stereo Speakers for sharing your music and the latest hit games, including Need for Speed ProStreet.
Find your way with GPS
Looking for the location of a gig or a new club? Even a new city poses no challenge for the Sony W760i Red. The phone's built-in GPS with Wayfinder Navigator lets you search over 20 million points of interest around the globe and talks you to your destination every turn of the way. There's also a GPS-supported fitness application called Tracker that can tell you how fast, for how long and how far you ran (or walked!).
Share your music with your friends
Become the focal point of a spontaneous party or gaming experience with the W760i's powerful built-in stereo speakers. If outdoors, use the phone with the Active Speaker MAS-100 – a revolutionary case that not only looks fantastic but also protects your Walkman phone at the same time as being a built-in speaker and FM radio antenna for enjoying music with friends.
Set the mood with the right music
The Sony W760i helps select the right music for the occasion. Store up to 950 tracks on your phone, and use SensMe to pick the music and tracks that match your mood in an instant. Navigate through a playlist with Shake Control – shuffle and skip through tracks, or adjust the volume, with just a shake of the phone.
The TrackID functionality allows you to identify any song you are listening to on the FM Radio or at a club. And with TrackID Charts, you can also review the most searched tracks in your country or anywhere in the world.
The intuitive Media User Interface rotates depending on how you're holding the phone, so you can see everything you need at a glance. Auto rotate works for photos, videos and games too. Just twist the phone to change the view.
Get a piece of the gaming action
With the Sony Ericsson W760i, gaming is more fun than ever. The phone allows you to play in landscape mode, with sound from stereo speakers and use of dedicated gaming buttons like a gaming console. It is preloaded with the latest games, including Need for Speed ProStreet – where high speed and utter adrenaline collide. The W760i is built for fast-paced action with a large 2.2″ screen for great gameplay and Motion Sensor Gaming that allows you to play top games on your phone in 3D quality, using the motion of the phone to control the game.
Capture the moment
A quality 3.2 megapixel camera is built in to the phone. Just slide open the phone, press the camera button and capture the moment! Pictures can be stored on the included 1GB Memory Stick or transferred to a PC using Media Manager.
Sony Ericsson W760i Red Deals
Other Sony W760i Phones:


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AMERICUS - The Fort Valley State men's basketball team erased a 12-point second half deficit and Joshuah Davis connected on a 3-point basket with 4.7 seconds remaining to upset No. 18 Georgia Southwestern, 73-70, on Thursday evening in the Storm Dome.
GSW drops to 10-1 this season while Fort Valley State improves to 4-5.
FVSU grabbed the lead early as the Wildcats jumped ahead 14-7 less than four minutes in. Brandon Davey threw down a dunk with 11:28 remaining in the half to give FVSU a 22-16 advantage. That's when the Hurricanes came to life.
Johathan Brooks' layup with 11:10 on the clock started a 16-0 run for GSW. Kevin Burnell tossed in a pair of 3-pointers during the rally and the Hurricanes kept FVSU off the scoreboard for more than five minutes.
A free throw by Darius Redding with 2:58 to go until the half gave GSW its biggest lead of the night (16 points) at 40-24. FVSU scored the final five points of the opening stanza and GSW took a 40-29 lead into the break.
The game was balanced the opening six minutes of the second half. A pair of free throws by Brooks with 13:52 to play gave GSW a 50-38 lead. FVSU chipped away and trimmed the margin to two points at 56-54 after a Davis 3-pointer with 8:23 remaining.
GSW pushed its advantage back to six points, 60-54, before the Wildcats rattled off six-unanswered points to even the game at 60-60.
The Hurricanes answered the run with one of their own, an eight-point rally capped by a Redding layup that put GSW ahead 68-60 with 4:27 to go.
Not to be outdone, FVSU regained the momentum and eventually tied the score at 70-70 with a just under a minute on the clock.
After a floating layup attempt from Derrick Dawkins bounced off the back of the iron for the Hurricanes, the stage was set for Davis' heroics.
GSW was unable to score the final 2:58 of the first half and final three minutes of the second.
Hurricane shooters were on target in the first half as GSW connected on 16 of 27 (59.3 percent) shots, including all five attempts from long range, but cooled off a bit over the final 20 minutes (40.9 percent). The reverse was true for FVSU. The Wildcats made 16 of 27 shots in the second half, but only 12 of 31 (38.7 percent) in the opening period. Overall, FVSU took nine more shots in the game than the Hurricanes.
GSW held a slight advantage in assists (13-12), steals (9-8) and blocks (6-5) but committed two more turnovers (18-16) and grabbed four fewer rebounds (33-29).
Redding finished a perfect 7 of 7 from the floor while adding 4 of 6 from the charity stripe to lead the Hurricanes with 18 points. Daryl Davis added 11 points, three blocks and a game-high eight rebounds. Burnell chipped in 11.
Davey led all scorers with 24 points. Davis finished with 14. Corey Hunter added 11 and Nigel Dominic dropped in 10 while pulling down a game-high eight rebounds.
The Hurricanes are off until Jan. 4 when they resume Peach Belt Conference play with a 3:30 p.m. contest at Young Harris College.


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Recall Details
Chrysler is recalling certain 2001-2002 Dodge Dakota, Durango, Ram 1500, Ram 2500, and Ram 3500 models because the park shift interlock system may not function correctly. When this system fails, the shifter can be moved out of the "Park" position with the ignition in the "lock" position. The ignition key can also be removed when the shifter is not in the "Park" position. Either of these conditions could allow the vehicle to roll away unexpectedly, possibly resulting in a crash. Dealers will replace the gearshift blocker and bracket assembly.


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|2010-05-26, 18:42
|Link #1
Join Date: May 2010
Location: In my own little world.
Yuri. All romance, no men. Does life get any better?
Unfortunately these series are few and hard to find. Anybody know any good ones? Preferable ones where none of the girls used to be guys?Or where it's not just "implied"?
So far the best one I know of is Strawberry Panic.
Spoiler for Strawberry Panic:
Last edited by xris; 2010-05-27 at 07:18. Reason: Added spoiler tags as the image could be a spoiler to many
|2010-05-26, 20:04
|Link #2
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: California
Strawberry Shake Sweet- although this manga isn't as overtly yuri as Strawberry Panic, the relationship between the two main girls is clearly romantic and there's a hilarious character who seems to have something of a lesbian harem . It's also extremely funny and sweet.
|2010-05-27, 01:55
|Link #4
Yuri µ'serator
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: FL, USA
Age: 31
If you don't mind some action/mecha with your Yuri, then I'd say try Kannazuki No Miko.
Otherwise Sasameki Koto, though you'll be stuck waiting for the second season, or reading the Manga.
P.S. Shouldn't this be more in the suggestion area .
|2010-05-27, 04:01
|Link #7
Shiny Hardware
Join Date: Dec 2009
I recently watched Kanamemo, it has no men involved, its not implied. First episode bam kiss wtf oh they are together lol ... They even have sex. Nice K-On style slice of life moe anime.
I also liked Aoi Hana (the ED song is in my top10 all time), has a bit of angst drama but the ending is so sweet i had to go to the dentist afterwards.
There is also Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, but that one is hard to grasp at first. But some very interesting settings, no episode is like another. Yuri is strong but not enough screentime imo.
Oh yeah, you might wanna give Koihime Musou a try. Huge all-girls cast, yuri subtext everywhere and Ep07 of Season 3 confirms the first couple.
Not entirely without men, but my personal favorite anime with yuri is Mai-Hime. Spawned the most famous yuri couple and these girls kinda hijack the plot... Must watch if you need more yuri.
And i second Kannazuki no Miko, but it has men, too. But probably the best yuri scenes ever. Must watch for yuri fans. Heck i even created a fanclub for the main girl...
|2010-05-27, 12:46
|Link #8
Beautiful fighter.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: England, UK
Age: 32
Aoi Hana has males, though for the kind of yuri you're looking for you'll be just fine. Same goes for Sasameki Koto. Also give Candy Boy a go (there's no males in this one).
But yeah the Maria-sama ga Miteiru seasons are what you're looking for. It's not full on yuri like Strawberry Panic, though i think you'll like it.
Last edited by Shiroth; 2010-05-27 at 12:56.
|2010-05-27, 13:41
|Link #10
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Age: 32
|2010-05-27, 14:10
|Link #11
Senior Member
In all honestly, the term "shoujo-ai" is becoming somewhat a dead term to use nowadays. It's either yuri or girls' love.
|2010-05-27, 16:11
|Link #13
blinded by blood
I've come to the conclusion that there's no yuri anime worth watching.
Kannazuki no Miko was okay, but random Humongous Mecha was distracting.
Marimite is zzzzz.
Aoi Hana is slightly better but still zzzzz.
Strawberry Panic! is a stealth parody of the yuri romance genre (it's basically a big Take That aimed directly at Marimite's heart), so it's good, but for different reasons.
Someone needs to faithfully animate Hanjuku Joshi with no censorship. Then we'd actually have some yuri worth watching and less of this Class-S bullshit.
Edit: You should watch Simoun, and not just for the yuri. The music is pretty damn epic and the story itself is very solid. I'll amend my previous statement; there is only one yuri anime worth watching.
Edit #2: I'll just come out and say it, if I'm watching yuri, I want to see them have sex. Too bad Hide Your Lesbians is the unwritten rule for most animated work.
|2010-05-27, 16:46
|Link #14
Beautiful fighter.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: England, UK
Age: 32
|2010-05-27, 17:02
|Link #15
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Age: 32
|2010-05-27, 18:52
|Link #16
Don't Call Me Bro
Yuri is technically 18+. Shoujo-ai would be the more accessible version.
Aoi Hana, Simoun and Maria-sama ga Miteru are the three shoujo-ai that have been able to do the genre tastefully and make it watchable. But note all three are elegant, somewhat clean, mature series. This is not going to be the type of series for someone who likes their anime as fast and furious.
If you want decent yuri/adult action, Sono Hanabira ni Kuchikuze wo is getting animated soon. Probably an episode each for the three games that were made. The second one with Sara and Kaede was definitely my fave. For anything currently existing, hmm...Tony's Heroine Series (i.e. as in Tony Taka). Mainly heterosexual material but there has been two yuri scenes as well. For decent adult material, something originally done with artwork from Tony Taka, Happobui Jin or Tomose Shunsaku is bound to steer you in the right direction.
|2010-05-27, 20:31
|Link #17
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
I echo jedinat's words.
I've become very fond of yuri when the relationships are explored on mutual grounds, with tender and very caring feelings. I think that yuri is best when it takes the time to develop this, together with the characters and the story. that's one of the reasons why I like yuri so much.
|2010-05-27, 20:48
|Link #18
Don't Call Me Bro
I think it would be naive to think that most people wouldn't think of female-female sex the moment the word 'yuri' is mentioned. Which has always been a hurdle for the genre - most people can't take it seriously due to the stereotypes lesbians cop or that many people only want to see yuri for gratuitious reasons and not affectionate/serious ones. I do like to see serious, affectionate female-female relationships, personally.
|2010-05-27, 23:27
|Link #19
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Monterrey N.L. Mexico
I don't mind it when they decide to go straight to the action, though.
I would also like to second the suggestion of the GirlFriends manga. Which is my current favorite yuri title.
|2010-05-28, 04:31
|Link #20
Urd Fangirl
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Europe
Well, if you want to see relationship development and don't mind the fact that the characters don't kiss on screen, watch El Cazador de la Bruja. The story is a bit slow at the beginning, but the main characters develop a very strong bond during the series. There are hugs, holding hands, sleeping together, jealousy, confessions and so on.
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11:30 am
WordWorld "Robots to the Rescue!/Radio Read-A-Thon" Robots to the Rescue! - When Frog discovers that you can make a word "more than one" by adding the letter S to the end of it, he becomes a mad scientist of sorts, making more and more of everything! Frog learns that while having a lot of stuff might seem like a good idea, too much of anything soon leads to chaos. Frog fortunately has a robot who likes to clean up! Build a Word: ROBOTS. Radio Read-a-thon - Duck asks Frog to read his favorite book on Ant's radio station because he can't read it himself. D
12:00 pm
Caillou "Step By Step!" When Leo forgets his brand new toy dinosaur in the park, Daddy and Caillou go looking for it, with no success. So Caillou, with Mommy's help, puts up a Lost and Found Poster, and then, finds 'Dino' at the Park Office Lost and Found! When the washing machine needs fixing, Caillou ends up helping Bob the repairman. Inspired, Caillou helps Dad hammer a nail and glue the leg onto a wobbly stool too! Caillou accompanies Grandma to the Senior's residence where he finds out 'driving' the meal cart is more fun than driving his toy truck. D
12:30 pm
Barney & Friends "Sweeter Than Candy: Greece" Barney, Baby Bop and BJ are helping the park kids get ready for a school play. When Barney tells everyone that putting on shows began in Greece, they want to go visit! While there, they meet some friends and decide to put on a play in an amphitheatre. Barney knows a great story that originated in Greece called "King Midas. D
1:00 pm
Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! "Thump/Squirreled Away" Thump - Nick is trying to make his mother a surprise lunch, but she keeps coming into the kitchen! If only there was a way for him to know when she was coming. The Cat takes Nick and Sally to meet his friend Twitch the rabbit. Twitch and her bunnies teach Nick and Sally how to stop, look and listen for danger. D
1:30 pm
Thomas & Friends "Good Deeds" It is a busy day in Sodor as Knapford Station is being decorated. Emily is collecting the flowers for the new window boxes, but when Mavis does not say hello, Emily assumes she is sad and chuffs to the quarry to cheer her up with some of the flowers. The flowers end up in the way of the engines' work. D
2:00 pm
Curious George "Wind Symphony/George and Allie's Automated Car Wash" Wind Symphony - George is an expert at making noise, so Mr. Zoobel asks for his help in creating a one-of-a-kind rooftop Wind Symphony. George and Zoobel listen closely to the different sounds of everyday objects, whether it's banging pots, clinking silverware, or flapping laundry, and find the perfect instruments for a wind-powered orchestra. But as the crowd gathers below, the promised wind isn't arriving and George has to think of a way to save the day. D
2:30 pm
Martha Speaks "Cora! Cora! Cora!/Cora Encore!" Cora! Cora! Cora! - Helen's family friend Kit Luntanne (Jennifer Westfeldt) is upset. She's had to leave her lovable dog, Cora, at home while she travels with her acting troupe. Backstage at the theater, Martha meets Ham Johnson (Jon Hamm), an actor who admires Kit and wants to impress her. D
3:00 pm
The Electric Company "Revolutionary Doughnuts" Lisa tries to clear the name of an ancestor accused of being a traitor in the Revolutionary War. D
3:30 pm
WordGirl "A Vote for Becky/Class Act" A Vote for Becky: It's Election Day! Mrs. Botsford is running for D.A. and Becky is running for student council president. Tobey decides to run against Becky and uses his robots to distract WordGirl. D
4:00 pm
Wild Kratts "Cheetah Racer" Chris and Martin announce that no creature or vehicle can travel as fast over the rough and tumble African savannah as the cheetah. Aviva takes the challenge and declares she will build a ground racer that can run even faster than a cheetah. Of course Zach wants to prove that he is a better inventor than Aviva and joins the race. D
4:30 pm
Cyberchase "And They Counted Happily Ever After" The kids use numbers and a system to keep track of a large number of golden eggs to free a King.G
5:00 pm
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman "Who Wants to Trade for Some Old Tracks?" Someone has just stolen Ruff's garden gnome and he's determined to get it back! In fact, he's so obsessed that he hasn't bathed in several days and is covered in flies-prompting Charlene to send him some fly swatters. Ruff sends Emmie and Marco to the Amherst College Museum of Natural History to analyze the footprints left behind by the perpetrator who stole the garden gnome; while Rubye and Shreya try to barter the flyswatters for something better that Ruff can give to Charlene. D
5:30 pm
5:56 pm
NewsHour Promo NULL
6:00 pm
PBS NewsHour NULL
7:00 pm
Nature "Frogs: The Thin Green Line" Frogs have been hopping the planet for millions of years. Suddenly, they are slipping away - one-third of our amphibians are gone and more are disappearing daily. Ecosystems are beginning to unravel and medical cures are vanishing. Scientists around the world mobilize to stem the tide.G
8:00 pm
NOVA scienceNOW "Can We Make It to Mars?" Astrophysicist, author and director of New York's Hayden Planetarium Neil deGrasse Tyson returns as host for this science magazine series. The opening episode looks at whether humans can reach Mars alive, traveling two to three years while facing deadly conditions. The show also looks at innovations for keeping space travelers alive.G
9:00 pm
War "A World Without War" March 1945-September 1945. The battle for Okinawa - the gateway to Japan - rages. The death of President Franklin Roosevelt shocks America. Allied forces push across Germany, discovering the horrors of Nazi Germany at Buchenwald, Dachau, and hundreds of other concentration camps. On May 8, Germany surrenders. President Harry Truman unleashes the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders. Part 7 of 7G
11:30 pm
Charlie Rose NULL


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|Mendham, N.J.
|High School:
|Biomedical engineering
|Residential College:
2011-12: Coxed the 2V to an undefeated regular season and an Eastern Sprints gold medal... Coxed the lightweight four at IRA's, finishing fourth.
2010-11: Won the Head of the Charles in the Lightweight Four... Coxed the undefeated, Eastern Sprints-winning 1F... Coxed the lightweight four at IRA's, finishing fourth.
Off the Water: Business Manager for Proof of the Pudding, Yale's all-female jazz and swing a cappella group (2012–present), manages the group's finances and organizes concerts, plans budgets for tours and other group expenses and leads outreach to alumni and fundraising efforts, has been a group member since 2010…Worked for the Red Ribbon Center in Hong Kong, supported by the Yale-China Association Public Service Exchange, within the HIV/AIDS division of the Hong Kong Department of Health and developed a survey to be distributed to secondary school principals to determine the extent and types of HIV/AIDS education provided to students (July 2012)…Worked at Leeway, a skilled-nursing center for people living with HIV/AIDS in New Haven, with the recreation directors to develop programming for the residents and shadowed the doctors and psychiatrist on rounds and on Saturdays for care-plan meetings (June 2012)…Interned at Fahmy Engineering and Immunity Lab, Yale University, funded by the Perspectives on Science Fellowship Program, and worked on optimizing a liposome/polymer system for the loading and controlled release of proteins to be used for adoptive immunotherapy (summer 2011)…Interned at Rubinstein Molecular Genetics Lab, Weizmann Institute in Israel and tested different members of the low-density lipoprotein receptor family to identify the cellular receptor for the Vesicular Stomatitis Virus, 1 of 19 American students funded through the Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute. (Summer 2010)…Language: Intermediate Mandarin Chinese (5 years of study)
Before Yale: Coxed at the Lawrenceville School.
Personal: Member of Davenport College.


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Welcome Spring with Girls in Skirts and Shorts
Spring is finally here and it is heating up outside in some areas of the country. After a long cold winter being cooped up inside under blankets to keep warm, women always feel the need to let loose on those first warm days of spring. Who doesn't love the first day they see some skin on those legs again after months of long pants? There is even a name for it over on Urban Dictionary : Skirt Day!
So lets tip our hats to all the sexy ladies that aren't afraid to put on the booty shorts or mini skirts to keep cool while heating up any guy that crosses their paths! It may not be warm enough yet in your neck of the woods, but these photos should tide you over until it is :


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Toilet paper made from sugarcane offers buyers a greener alternative.
Geoff Arden says the one thing he's learnt in business is never to say "no".
If you say "no" to a customer you have to wonder why, he says, because there may be a real gap in the market you only discover after turning away eight or nine customers.
Arden heads New Zealand Hygiene, a 21-year-old company that supplies laundry services, sanitary bins, toilet paper and the like to businesses in Auckland and Wellington.
About five years ago, when his customers started asking about toilet tissue made from recycled paper, he knew to take notice.
"All my customers are really smart. People think they don't have smart customers but any good business has smart customers. If you don't have smart customers I don't think you've got a good business."
Arden began researching recycled paper, thinking it would give his customers the sustainable product they were after, but the more research he did, the more he didn't like what he found.
He says the world price for recycled paper is more expensive than virgin toilet paper because the carbon footprint is huge.
"Recycled paper isn't sustainable," he argues. "Paper into cardboard is sustainable and that's the way it should go."
He also objects to using a tree that has taken 25 years to grow, as toilet paper. The solution was toilet paper manufactured from bagasse, a pulp made from the stalks of sugarcane.
The bagasse industry takes the cane residue left by sugar manufacturers and mixes it with a small amount of wood pulp to make a soft but strong tissue paper.
"This product is actually cheaper than buying normal trees. Not by much because there is a lot of manufacturing, but essentially it is free trees," says Arden. " ... every roll I sell I'm selling 60 per cent of a tree that would be cut down if you didn't use it."
With manufacturing done in an ISO environmentally certified factory in southern China, Arden used his NZ Hygiene customers to experiment with getting the formula for the paper right.
As a way of marketing the new products Arden launched a consumer line, Greencane Ecopaper, starting out with toilet paper before expanding into kitchen towels and facial tissues.
Part of the aim of the consumer range is to build brand recognition among business customers, he says.
"We just want to give people choice and we want to promote this through [to corporate decision makers]."
Despite going up against some big multinationals on the supermarket shelves (Greencane is stocked by New World and Pak'n Save supermarkets in Auckland, as well as organic stores) Arden says his products are a comparable price.
"We're not cheap, because we can't be cheap, but I don't believe we're expensive."
Arden says you shouldn't have to pay more for "green" products.
"To me it is lazy green business. You've got to work at your costs. You've got to say to yourself: how do I make this work?
"I don't believe you should just pass on to the customers your problem."
With international inquiries coming in all the time, Arden says New Zealand is the pilot for overseas expansion.
Bagasse-based toilet paper is available in parts of Asia but it isn't common elsewhere in the world. Rather than expand the business into other countries, Arden is looking at licensing overseas companies to sell the products.
In exchange for payment for the intellectual property, an existing business could distribute a more sustainable product, he says.
"What I'm not looking to do is make a lot of money."
Arden does admit to making plenty of mistakes but he has never stopped listening to his customers.
When the toilet paper was first launched he began by promoting it at eco lifestyle shows in a reusable clear plastic bag to show off the product inside.
The package listed a number of ways in which the zip-lock bag could be reused once the four toilet rolls were finished - everything from keeping bits of kids' puzzles together to holding dirty football boots.
But the environmentally aware showgoers were so appalled by the plastic packaging that Arden quickly hid it from view.
He and his wife Helen spent weeks repacking thousands of toilet rolls into new packs, a paper bag with a clear, plant-based cellophane panel.
"I like it when things go wrong because I'd rather they go wrong now, or I'd rather I learnt this lesson now when it was just a small lesson."


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* ToC/index improvements
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* Translation guidelines ([[Help:i18n]] or separate?)
* Translation guidelines ([[Help:i18n]] or separate?)
* <s>[[General Recommendations#Graphical user interface]] or [[#X Window System]]</s> ([[General Recommendations#X Window System]] won)
* <s>[[General Recommendations#Graphical user interface]] or [[#X Window System]]</s> ([[General Recommendations#X Window System]] won)
Revision as of 16:06, 1 April 2010
TODO list
- Template:Article summary app? (Preview below)
- Better yet: update Template:App (which can be included within an article summary)
- Section-specific request templates?
- Update relevant templates' wording such that section-specific templates are not required
- Arch Handbook, Arch Linux Handbook, and Beginners' Guide ... something should start happening here!
Move ArchWiki Tutorial to Help:Editing (Help talk:Editing#Questionable usefulness of this page)
- Help:i18n -- what to do with categories?
Recategorize contents of Category:Laptops (English)
- Add new partitions to an existing system -> Partitioning or Partitioning and file systems
- ToC/index improvements
- Page templates (Page Templates Guide)
- Generic package/app-specific (install/configure/troubleshoot) page
- Laptop-specific page
- Translation guidelines (Help:i18n or separate?)
General Recommendations#Graphical user interface or #X Window System(General Recommendations#X Window System won)
Package management
Packages in Arch Linux are built using makepkg and a custom build script for each package (known as a PKGBUILD). Once packaged, software can be installed and managed with pacman. PKGBUILDs for software in the official repositories are available from the ABS tree; thousands more are available from the (unsupported) Arch User Repository.
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Sanford to spend $9 million to expand Riverwalk
Sanford to spend $9 million to expand Riverwalk
SANFORD, Fla. —
The city of Sanford is ready to spend about $9 million to attract more people to downtown.
They plan to expand it's very popular Riverwalk from where it ends now at U.S. Highway 17-92 another mile to the west near Central Florida Regional Hospital.
The city also plans to build 10 public boat slips near Veterans Park so boaters can pull in and visit the downtown area.
Another plan is to tear up the asphalt on Sanford Avenue from First Street to Sixth Street and put in brick streets to match the other streets in the entertainment area.


text:
Natural gas prices (NYMEX:NGH14) are being driven toward an upside breakout as an artic deep freeze challenges the nation. It also means that we will challenge record natural gas production and see how that will keep prices under control. Market Watch reports that Northern and Central regions of the U.S. are seeing "life-threatening wind chill" conditions, with temperatures dropping to the lowest point in almost two decades, federal officials warned Sunday. The weather would feel as cold as 60 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in certain regions, according to the National Weather Service. As much as a foot of snow was projected to accumulate from the eastern Plains to the Great Lakes, and there may be freezing rain over parts of northern New England and northern mid-Atlantic areas.
Still the mantra in the natural gas market has been "supply will exceed demand," yet demand may be at an all-time record high as well. Nat Gas is challenging the top of the recent downtrend channel. Let us see if it is cold enough to break out.
Oil prices (NYMEX:CLH14) have fallen hard and are poised to move lower yet the speed of the drop means we are vulnerable for an upside snap back, possibly on geo-political concerns. Dow Jones reports that disruptions to Libya's oil supply, caused by protesters, including workers and armed militia, have resulted in the country's output falling to below 250,000 barrels a day, compared with 1.6 million barrels a day in 2011 before the conflict that led to the fall of Moammar Gadhafi. Oil has started flowing again from one of Libya's largest oil fields, Sharara. However, protesters began blocking a separate oil pipeline in the region and there is uncertainty as to when tribal leaders in eastern Libya will end their blockage of the three oil ports.
Oil inventories should start to rise again in the New Year. Look for crude to be up 3 million and gasoline to be up 2 million barrels and distillates up 2.50 million barrels and refinery runs should stay steady.


text:
Portugal's president keeps coalition govt in power
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal's president has accepted a compromise reached by the coalition government that allows it to stay in power, defusing a crisis that had roiled financial markets.
In an address to the nation, President Anibal Cavaco Silva ruled out early elections, opting for "the best alternative" which is "the continuation in office of the current government."
The coalition nearly split July 2 when Foreign Minister Paulo Portas, the leader of the junior party, threatened to resign.
A compromise was reached within the coalition when Portas was appointed deputy to Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, but this step required the president's agreement, which he gave late Sunday.
The political dispute had raised fears that Portugal would be unable to abide by the terms of its 78 billion euros ($102 billion) international bailout.


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Chene is this year's autumnal limited edition export scent.
Chergui is available here in the UK....
I see that Barney's carries this. I'm not sure if it can be purchased elsewhere. While I'm thinking of it, can Chergui be purchased anywhere other than directly from Serge Lutens? Thanks.
Chene is this year's autumnal limited edition export scent.
Chergui is available here in the UK....
It's available as a limited edition export. One shipment and that's it. If it's a popular one like Fumerie Turque or Chergui, it'll be bought out shortly, and then you'd be paying $150+ for a new one on ebay. Or if it's less popular you might still find it at a few retailers for the next couple of years.
If you can get Chergui at cost from exscentual do so!
Last edited by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR; 2nd December 2007 at 05:38 PM.
Parfums d'Empire: Fougére Bengale
Sa Majesté La Rose
Yes, it's there, Prince, but if you try to purchase you'll see a message that it's out of stock. I had to buy my replacement bottle in Paris...
I hope that Chene will be showing up quickly over here. Can't wait to smell it
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Sniffing around
I'll stop wearing black when they make something darker
Thanks LiB. I only looked, I didn't bother clicking on the buy button.
Chene is a very interesting scent. It smells like a woodworker's shop. I smell sawdust and tree sap. Actually, this smells like a freshly cut plank of wood. This is a must have!
If you love woods, as I do, then Chene is a dream scent. If you do not love woods, especially oak, I would pass on it. It isn't a one-dimensional scent, but it is an exploration of a theme, and there is no doubt who is the star.
I bought a bottle of Chene after wearing a sample for just one day. I don't normally do such things, but this scent really works for me. It's raw, potent, and individual, and its not the sweet, sticky dessert I get from Arabie, Miel de Bois, Un Bois Vanille, Datura Noir, Chergui, Rousse, or any number of other Lutens scents. I certainly advocate sampling the stuff while it's still available in the North American market.
:::::: Visit My Blog: La gardenia nell'occhiello ::::::
Re: To buy Chene or not to buy Chene?
I also recommend you sample it. I have a bottle and wear it occasionally - especially good in cool weather. Chene is such a warm and sensuous wood fragrance but I am surprised that I get bored with it easily. Is it too much of a good thing? It starts out so warm and rich and stays that way all through. But I miss more development in the fragrance. I wish it turned into a leather at the drydown - it needs some development to be used more often. As it is, the fragrance is a wonderful wood harmony with little development. But, sometimes this is exactly what is needed.
So, Cedre has gotten my attention.
Chene is certainly an interesting scent but the boozy note (probably tree sap) ruins it for me. Actually, a few nights ago, I ended up dancing with this woman who was more drunk than I initially thought - she completely reeked of rum and coke, which I found an absolute turn-off! Wearing Chene would leave me smelling like a drunkard (but instead of rum and coke, I'd be smelling of rum and wood).
As stated by other people this is pretty much all about wood(oak) but it is absolutely brilliant for taking the sweetness out of other Lutens fragrances particularly chergui which it layers superbly with and i've also good good results layering it with Montale's Attar and Domenico Caraceni's 1913 edt in fact i would say that it adds a bit more weight to most fragrances of the spicey rose type.


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Dunbar's skin is extremely sensitive to the sun and he must always cover up when he is outside. He did not wear a hat for the Jets game with the Jaguars last week because it was raining at kickoff. The sun later came out, which caused sunburn on his head.
"My wife said why didn't you put on a hat?" Dunbar said. "I said we were playing so well in the first half, I couldn't put on a hat in the second half and have us lose."
An easy solution on game day would be for Dunbar to sit in the press box, where many coaches watch the game.
"No," Dunbar said. "I'm a D-line coach and D-line coaches are like sergeants who need to be in the battle with their men. You need to be able to feel it. You need to be able to correct things on the fly on the field and you have to be able to see it and get your guys emotionally charged."
We have been outspoken about our love for coach Dunbar since the team brought him in and the work that he's done with his players. His work in Minnesota speaks for itself and in New York he's helping to shape Wilkerson and Coples into two players that the Jets might be able to base their front seven around in the coming years.
Dunbar's defensive line is going to get a good shot Monday night to make a name for themselves on a national stage against a banged up offensive line of the Titans, but they are also going to have to deal with a mobile quarterback in Jake Locker and one of the league's most explosive running backs in CJ2K. We'll look for a fun matchup from Dunbar and his crew.


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Aug. 28, 2006
Macon, Ga. - Lipscomb's Lindsey Rutherford helped the Lady Bisons get off to their best start ever, posting a solid all-around performance in the Magic-Music City Invitational. She was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Week by the league office.
In two season-opening victories over Birmingham-Southern and Samford in the Magic-Music City Invitational, Rutherford combined for 30 kills, (on .300 hitting), 29 digs , four aces, and four blocks. She was also named to the All-Tournament team. The two wins mark the first time the Lady Bisons have opened the season 2-0.
Rutherford, a senior opposite hitter, is a native of Hendersonville, Tenn. and is majoring in exercise science.
The Lady Bisons will be back in action Tuesday when they travel to face Austin Peay at 7 p.m.
The Atlantic Sun Conference announces the Player of the Week every Monday during the 2006 volleyball campaign.
The 10-member league headquartered in Macon, Ga., includes Belmont, Campbell, ETSU, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Mercer, North Florida and Stetson, with Florida Gulf Coast and USC Upstate to compete in 2007.


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LEXINGTON, S.C. — Officials with the South Carolina Education Lottery say a $400 million winning ticket in the latest Powerball drawing was sold at a service station just off I-20 west of Columbia.
Media gathered Thursday at a Murphy USA station in Lexington where the ticket was sold.
The winner wasn't at Thursday's gathering. Lottery Executive Director Paula Harper Bethea says winners do not have to come forward publicly.
The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night were 7-10-22-32-35, with the Powerball of 19.
The actual value is $399.4 million, with a direct cash option of $233 million.
It's the largest Powerball winning ticket sold in South Carolina and the fourth largest in Powerball history.
In May, a Florida widow won the biggest Powerball jackpot in history — a $590 million pot.


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Suggest good resources for having someone develop an iOS app
Answers Given
Answers Favorited
I'm looking for suggested resources for developing an iOS app. I have the concept and design ready to go but I need the coding muscle power, what a good source or where's a good place to go to find this type of service. How realiable are they and what measures should I consider before handling over the concept/design/material aside from an non-disclusure agreement (NDA)? Preferrably I'd like recommendations based on something you've used/tried yourself and not just heard or read about.2
Evidently, you're asking for a service that few if any of us have ever contracted.
I noticed that Dan Benjamin (5by5.tv) has sourcebits.com as a sponsor on The Talk Show. They show an impressive portfolio, and I trust that Dan has done his due diligence on this advertiser. Have you looked at their service?
Update: Someone just mentioned the Stanford course today. From your initial question, I presume you didn't want to code the app in-house. If you are interested in going that way, the courses, books, and services from the Big Nerd Ranch are highly recommended.
Update 2: This forum is a place for those interested in contract or hiring iOS developers for their projects. You may learn some things by looking there over what people offer and which offers get responses. I see that some shops offering services hang a shingle in the forum.
Stanford offers a free iPhone development course: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cs193p-student-final-projects/id395605774?i=90218598
You should look at "Livecode"from RunRev (www.runrev.com) It uses a high level, English like syntax that is easily learned in comparison to objective c that experienced developers use.
[Sorry, I mistakenly tried to post in the comment but could not erase it! Here is my full answer.]
I'm an iOS developer and I wish I knew of a service where I could hire reasonably good iOS programmers as we do plenty of mobile software development and have a great need for them. We turn down work these days and our rates are on the high side. If we could hire a few good quality iOS developers we'd certainly do more work in that area.
I believe that the demand for iOS developers is high but the supply is low and therefore the cost is high, assuming you can find them. We have had little luck finding them through the usual channels and have had to depend on word of mouth. I'm speaking of domestic developers, if you want to go offshore that is another matter.
I've had plenty of bad experiences with offshore developers and only a few good experiences. If you go this route you need to understand the software development process and you will need to spend a lot of time managing the process. The typical offshore shop is using your project to train their new employees at a low rate until they are good enough to bill at a higher rate. The quality of work is usually not great. I've run into a number of bait-and-switch situations where you start the project with their best people, who impress you, then they pass it on to the new guy, who barely knows what to do. If you don't actively manage it and understand the process you can easily end up in trouble.
On the other hand, if you can find a small team who are honest about what they are doing and want to form a good business relationship, and you are willing to constantly manage them, you can have a good experience. I have a friend who works exclusively with 4-7 Russian developers who are part of a 30 person shop. As the US economy has faltered the rates have shot up, and he had to buy iOS devices and essentially pay to train a couple of them on iOS, but he has done well with it and has plenty of work for them.
If I were in your shoes I would try to find a Computer Science major at a university who would be willing to work part-time while still in school. Students always need money and someone good will love to work on an interesting project and may desire the opportunity to learn iOS. You are going to get someone relatively green who may know how to code well, but not how to deliver a product, so you will both learn a lot as you go on. Fortunately the developers site at apple.com has lots of good training material and the web has lot of good iOS resources.
If you do find a service that claims to have done plenty of iOS work, I would not take them at their word without checking as there have plenty of reports of fraud. It is easy to grab an icon of a good app and claim to have written it. Download a few of those apps and see just how good they are and follow up the links to the developers and verify who did the work. I can't emphasize how important this is and how easy it is to fool the unwary.
As for NDAs, I sign them fairly often and they don't have much import to most of us. Truly innovative and earth shaking ideas are exceedingly rare and I don't have time to just go and implement your idea, there are probably ten people working on something similar already. The trick is in having the money to pay the bills for development and to make a product that engages users. It is a standing joke among iOS developers about MBAs who offer to give the developer 5% of the profits for "only" writing the app. Most iOS developers have plenty of ideas they are excited about working on and would rather spend their time making their own apps, but the bills keep getting in the way and that requires working for other people. Money talks, as the saying goes.
Good luck in your search and feel free to post if you find a good service, I have plenty of work for them myself!
I would recommed to check top mobile app developers on clutch.co
Sourcebits and Intellectsoft both give best experience, but Intellectsoft is a bit cheaper.
A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.Tell us what you love.
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If you are trying to describe a phenomenon rigorously, correlate aggregate parameters in such a way that all the units cancel out. For example, don't study the effect of changing pipe diameter, which has units of distance. Study changes of pipe diameter divided by pipe length, which has units of distance divided by distance. The result is dimensionless. These correlations are more resilient to changes in materials and scale. — David R. Throop, chemical engineer, Austin, Texas


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Council needs to educate themselves on school budget
To the Editor:
City Council President Donna Travis' comments regarding the school department in the May 21st edition of the Beacon deserve a response. For the record, neither Mrs. Travis nor any other member of the City Council or the mayor has ever served on the School Committee and yet they profess to know all there is to know about the department's budget and needs. Mrs. Travis is convinced that the department is "so top-heavy" and that they have "assistants to assistants." If she bothered to look at the organizational chart, she would see that when principals and assistant principals are subtracted (they are classified as administrators), Warwick has 27 administrators for a district of over 9,000 students. True, there are four assistant directors of special education, but in case Mrs. Travis is not aware, Warwick has one of the higher, if not the highest, percentages of special education students of any suburban district.
Her rant about the department giving raises while the city unions agreed to a three-year wage freeze makes me question her historical perspective. Prior to the current city contracts, the previous agreement contained raises totaling 6 percent over three years while at that time the WISE [Warwick Independent School Employees] union employees on the school side had not had a raise for at least four years and the teachers had, I believe, renegotiated their raise to 1.5 percent. Also, the city was congratulating themselves for getting the equivalent of 10 percent health care co-pay while the schools were getting 20 percent co-pay. Plus, the school department had already closed four schools and reduced staff.
Mrs. Travis excoriated the department for "inflating their paychecks." Well, Mrs. Travis, part of that was a 1.5 percent raise to school principals, who hadn't had a raise in over four years. Can you say that's been the case on the city side over the past four years? No, you can't. While I do agree that the extension of the WISE contract should not have happened until the new board was brought up to speed, I'd note that the WISE union ranks, which greatly outnumber the administration's, are the lowest paid employees of the organization.
And, while I do not think that the schools deserve the full [additional] $3.8 million that they've requested, it's important to know how Mrs. Travis, her fellow council members and the mayor have treated the schools over the last few years.
In 2010, when the General Assembly allowed cities to cut their school allocation by 5 percent, Warwick was the only city to cut the full 5 percent and level fund every year since, much to the satisfaction, I presume, of Mrs. Travis, her fellow council members and the mayor. While they'll say that school enrollment is declining and, therefore, level funding constitutes a raise, I'd ask Mrs. Travis why she and her fellow council members have not applied that logic to the city side of the ledger. After all, the city has lost over 3,200 residents over the last 10 years (three times more than the schools over the same period) and yet the city's budget has increased by over 50 percent during that time. The City Council and the mayor, in my opinion, have never been supporters of the schools. While no one expects the schools to get [an additional] $3.8 million, to level fund them for another year is contemptible and I would call on parents and all other taxpayers and voters who actually value a good education system to attend the budget hearings on Tuesday, May 29 and make their voices heard.
David Testa
Great letter Mr. Testa. Thank you for writing it.
Excellent letter David.
With no decision to close a school and no funding increase from the city, cuts to programs will need to be made including ALAP, Sports, Music and after-school programs. The Chair of the SC made it very clear during her speech that a vote to table the decision would result in "catastrophic" cuts across the board in all areas affecting every student. The schools will be heading towards only the necessities, the BEP, Basic Education Plan. It is IMPERATIVE that the group that asked for Gorton not be closed and for a long term plan before making a decision be EXTREMELY vocal with the City Council about supporting schools. I heard SEVERAL members of the City Council were at the SC meeting tonight asking the schools to rethink the decision to close Gorton. The decision has been made to postpone a closing for now. The big question is WILL the city council that encouraged the schools not to make the decision support the schools with funding? If past recent history is correct, they will not. Everybody needs to go to the city council meetings and (dare I say) BEG for money for the schools so a long term plan can be realized and executed? Which programs should be cut first? If several hundred people do not go to the city council to demand financial support for the schools, the inevitable will occur and not only will a school be closed, student programs will be cut as well.
When sports were going to be cut several years ago, people came out to let the council know it was wrong. Several hundred people voiced their concerns. The council earmark funding specifically for sports so the programs could continue. I would be happy with the city earmarking funding specifically to keep Gorton open until a long term plan is formulated and executed.
If funding is not in place, the vote to delay a decision will result in not only a closure of a school and cuts to the student programs.
The Mayor has sent his budget to the City Council and it will be the topic of discussion at the next city council meeting. There is a raise in taxes again with no increase to schools. This means that the schools will need to find $3.8 Million in cuts. Which of your child's programs do you want cut? Any of them? All of them? Contact your city council person and attend the city council budget hearings. Let them hear your voice.
Does Warwick need a tax increase to provide a small increase in funding to the schools? No, the city has raised taxes every year for 24 years and has additional revenue amounting to a yearly increase of $30 Million annually over the last 4 years. They have enough money, it just isn't going into education. It is paying for benefits and pensions of city employees.
Here is a link to the city council emails and phone numbers. Contact your council person today.
Another tidbit about the level to which the city supports our schools. If you look at the current residential property tax rates of many cities & towns, many devote 60% and more of their property taxes to schools. But what does that mean in actual dollars, since no one can spend a percentage? Warwick's current residential rate is $18.14 per thousand dollars of assessed value. Of that 55% ($9.98) goes to schools. Here's how much some other districts devote to schools in actual dollars: Coventry $14.09 (78%); Pawtucket $13.94 (60.8%); Barrington $12.69 (70.5%); EG $12.37 (61.4%) Cranston, who many like to compare us to, $12.22 (53.5%); North Prov $11.45 (47.4%); East Prov $9.96 (48%); I admit that this is a very rough measure and that I haven't taken into account commercial property or car taxes, but it does give a rough picture of the commitment, or lack thereof. The Mayors proposed Fy14 budget has now, I believe, "crossed the Rubicon" so that we're now going to devote more property tax revenue to the city side than to the schools. (and, yes, i know that i haven't included the State aid to the schools in this analysis) I wonder if the plan is to keep starving the schools of funding and when the schools run a deficit, they'll swoop in and tell us that we need to have the an appointed school committee. Oh yes, that's right, I believe there was support by some of the City Council and, i think, the Mayor for the recent Charter Review Commission's recommendation to appoint the school committee. Fortunately, that silly idea was tabled by the Council.
Dave here is the property tax dollar allocation as a rsult of the Mayor's Fiscal 2014 budget proposal.
Total property taxes = $218,213,000
City allocation = $99,568,368 or 45.6%
School Allocation = $118,644,632 or 54.4%
In 2007 the allocation was 63.9% schools and 36.1% city
Since 2007 $41,160,415 in new property tax dollars have been collected.
Of that amount $35,642,138 has been allocated to the city or 87%. $5,518,277 has been allocated to schools or 13%.
Overall General Funds Budget which includes state and federal revenue = $283,009,502
City allocation = $126,322,083 or 44.6%
School allocation = $156,687,219 or 55.4%
Than you Bob. I realized that I posted the incorrect city amount after I sent it.
Interesting look at some aggregate numbers. For 2014 the city expects to have 875 employees. If you divide the proposed $99,568,368 city side funding for 2014 by 875 you get an average cost per employee of $137,792. The school dept has 1428 employees so if you take the $118,644,632 proposed city allocation and divide it by 1428, you get an average cost per employee of $83,084. OK you say, but what if we add in the State/Federal aid that the schools and city get? Let's do that. The city's total budget figure for 2014 is $126,322,000 so divide that by 875 and you get an average cost per employee of $144,368. The schools 2014 total budget (not including their request for additional funding) is $156,687,219 so divide that by 1428 and you get a cost per employee of $109,243. For the heck of it, lets add in the full $3.8 million that the schools asked for and you have $159,000,000 divided by 1428 for a cost per employee of $111,344. The Mayor and some City Council members would have you believe that the schools are profligate spenders who can't manage a budget. Really? When you factor in that the large majority of school employees are teachers, many of whom have advanced degrees, the above costs per employee could suggest that maybe it's actually the other way around. I know that this is a 50,000 foot level view but it's interesting nonetheless...
David and all, Here is the FY2014 SC recommended budget. I uploaded it to my website until the schools update their website. Click on the link and share with others. Patrick Maloney
It was recently written in a comment on an editorial on the Warwick Beacon Website that the cost of educating a student will reach over $17,000 per pupil. Increases to the school budget were to blame by this person. But how can that be as the school budget has been level funded since 2008.
A link to the editorial is below.
Here are my thoughts on this, I hope this opens some eyes. I posted this response on the Warwick Beacon Site.
"It seems logical to me to say the cost of educating a child in Warwick has not gone up in 5 years since the funding to the schools has not gone up during this time. The only significant cost I have seen increase is the cost of educating special education students. The number of students in Warwick HAS dropped slightly BUT they have been replaced with students who require Special Education.
If you have 10,000 students, and 2000 require special education (approximately 1 in 5 students requires special education of some type). If you reduce the number of students to 9800, you have 200 less students. BUT, if 400 actual students left while 200 new students joined the group and the 200 new students require special education, then you haven't just reduced the population 200 students. The makeup of the population has actually changed. This is exactly what is happening in Warwick.
While the costs to educate go up with special education students, the State still requires all students to get a fair, equal and appropriate education. Warwick MUST provide this education. Warwick SHOULD provide this education. Would you like to tell the student who needs a special headphone so they can hear the teacher that they can not have it? Would you like to tell the parent of the student who has diabetes that we will not provide their student with a staff member to regulate the insulin? Even if you wanted to do this, you can't, the child can not inject themselves with the medicine. Did you know that All schools are required to have a dentist come in to check the children's teeth? Did you know this requires $30,000 each year? This is a state mandate that is required but not funded. These are the types of increases that are happening, these are the "costs to educate" the student.
A dentist checkup HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EDUCATION, it is a social program administered through the schools BUT the schools have to pay for it. The same happened with the H1N1 Virus, the schools administered the appropriate prevention, principals and medical staff were on hand to help with the vaccinations ... another cost to educate the students. Along with this cost was the cost for cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer. This all costs money. If the H1N1 vaccinations were done at city hall and the dentist check up was done at city hall, would it be a school cost? Before a person says, "The cost to educate a student is $17,000 per pupil", they should know that the State is continuously mandating programs that are to be administered through the schools.
Here is a novel idea, stop electing the same politicians at the state house trying to push their social agenda. When it comes to health of the population, the costs should be covered but it should NOT be added to the cost to educate a student because that skews the actual data.
Costs continue to go up for many reasons, the schools have done a good job controlling the costs with no additional funding. We will all have the students with the cleanest, germ free hands, brightest smile but they will have difficulty with reading, writing, math skills, science and Technology.
It is simple, if there is no increase to the budget, Music, sports, ALAP and everything that makes people want to move here will be gone. I expect many people will leave the city and their tax money will go with it. That will leave those who can not afford to leave with an even higher tax burden."
Patrick Maloney
I attended a portion of the City Council Meeting tonight and commented on the Schools and the Warwick Sewer Authority.
My Comments:
The schools were $3.2 million over budget in 2007-2008 and it was all paid back in full years ago. The schools were publicly chastised for taking 2 years to pay it back.
The sewer authority was originally $7 million over budget at the same time the schools were over budget, it was quiet and was not featured on the front page of the Beacon multiple times as the School Deficit. The Sewer Authority paid back approximately $300,000 the first year and were publicly thanked for paying it back and coming up with a payment plan. Sewer Authority still owes $5.7 million to the city after 4+ Years after being over budget several years ago. I calculated they will pay back the full amount over 15 years, and that is without interest. To date, they have paid back only $1.3 Million of their total $7 Million deficit spending! Where is the outrage! Where are the people?
The council is expected to level fund the schools again tonight.
There are few parents of school children here tonight.
I count approximately 5-6 parents. When sports were to be cut, hundreds showed up.
There is a plan to increase the sewer budget 4%. Why are sewers more important than schools? No one I know asks the question, "How are the sewers?" before, "How are the schools?" The truth is the schools WILL be in the toilet if they are level funded again.
Did you know 46% of the sewer budget goes to debt service. This means 46 cents of every dollar doesn't go to projects, it goes to paying off previous debts for projects. It is not even self sustaining. The Mayor wants to have an APPOINTED School Committee. Look how well his APPOINTED SEWER Authority is doing.
No additional funding to schools means cuts to every program, Alap, music, sports, etc. Contact your city council NOW.
Emails are here:
How many city council members will be attending the school committee meeting tomorrow night... the one where they will start cutting programs to make up the budget gap? My prediction, none.


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Reviewed by Megan W. (age 8)
I think Alfie all Alone is a good book. I thought it was funny that Alfie was jealous. Sometimes when dogs are jealous they will do anything until they have you to themselves. This book reminds me of another book Sky the Unwanted Kitten because both animals might get taken away back to the adoption center. The books are by the same author, too. I think Alfie is cute. He is white. That is good camouflage for the winter. That's why I think it's a good book.
I would recommend this book for grades 2nd to 4th. I think the book is more of a girl book because it is mainly about a girl, a baby, and a dog. The main reason I like it is because I'm a fan of dogs. So if you are a dog fan, you will like this book.