Nos dirigimos a usted/es con el objeto de expresar nuestra profunda preocupación y desacuerdo acerca de la forma en que se vienen estableciendo los horarios de cursada de las materias de la carrera de Licenciatura en Gestión de Agroalimentos hasta la fecha. La oferta de horarios en cuatrimestres anteriores nos resultó incómoda e imposible de cumplir para aquellos que trabajamos o pensamos realizar alguna actividad laboral a futuro, puesto que las materias a cursar a media mañana o a mitad del día son incompatibles con el desarrollo de nuestra actividad laboral actual o futura y nos obliga, lamentablemente, a retrasar nuestra carrera por no poder cursar materia alguna o perder la posibilidad de adquirir experiencia laboral.

Debido a que esta situación viene ocurriendo año tras año desde los comienzos de la carrera, y nuestros reclamos al respecto siempre son contestados de forma negativa, es que nos vemos en la obligación de elevar esta propuesta de forma más formal puesto que no queremos llegar a pensar que falta compromiso hacia los alumnos y hacia la carrera en sí por parte de ciertos integrantes de la Universidad. Es destacable que hablando con varios docentes y alumnos ya recibidos, todos concuerden que esto acarrea un gran problema en cuestión.

Entendemos que no es tarea fácil reestructurar dichos horarios, pero estamos convencidos que con un poco de buena voluntad por parte de directivos, plantel docente y alumnos podemos revertir esta situación llegando a un acuerdo en el cual todos seamos beneficiados.  También es de nuestro conocimiento que la carrera en cuestión está tomando “fama” de carrera “poco accesible” por los problemas antes descriptos.

Creemos que este inconveniente está generando un círculo vicioso en donde, mientras se espera que la cantidad de alumnos aumente para poder crear mas comisiones, no habrá dicho aumento de alumnos debido a que la problemática aquí descripta no se resuelve.

Nuestra propuesta es la de establecer una franja horaria por la  noche  para que todos podamos cursar, flexibilizándose así los horarios de docentes y alumnos para un objetivo en común.  Además de esto tendría que establecerse una contra cursada  por la mañana para que las materias se encuentren disponibles en ambos cuatrimestres; de esta manera, cada materia se cursaría un cuatrimestre en la franja horaria de la mañana y el siguiente cuatrimestre en la franja horaria de la noche.  Se podría comenzar con un plan de prueba por tres o cuatro años siguiendo este patrón de cursadas y ver los resultados, ya que los observados con el plan actual, desde comienzos de la carrera, son evidentemente más que negativos y es necesario un cambio en los mismos cuanto antes para así no seguir sufriendo sus consecuencias.  También se podría poner un cupo mínimo de estudiantes para abrir cada curso, evitándose así que haya cursadas sin alumnos.  Es de nuestro conocimiento que estos cambios suponen contratiempos, pero estamos convencidos que con buena voluntad y predisposición son más que posibles, ya que los horarios actualmente disponibles son incompatibles con la mayoría de los horarios de trabajo.  Esto surge de numerosas reuniones llevadas a cabo por los estudiantes, y también es entendido por todos aquellos profesores con los que hablamos, incluyendo a las directoras de la carrera, tanto de Veterinaria como de Agronomía.

Sabemos que en Agronomía existe la obligación de que, si solo existe una comisión por materia, esta deberá cursarse en el horario nocturno. (Esto no se cumple en nuestra carrera)

Esperamos con esta carta, no solo documentar un pedido, sino realmente generar un cambio que apunte a construir entre todos, un espacio de enseñanza orientado hacia las necesidades de docentes y alumnos. De nada sirve una facultad y una carrera con plantel docente, pero,  sin alumnos.

Dado a que seguimos creyendo en la Universidad de Buenos Aires como una institución de excelencia, esperamos que,  de quienes dependa la decisión de flexibilizar los horarios, también se encuentren a la altura de las circunstancias.

Quedamos a su disposición por cualquier eventualidad, esperando un cambio que nos indique que es posible trabajar en equipo entre alumnos y docentes.

Saludos cordiales,

Firmá la carta en el local del CEV, de lunes a viernes de 9 a 21 horas

Bite sized chunks work best for me and it's not just a case of in one ear and out the other either, some stuff actually sticks. 

So whenever I stumble upon a website I like the look of I always sign up to their newsletter straight away. 

My favourite news service at the moment has to the be LGA's daily News Headlines.  Whoever puts their clippings together has a certain sense of humour (and a healthy obsession with bins).  I like the coverage of all things in the public sector world, from the sublime to the ridiculous, and it reminds me just how big the public sector world is - and how it touches everyone, nearly every day.  There are other email alerts too - a weekly round up and sector specific emails.

The other good news service I read is PublicTechnology.net which covers public sector IT news from central and local government as well as bits from the EU too.  More weighty than the LGA's service but equally interesting.

And then there's the IDeA's weekly Knowledge bulletin, complete with cartoon.  A good mix of worthy, disposable and must-read stuff.

What are you favourite ways of keeping your finger on the pulse of local government?

Janet

Mag-asawang akala mo’y di mapaglayo

Ngunit sadyang marupok ang isa’t isa

Di napaglabanan ang mga pagsubok nila.

Kahapon na kay saya

Magising ka na lang sa umaga

Iba na ang kapiling ng sinta.

LGA

'...social services would have to intervene "more and more" with obese children. It added that councils would have to take action against parents who put their children's health at risk, with the ultimate sanction of taking the fattest boys and girls into care.'

Wow the 'nanny state' has really gone a step too far this time. It has been proposed that drastically overweight children will be taken away from their families and put into the care of the state. The Local Government Association (LGA), which speaks for over 400 local councils in England and Wales, has said drastic action must be taken to 'improve the health of seriously overweight children.' Since when, may I ask, has it been the governments job to worry about people's weight? The article does mention that a lot of cost is involved with having an overweight population. New ambulances, chairs, gurneys etc must be made for society's heavier members and it is understandable that a governmental association would worry about things in monetary terms. However, let us be honest with ourselves... saving a couple quid is not the real goal here and neither is the health of the children.

The only purpose this kind of action would serve would be to acclimate the population to government control. At first they 'care' for obese children, next are the mentally handicapped. Which segment of the population would be next? You know, there have been other governments in the past that have employed these sorts of tactics. Needless to say they did not end well.

If the LGA wanted to really help the health of Britain's children there are many other options to explore that would be much more effective. They could easily push legislation to make more physical activity a requirement in schools. Or, start dietary lessons in kindergarten and continue it through secondary school. Organized health fairs could also help. Though obesity is a widespread issue it is also a localized one; and localized issues require solutions based on local knowledge. In other words, each town or council will have a differently detailed problem. Accordingly, they will need different solutions. The LGA is proposing a nation-wide policy (or at least encompassing 400 councils) which would not remedy anything. All it would do is rip families apart, terrify children and instill fear and subservience in a population that is already scared to bits.

Obesity poses as big a threat to our nation as terrorism, Government adviser warns

By James Chapman
Last updated at 8:13 AM on 15th August 2008

Crisis: Half of Britons could be obese by 2032

Obesity poses as grave a threat to Britain and the NHS as terrorism, a Government adviser has warned.

Public health expert Professor David Hunter criticised ministers for failing to take 'bold action' to tackle the growing crisis.

Experts have already warned that if trends continue, half the population will be obese within 25 years, causing life expectancy to fall for the first time in two centuries.

Professor Hunter, of Durham University, said that since the 1970s governments have done little more than 'tinkered round the edges' of the emerging health crisis.

'They have been talking about it for four decades but that never seems to be enough,' he said.

'The Government was quick to move for things like ID cards or 42-day detention without trial - now it needs to show similar leadership in public health.

'The threat to our future health is just as significant as the current security threat.'

Although Government initiatives were having some impact, he added, these were on a 'piddling' scale.

'Lots of the initiatives are under a voluntary agreement - but it has just come to the point where things like these are simply not working,' Professor Hunter said.

© 2008 Associated Newspapers Ltd

Read the FULL STORY here.

Of course the argument here is mostly about the costs of treating so-called "obesity-related" diseases, and how it cuts about 9 years off your life (as IF this world were so great right now that anyone would want to live longer?). The argument falls flat when you factor in long life = higher medical costs for "age-realted" diseases such at all cancers, heart problems, bone problems, dementia, alzheimer's, etc.

More disturbing were the majority of comments to this story were downright nasty. The level of intolerance from people who think just because something doesn't affect them that it is perfectly acceptable to condemn is appalling. They think just because they eat well and healthy and are active to over-active that they are immune from such intrusions into their choices. It will be interesting to watch them when the [fill-in your hatred here] police come after them; and they will for no one is perfect OR immune from anyone else's personal hatred.

Earlier this year I read this:

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

Medical costs higher for thin, healthy folks

By Maria Cheng

The Associated Press

LONDON — Preventing obesity and smoking can save lives, but it doesn't save money, researchers reported Monday.

It costs more to care for healthy people who live years longer, according to a Dutch study that counters the common perception that preventing obesity would save governments millions of dollars.

"It was a small surprise," said Pieter van Baal, an economist at the Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, who led the study. "But it also makes sense. If you live longer, then you cost the health system more."

In a paper published online Monday in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal, Dutch researchers found that the health costs of thin and healthy people in adulthood are higher than those of either fat people or smokers.

Van Baal and colleagues created a model to simulate lifetime health costs for three groups of 1,000 people: the "healthy-living" group (thin and nonsmoking), obese people and smokers. The model relied on "cost of illness" data and disease prevalence in the Netherlands in 2003.

The researchers found that from age 20 to 56, obese people racked up the highest health costs. But because both the smokers and the obese people died sooner than the healthy group, it cost less to treat them in the long run.

~snip~

Van Baal described the paper as "a bookkeeping exercise," and said that governments should recognize that successful smoking- and obesity-prevention programs mean that people will have a higher chance of dying of something more expensive later in life.

"Lung cancer is a cheap disease to treat because people don't survive very long," van Baal said. "But if they are old enough to get Alzheimer's one day, they may survive longer and cost more."

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

Read the FULL STORY here.

What is interesting is that the arguments, zeal, and solutions are pretty much what has worked for the Tobacco Control attack on smokers (and yes, it IS the smokers they attack NOT the corporations). It's like they took the TC template for success and changed smoking to obesity, fiddled the numbers a bit more so as not to be a complete mirror-image and are using the same emotional blackmail. And once again, the passive, brainwashed sheeple are lapping it all up and going along with it.

The UK is also looking to involve social services when children are fat and may threaten to remove the child from the home (as has been done in a couple of isolated cases already - see here, here, here and here).

Town halls warn that Britain is becoming the 'obesity capital of the world'

LGA press release - 15 August 2008

Social services will increasingly have to step in to deal with cases where the welfare of dangerously overweight children is put at risk if the UK’s obesity epidemic continues to grow, town hall leaders are warning today.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents over 400 councils in England and Wales, is calling for a national debate about the extent to which dangerous childhood obesity could be considered as a factor contributing to parental neglect.

Council social services have only become involved in isolated cases until now, where it has been judged that children’s health is being put at risk by their parents. However, the LGA is warning that as obesity increasingly becomes a problem, it is likely that local authorities will have to step in more and more to deal with the problem, normally through offering help and advice to parents and keeping the welfare of children under review.

Local Government Association

Read the FULL STORY here.

Science is being done by press release these days and by politicians it seems. Here's a piece from Junkfood Science about this and why it is a real problem.

August 17, 2008

Maybe, we’re overlooking a problem

~snip~

It has been argued that politicians don’t do science, and political science is not a hard science. But irrefutably, medical licenses are not required to practice politics or economics. So why are we listening to politicians and political analysts and letting them decide health care policies that affect all of us and our children, families, businesses and way of life?

This past week, obesity hysterics hit a new high. And not a single claim or health policy proposal was based on a lick of credible evidence. Each worked from the most biased of underlying assumptions.

Fat people = terrorists

Fat people = stupid

Fat people = diseased burdens (and) Cancers are your own fault

Fat children = child abuse

Read the FULL STORY here.

Makes you kind of wonder if all those conspiracy theory nuts aren't really on to something. Doesn't it?

]]> http://ideapolicy.wordpress.com/?p=360 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:26:33 +0000 Ingrid Koehler http://ideapolicy.el.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/next-stop-the-sun/ Who's writing the headlines for LGA  these days? 

Councils issue safety warnings as trampoline injuries jump

and

People left exposed by lap-dance legislation

Great stuff!

And, of course, both of these are serious issues.  Particularly the lap dancing.  It's not just about topless servers and tassles, it's about communities being able to shape their own areas.

Nagpanggap kang binata

Nagpanggap din akong dalaga

Ginamit pa pangalan ng tiyahing matanda.

Oras ng unang pagkikita

Pumunta ka sa bahay ng aking tita

Kumatok ka at pinagbuksan ng matanda

Tinanong kung ano’ng kailangan nila

Sinabi mo: “itoy ba’ng bahay ni Clarissa?”

“Ako nga, anong kailangan nila?”

Nagulat ka, di inasahan ang nakita

Dali kang nagpaalam

Sa pagmamadali di mo nakita

Malaking kahoy na nakabalandra

Nadapa ka, tumilapon ang bulaklak na dala

Dali kang bumangon, palingon-lingon

Ng matiyak na walang tao

Dali kang umalis na parang wala ako

Sayang textmate, guwapo ka pala!

LGA

Nagpanggap kang binata

Nagpanggap din akong dalaga

Ginamit pa pangalan ng tiyahing matanda.

Oras ng unang pagkikita

Pumunta ka sa bahay ng aking tita

Kumatok ka at pinagbuksan ng matanda

Tinanong kung ano’ng kailangan nila

Sinabi mo: “itoy ba’ng bahay ni Clarissa?”

“Ako nga, anong kailangan nila?”

Nagulat ka, di inasahan ang nakita

Dali kang nagpaalam

Sa pagmamadali di mo nakita

Malaking kahoy na nakabalandra

Nadapa ka, tumilapon ang bulaklak na dala

Dali kang bumangon, palingon-lingon

Ng matiyak na walang tao

Dali kang umalis na parang wala ako

Sayang textmate, guwapo ka pala!

LGA

Mag-asawang akala mo’y di mapaglayo

Ngunit sadyang marupok ang isa’t isa

Di napaglabanan ang mga pagsubok nila.

Kahapon na kay saya

Magising ka na lang sa umaga

Iba na ang kapiling ng sinta.

LGA

Stage Two verifies the business and technical ability of the company. All corporate policies, internal and external, are audited and scrutinised. Once Stage Two has been approved, the company is granted a six month provisional license. Smarkets anticipates receiving this within the next few months at which time we will begin trading with real money.

Stage Three is a full security, compliance and operations audit. After Stage Three approval, Smarkets will receive a five year license.

There are six ways to get access to the airport lounge:

1. Fly business class
2. Have the right kind of credit card (e.g. Amex Platinum, Citi Chairman)
3. Have super elite status on some Frequent flyer programs (like ElAl) or Gold on Star Alliance/OneWorld and have a boarding pass for the same day from the right (or partner) airline.
4. Buy an annual pass ($250 - $400 and be ready to be very loyal to one carrier)
5. Be 82 years old and tell them you are flying for the first time in 20 years for your Grandson's Bar Mitzvah
6. Read the rest of this post

What you get in a lounge - Food, Drinks, Coffee, Wifi, quiet place to sit, more food, more drinks and in a select few - showers. In Dubai, you get a swimming pool. FYI.

What you avoid:

Convinced?

Its actually pretty simple and inexpensive. Buy a day pass. There are a few ways to do that (follow the links to turn this into a full fledged research project):

1. Buy a day pass from one of the airlines - AA ($50), UA ($50) or DL ($30). All have lounges at LAX, SFO, JFK, EWR. Continental does not offer a day pass.
2. Buy a day pass from loungepass.com for 20 GBP. But no lounge at JFK!
3. Join Priority Pass. There is a $99 annual fee and $27 per visit. Access to lounges of multiple carriers.

Now it gets complicated - there are lots of differences. Here goes:

• Kids under 18 are free at some lounges and under 21 are not allowed at others
• Some allow a single entry, others allow entry at all lounges while in transit (a very good idea if you are flying to Hawaii)
• Some lounges in Europe are after passport control - so you will not be able to use them if you are an arriving passenger
• Only AA has a lounge at SJC

And in general:

• Best to research and buy online
• Make sure lounge is in or near terminal you want to be in. You don't have to fly their airline to use a day pass but you may end up spending your time hiking around the airport (not to mention multiple security checks)
• Airlines are closing down lounges as part of the "Very bad time to be in the airline industry" program.

And now the bad news - the situation at Ben Gurion is bleak. The King David (ElAl) lounge does not offer day passes and does not work with any of the above partners. The Dan Lounges offer day passes (100 NIS) - but are very crowded (as in - standing room only - whats the point?). Members can bring friends and one should not miss the spectacle of the masses congregating outside the doors "making friends". Hang out at McDonalds, instead.

Treat yourself to a splurge and let me know what you discovered and where I steered you wrong. I will be in the Carmel Forest Spa at the King David Lounge.

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There has been growing anger about the methods used by councils to probe minor crimes, such as dog fouling.

The powers were introduced under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act as part of the Government's anti-terror drive but it is claimed some councils are abusing the powers.

This really shouldn't be shocking. The government pushes intrusive legislation under the guise of society's protection and people comply. And your freedoms get chipped away little by little.....

It's for your safety. Does anyone actually still believe that?

Beberapa hari yang lalu komputer di warnet saya mulai bertingkah. Tadinya sih hanya satu komputer saja. Tapi menular ke beberapa komputer lain yang berbasis sama (CPU Celeron 2.8 GHz LGA) Gejalanya komputer tiba-tiba mati, semati-matinya. Nggak ada notifikasi sebelumnya. Proses matinya pun bukan lewat shutdown. Tapi seperti mati listrik gitu.

Penyelidikan pun dilakukan dengan langkah-langkah sebagai berikut :

1. Menyelidiki sistem : Adakah virus yang menghinggapi sistem ? soalnya ada beberapa varian virus yang punya kebiasaan me-restart sistem. Pilihan ini jelas tidak ada di komputer yang bermasalah tersebut. Sebab gejala matinya seperti ada permasalahan listrik.

2. Pemeriksaan tegangan kerja AC 220 V : Hasil pengukuran menunjukan 210-215 v. Cukup masuk akal dan power supply masih bisa bekerja dengan baik pada level tegangan ini.

3. Pemeriksaan temperatur : BIOS menunjukan putaran fan 2800 RPM dan temperatur CPU 75 derajat Celcius.

Dari hasil pemeriksaan diatas sebenarnya tidak ada masalah pada sistem. Tapi langkah pertama yang saya lakukan untuk memperbaiki kerusakan diatas adalah :

1. Ganti power supply : Masih tetap sama..Ternyata tegangan AC bukan penyebabnya.

2. Clear CMOS BIOS : Tidak juga

3. Scan sistem untuk meneliti apakah ada virus : Tidak juga.

Ternyata setelah penyelidikan yang cukup intensif saya temukan fan CPU LGA 775 yang berputar sangat rendah ! Walaupun fitur Smart Fan (yang mengatur putaran kipas sesuai suhu) di-nonaktifkan, putaran kipas sangat-sangat rendah.

Penasaran saya matikan sistem, lalu mencoba memutar kipasnya dengan tangan. Ternyata dengan tangan pun kipas terasa berat. Seperti ada yang menahan putarannya. Bahkan di komputer yang lain kipasnya sudah hampir tak bisa digerakkan.  Akibatnya Heatsink tidak efektif melepas panas. CPU pun tanpa ba-bi-bu langsung menghentikan tugasnya.

PENYELESAIAN :

Mau tidak mau kita harus ganti fan CPU-nya. tapi fan LGA ini nggak bisa dibeli terpisah. Harus dengan paket heatsink-nya. kalau di Bogor sini harga Fan+heatsink LGA berkisar Rp. 55.000-an. Tapi rugi karena heatsink yang lama nggak terpakai.

Kebetulan ada banyak ekstra fan yang biasa dipakai di casing. Maka muncullah ide nyeleneh saya, yaitu mengganti fan LGA dengan ekstra fan. Bagaimana caranya :

1. Buka/lepaskan fan LGA yang lama dari heatsink-nya. caranya mudah sekali. Pada dua ujung kipas ada pengait yang membuat kipas dan rangkanya menempel ke heatsik. Congkel saja dengan obeng atau benda pipih.

2. Patahkan tiap ujung dari rangka kipas (ada empat sudut yang menahan kipas dengan rangkanya) dengan tang hingga yang tersisa adalah rangka kipasnya :

3. Masukkan fan standar ke dalam rangka fan LGA. Pastikan ukuran fan yang akan kita pakai pas. Biasanya sih ekstra fan casing sudah sama ukurannya :

ekstra fan sebelum dipasang

ekstra fan setelah dipasang ke rangka fan LGA-lama

Setelah masuk ke rangka LGA, ikat atau kencangkan dengan isolasi. Contoh diatas saya ikat dengan isolasi hitam di sekeliling rangka LGA-nya. Tentunya ini tergantung selera anda. Mau pakai tali rapia, kawat atau tali kutang juga boleh..wkwkwkwk...

Ingat posisi fannya ! posisi terbaik adalah membuang udara panas dari heatsink. Bukan menyedot udara luar ke heatsink. Lihat contoh gambar diatas.

4. Masukkan kembali rangka LGA ke heatsink. Langkahnya kebalikan dari melepasnya.

Beres deh !

tapi fan "abal abal" ini ada kelemahannya. Putaran fan nggak bisa diatur, sebab tegangannya mengambil langsung dari soket power supply. dan juga cukup berisik jika pakai ekstra fan yang murahan. Tapi keuntungannya suhu CPU lebih rendah.

Dengan pemecahan masalah diatas berarti akar penyebabnya ada di suhu CPU yang meningkat drastis dan tidak dibuang oleh kipas.

Catatan si GO.....!!!! BLOG :

Kipas LGA ini baru berusia enam bulan ! Terhitung pemakaian mulai Januari 2008, tapi enam komputer yang berbasis Celeron 2.8 fannya sudah rusak. Ini bisa berarti :

1. Produk fan-nya yang memang "abal-abal" ; atau

2. Pemakaian perhari yang tinggi. Sebab perhari komputer hidup mulai pukul 08.00-00.00 (rata-rata hidup 10-11 jam) ; atau

3. Suhu di dalam casing tinggi sehingga fan LGA "menyerah". Setelah permasalahan ini saya pasang satu fan di depan casing untuk menyedot udara segar masuk dan satu fan dibelakang casing untuk membuang udara panas keluar.

4. Sistem pendinginan CPU LGA payah !!! Heatsink hanya mengandalkan plastik pengait seupil sebanyak 4 buah yang mengaitkan heatsink/pendingin ke motherboard. Gampang patah lagi ! Masih lebih baik sistem pendingin soket 478 dan AMD. Sebagai perbandingan untuk PC Game Center menggunakan Athlon X2 tanpa kipas depan dan belakang sampai sekarang masih Joss !!

Things that make you go....awwwwww

Council workers in Hampshire rescue a family of ducks (via the Local Government Association)

Somebody's watching you

A popular beat combo use London's network of CCTV cameras and the Freedom of Information Act requests to create a music video.  I'm not sure how well I like the music, but the visual impact is pretty amazing. (Via Governing.com)

Art and the concealed carry

A graffitti artiste has been handed an ASBO enjoining him from carrying the tools of his "trade".

Dominic Luke-Clarke, who daubed walls and buses with his tag name "Smokey", was handed a three year anti-social behaviour order at Nottingham Magistrates' Court yesterday.

The order bans him from spraying graffiti anywhere in England and Wales. As well as being forbidden from carrying paint in public, he is also banned from carrying ink, dye or liquid polish.

The order doesn't say anything about lipstick or beetroot juice, however.

A spot of graffiti near the IDeA offices

Do you want a flake with that, love?

Next time you hear the chimes of the frozen convection conveyance, it may be information about substance abuse rather than a cornetto handed through the window.

Ice cream vans can act as a magnet for youngsters but this time, teenagers in Beechwood weren’t greeted by Mr. Whippy but youth workers from Wirral Anti-Social Behaviour Team’s Youth Respect Team, as part of a brand new initiative.

The team is using the retired van to go to anti-social behaviour hot spots and places where young people congregate to talk to youngsters about the effects of alcohol abuse and the impact anti-social behaviour has on the community.

And although the van doesn't serve ice cream is stocked with refreshments and snacks, to further encourage young people to engage. The van also has a "comprehensive supply of information."

The lap dancing loophole

Don't go there. It doesn't mean what you think it means.

In fact, it's a licensing loophole which means that lap dancing venues are treated as leisure facilities (like a karaoke club) rather than a branch of the commercial sex industry.

Sir Robin Wales, LGA spokesperson on licensing, said people living near the clubs should have a say on whether they have permission to operate.

“It is a worrying loophole that councils are unable to take action when residents have objections to new lap dancing clubs. Parents’ concerns about their children, or neighbours’ concerns about links to prostitution and other crime, should not be ruled out on technical grounds.

The LGA wants to know what you think about the issue.

CABE consultation

I found out from Kevin Harris's Neighbourhoods blog that CABE (the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) have set up a survey for community groups to find out what they need to help them create better open spaces. He says:

it's not necessarily the redesign of spaces that should be prioritised, nor even provision of funding for creative solutions, but facilitating the release of energy by bringing people together and helpng them shape their own ideas: ie community development. Plus a few hundred quid maybe for a tent, some tables and a BBQ

Whether it's poppies or vegetables or space for a little BBQ, this is all about creating a sense of joy and purpose in our public spaces. And I, for one, think that can make all the difference to community life.

Photo credits: The finished compost bin originally uploaded by London Permaculture and used here under a Creative Commons license.

and Chelsea Flower Show 2007 used by permission of Teresa Gomez

Unfortunately, due to Delta's $200 cancellation fee - this won't really help me.

Hope this information is helpful for someone else.

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• Places to Visit in Roanoke, Asheville, Smoky, Blue Ridge, Shenandoah and Southern Appalachian Mountains

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