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A colleague of mine posted this the other day. We haven't got any nibbles yet and I wanted to elaborate on the issue.
We are having trouble running the r.mapcalculator function and receive the error below
I have gone into the file "HistoryDialog.py" and changed a reference to Sextante on line 101 to 'sextante' (original text shown below). I think I am clutching at straws here, because after this change I receive another error altogether.
A good googling returned nothing related to the 'sextante is not defined error'. Surely someone else has come across this before. Also for us it is happening on Ubuntu and Windows. We installed the latest dev version through Osgeo4w installer but no luck!!


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I am curious to any research or theories to where children develop their intellectual curiosity. I want to be able to do everything I can to help nurture this.
You can encourage curiosity - for most of the early formative years you are your children's best role model, so they will take on habits from you.
Now, you can't just drag them along to everything you want to do - that could very easily make them switch off - it mustn't be a chore for them. Be excited. Be enthusiastic. Treat things as new. Don't show - but show how to find out things.
It can be staggeringly exciting for you as a parent to nurture and see them develop into inquisitive individuals.
This article has some interesting insights to why humans are curious, but if by intellectual curiosity you mean academic curiosity, I think everyone has a bit of it in them; it's just a matter of allowing them to choose what they want to discover.
For example, for someone who wants to program video games, physics (and in turn calculus), art, and sometimes anatomy/biology to understand how to create realistic characters are required. While video games might not seem very intellectual, most academic subjects are related to other things (in my example physics, calculus, art, and anatomy/biology are related to video game programming).
I think the only thing that needs to be done to nurture curiosity is to make sure resources are available to your child, which could mean anything from going to the library, to showing him/her how to find answers to questions on the internet or through books, or going to a museum every now and then. Allowing the child to explore what they want when they want to is what's most important because that's what will cause them to retain information.
The Sudbury Valley model of schooling and unschooling may also be of interest of you're curious about nurturing a child's intellectual curiosity.
Click here for another interesting article on education and curiosity
A child's curiosity starts occurring predominantly from around the age of 5 or 6 and starts decreasing exponentially with increase in knowledge. I mean, the curiosity behavior depends on various factors like,
At the start (around 5 years), they're curious of everything. Like when you're walking on the road, they wonder about everything and start bugging, "How does this car go fast?", "How does that plane go so high?", "What is this one?, that one?". Most probably, Children don't care of nature, etc (very rare smart cases will ask about everything). Their questions mostly arise in technology or mechanics.
Whenever they ask a question to you, just try to explain them. If you can't (for example, if he asks "What is the temperature of sun?" - a question arriving around 8 years), ask your friends, take him to a planetarium or some astronomical park (like that), hang along with him and find the answer and explain it to him (even though it takes a month)..!
This sort of searching may sometimes make them think, "Our mom/dad will definitely answer whatever we ask them..." as they become mature. This is one kind of encouragement which I could recall.
Around 10, (they get to know the answers to most of the things via interaction in schools) - In that duration, the questions they arouse on parents would be somewhat low in quantity.
A sidenote: As a parent, you must be curious in knowing "What his interested field might be?" between the age of 5 and 10 (I really bet that it wouldn't be too hard to find out). But, finding it would be too late after he has crossed the barrier. Coz around 10-15, there would some fluctuations in his field (teenage) and hence your investigation would be difficult to succeed. Once he has crossed 16, you don't even need to answer him. Coz, he/she might be solving the
One thing I've learned from my past. A quote I'd like to plagiarize from my professor's speech. A quote which I won't forget..!
"This education system is awful. We are always curious in "How to learn it?" and not "Why to learn this?" My belief: Better focusing the children in the WHY? part (by parents) may nurture his curiosity.
The information I've seen all shows that intellectual curiosity isn't something you develop. It's something all children are born with. The problem is more accurately phrased as how can you keep from unintentionally squelching that innate curiosity.
Mostly that involves not making learning a "chore," giving a child intellectual freedom to explore the things he finds interesting, and exposing him to lots of new things to learn about. Do a search for "unschooling" and you will find a ton of examples of people who are really good at doing this.
The thing to realize is playing is serious business. Don't stifle a child's interests even if he's interested in stuff that isn't "academic," because he will learn much more effectively if it stems from his own interests.
For example, in less than a year my son went from hating reading to reading above grade level, mostly because his school teacher made him read boring stuff and we let him read about Star Wars and ninjas. If we had continued to force him to read only serious academic writing, he probably still wouldn't like reading at all. Instead, because we nurtured the subjects that interest him, he incidentally developed the skills that enable him to do more serious work.
I'll also add that it's important for a child to know how to fail gracefully. Intellectual curiosity requires taking risks in areas you are not already familiar with. If you are afraid to fail, you won't take those risks.

subset: commoncrawl


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Media attention ridiculous
January 6, 2013
To the editor: Thank you, news media, for allowing this atrocity to balloon so out of control — it's ridiculou....
I find it hard to believe that the chess club would have a sub-group named "the rape crew"
Maybe if your superintendent had a pair and actually addressed this from the beginning you wouldn't have the entire world looking at Steubenville and the football team.
Access the blame for the media saturation where it belongs. On those who sat on their hands and now are feeling the heat.
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There would be no cover-ups had they been in the yearbook or art club. That's the point.
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text: I have another addition to add to the Pokemon kitty series. The idea to do a lesson on "how to draw Eevee kitty", step by step came from a member of the site. This is one of my favorite kitty figures because I can totally picture one of these creations actually existing. Up next we will be taking the time to drawing an Eevee based kitty. I have a lot of fun drawing these animals out as I practice some new creative versions of our favorite Pokemon characters. I love the puffy collar and I also love the busy tail. This is going to be fun so make sure to upload your finish work when you are all done. Adios mi amigos!


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Imagine a neighborhood with clean air, safe places for children to play, and abundant green spaces—all the attributes of a healthy community. Many people lack these basic amenities and I ask myself, why? Are these fundamental needs not the rights of all people?
Majora Carter has spent a large part of her life fighting for environmental justice and promoting the idea that "you don't have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a better one." As a child growing up in the South Bronx, she watched her once thriving neighborhood disintegrate under the weight of poverty, industrial waste, and the worst kind of urban planning. Subsequently, pollution rose, health rates declined, and the economy weakened. Carter began fighting for the revitalization of the South Bronx and secured a $1.25 million federal grant to redevelop the south Bronx waterfront to bring environmental improvements to her community.
To continue this fight, Carter founded Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming underserved urban communities into sustainable places to live. Her work at SSBx boosted the creation of environmental education programs, green job training, and community projects. Carter now serves as the President of the Majora Carter Group, where she concentrates her efforts on environmental remediation with clients.
People like Majora Carter make me believe that a healthy and sustainable community is indeed attainable for all people. Her work promotes the idea that a collaborative model where government, developers (business and industry), and community unite to create environmental justice is possible. A clean green economy can exist where all people can thrive and live healthy sustainable lives.
Joanna Gangi: There is a major social equity gap in the environmental movement. Why do you think that has been the case? What can we do to make our movement more inclusive?
Majora Carter: Most real social change in societies comes from the advancement of equality. The American Revolution, the Suffrage movement, Labor Rights, Civil Rights, even the Internet.
The environmental movement has traditionally left people behind in environmental sacrifice zones, which are almost always populated by poor people—usually non-white, but not always.
So, for instance, while the environmental movement may have had past successes in getting land preserved or making automobile emissions cleaner, it has not worked as hard to ensure that working-class people living near preserved land can make a living through sustainable stewardship of the area; nor have the oil refineries near where poor people live become any less toxic.
If we had located our power, waste, transport, and mega-agriculture infrastructure near wealthy people like we have with poor people, we would have had a clean, green economy decades ago. Instead, the environmental movement turned its back on the point sources of greenhouse gases and pollution in favor of their own backyards and favorite animal species. The public health stats illustrate this phenomenon quite clearly.
If we can turn the "environmental" movement into an "environmental equality" movement, I believe new allies will come on board with more passion and tenacity than we've seen before. Clean air, water, and land is not evenly distributed. Poor people are more likely to breathe dirtier air, drink dirtier water, and live, work, or go to school on toxic soils.
The hunger for equality will always be greater than support for Cap and Trade or some other effort that's not directly tied to the lives of people. If we bring everyone together for environmental equality, many of the traditional environmentalists' goals will surely be met as well.
Joanna Gangi: As you have said, economic degradation begets environmental degradation, which begets social degradation. What do you see as the key leverage points for breaking that cycle?
Majora Carter: I think comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the long term consequences of environmental management is the best place to start. For example, look at coal country in West Virginia: You have a traditionally poor rural area, so you can assume the people there have little to no political power. Mountain top removal strip mining moves in and destroys their water table and their air quality while producing very few jobs. So now they have no cheap clean water supply, dirty air, and continuing unemployment. It adds up to hopelessness, which leads to drug and alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, poor school performance among kids, increased teen pregnancy, etc.
Mountain Memories: Interview with Judy Bonds
Before she died, West Virginia activist Judy Bonds gave this interview about fighting to save her home from mountaintop removal coal mining.
These problems all cost a lot to combat, but the company pulling the coal out of the area does not pay; taxpayers do. If we look at the two to four years' worth of coal energy produced in such an operation, against all the social and environmental services costs in the context of quality, it's not economic development in any rational sense of the word.
I think this template can be applied to everything from shopping malls to feed lots. Positive alternatives to bad projects will make better economic sense when we first look at the fallout from inequalities among our fellow Americans that a given proposal might produce.
Joanna Gangi: What is your message to people living in underserved neighborhoods who want to make a difference, but may not know where to start or have the appropriate resources?
Majora Carter: Your local elected officials and your fire, police, and parks departments are there for you and most of them really do care—but you have to engage them in a constructive manner. Start by talking among your friends about what you would like to see different in your area. This is not just for "underserved" neighborhoods—all communities can benefit from some intelligent discussion.
So, if it's a traffic light that doesn't give enough time to cross a dangerous intersection, a truck route near residences, not enough green space, or locating a landfill, power plant, or other noxious infrastructure near people, it all matters.
Start with the people responsible for your area and see what you can accomplish. Not everyone will respond, but that might mean your approach is not appropriate for what they can do. Make sure you ask, they will probably say yes. Positive momentum can go a long way.
When I wrote a $1.25 million federal transportation planning grant, I had no idea what I was doing. But I kept the conversation alive in various settings and asked for help. People came out of the bureaucratic woodwork to guide the process and help shape the language for the system. It worked, and today the project has secured over $20 million in local funds and another $30 million in Federal Stimulus funding (shovel ready). This is more money for a project designed with positive community impacts in mind than the South Bronx has seen in almost a century.
But it all started with regular people talking constructively to one another.
Joanna Gangi: You've said that the economic and environmental injustices inflicted on the South Bronx were a direct product of urban planning. When you look at large scale urban planning projects going on now, do you see signs of improvement?
Majora Carter: Not really. I think the use of eminent domain to promote purely private development is a disturbing national trend. Government-subsidized stadium construction is often lurking in the shadows of these undemocratic land deals. In my hometown, we watched with disbelief as New York City's Mayor Bloomberg and our former borough president, Adolfo Carrion, supported a new Yankee stadium to be built on an 18-acre public park with trees over 100 years old—all gone now. This is the richest baseball team in a part of the city with the lowest parks-to-people ratio. And now both of these characters are running around the country promoting themselves as "green." I can't think of any current large scale projects that are going to bring about more equality.
The real intelligent planning and execution is happening on a community/neighborhood level. This is where the real heroes are, but they remain largely unsung. I am currently putting together a new TV series with Sundance Channel to highlight these innovative attempts.
Joanna Gangi: You've identified the players involved in making the triple bottom line work for development projects: developer, community, government. Can you think of an example when these three entities have really come together for the greater good?
Majora Carter: Yes, of course. My favorite is Bogotá, Colombia. In the late '90s while Enrique Peñalosa was mayor, he took a hard look at how much money was going into transport infrastructure and who was benefiting. He didn't have much money to work with, so he looked for low cost investments that would produce the highest quality of life impact.
How to Build a Happy City:
Interview with Enrique Peñalosa
The former Bogotá mayor is convincing city planners from Beijing to Mexico City to create lively public spaces that center around people and community, not cars.
His administration purchased large tracts of suburban land, beyond the slums that ringed the city. The DOT connected the land via bike and pedestrian routes to local shopping areas and mass transit hubs—but no automobile access except for emergency and delivery vehicles.
In a short time, developers were putting private investments into housing along these non-auto routes. Simple, resident-generated community improvements were implemented in the existing poor neighborhoods, while relatively higher income Bogotaños occupied most of the new housing.
Bike repair and juice stands opened along the route—owned and operated by previously unemployed people. Police spent less time on car theft and more time on community. Public health improved. Everybody gained, and I hear it's gotten even better since I was there in 2005.
Joanna Gangi: The International Living Building Institute is hosting the Living City Design Competition. The competition calls on designers, students, and activists from around the world to create inspiring but realistic visions for the future of civilization. Competition teams will conceptually retrofit existing cities, demonstrating how real communities might transform their relationship with the resources that sustain them. What do you think the most important consideration should be for teams working on this competition? Do you think communities like yours in the South Bronx would be interested in this kind of visioning process?
Majora Carter: I think that people in communities across America, who currently experience environmental inequality, would be interested in seeing the teams demonstrate how to transform the relationship with resources that sustain others. How do we remove the unequal environmental burdens that currently befall some people disproportionately?
Beyond that, locally maintained horticultural infrastructure should be integrated into all new and renovated buildings and landscape design. The technology is there to utilize greywater, manage stormwater runoff, incorporate high-yield agricultural systems, reduce the urban heat island effect, and more.
The effects of smart policies that incorporate those environmental services' cost savings would be a great thing to see—what would the government savings over the typical 20-year municipal bond issue be?
Joanna Gangi: Your personal story is a major source of inspiration to many people who have felt marginalized by the green movement. What have you learned along the way that surprised you the most?
Majora Carter: I learned that my message plays just as well in "red" states as they do in "blue" states, based on the heartfelt personal reactions I get. I come from the most urban place in the U.S., but I have directly comparable experiences to people in rural areas and places in between. The solutions are often based in shared experience, too. I am so happy to see that an idea like "you don't have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a better one" is gaining ground everywhere!
Grow vines as a living curtain or awning to shade your windows, cool your house, and remove carbon from the atmosphere. Deciduous perennials work well for living curtains because they let sun through in the winter and don't require yearly replanting. You'll get the best cooling benefits if you shade south-facing windows (north-facing if you're in the southern hemisphere).
To grow a curtain, plant your vines in the ground, in pots, or in a window box. Lean a trellis against the wall, then guide your vines up the trellis and over the window as they grow. Using a wooden trellis with pots works well for apartments; it's portable and doesn't require wall fastenings. In permanent settings you can use netting or wire to support the plants instead.
A living awning provides shade without blocking your view. Attach shelf brackets (salvaged, built, or bought) at each side of the window. The awning should ideally extend far enough to cast a shadow below the window in the middle of summer. Fasten wood or wires across the top of the brackets to support the vines, or make a shelf and grow trailing plants in containers above your window.
Double the benefits of your living curtain by growing vines that are beautiful or edible. Runner beans, wisteria, grapes, and hops are good choices, depending on your climate and whether you prefer food, flowers, or beer.
Standard water-based sewage systems account for about 30 percent of household water use: Even low-flow toilets use 1.6 gallons of water with each flush.
Composting toilets don't use water and are odor-free and sanitary if maintained properly. In a matter of months, they break human waste down into unobjectionable compost. Municipal planning authorities across the country are coming around to the idea that composting toilets are not only better for the environment, but safe for public health, too.
One example comes from a private elementary school in Seattle with 233 students. The Bertschi School's new science wing is designed to be completely self-sufficient, which includes composting human waste. A vacuum flushes the toilet into two composting tanks, which can hold a total of six months' worth of waste. Janitors dump bark dust into the tanks to add carbon to the mixture, and slide a handle in and out to aerate.
Composting toilets can cost more than $1,000 at home stores, but the Humanure Handbook says you can do it yourself. Mount a toilet seat atop a 5-gallon bucket. Use sawdust to cover your "business," eliminate odor, and encourage the composting process. Use undyed, unscented toilet paper. Add the results to the rest of your compost, making sure it's safe from flies, rodents, and the like. Some people empty the bucket into a container like a 55-gallon drum.
This only works with a well-tended compost pile that gets hot enough to kill any pathogens. Experts recommend composting for a year to add a margin of safety, since common germs and parasites don't survive that long in soil.
The result will make great compost for trees, flowers, fruits, and fruiting vegetables, although cautious gardeners avoid using it on root crops. Contact your County Health Department to find out the regulations about composting toilets in your area.
The idea behind UK Uncut— a grassroots movement that asks why public services like libraries and health care are being cut while corporations skip out on paying taxes—is spreading to the United States, with dozens of actions planned for Februrary 26. Want to hold your own Uncut protest? It's simple, says filmmaker Oonagh Cousins:
The next time you find yourself waiting forever for a light to change at a busy intersection, practice this visualization: Imagine the streets around you completely devoid of cars. Replace the painted lane lines with lush, green, flowering plants. Zap that smog-spewing SUV and manifest a café table in its place, complete with a shady umbrella and chairs. Vanish the ugly traffic light and see instead a whimsical statue.
Think it's all just a wishful fantasy? It's actually happening, and in some unexpected places. From an artists' collective in San Francisco's funky Mission district to New York City's Times Square, people are working to reclaim streets as public spaces, partnering with residents and local businesses to create a renewed sense of community while they're at it.
Here's how to make it happen in your own city:
Start small and temporary.
Photo essay: Parking spots take on a whole new meaning.
Even something as small and car-centric as a parking spot can be transformed into a space for pedestrians to enjoy. In 2005, REBAR, an artists' collective based in San Francisco, wanted to demonstrate the need for more urban green space in San Francisco. They put some quarters in a parking meter, brought in some benches and sod, and used the parking space for a rather unconventional purpose: a park instead of a car. They called it PARK(ing) Day. Park(ing) Day is now "an annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good," according to REBAR's website. The website also offers a downloadable instruction manual ($6.99) with step-by-step instructions on how to transform a parking spot into a park, including ideas about creative uses for the space and advice on how to make your park safe and inviting.
Once you've successfully reclaimed 200 square feet, you're ready to take on a whole street, or even a park.
Request a one-day street closure in an area that pedestrians and bicyclists already frequent, like a park or esplanade.
"Ciclovias" started in Columbia in the 1980s, when several of the country's major cities declared main streets closed to cars on Sundays and holidays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. A staggering 2 million people (30 percent of Colombian citizens) now participate in these weekly events, where stages are set up for aerobics instructors, yoga instructors, and musicians to encourage people to move their bodies without the assistance of an automobile.
The cities of Portland, Ore., Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and even Cleveland, Ohio, sponsor "Sunday Parkways"—events where park streets are closed to car traffic. On a recent Sunday in the streets of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, those enjoying the break from cars included families teaching kids how to ride bikes, joggers and runners of all shapes and sizes, and even old-school boom-box-toting roller skaters disco dancing their way across the pavement.
After you see how much fun a Ciclovia can be, you'll want to move on to a semi-permanent project. This type of project uses a temporary installation to test a street closure, with the goal of eventually closing the street permanently. For this one, you'll need help.
To make a park permanent, recruit partners who will benefit from the experience, like community organizations and local businesses.
San Francisco's Pavement to Parks project reclaims wasted space on overly wide streets and turns the space into temporary public parks and plazas, complete with benches and movable landscaping. City and community organizations help make sure the parks stay clean and coordinate community uses such as farmer's markets, chess clubs, and concessions. In one "parklet," Pavement to Parks partnered with REBAR and three restaurants to turn parking spots in front of the restaurants into additional seating and bike parking.
Building the World We Want
When city officials told them, "That's public space. No one can use it," architect Mark Lakeman and his neighbors began a revolution in Portland's public places.
Perhaps the most well-known example of a successful temporary street closure that is now on its way to becoming a permanent pedestrian area is in New York City's Times Square, where, in May of 2009, Broadway was closed to traffic between 47th and 42nd Streets. The goal of the project, named "Green Light for Midtown," was to improve mobility and safety in Manhattan's Midtown area, and to make it a better place to live, work, and visit. Because this project would affect a large and diverse group of residents and businesses, New York City's Department of Transportation held numerous public and private meetings with stakeholders before they started the project—with Business Improvement Districts, local community boards, elected officials, local media, the theater community, government agencies, and representatives from the taxi, hotel, real estate, and tourism industries.
This closure yielded some startling results. According to the Department of Transportation's 2010 evaluation report, pedestrian injuries in the area dropped by 35 percent. In addition, the area has become a much more inviting place, encouraging people to linger and spend time there, which promotes social interaction and benefits local businesses. Again, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT) report:
The DOT currently is upgrading and reviving the plaza with a temporary mural, and is designing a permanent pedestrian plaza for the space that will be constructed in 2012.
Like the song says, "if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere." Here are some more tips to ensure that your new temporary pedestrian plaza will get built, be used, and turn into a permanent pedestrian oasis:
Make the space beautiful and inviting with plants, seating areas, and art.
Using reclaimed materials whenever possible is the inexpensive and environmentally responsible way to go. Pavement to Parks blocked off one street using reclaimed logs that were hollowed out and used as planters. In another plaza, they sanitized, painted, lined, and filled donated dumpsters and unused terracotta sewer pipes with trees and plants. For easy maintenance, make sure your plants are drought-tolerant.
Warn users of the space in advance of the closure with fliers, signs, handouts, and digital announcements.
Because the Green Light in Midtown project would potentially disrupt one of the most congested traffic areas in the United States, the DOT made a tremendous effort to involve the community and form collaborative partnerships long before the first orange cone was placed. In addition to meeting with key stakeholders, project leaders distributed thousands of fliers to inform the public about the proposed closure and invite them to participate in open house discussions. The DOT also welcomed feedback about the proposal on its website.
Make it fun! Have a party in your new park!
It's easier than you think to turn a parking spot or even a street into a beautiful, safe place for people to relax and socialize, even in the middle of a big city. Look around, visualize, and then start talking to people in your community about it. Happy parking!
2. Real-Life Benefits for Women
Ana Sanchez has worked with Southwest Creations Collaborative in Albuquerque, N.M., for the past 12 years. The business offers living-wage jobs to immigrant women who do handwork, contract sewing, packing, and labeling. "Since we run a 'communal shop,' women who take side jobs that they find on their own or that SCC passes up because they are too small can use all of the organization's machinery," says Program Director Jessica Aranda. SCC provides on-site child care for working mothers; GED, English as a Second Language, computer literacy, and citizenship classes; and reproductive and preventive health care programs. Moms even get paid time off to visit with their children's teachers and set academic and behavioral goals. southwestcreations.com —Laura Paskus
3. Pedaling Sustainability
As Jed Lazar pedals his bike and big, blue trailer around town, people often flag him down to ask about his business, SoupCycle. And it's exactly what it sounds like—soup on bicycles. "That's so Portland," they sometimes say.
While the business credits some of its success to the city's bicycle culture, it's the tasty soup that keeps customers coming back. Lazar uses local and organic produce whenever possible and has a rotation of more than 50 traditional and exotic recipes. Each week, "soupscribers" sign up for the vegan, vegetarian, or meaty option. Lazar buys the necessary ingredients, and his team transforms them into soups. Then, Lazar's bicyclists deliver to Portland, Ore., neighborhoods on scheduled days. "Biking is a wonderful way to connect to the community," he said, "and to run your business."
Three years ago, Lazar and his business partner Shauna Lambert planned SoupCycle as an MBA project at Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Washington state. They pooled enough of their savings to last six months. If the business didn't have at least 100 weekly deliveries by then, they'd have to call it quits.
They first served the soup to friends and used their feedback to refine the recipes. They started out cooking in a borrowed church kitchen. Lazar did all the deliveries using an electric-assist bike and was putting in 60 to 80 hours a week. A year and a half in, they hired a professional chef, and the SoupCycle staff now comprises seven workers who put in 10 to 40 hours a week in Portland and nearby Corvallis. Lazar is down to a more manageable 50 hours a week and can comfortably take vacation time. Most of the staff do deliveries, but Lazar makes sure they have a hand in soup production and ordering, too. "I want them to be able to say, 'I helped make that soup, and it's incredible,'" he said. "Then the customer also feels more connected to the product."
It's that customer connection that's most fulfilling to Lazar. "We're spreading hope for a more sustainable world and a thriving local economy," he said. "We're living that every day delivering soup." —Krista Vogel
4. Urban Farmers for Hire
Donna Smith works with Patricia and Andrew Nimelman at their home in Portland, Ore., where they receive monthly installments of plant starts, seeds, and instructions. Working just 30 hours a week, Smith earns a living doing what she likes best—farming. Smith and her business partner, Robyn Streeter, run Your Backyard Farmer, which helps its clients plant, tend, and harvest organic gardens in their yards. Families design a menu of veggies to grow, then sit back and wait for their harvest. Smith and Streeter currently tend or consult with 57 farms and have helped farmers around the world start similar programs. —Krista Vogel
5. Re-Fashioning Your Clothes
With the economy in tatters in 2009, it seemed a dubious moment for Christina Collins-Pezzner to quit her corporate job with Nordstrom in Seattle. But she had a dream and a hunch. "I just had this feeling that people were going to be thinking differently out of necessity: cutting back on spending, thinking about living within their means, and using existing resources."
She began making one-of-a-kind children's clothes from pieces of adult clothes from thrift stores and consignment shops. With her sewing machine tucked into her kitchen, she carefully deconstructs pounds of clothing that would otherwise end up in a landfill and reassembles them into unique kids' clothes, artful and fun. Adult long sleeves become kids' pant legs. A mock turtleneck collar becomes the waistband of a flared skirt. Using local suppliers—often the surplus clothing is donated to her—and selling to small shops, she's built riciclikids.com into a solid local business. She'll be hiring soon and expanding her operation out of her kitchen.
Another reason for leaving the corporate world behind was quality of life. "I wanted to be more 'there' for my family," said Collins-Pezzner, who has a husband, 15-year-old son, and a merely-days-old baby girl. Although she admits she works full days, they're hours spent at home where she can be flexible to the needs of her family. She even talked her husband into leaving his corporate job, too. "We're both believers in doing our dream."
More articles from New Livelihoods, the Fall 2011 issue of YES! Magazine.
Joel Salatin is no simple farmer. When he speaks, he at times takes on the air of a Southern preacher, philosopher, heretic, businessman, activist, or ecological engineer. Since Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma and the film Food, Inc. brought him to fame as the man who raises meat the right way, Salatin has become a sought-after speaker. But he still spends most of his time on his rural Virginia farm—with the chickens, baling hay, moving cows from one paddock to another. He is a self-described "Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic" and has a penchant for perplexingly long catchphrases. It is perhaps Salatin's unwillingness to compartmentalize that has made him such a compelling moral voice for the food movement. For Salatin, farming is inseparable from ethics, politics, faith, or ecology.
Salatin's farm, Polyface or "the farm of many faces," has been in his family for 50 years. At its heart is a practice called "holistic range management," where cattle mimic the grazing patterns of wild herd animals. The strategy cuts feedlots out of the equation altogether and stores carbon deep in the roots and soil of Polyface's lush perennial pasture.
There's a missionary quality to Salatin's farming. He speaks of his work as a ministry and as healing. He calls his animals "co-laborers" and "dance partners" and says he respects each animal's distinctiveness. Who better to articulate an ethic of how, when, and whether we should raise and eat our fellow animals?
Madeline Ostrander: What do you think a sustainable diet should look like?
Joel Salatin: What would a sustainable diet look like? Oh, my!
Ostrander: Because it's often talked about as a vegetarian diet.
Salatin: No, not at all. I think we need to go back to localized diets, and in North America, yes, we can really grow perennials, so there would be a lot of herbivore—lamb, beef—in a diet. And our fruits and vegetables, which have a high water content, would be grown close to home, preferably in our backyards. In 1945, 40 percent of all vegetables consumed in the United States were grown in backyards.
I think a local diet would have an indigenous flair. If you're along the coast, you'd eat more seafood. If you're inland, you would eat more herbivore and vegetables. If you're in Florida, you would eat more citrus. Historically, it's not about the relationship of meat to vegetables or whatever. It's more about, what does this area grow well with a minimum of inputs?
Ostrander: Cows have gotten a bad rap lately for their contributions to environmental problems. What's your response?
Salatin: Don't blame the cow for the negatives of the industrial food system. All of the data that the anti-meat people use assumes an irrigated, concentrated animal feeding operation. Over 50 percent of the annuals that we grow in American agriculture are to feed cows. Cows aren't supposed to eat corn. They're supposed to mow forage. It's completely inverted from nature's paradigm. To use that inverted paradigm to demonize grazing, the most efficacious mechanism for planet restoration, is either consciously antagonistic to the truth or is ignorant of the kind of synergistic models that are out here.
Here's the thing. There's no system in nature that does not have an animal component as a recycling agent. Doesn't exist. Fruits and vegetables do best if there is some animal component with them—chickens or a side shed with rabbits. Manure is magic.
Counterpoint: If you have to kill your conscience to eat, it's not worth it.
Now, we could argue about how many animals we should be eating. I really don't think Americans should be eating so much chicken. Because chicken requires grain; it's an omnivore. Historically, herbivores—beef, lamb, goat—were every man's meat because they could be raised on perennials. The kings ate poultry because they're the only ones who had enough luxury of extra foodstuffs for birds.
Poultry used to fill a recycling niche. Today, if every single kitchen had enough chickens attached to it, there would not be egg commerce in America. All the eggs could be produced from kitchen scraps. What a wonderful thing that would be. There's no excuse for an egg factory.
Beef cattle—there's no excuse for a feedlot. We don't need all those irrigated acres in Nebraska. See? And suddenly all of the data that the animal demonizers are using just crumbles like a house of cards.
Ostrander: Your website says that your farm respects and honors the animals you raise. What does it mean to respect an animal and then eat it?
Salatin: It is a profound spiritual truth that you cannot have life without death. When you chomp down on a carrot and masticate it in your mouth, that carrot is being sacrificed in order for you to have life. Everything on the planet is eating and being eaten. If you don't believe it, just lie naked in your flower bed for three days and see what gets eaten. That sacrifice is what feeds regeneration. In our very antiseptic culture today, people don't have a visceral understanding of life and death.
Ostrander: What do you feel is your responsibility to the animals that you raise on Polyface Farm?
Salatin: Our first responsibility is to try to figure out what kind of a habitat allows them to fully express their physiological distinctiveness. The cow doesn't eat corn; she doesn't eat dead cows; she doesn't eat cow manure, which is what is currently being fed to cows in the industrial food system. We feed cows grass, and that honors and respects the cow-ness of the cow.
Chickens—their beaks are not there for us to cut off, as industrial operations do. Their beaks are there for them to scratch and to hunt for insects. So we raise them out on pasture, in protected enclosures, in a free environment, so they can be birds.
We look at nature and say, "How do these animals live?" And we imitate that template.
We have the chickens follow the cows, the way birds follow herbivores—the egret on the rhino's nose. The chickens sanitize behind the herbivores, scratch in the dung, eat out the parasites, spread the dung into the pasture, and eat the insects that the herbivores uncovered while grazing.
The pigs make compost from cow manure, which we mix with wood chips. They love to do it, and they don't need their oil changed, they don't need spare parts, and they're fully allowed to express their pig-ness. Then animals become team players—partners in this great land-healing ministry.
This is all extremely symbiotic and creates a totally different relationship than when you're simply trying to grow the fatter, bigger, cheaper animal.
But the animals also have an easier life than they would in nature. Nature is not very philanthropic. I mean, every day the gazelle wakes up and hopes she can outrun the lion, and every day the lion wakes up and hopes she can outrun a gazelle. We protect our animals from predators and weather. We give them good food and care for them, and in return, they are more prolific.
Ostrander: So honoring the pig-ness of the pig is about ecology as much as ethics.
Salatin: Honoring the pig-ness of the pig establishes a moral and ethical framework on which we build respect for the Mary-ness of Mary and the Tom-ness of Tom. It is how we respect and honor the least of these that creates an ethical framework on which we honor and respect the greatest of these.
A culture like ours—that views plants and animals as inanimate piles of protoplasmic structure to be manipulated however cleverly we, in our hubris, can imagine—will soon view its citizens and other cultures in the same kind of disrespectful way.
Ostrander: You claim that the kind of agriculture that you do could feed the world. How would that work?
Salatin: Well, for example, take cows. If we do what I call mob-stocking herbivorous solar conversion lignified carbon sequestration fertilization, we could triple the number of herbivores and the amount of carbon we're storing in the soil.
Ostrander: What was that long phrase?
Salatin: Mob-stocking herbivorous solar conversion lignified carbon sequestration fertilization. The idea is you're mob-stocking: Herbivores in nature are always mobbed up for predator protection. Now we don't have predators, so we use an electric fence to keep them mobbed up. So we're not Luddites. We're using high-tech.
We farm grass, and we harvest that grass with cows. But we don't just turn the cows out into a field. We move them every day from paddock to paddock and only give them access to a single spot a couple days a year. We let the grass grow to what we call full physiological expression, the juvenile growth spurt. By doing that we're actually collecting a lot more solar energy and metabolizing it into biomass than you would if the grass were kept short like a lawn.
The difference is, for example, Augusta County, where we are, averages 80 cow days per acre (a cow day is what one cow will eat in a day). On our farm we average 400 cow days per acre, and we've never bought a bag of chemical fertilizer and we've never planted a seed. We've taken the soils on our farm from 1.5 percent organic matter in the early 1960s to an average of 8 percent organic matter today. That cycle of herbivore, perennial, and predation builds up root biomass below the ground and sequesters carbon and organic matter. It's the same process that built all the deep soils of the world—the Pampas in Argentina, outer Mongolia with yaks and sheep, the American plains with the buffalo.
Now, if you consider vegetables, we could do edible landscapes. There are 35 million acres of lawn in the United States. I tell people, we'll know that we're running out of food when the golf courses around Phoenix start growing food instead of petroleum-based grass to be irrigated with precious water. We'll know that we're short of food when we can't run the Kentucky Derby anymore, because we need that land for farming. Go to Mexico. They don't mow the interstates. Every farmer along the highway has a staked-out milk cow.
Ostrander: Can you describe how you slaughter animals at Polyface?
Salatin: Well, the chickens, for example, are taken from the field right into our open-air slaughter facility, and we don't electrocute them like the industry does. We do a kind of a halal, or a kosher type of kill, which is just slitting the jugular, and they gradually just faint or fade away.
We have raised them. We have nurtured them and cared for them. It's different from the compartmentalization of the industrial system, where we have people who have never seen the animal alive doing the slaughter.
And frankly, I believe it is psychologically inappropriate to slaughter animals every single day. Even in the Bible, the Levites drew straws; they ran shifts in the tabernacle where they did animal sacrifices.
Ostrander: Is there a different emotional experience that people have when they're eating food raised on Polyface than if they're eating a McDonald's hamburger?
Salatin: We have a 24/7, open-door policy. Anyone is welcome to come at any time to see anything, anywhere without an appointment or a phone call. We encourage anyone to come and walk the fields, pet the animals, bring their children, gather the eggs out of the nest boxes—in other words, to build a relationship and create a memory that can follow them all the way to the dinner plate.
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Our culture has systematically alienated people from the experience of dining. I can't believe how many kids come here and watch a chicken lay an egg and then say, "Oh, is that where they come from?" The amount of culinary and ecological real-life ignorance in our culture is unbelievable.
So what we want to do at Polyface is provide a platform, so that anyone can come and partake of this marvelous theater that was all a part of normal life 150 years ago. We want to create a greater sense of all the mystery and appreciation for seasons and for the proper plant-animal-human relationships.
Some people even want to process some chickens with us. And that is a very powerful memory to take to the table with you. If the average person partook of the processing of an industrial chicken, for example, they probably wouldn't eat chicken. But by coming here and seeing the respect that's afforded to that animal all the way through, we can create a thankful, gracious, honoring experience when we come to eat.
OK, not everyone is in a position to quit their job to spend more time at home. And not everyone wants to. That doesn't mean that the household can't shift toward increasing production and decreasing consumption. The transition can start with simple things, like hanging out the laundry or planting a garden. For those people who need or want to push further into the realm of living on a single income or less, here are a few secrets for survival we've learned on the family farm:
Sometimes a direct barter—"your bushel of potatoes for my ground beef"—works. But we don't always have something the other party needs. At those times, gifting may be the best answer. Gifts are often returned along an unexpected path. Last summer I canned beets and green beans for my folks—of course, for no charge. In the process, I discovered that my solar hot water system wasn't working. I called a neighbor and asked him to look at it. He fixed it, free. We have a facility that a butcher uses to process chickens for local farmers. On chicken processing days, Bob, Mom, and Dad help out, at no charge. At the end of the summer, the neighbor who fixed our hot water wanted to get his chickens processed. He got them done, no charge. Mom and Dad got a winter's supply of veggies. Bob and I got a repaired hot water system. The butcher had a place to do his work, and the neighbor got his chickens processed.
Homemade Prosperity
Producing things at home lets Shannon live on a fraction of what she thought she needed.
It would be handy sometimes to have our own tractor and tiller. But it seems foolish for us to own that equipment when we can borrow from my parents. It's cheaper to borrow and lend money, tools, time, and resources among family, friends, and neighbors and abandon the idea that it's shameful to rely on each other, rather than a credit card, paycheck, or bank.
One of the most solid investments Bob and I have discovered is spending to lower expenses. Examples are better windows, more insulation, solar hot water, photovoltaic panels, or even just a really big kettle for canning.
Living on reduced incomes may require more family members living under one roof, husbands and wives spending more time together, or greater reliance on friends and neighbors who may stand in for family. The families depicted on television, in movies, and in advertisements show dysfunction as the norm—with an antidote of further fragmentation of the family and community. That gets expensive. While no one should tolerate an abusive relationship, learning to accept or navigate the quirks of family and friends will keep the home stable and facilitate the sharing of resources.
During the last two great depressions in the U.S., hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of people organized to meet their basic needs when the mainstream economy and centralized monetary system failed them. Unemployed poor folks got together to create time dollar stores and cooperative mills, farms, health care systems, foundries, repair and recycling facilities, distribution warehouses, and a myriad of other service exchanges.
Many of these were based on the hour as a unit of account, and often everyone's hour was equal and could either be exchanged for another hour of service or its equivalent in goods.
Modern forms of time exchange, called Timebanks and LETS (Local Employment Trading Systems), have been around since the 1980s. Now, with one in ten Americans unemployed (likely twice that, given recording problems), time exchanges are making a comeback.
Timebanks USA, a system of over 120 timebanks in the U.S. and a few other countries, was developed by activist lawyer Edgar Cahn as a way to help the underprivileged and underserved help each other through an organized system of reciprocity. In the following interview, Cahn explains the basic principles behind timebanks:
Official Timebanks purchase software that provides a ready-made, standardized directory and accounting system of individuals, and sometimes nonprofits or government agencies, that are willing to provide services to their communities and receive help in return.
Timebank coordinators help create matches between people who need things and others who can help meet those needs, and they keep track of completed transactions in the system. No money is involved, and everyone's hour is equal, which is one of the features that enabled Timebanks to receive an official IRS income tax exemption declaration so that people on disability, social security, unemployment, and other government benefits can participate without penalty.
The egalitarian nature of the system ensures that people will be able to purchase the services that they need without toiling endlessly to meet high prices in the market economy. People can also trade goods with the stipulation that their price be based on the amount of time involved in producing the goods and not their market value. Timebanks' most successful application has been to provide a means for at-risk youth who have gone to court to do service for their community.
LETS systems also operate without money (except for fixed costs like gas or paper copies), but the value of time or goods may be linked to market value. Every community determines its own rules, so every LETS is a little different. LETS are now mostly online accounting and directory systems just like Timebanks, but they have also taken the form of paper ledgers, checkbooks, paper currencies, and time-based stores.
When one person provides service or goods to another, the giver receives credit in her account and the receiver gets a debit to his account so the system is always in balance. People manage their own accounts and make payment over the internet by logging into their personal account. Businesses, nonprofits, and government may also have accounts if they are involved in reciprocal community exchange. Some systems have account balance limits, others don't or merely flag high or low balances and then contact members to help them figure out how to spend or earn their credits.
Many communities have created similar time exchange projects, going by names like Fourth Corner Exchange, Village Networks, Richmond Hours, and Austin Time Exchange.
10 Ways Our World is Becoming More Shareable
Why sharing is the answer to some of today's biggest questions.
Probably the largest time exchange in the world is the Fureai Kippu in Japan. Fureai Kippu ("Caring Relationship Tickets") was created in 1995 to help families who had migrated to other parts of Japan care for elder family members from whom they'd been separated. Seniors can help each other and earn the hour credits, family members can earn credits and transfer them to their parents who live elsewhere, or users may keep credits for when they become sick or elderly themselves.
Free open source software is now available for any community to tailor a time exchange to its own needs and to reflect the local culture. Many of these projects also have regular in-person meetings, swaps, and potlucks to help facilitate exchange, trust, and community building.
While we may not have many dollars these days, most people do have some time. Instead of paying professionals who we may never see again to provide services, we can use time exchanges to find neighbors who might provide service in exchange for hour credits, thereby saving scarce U.S. dollars for things like rent and medicine.
In the process, people get to know and trust their neighbors, establishing caring relationships that can help reweave the fabric of our communities, and replace our culture's over-reliance on individual financial security.
Off the Waffle in Eugene, Oregon is not your typical waffle house. You won't find pads of butter, bottles of fake maple syrup, or sides of hash browns and eggs here.
The owners, brothers Omer and Dave Orian, are in their mid-twenties and usually sport matching red afros. They and their seven employees serve traditional Belgian Liège waffles made from yeast-leavened batter. They use pearled sugar imported from Belgium, which caramelizes through the waffles, making them crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.
And if you're low on cash, Omer and Dave are happy to make a trade, because they're big fans of bartering.
"When we were in elementary school, Dave would carry with him a little suitcase full of toys in hopes of trading them for cool stuff that other kids had," says Omer.
Dave says the brothers have traded all kinds of things for waffles, including "acupuncture, massage, plumbing, a trumpet, and art." And Omer adds that they received yard rakes from one customer.
"We have bartered for things we never would have gotten were we to have to pay cash for them," Dave says.
The Orian brothers also installed a "barter wall" next to the counter to encourage exchanges between customers. The "wall" is a large corkboard with a sign next to it explaining: "It may benefit you to trade your goods and services with your neighbors as an alternative to using money, which can potentially be a little hard to find these days."
"I don't know that our five foot bartering wall will be the thing that turns this local economy in the right direction, but I do think we can make a significant impact," Omer says. He argues that Eugene possesses ample "human and natural resources" to sustain itself. "The lack of cash flow due to the economy should not stop this city from prospering."
Right now you can make a number of exchanges using the wall. Ellen will do some proofreading or editing for you if she can borrow your truck for an hour. Heather, a doula-in-training, will provide free labor support in exchange for experience toward her certification. Mike will fix your bicycle for some moped parts. And if you're a business lawyer, Omer and Dave would like to trade you some waffles for your services.
If legal work for waffles doesn't sound like a fair trade, you probably haven't tasted these waffles. Everyone who has seems to invariably sound like a teenager with a crush. The store is wallpapered with waffle wrappers decorated by customers, many of them waxing poetic about the waffles. "Waffles make me so happy," one gushes. "There's a waffle at the end of the rainbow," another proclaims. Off the Waffle's 1,695 Facebook fans seem pretty smitten as well.
Off the Waffle's "original" waffle is served in a to-go wrapper just like it would be if you purchased it from a street vendor in Brussels. But you can also sit down in the casual dining area, enjoy the Django Reinhart music that's often playing on the stereo, and get a waffle served on a plate and topped with a combination of gourmet ingredients you'd expect to find in a much fancier restaurant. The Ahee-hee, for instance, features cream cheese, garlic-rubbed seared rare ahi tuna, sesame seeds, and drizzled sesame oil.
While you wait, you can pick up Off the Waffle's small "joke basket" and exchange jokes with other customers. It's crammed with scraps of paper, post-it notes, and pieces of napkin scribbled with jokes like, "What's the difference between snowmen and snowwomen?" You turn it over for the punch line: "Snow balls."
Off the Waffle just moved to a new location, and they haven't put their sign up yet, but day and night, a line seems to snake from the counter to the door. Most people pay cash, but if you have a healthy potted plant or a restaurant-style highchair, Omer and Dave will probably trade you a mighty tasty waffle for it.
Bats like warm, dry, tight spaces. A bat house provides them with an alternative to your attic, and reduces the chance of human/bat contact. Advice on what to look for in a ready-made bat house, along with plans for building one yourself, are available from Bat Conservation International at batcon.org.
That's where you'll also find a state-by-state guide to the needs of different bat species. For example, the hollows of dead trees provide a roosting site for bats in many areas, but the Western Yellow Bat roosts in living palm trees. So bat lovers in Southern California leave palms untrimmed, particularly during nesting season, when bat babies may be clinging to the fronds.
Bats need drinking water and are attracted by ponds and birdbaths. They may miscalculate a swooping approach and become stranded in steep-sided swimming pools. Provide an escape route by making or buying a small floating ramp like the "Frog Log": froglog.us
Bats are the primary predator of agricultural pests—one bat eats 2,000 to 6,000 insects each night. Plant afternoon-blooming or night-scented flowers to attract moths, and the voracious bats that follow will help control your local mosquito population. Evening primrose, phlox, night-flowering catchfly, fleabane, goldenrod, four o'clock, salvia, nicotiana, and moonflower are all good choices.
This is the year of the bat, according to a United Nations declaration that recognizes their importance to the world's ecosystems. You can support research, conservation, and protective legislation by adopting a bat through Bat Conservation International. Someone you know might love the (symbolic) gift of a bat.
After years of research, we can answer these questions. In fact, we are now able to predict whether a couple will stay happily together after listening for as little as three hours to a conflict conversation and other interactions in our Love Lab. Our accuracy rate averages 91 percent. Gay and lesbian relationships operate on essentially the same principles as heterosexual relationships, according to our research.
But the most rewarding findings are the seven principles that prevent a marriage from breaking up, even for those couples we tested in the lab who seemed headed for divorce.
Emotionally intelligent couples are intimately familiar with each other's world. They have a richly detailed love map—they know the major events in each other's history, and they keep updating their information as their spouse's world changes. He could tell you how she's feeling about her boss. She knows that he fears being too much like his father and considers himself a "free spirit." They know each other's goals, worries, and hopes.
Fondness and admiration are two of the most crucial elements in a long-lasting romance. Without the belief that your spouse is worthy of honor and respect, where is the basis for a rewarding relationship? By reminding yourself of your spouse's positive qualities—even as you grapple with each other's flaws—and expressing out loud your fondness and admiration, you can prevent a happy marriage from deteriorating.
In marriage people periodically make "bids" for their partner's attention, affection, humor, or support. People either turn toward one another after these bids or they turn away. Turning toward is the basis of emotional connection, romance, passion, and a good sex life.
The happiest, most stable marriages are those in which the husband treats his wife with respect and does not resist power sharing and decision making with her. When the couple disagrees, these husbands actively search for common ground rather than insisting on getting their way. It's just as important for wives to treat their husbands with honor and respect. But our data indicate that the vast majority of wives—even in unstable marriages—already do that. Too often men do not return the favor.
Start with good manners when tackling your solvable problems:
Many perpetual conflicts that are gridlocked have an existential base of unexpressed dreams behind each person's stubborn position. In happy marriages, partners incorporate each other's goals into their concept of what their marriage is about. These goals can be as concrete as wanting to live in a certain kind of house or intangible, such as wanting to view life as a grand adventure. The bottom line in getting past gridlock is not necessarily to become a part of each other's dreams but to honor these dreams.
Marriage can have an intentional sense of shared purpose, meaning, family values, and cultural legacy that forms a shared inner life. Each couple and each family creates its own microculture with customs (like Sunday dinner out), rituals (like a champagne toast after the birth of a baby), and myths—the stories the couple tells themselves that explain their marriage. This culture incorporates both of their dreams, and it is flexible enough to change as husband and wife grow and develop. When a marriage has this shared sense of meaning, conflict is less intense and perpetual problems are unlikely to lead to gridlock.
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Relationships count—cultivate them.
Be inclusive of a wide range of food system interests.
When it comes to disagreement, find common ground where you can; for all else, foster a climate of robust debate and respect for everyone's opinion.
Educate your members, the public and policymakers about terminology like "just," "sustainable," and "food policy."
Look for unusual connections such as economic development and the local food economy.
Find a champion, especially a policymaker, who will work for your cause.
Learn more about your food system by conducting food assessments, research, and ongoing information gathering.
The Community Food Security Coalition provides technical assistance and
information about food policy councils. See their website at www.foodsecurity.org.
Fresh from the City
Citizens and local policymakers join up to get fresh foods to schools and neighborhoods.
Mark Winne contributed these tips to Food for Everyone, the Spring 2009 issue of YES! Magazine. Mark is cofounder of the City of Hartford Food Policy Commission, the Connecticut Food Policy Council, End Hunger Connecticut!, and the national , and author of Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty (Beacon, 2008).
Interested? Check out the YES! Tool Kit for Activists.
|Click on each symbol or year to learn how the Joneses go carbon-free.
[Buy or Print poster version below.]
Lately, though, the Joneses have been reading about climate change, and they're getting worried. Ecological crisis has never felt so urgent before. Even little Joey Jones is talking greenhouse gases—he learned at school that scientists are predicting a worldwide climate catastrophe that will change the rest of his life, unless we stop the worst effects by making big changes in the next ten years. The Joneses decide: change is necessary, and they're ready to do their part. But how much can they really do? A lot, it turns out.
In 10 years, without sacrificing their way of life, the Jones family eliminates the CO2 emissions that their home and transportation used to create—the bulk of their carbon footprint.
|A Big Difference from Small Changes
The family starts off with easy changes: They wash clothes in cold water and air dry them in the summer, replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents (CFLs), turn off their computer when not in use. That's an instant, virtually free savings of 6,200 pounds of CO2. They make one simple transportation change: One of the adults commutes by bus three days a week—enough to see whether it can be done, but keeping the second car just in case. That's worth another 2,200 pounds. They're down to 51,600 pounds and it hasn't cost them anything but the price of the CFLs and a clothesline. They're actually saving money.
|Home Improvement
They stop donating so much heat to the outdoors: attic and basement insulation, sealing and insulating heat ducts, and patching the large air leaks typical of standard construction saves them a whopping 7,100 pounds. These savings aren't free up front, but the savings in heating and cooling bills will repay the cost over time. Besides, Mrs. Jones is handy with home repair, and does a lot of this work herself. Down to 44,500 per year.
|House and Car
The bus commute's gone well, so Mr. Jones now buses to work all the time. They've worked on consolidating trips outside work, and find they can do without the second car altogether. That's 5,900 pounds gone. They finish weatherproofing their house: beefing up wall insulation, weatherizing doors and windows, and upgrading to high performance windows. Another 1,800 pounds disappear. They're at 36,800.
|Shed Carbon on Vacation
Instead of flying for their annual vacation, the Joneses take the train: a leisurely way to save 7,200 pounds every year. (If they took the bus, they'd save even more.) They're at 29,600 pounds per year—halfway there a year early.
|Car Upgrade
Time to replace the car. Thanks to consumer demand, electric cars have become widely available, and they buy one. Even charging on dirty power, they save 9,000 pounds. Household total is now 20,600.
|Hot and Cold
They improve their water system, including insulating their hot water heater and their pipes, and also lower the temperature of their water heater: 1,000 pounds down. When the old refrigerator kicks the bucket, the Joneses buy a new energy-efficient one and finally unplug a second fridge in the garage, knocking off another 1,300. Total remaining: 18,300.
|Close to Home
Grandma and Grandpa retire and move nearby. The Joneses now vacation within the range of their electric car, saving 3,300 pounds of CO2 each year. The city converts its bus fleet to clean electricity, which saves another 1,200 pounds. They're down to 13,800.
|A Few More Things Around the House
An efficient clothes washer saves carbon on its own, and saves dryer time. With all the money they're saving, they decide it's time to invest in a solar hot water system. Total: 2,000. Leaving 11,800.
|Electric Bikes
While the Joneses have been on this journey, their town has responded to citizen pressure and gone bike friendly. The new bike paths make it easy for both to ride to work. To ease the hills, they buy electric bikes. There are four months of the year when they can't bike, so they continue their usual commute patterns then. Savings: 3,500.
|Green Power
The Joneses' furnace has been groaning and working overtime. They replace it with an electric heat pump, which also cools the house in summer. They also buy certified green, renewable power from their electric company, and the switch from coal plants eliminates the remaining 8,300 pounds of CO2 produced by the electricity for their house and car.
|Brooke Jarvis & Doug Pibel wrote this article as part of Stop Global Warming Cold, the Spring 2008 issue of YES! Magazine. Brooke is editorial assistant and Doug is managing editor of YES! Magazine.
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text:
Difficulty Swallowing During Radiation
Last Modified: January 7, 2013
I have a hard time swallowing food since starting radiation. What would be some good foods for me that are nutritious and easy to eat?
Valaree Williams, MS, RD, LDN, Registered Dietician at Penn Medicine responds:Effects from radiation can irritate the esophagus and cause swallowing difficulty. Simple diet modifications can make swallowing easier and allow you to eat enough food to maintain your weight and nutrition status.
Soft, moist foods (such as casseroles, eggs, hot cereals, soups, puddings, yogurts, ground meats with sauces and gravies) will be easy to swallow and cause less irritation. Oral supplements, such as boost, ensure, or Carnation Instant Breakfast, or milkshakes and smoothies can be helpful in meeting your needs. Avoid hard, tough, and difficult to chew foods and spicy or acidic foods which can add to the irritation. A registered dietitian may be available in the radiation center to further assist with nutrition information.
This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. View the entire transcript from the Focus on Lung Cancer Webchat.
I wish u knew... Caring for people with advanced lung cancerby Timothy J. Hampshire
January 07, 2013
3 Great Reasons To Have Gratitude On Your Cancer Teamby Marlys Johnson
July 25, 2016


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GENESEO, N.Y. – It wouldn't surprise anyone at SUNY Geneseo to see graduating senior Louis Lohraseb conducting a major symphony orchestra in the not-too-distant future.
Lohraseb, a music major from Schenectady, N.Y., and one of 16 presidential scholars at Geneseo this year, will begin graduate studies this fall at the Yale School of Music, where he has been appointed assistant conductor of the Yale Philharmonia, one of the nation's foremost music school ensembles. He competed with 38 others for the position.
"I have no words to describe what this honor means to me other than I'm extremely humbled," said Lohraseb, who will graduate May 18. "I have my eyes on becoming a conductor, and Geneseo has given me all I need to be successful. I am very grateful."
At Geneseo, Lohraseb has excelled academically and frequently served as assistant conductor for Geneseo Symphony Orchestra concerts, under the direction of James Walker, distinguished service professor of music.
"Louis is an extremely talented musician with a high energy level and boundless enthusiasm," said Walker. "He has marvelous abilities as a pianist, musicologist and conductor. I look forward with great glee to watch the next chapter of his life unfold."
Lohraseb credits Walker with advancing his conducting talents. He first handed the baton to Lohraseb as a freshman to help conduct a Geneseo Symphony Orchestra concert.
"I marvel at Professor Walker's musicianship, his generosity of spirit and his humility," said Lohraseb. "Not only have I learned a great deal from him but he selflessly gave me the opportunity to conduct a full symphony orchestra early in my college career, for which I will always be grateful."
He has high praise for numerous Geneseo faculty members including piano teacher and adviser Amy Stanley, associate professor of music, for providing skillful training and sage guidance, and Anne-Marie Reynolds, associate professor of music, for passing on her depth of knowledge in musicology.
Lohraseb initiated several significant projects for the music department during his years at Geneseo. Last fall, Lohraseb was instrumental in coordinating all aspects of a concert on campus with critically acclaimed cellist Cicely Parnas. Last spring, he was heavily involved in obtaining funding to refurbish the department's Herz double manual harpsichord. He played the harpsichord in an all-Bach concert with guest harpsichordists Findley Cockrell, an emeritus professor from the University at Albany and Lohraseb's former teacher, and musicologist William Caragan. Cockrell made a generous donation to Geneseo for the refurbishing project.
For his senior project this month, Lohraseb conducted the Geneseo Symphony Orchestra in Mozart's Symphony No. 40. Later in the concert, he performed Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.
"Some pianists wait their entire lives to play Rachmaninoff's 2nd with an orchestra yet I had the opportunity at Geneseo," said Lohraseb. "It's been an incredible experience."
Media Contact:
David Irwin
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February 15, 2003
The likely cost of a Nevada-only greenhouse gas program to consumers and businesses -- $6.3 billion -- can be divided by the number of households in the state to reveal the cost per household of a typical greenhouse gas program. The actual costs would vary depending on choices made by policymakers. There were 0.8 million households in Nevada in 2000, so the cost per household could be $8,437.


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Can we talk about a portrait photograph if, let's say, a grandmother and her 3-year-old grandchild are in the picture? Or, must it be only one person in the photograph?
The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography includes an article by Kathleen Francis on the subject, which says in part:
One can find other more or less "official" definitions of portrait photography, but this one captures several aspects that are important to portrait photography (or to portraiture in the visual arts overall) which may not be explained in detail in a general-purpose dictionary.
A portrait:
By the very existence of the term "group portrait", clearly such a thing exists. One can also say "individual portrait", but generally the implication of the term alone is that a single person is portrayed. However, if there are multiple subjects — the grandmother and granddaughter, for example — the picture isn't automatically a portrait without some of the above.
A successful photograph of a grandmother and granddaughter might be thought of as two portraits in one: first, a portrait of the grandmother, showing her personality through her relationship to the child; second and simultaneously, a portrait of the granddaughter, showing her personality through her relationship with the older woman.
A lesser photograph might succeed at just one of these, being effectively a portrait of one person with the other person as a prop. Or, if the focus is on the activity of the two subjects, or on their surroundings, it's probably not really a portrait.
I'll go slightly beyond the simple "a picture of one or more people", because there are differences between portraits and pictures that include people.
There are lenses intended as 'portrait lenses' - but the focal length or perspective or f-stop doesn't make an image a portrait.
I'll argue that if the 'focus' of an image is a person (or group) then it is a portrait. Hopefully it will in some way inform you the subject(s).
A portrait may attempt to highlight a relationship between people, or with an environment or an object.
This is opposed to another image which simply happens to contain people.
Voting down seems petty so I didn't (not even sure if I can), but this is a simple dictionary question. A portrait is a representation of a person or group of people.
EDIT: clarification to remove unintended snark: A representation of an individual or of a group (say a sports team) are recognisably portraits whereas a street photograph which happens to include people is not. If there is a distinction it is in intent, if the principal subject is one or more people it is probably a portrait, otherwise not. Whether photography, pencil sketches or paintings.


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Energy is very valuable computational resource especially in mobile computing. Optimizing the energy consumed during the execution of algorithms has significant practical implications. Intuitively, It seems that such abstract energy measure has to be correlated to the time complexity, the space complexity, and the frequency of space (memory) access operations. Communications costs should be accounted for if we consider distributed computing model.
Are there abstract notions of energy (possibly analogous to the action quantity in physics) which could be useful for establishing energy-complexity classes for computational problems?
This is a follow-up to this question on SE TCS


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Sturgis streets will undergo improvements in the near future.
Voters have approved a 3-mill, 10-year street and sidewalk improvement millage, 566 to 374.
City Manager Michael Hughes expressed enthusiasm after learning of the proposal's approval.
"I am amazed and deeply appreciative of the citizens of Sturgis," Hughes said. "I'm excited about the ability to get our streets where they need to be so the community can continue to move forward. This is a great day for the city of Sturgis."
Location, ST | website.com


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We easily find probabilities by counting the number of ways we can meet a condition and dividing it by the number of total possible outcomes. This is using combinatorics to solve probabilities.
Im looking for a scenario, or a type of complicated combinatorial problem, in which the approach at counting the number of ways of meeting a condition is actually easier by multiplying the probability of meeting the condition (determined in other ways) by the total possible number of outcomes.
I realize this may be an absurd question, but its been in the back of my mind for some time. Can anyone imagine up such a problem? This is for the sake of education, so that we may all learn of new problem solving techniques.


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Reserved SQL words are written in uppercase.
Reserved SQL words are written in uppercase letters.
Would the first sentence be understood? Would the second sentence be preferable, or more correct?
Would the first sentence be understood? Would the second sentence be preferable, or more correct?
I think both of these would be equally understandable and well-formed, although in the context of SQL and programming, I think the idea of uppercase and lowercase is common enough that the first example would be slightly preferred. But nobody would ever find it strange to see your second example.
I think both sentences say the same thing, the former with fewer words, and so I'd prefer that.
Also, most books that I've read tend to state the language first, such as "C++ reserved words" or "Reserved words in SQL". "Reserved SQL words" sounds awkward to me, although I don't know why.
Wait a minute. Isn't it "upper case" when used as a noun and "uppercase" when used as an adjective? Or am I incorrect in my hypercorrectness?


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I am working as a freelance contractor. For a long time I have been paid by the hour. This has worked fine and my motivation has never been a problem. Now, I have gotten a deal where I get half of any increased profit that are due to my actions/ideas etc. This is an excellent deal, which would most likely raise my income ten-fold.
My problem, however, is that the deal caused me to completely lose my motivation. Meaning that I have literally not done any meaningful work for them for about three months. Why is that? How could such an excellent deal cause me to loose motivation? I am after understanding this to depth so please only answer if you have specific references.


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OK so I set up my NN5 with the new Arca Style Quick Release System am I am wondering if it is set up correctly. It appears to be, but I just want to make sure.
I have put the plate on the camera going sideways. In other words the grooves are horizontal to the lens. I think this is the correct setup because if I mounted it going the same direction as the lens, the camera would line up correctly for the first of the 360 shots. So basically for the first shot I set my NN5 to 0 degrees. I then slide my camera into the Arca Style Quick Release from the top.
Just making sure. I hope I explained this correctly. If not I can post some pictures.


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Suchitra Pillai Follow
All About Suchitra Pillai
At the MTV Video Music Awards held in Mumbai, we spotted many well known celebrities of Bollywood. Their style and fashion was a must thing to watch. They spiced up the award shows with their glamor and presence. The event is graced by celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Imran Khan ... read more


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Book your room at Las Palomas
Get an overview of this hotelRomantic Santa Fe hotel in Downtown Santa Fe, walk to Palace of the Governors
Located in Downtown Santa Fe, this romantic hotel is within a 10-minute walk of Santuario De Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and Palace of the Governors. San Miguel Mission and New Mexico State Capitol are also within 1 mi (2 km).
Hotel Features
Along with a fitness center, this smoke-free hotel has coffee/tea in a common area and a business center. Free buffet breakfast is provided, as well as free WiFi in public areas, free self parking, and a free area shuttle. Other amenities include meeting rooms, concierge services, and dry cleaning.
Room Amenities
All 63 rooms boast fireplaces and offer free WiFi and kitchenettes. Other amenities available to guests include TVs, refrigerators, and microwaves.Would you like to give us feedback? Share it! Opens in a new window
Las Palomas460 W San Francisco Street Santa Fe NM 87501
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. Business-related amenities at this 3.5-star property consist of a business center and meeting rooms. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. A complimentary area shuttle within 1 mi is available for guests. This romantic hotel also offers a fitness center, a library, and multilingual staff. Concierge services and wedding services can be provided. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
Las Palomas is a smoke-free property.
- Free area shuttle
- Business center
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Concierge services
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Fireplace in lobby
- Fitness facilities
- Free breakfast
- Free self parking
- Free WiFi
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Laundry facilities
- Library
- Meeting rooms
- Multilingual staff
- Number of floors - 1
- Picnic area
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Ski storage
- Smoke-free property
- Total number of rooms - 63
- Wedding services
Family Friendly Amenities
- Area shuttle (complimentary)
- Free Wi-Fi
- Kitchenette
- Laundry facilities
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Access via exterior corridors
- Air conditioning
- Bathrobes
- Ceiling fan
- Coffee/tea maker
- Free newspaper
- Free toiletries
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Daily housekeeping
- Fireplace
- Free local calls
- Free WiFi
- Hair dryer
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Iron/ironing board
- Kitchenette
- Microwave
- Premium bedding
- Premium TV channels
- Refrigerator
- Shower/tub combination
- Television
Where to Eat
A complimentary hot/cold buffet breakfast is served each morning between 7 AM and 10 AM.
Start your day with a free hot/cold buffet breakfast, available daily from 7 AM to 10 AM.
Nearby Things to Do
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Downhill skiing nearby
- Cross-country skiing nearby
- Snowboarding nearby
- Rafting nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
- Mountain biking nearby
- Bicycle rentals nearby
- Playground on site
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 4 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 20 per pet, per night
- Dogs only
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- Resort fee: USD 6.50 per accommodation, per night
- Breakfast
- Fitness center access
- Shuttle service
- Business center/computer access
- Internet access
- Parking
- Additional inclusions
Optional extras
- Pet fee: USD 20 per pet, per night
- Late check-out fee: USD 25.00
Hotel Name
- Las Palomas
- Las Palomas Hotel
- Las Palomas Hotel Santa Fe
- Las Palomas Santa Fe
- Las Palomas Santa Fe Hotel Santa Fe
We should mention
Children 12 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.


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Latest update : 2011-07-27
A fresh take on the news big and bizarre in the newspapers, on websites, blogs and social media. From Monday to Friday at 8.45 pm Paris time.
2016-07-27 media
FRANCE 24 amongst French media to stop publishing jihadists' photos
How can the media limit the sensationalism of coverage of terror attacks? We take a look at some concrete initiatives.
2016-07-26 France
Online reactions to French church attack
French politicians take to social media with many criticizing the government's management of the terror threat; this after a church in Normandy was targeted in the Islamist...
2016-07-25 Democrats (USA)
Leaked emails overshadow Democratic convention
#DNCleaks is trending online after a massive data dump by Wikileaks showing favouritism for Hillary Clinton within the Democratic National Committee. Also, renowned pollster Nate...
2016-07-21 Brexit
Is Theresa May hoping to divide Paris and Berlin in Brexit negotiations?
'Le Monde' is analysing Theresa May's trips to Berlin and Paris and wonders if they are not a bid to play the two cities off against each other in Brexit negotiations. We take a...
2016-07-20 Syria
#PrayForSyria trends after dozens of civilians die in coalition airstrikes
'Le Monde' has called it the biggest blunder so far in coalition airstrikes in Syria - dozens of civilians are reportedly dead after US, French and UK warplanes struck a town...


text:
Torrington Honda acquired by family that owns Northwest Hills dealerships
|Torrington Honda, seen here, has been purchased by the Sullivan family, which owns other dealerships in Torrington and Avon. Christopher Massa Republican-American
The Sullivan family has added another major car brand to its group of dealerships, purchasing Torrington Honda last month for an undisclosed amount, and has plans to relocate it closer to its other facilities on East Main Street.
The Sullivans purchased the Honda dealership at 45 Migeon Ave. on June 25 from the Curry family, which had owned it for more than 30 years.
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text:
From observation and your own experience, which of the following is the most important factor in recruiting physicians to a practice, hospital or other healthcare facility?
What source do you turn to most for updates to best practices in your specialty?
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text:
10-4 Episode 23: An Introduction to Manual Testing
- Posted: Jun 12, 2009 at 1:20AM
- 103,409 views
- 12 comments
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Looking good.. can't wait till it's ready.
The matter was really interesting.
I'm so much anxiously waiting for the next episodes of VS2010 from Testers perspective. I hope Brian would cover Lb n Test Manager in more detail and specialy Microsoft TestRunner
As a once Microsoft's vendor, I feel this is pretty much like the Product Studio, isn't it?
Does anyone know if it's possible to export manual test cases from another app (e.g. Rally), and then import them into VSTS 2008?
We would love to use Team edition and prepare for the migration to VS2010 when that time comes.
Check out http://tcmimport.codeplex.com/
TFS 2008 doesn't support test cases in the same way, you'll want to use TFS 2010.
Great one, we hope we can get some more information about this one. Any idea?
Great demo - Thanks,
Can we import test case steps created in Excel or Word into Test Step of the Test mudule that you've showed us?
can i download this video from anywhere?
can i download this video from anywhere?
Good Demo
Very nice demo, really informative, and educational work.
Thank you,
Rick Bradford
Sr. Network QA/Test Engineer
Nice video, thanks!
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text:
I have never driven my bike anywhere before but will be on a vacation with my bike in a few weeks and will need to rent a car to get around. Generally speaking, what do people do when they want to take a bike somewhere in a rented car? Do any of the car rental agencies rent cars with bike racks, or at least permit you to attach a bike rack to their cars? In the alternative, does it work to take the front wheel off and put the bike in the trunk (or get an SUV and stick it in the back the same way)?
Any advice, experiences to recount, suggestions etc would be much appreciated.
I'm car-less so I had to rent a car to take my bike when I participated in the Capital to Capital Century in Richmond, VA. I hate to say this, also because I do a lot of car renting right now about three a year, the more you tell a rental company what you do with their car the more they can charge you. You have to use your best judgment and know yourself. Usually with the following rental companies, Budget, Enterprise, and Dollar they don't tell you the type of car they are going to give you until you get there. Sometimes if you ask for a mid-sized car they'll give you a compact and say its midsize. Occasionally, at the counter you have the option to ask for something bigger if they have one available but don't tell them what your going to do with it.
I don't know your age and that plays a big role with rentals. If you're between 20-25 and not in the military a rental company will charge you a daily fee (it depends on the state you rent from not to mention if they allow to rent a car if you're under 25) for the rental. Also they will not allow you to rent a truck, SUV or Van if you fit this catagory. Nine times out of ten anything you do that car they don't allow i.e. if you put a dent in it, they will charge you a fee, return it without the amount of gas they designated they will charge you a fee with Budget, if you return before the time you are supposed to its a fee. There's a fee for returning it late over an hour late. Therefore, I would not recommend you mount a bike rack on it- not unless you can put it on and take it off without them knowing it and altering the car in anyway.
I was 22 at the time, I'm 23 now so I was reduced to renting and hoping I got something I could put a bike into. The last time I did it I got lucky and they gave me a Dodge Caliber. If you are familiar with this type of car its a hatchback the back seats come down completely and the truck lifts up so all I had to do was take off the front wheel and position the bike so it would fit.
This would also be a good time to purchase rental insurance, only because I'm assuming your going to be around alot of cyclists that may bump into the rental and either leave dents of scuff marks. If you own a car and have insurance on it you could save money by not doing this because most insurance companies offer rental insurance I know Progressive does I can't speak for any others.
If you're over 25 I suggest you rent a truck or SUV put the bike inside and be extremely careful of not chipping paint on the outside of the car or scuffing the inside with the bike. When you're done sweep the dirt out and wash out the dirt marks. As crazy as it sounds its better to rent a U-Haul since their age limits are more relaxed and that's what they are for moving things. Unfortunately, they charge you base a fee and by the amount of miles you drive. If you rent their trucks they will charge you an extra fee because they are leased and U-Haul doesn't own them.
I have never had much experience taking the wheel off and putting a bike in the truck without having to tie the hood of the truck down to the car. I find that usually trucks are too small and the handlebars do not fit. However, I always had mountain bikes with straight handle bars and never tried it with a racing bike. I would try that in a rental, when I did place a bike in a truck I had my mother's 1994 Grand Am. I loved that car it was so big and I could easily side it into the back seat without taking anything off. Actually I could fit two bikes in there but that's another story!
I hope this help, a lot of this is just weighing the options, fees and your age.
thanks so much, that is very helpful (i fit in the 25+ category and rates on SUVs at some agencies are actually lower than on cars right now, must be the gas-mileage effect, but anyway it sounds like that is the way to go). thanks again!
Hi, I suggest you not worry about it and just plan to take the front wheel off your bike and put it in the car. I went to New Zealand with my bike once and they had no rack. They also surprised me with a very small economy hatchback car. After my shock and wonder about what I was going to do to accomodate my bike and luggage, I got to work taking off the wheel and carefully packing everything. It all fit in easily and I was able to remove my bike every day without a hassle. I have also taken off the front wheel and put my bike in the back seat of a car. So, you will be fine. I also suggest you say as little as possible to the car rental company and just know it will work out. Good luck! Jan
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