Tray less college cafeterias are the new fad, and they're not going to leave anytime soon. But what can be done to aleviate the hassle of juggling silverware, plates and cups in one trip?
People buy less food and subsequently eat less and throw away less. For the student, it’s good for the budget and the waistline; for the cafeteria (and the environment), it substantially cuts down on waste.
Research conducted by Aramark, a food service company, found that universities that stopped using trays have saved $57,000 to $79,000 per year in food, dishwashing and other costs.
Take the University at Buffalo North (Amherst) Campus, for instance. Nearly 48,000 pounds of food waste are saved in one semester by going tray less in the three dining centers.
And it gets better. By going tray less, mindless eating is less likely to occur. The concept can be summarized thusly: the bigger your plate, the more you’ll eat, even if you aren't hungry or know better. That's pretty good, considering swimsuit season is just around the corner.
Yet there is one problem with this seemingly flawless concept: how in the world to you balance all of it? Arlin Wasserman, vice president of corporate citizenship and catering giant, Sodexo, found out the hard way. While demonstrating at Georgia Tech how to carry an entree, salad and coffee up steps — without a tray — he slipped and dumped everything on his nice, clean kahkis. So much for convincing.
But what, you may ask, can we do to make is easy enough for even the laziest undergraduate?
The answer is simple: compartment trays.
Yes, compartment trays.
Think of your elementary school days in the cafeteria. The tray is big enough to hold all the food a person would want to eat, all while ensuring that no plate or spoon is dropped in the process of carrying it back to a table.
Portions would be better measured.
Waistlines would decrease.
And for those picky eaters, the food would be separated so it does not touch.
All while taking less food, using less dishes to hold the food and ensuring that the probability that an item dropped is lowered.
And they're cheaper, too.
When comparing prices, the cost of the compartment trays compared to what UNK uses now is substantially lower. About 2,600 student live and eat on campus. The trays that are currently used cost $127 for 12 trays. Compartment trays cost $114 for 24 trays. Assuming that there are 3,000 trays available on campus, the cost of the trays used currently is $31,750. The compartment trays cost $14,250. That's a savings of $17,500!
Trayless dining is the answer to our financial, environmental and healthful woes.
Compartment trays will just make it easier for students to cope.
Claims
Tray less college cafeterias are the new in, and they're not going to leave anytime soon.
People buy less food and subsequently eat less and throw away less.
For the customer, it’s good for the budget and the waistline; for the cafeteria (and the environment), it substantially cuts down on waste.
Research conducted by Aramark, a food service company, found that universities that stopped using trays have saved $57,000 to $79,000 per year in food, dishwashing and other costs.
Nearly 48,000 pounds of food waste are saved in one semester by going tray less in the three dining centers.
By going tray less, mindless eating is less likely to occur.
Weight is a hot topic among America's population.
The tray is big enough to hold all the food a person would want to eat, all while ensuring that no plate or spoon is dropped in the process of carrying it back to a table.
Portions would be better measured.
Waistlines could decrease.
And for those picky eaters, the food would be separated so it does not touch.
All while taking less food, using less dishes to hold the food and ensuring that the probability that an item dropped is lowered.
And they're cheaper, too.
Trayless dining is the answer to our financial, environmental and healthful woes.
Compartment trays will just make it easier for students to cope.
Sources
Are the Days of the Food Tray Over on Campus? http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10559646.
By Going "Trayless," UB Student Dining Centers Will Reduce Food Waste 50 Percent.http://www.buffalo.edu/news/9853.
Cambro® Compartment Cafeteria Tray. http://www.hubert.com/store/products.asp?CAWELAID=126246335&A=SB%2E18965%2E42196&Dn=0&An=966+966&Au=Presentation+Id&Ntt=42196&N=966+966&src=chanadv&Ntx=mode+matchall&D=42196&Ntk=SKU.
Carlisle GlasteelTM Trapezoid Decorative Fiberglass Trays. http://www.cooksdirect.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=10005548&prodid=3755B91.
College Cafeterias Go Trayless; Cut Waste by Half. http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-03/college-cafeterias-go-trayless-cut-waste-half.
Making Yourself at Home. http://www.unk.edu/studentlife/index2.php?id=152.
More College Cafeterias Dump Food Trays. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-07-22-trays-college-cafeterias_N.htm.
Students Take a Crash Course in Trayless Dining 101. http://www.startribune.com/local/29918804.html?page=2&c=y.
What Happens When College Cafeterias Go Trayless?http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/what-happens-when-college-cafeterias-go-trayless/?apage=1#comments.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Pranks and automatic bathrooms
So I noticed some interesting things today regarding pranks in the parking lot. For those of you who live in URS or URN, this may have been more apparent. Lately, someone has been writing things like, "I like c**k," on people windows of their vehicles. I'm assuming it is to friends because it's only certain vehicles, it doesn't appear random. But the funniest thing was today when walking to blogging class I noticed the same truck that had been vandalized the night before with writing was now covered in post-it notes. I mean the whole dang thing. It was really neat, but the wind was starting to peel the notes off.
I also found this amusing. Have you noticed the changes to the bathrooms on campus? This is a rant I talk about at any public facility, because it's so funny. Bathrooms are all about being healthier and keeping germs down the drain. So we have the automatically flushing toilets, automatic sinks, soap dispensers and paper towels or dryers. But what happens when the bathrooms are a mixture of the two? Are you really cleaning your hands? When you have to manually turn on the water to the sink, but the soap dispenser is automatic, is it really a benefit to have that dispenser? Yes I know, use the paper towel to turn off the water, but just think about it. Remember, people by nature are lazy, or so Dr. Hanson has told us.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Research on trayless dining
So here are some articles that I thought were very interesting...I know that tray less dining can be a pain in the side, but I actually like it. Besides the fact that it reduces food waste and saves on energy and water, I think it could also help with America's growing obesity. Hear me out. If you are taking less food, because by nature we are lazy, then we will eat less. The less we eat, the less weight is on our bodies. Combine that with walking from one end of campus to the other, and I think we have a simple way to keep ourselves moderately healthy. Now, I don't have any facts on that, it's just an observation. But it would be interesting to see research done on it and if my theory is correct. So, instead, I'll probably write on being for tray less dining and how it will help eliminate our carbon footprint.
Oh and P.S.-maybe it could eventually lower the cost of meal plans on campus.
USA Today
"Some campuses that already have tested the concept report food waste declines of up to 50%. Then, there's the thousands of dollars in energy savings when trays don't need washing. An astonishing 79% of the 92,000 students surveyed this spring by Aramark said they support tray less dining to reduce campus waste."
StarTribune.com
"The St. Paul school serves about 6,700 meals a week in its dining hall. With students taking less food from the all-you-can-eat cafeteria, the school estimates it is saving 12 cents per person per meal this fall. If that continues throughout the school year, Hamline will save more than $25,000 this academic year. But money isn't the only thing saved. Last spring, Hamline filled two 32-gallon trash cans with leftover food every day. That has been reduced to one this year."
I like the different ideas. Like how can we get everything we want without spilling, stacking, and making extra trips. One suggested meals a-la-carte and eliminate the all-you-can-eat feel in the cafeteria. I disagree, I think that picky eaters will be very unhappy. I suggest the smaller trays with the raised dividers-think elementary school. You know, it was all squares and you put your food in each one. It separates your food, and it allows portion control.
University at Buffalo
"'We anticipate saving nearly 48,000 pounds of food waste this semester by going tray less in the three dining centers,' said Jeff Brady, interim executive director for UB Campus Dining & Shops."
Even the New York Times 25 best blogs, Freakonomics, is on the tray less wagon.
Just for kicks, I looked up the cost of a compartment tray versus what we have now.
One Web site had the compartment trays at 24 for $114.
They trays that we have now cost $127 for 12 trays at this Cooks direct.
According to the UNK Web site, 2,600 students live on campus.
So lets say we have 3,000 trays to purchase. The trays we have now cost us $31,750. The compartment trays would cost us $14, 250. That's a savings of $17,500, not to mention the amount of food and water saved.
Ah...the good ol' days of school...oh wait, I'm still in it.
I looked at the Times list of the 25 best blogs, and there were some interesting ones. The one that caught my attention was the detentionslip.org blog.
Whomever is writing this has a dry sense of humor-and it's hilarious! Even the pictures with every story are ironic. They're not the typical pictures that you would expect to go with a news story, but somehow they relate.
For example, one picture had Wil-E Coyote (er, however you spell it) with a detonated explosive in his face...the article was over an employee keeping bomb materials in an elementary school office. Not the same, but similiar. Get it?
Lately, a big article has been over a principal eliminating "grinding" from a dance. The students, in turn, didn't buy tickets so the dance was canceled. Although funny, it does have a darker side. It brings to light the bad found in all public schools in America. The only thing I don't like about this blog is that yes, it shows what is going on in our school systems, yet there is no ideas for a solution. It's mostly a complaint, but it could affect someone else to a point where they do do something about it.
Whomever is writing this has a dry sense of humor-and it's hilarious! Even the pictures with every story are ironic. They're not the typical pictures that you would expect to go with a news story, but somehow they relate.
For example, one picture had Wil-E Coyote (er, however you spell it) with a detonated explosive in his face...the article was over an employee keeping bomb materials in an elementary school office. Not the same, but similiar. Get it?
Lately, a big article has been over a principal eliminating "grinding" from a dance. The students, in turn, didn't buy tickets so the dance was canceled. Although funny, it does have a darker side. It brings to light the bad found in all public schools in America. The only thing I don't like about this blog is that yes, it shows what is going on in our school systems, yet there is no ideas for a solution. It's mostly a complaint, but it could affect someone else to a point where they do do something about it.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Option for UNK editorial
This goes with the idea of cutting jobs or reducing payment.
It was on CareerBuilder.com.
When polled, people were split on making a decision. Some have enough to worry about, and losing pay would make it harder for them to pay for everything that they already have. They say that they're spending less, but it still makes me wonder. If someone was truly sacrificing their life because of the economy, then why are intangible goods still being purchased? Are these people really hurting when they still go on elaborate vacations, just maybe not for as many nights?
It was interesting how one person said that it's better than relying on unemployment. One person had to take a 10% cut or "hit the streets." Another person would want to help another by taking the cut because they feel that the wealthy were greedy. I reccomend reading the comments, it was interesting to see why people voted the way they did. People took pay cuts for different reasons...from helping another to saying that they'd be better off with a pay cut than with no job at all.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Editorial #2 rough draft
There are more than 200 stories of neglect and abuse at the Beatrice State Developmental Center, but we'll focus on the most recent one.
In the month of January, four people died at BSDC. One was Olivia Manes, who was only 18 years old. Olivia was loved by her parents. They visited her three to four times a week. Nobody told them that she was taken off her seizure medication.
Olivia began to have a seizure between 11:30 and 11:45 p.m. on January 15. She was given shots twice; the first time the needle broke in her leg. Both times the nurse left the untrained staff with no instructions, except to "wait and see" if the medication worked.
Nobody did anything for Olivia until she stopped breathing at about 1:15 a.m.
Some staff members started CPR while others were sent to call 911. At the center, the switchboard must be called first. From there, the call may be made outside of campus. Yet those working on the switchboard stalled for 12 minutes before calling an ambulance. Olivia died at 2:20 a.m. at the Beatrice Community Hospital.
Some staff members did not know that Olivia had a history of seizures.
They didn’t know what signs or symptoms to watch for or what action to take.
They didn’t know how long they should wait before calling for medical help nor whom to call.
Olivia's death, along with others, have prompted Nebraska’s chief medical officer, Dr. Joann Schaefer, to order the movement of 47 "medically fragile" residents to hospitals in Lincoln and Omaha.
But these residents are not safe in community programs with a constant turnover of less trained staff. A quick move to a hospital will be emotionally disruptive to residents who do not adapt well to change.
“This is a harsh practice that can result in people with significant disabilities being moved from the only home many of them have ever known to live and die among strangers who do not understand their limited communication skills or care needs,” said John McGee, who was appointed by the U.S. District Court to monitor a settlement between the state and the Department of Justice to resolve civil rights issues.
“It slams shut the door of hope to individuals who could be supported in more intimate and personalized community homes.”
The residents and their families have the right to make the decision; not a state official who only knows the facts, not the emotions.
And it gets worse. The state is expected to lose $29 million in annual and federal funding to run the center, and it could take two years to regain federal certification.
It is not the direct care staff's fault, it is those in the administrative department who are to blame.
Staff are improperly trained.
Background checks are not through enough.
Punishment for those who abuse the residents is not harsh enough.
The center should stay open. BSDC should be kept a close eye on by the Developmental Disabilities Special Seven Committee; a group of representatives from the state.
In a December report to the Nebraska State Legislature, the special committee recommended that top state Health and Human Services and developmental center staff be removed.
BSDC needs to improve dramatically, significantly and quickly.
More needs to be done. The state needs to bring together organizations to assure that appropriate services will be provided to the residents and that staff are throughly trained.
“The lives of the residents at Beatrice are at stake,” said Senator Steve Lathrop, chairman of the special committee. “The lives of families depending on the state for services is at stake. The $29 million in federal funds is at stake. And how we treat or are perceived to treat the most vulnerable in the state is at stake.”
Sources Cited
Expert says progress made at BSDC, more needed, Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star,
Feb 10, 2009.
Beatrice center committee will continue its work,Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star
Feb 09, 2009.
The Story So Far: Beatrice State Developmental Center, Lincoln Journal Star, http://media.journalstar.com/comments/?mid=M4989d8b988a41.
Claims
Four people died at BSDC.
Olivia was loved by her parents.
They visited her three to four times a week.
Nobody told them that she was taken off her seizure medication.
Nobody did anything for Olivia until she stopped breathing at about 1:15 a.m.
Yet those working on the switchboard stalled for 12 minutes before calling an ambulance.
Olivia died at 2:20 a.m. at the Beatrice Community Hospital.
Some staff members did not know that Olivia had a history of seizures.
They didn’t know what signs or symptoms to watch for or what action to take.
They didn’t know how long they should wait before calling for medical help nor whom to call.
These residents are not safe in community programs with a constant turnover of less trained staff.
A quick move to a hospital will be emotionally disruptive to residents who do not adapt well to change.
The residents and their families have the right to make the decision; not a state official who only knows the facts, not the emotions.
The state is expected to lose $29 million in annual and federal funding to run the center, and it could take two years to regain federal certification.
It is not the direct care staff's fault, it is those in the administrative department who are to blame.
Staff are improperly trained.
Background checks are not through enough.
Punishment for those who abuse the residents is not harsh enough.
The center should stay open.
BSDC needs to improve dramatically, significantly and quickly.
More needs to be done.
The state needs to bring together organizations to assure that appropriate services will be provided to the residents and that staff are throughly trained.
In the month of January, four people died at BSDC. One was Olivia Manes, who was only 18 years old. Olivia was loved by her parents. They visited her three to four times a week. Nobody told them that she was taken off her seizure medication.
Olivia began to have a seizure between 11:30 and 11:45 p.m. on January 15. She was given shots twice; the first time the needle broke in her leg. Both times the nurse left the untrained staff with no instructions, except to "wait and see" if the medication worked.
Nobody did anything for Olivia until she stopped breathing at about 1:15 a.m.
Some staff members started CPR while others were sent to call 911. At the center, the switchboard must be called first. From there, the call may be made outside of campus. Yet those working on the switchboard stalled for 12 minutes before calling an ambulance. Olivia died at 2:20 a.m. at the Beatrice Community Hospital.
Some staff members did not know that Olivia had a history of seizures.
They didn’t know what signs or symptoms to watch for or what action to take.
They didn’t know how long they should wait before calling for medical help nor whom to call.
Olivia's death, along with others, have prompted Nebraska’s chief medical officer, Dr. Joann Schaefer, to order the movement of 47 "medically fragile" residents to hospitals in Lincoln and Omaha.
But these residents are not safe in community programs with a constant turnover of less trained staff. A quick move to a hospital will be emotionally disruptive to residents who do not adapt well to change.
“This is a harsh practice that can result in people with significant disabilities being moved from the only home many of them have ever known to live and die among strangers who do not understand their limited communication skills or care needs,” said John McGee, who was appointed by the U.S. District Court to monitor a settlement between the state and the Department of Justice to resolve civil rights issues.
“It slams shut the door of hope to individuals who could be supported in more intimate and personalized community homes.”
The residents and their families have the right to make the decision; not a state official who only knows the facts, not the emotions.
And it gets worse. The state is expected to lose $29 million in annual and federal funding to run the center, and it could take two years to regain federal certification.
It is not the direct care staff's fault, it is those in the administrative department who are to blame.
Staff are improperly trained.
Background checks are not through enough.
Punishment for those who abuse the residents is not harsh enough.
The center should stay open. BSDC should be kept a close eye on by the Developmental Disabilities Special Seven Committee; a group of representatives from the state.
In a December report to the Nebraska State Legislature, the special committee recommended that top state Health and Human Services and developmental center staff be removed.
BSDC needs to improve dramatically, significantly and quickly.
More needs to be done. The state needs to bring together organizations to assure that appropriate services will be provided to the residents and that staff are throughly trained.
“The lives of the residents at Beatrice are at stake,” said Senator Steve Lathrop, chairman of the special committee. “The lives of families depending on the state for services is at stake. The $29 million in federal funds is at stake. And how we treat or are perceived to treat the most vulnerable in the state is at stake.”
Sources Cited
Expert says progress made at BSDC, more needed, Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star,
Feb 10, 2009.
Beatrice center committee will continue its work,Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star
Feb 09, 2009.
The Story So Far: Beatrice State Developmental Center, Lincoln Journal Star, http://media.journalstar.com/comments/?mid=M4989d8b988a41.
Claims
Four people died at BSDC.
Olivia was loved by her parents.
They visited her three to four times a week.
Nobody told them that she was taken off her seizure medication.
Nobody did anything for Olivia until she stopped breathing at about 1:15 a.m.
Yet those working on the switchboard stalled for 12 minutes before calling an ambulance.
Olivia died at 2:20 a.m. at the Beatrice Community Hospital.
Some staff members did not know that Olivia had a history of seizures.
They didn’t know what signs or symptoms to watch for or what action to take.
They didn’t know how long they should wait before calling for medical help nor whom to call.
These residents are not safe in community programs with a constant turnover of less trained staff.
A quick move to a hospital will be emotionally disruptive to residents who do not adapt well to change.
The residents and their families have the right to make the decision; not a state official who only knows the facts, not the emotions.
The state is expected to lose $29 million in annual and federal funding to run the center, and it could take two years to regain federal certification.
It is not the direct care staff's fault, it is those in the administrative department who are to blame.
Staff are improperly trained.
Background checks are not through enough.
Punishment for those who abuse the residents is not harsh enough.
The center should stay open.
BSDC needs to improve dramatically, significantly and quickly.
More needs to be done.
The state needs to bring together organizations to assure that appropriate services will be provided to the residents and that staff are throughly trained.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Improvements made to BSDC
This was written on Feb. 10 from the Lincoln Journal Star.
It was interesting to see how much progress the staff and leaders of the facility are making, but there is room for a lot of improvements. The U.S. District Court hired John McGee of Omaha to monitor a settlement between the state and the Department of Justice to resolve civil rights issues.
I liked McGee's comment regarding the moving of clients over the past year:
“This is a harsh practice that can result in people with significant disabilities being moved from the only home many of them have ever known to live and die among strangers who do not understand their limited communication skills or care needs,” he wrote. “It slams shut the door of hope to individuals who could be supported in more intimate and personalized community homes.”
I also like how he said that when moving the clients that they must think of the safety of the public. There have been cases of patients with sexual assault charges. Last year, a patient had walked off of campus when there was only 1 staff member watching 16 people. He was found about a mile away from campus in a resident's home. She called the police and they safely returned him. There was no harm done to either the resident or patient. I remember that, it was a little spooky because most people in my neighborhood don't lock their doors, and this could happen to anybody.
This will be great support to my arguement that the facility needs to stay open despite it's set backs for the sake of the patients. A rough draft is in the works...
It was interesting to see how much progress the staff and leaders of the facility are making, but there is room for a lot of improvements. The U.S. District Court hired John McGee of Omaha to monitor a settlement between the state and the Department of Justice to resolve civil rights issues.
I liked McGee's comment regarding the moving of clients over the past year:
“This is a harsh practice that can result in people with significant disabilities being moved from the only home many of them have ever known to live and die among strangers who do not understand their limited communication skills or care needs,” he wrote. “It slams shut the door of hope to individuals who could be supported in more intimate and personalized community homes.”
I also like how he said that when moving the clients that they must think of the safety of the public. There have been cases of patients with sexual assault charges. Last year, a patient had walked off of campus when there was only 1 staff member watching 16 people. He was found about a mile away from campus in a resident's home. She called the police and they safely returned him. There was no harm done to either the resident or patient. I remember that, it was a little spooky because most people in my neighborhood don't lock their doors, and this could happen to anybody.
This will be great support to my arguement that the facility needs to stay open despite it's set backs for the sake of the patients. A rough draft is in the works...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Assignment, 3 Nebraska issues
1. The first one comes from the Omaha World Hearld regarding the spread of infections within hospitals. Yet, this is also considered a national issue, but we'll keep it more personal.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center has now given a stethoscope to each patient so bacteria aren't carried from one patient to another. The stethoscopes hang on a hook at patients' bedsides. In additon, the med center will ask patients to bathe in a sanitary solution 3 times a week. Even ties are a source to bacteria, doctors, patients, and visitors alike have been asked to refrain from wearing them now.
Medicaid and Medicare have begun withholding payments in certain cases involving hospital-acquired infections. And some states now require hospitals to report infection rates, although Nebraska and Iowa aren't among them.
2. The next one is proposed bills as exemptions to the smoking ban that will become active on June 1.
Two proposals would grant those exemptions. One bill (LB355), introduced by Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, would exempt cigar bars that meet certain requirements. The other (LB600), introduced by Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, would exempt pool halls with at least 20 hourly fee pool tables.
A co-owner of a cigar bar in Lincoln and one in Omaha, said that when the city of Lincoln enacted its smoking ban in 2005, cigar sales in his Lincoln business dropped 10 percent. After the Omaha ban went into effect in July, cigar sales dropped overall 19 percent, and has now become less of a focus in the business. Retail tobacco stores were automatically excluded from the ban as of last year, but cigar bars have been overlooked.
3. This one is over fire-safe cigarettes. At first, I honestly thought it was a joke. Uh, hello, you have to light those nasty things on fire in order to smoke them, duh. So how in the world can they be considered fire-safe? Apparently they can be. 37 other states have already required the standard of cigarettes sold to be fire-safe, and now Nebraska is looking at it.
The fire-safe cigarettes are thicker in two separate spots so they will go out if not puffed when they burn to these areas. The idea is to prevent fires caused when cigarettes are left unattended.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says smoking was the biggest cause of fire-related deaths in the country from 2002 to 2004, the most recent years for which data are available. On average, 630 deaths were caused by smoking-related fires during each of those years. My advice? Just don't smoke, or quit. But I know, easier said than done.
4. My issue I already thought of, the Beatrice State Developmental Center. See the blogs below for more information on it.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center has now given a stethoscope to each patient so bacteria aren't carried from one patient to another. The stethoscopes hang on a hook at patients' bedsides. In additon, the med center will ask patients to bathe in a sanitary solution 3 times a week. Even ties are a source to bacteria, doctors, patients, and visitors alike have been asked to refrain from wearing them now.
Medicaid and Medicare have begun withholding payments in certain cases involving hospital-acquired infections. And some states now require hospitals to report infection rates, although Nebraska and Iowa aren't among them.
2. The next one is proposed bills as exemptions to the smoking ban that will become active on June 1.
Two proposals would grant those exemptions. One bill (LB355), introduced by Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, would exempt cigar bars that meet certain requirements. The other (LB600), introduced by Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, would exempt pool halls with at least 20 hourly fee pool tables.
A co-owner of a cigar bar in Lincoln and one in Omaha, said that when the city of Lincoln enacted its smoking ban in 2005, cigar sales in his Lincoln business dropped 10 percent. After the Omaha ban went into effect in July, cigar sales dropped overall 19 percent, and has now become less of a focus in the business. Retail tobacco stores were automatically excluded from the ban as of last year, but cigar bars have been overlooked.
3. This one is over fire-safe cigarettes. At first, I honestly thought it was a joke. Uh, hello, you have to light those nasty things on fire in order to smoke them, duh. So how in the world can they be considered fire-safe? Apparently they can be. 37 other states have already required the standard of cigarettes sold to be fire-safe, and now Nebraska is looking at it.
The fire-safe cigarettes are thicker in two separate spots so they will go out if not puffed when they burn to these areas. The idea is to prevent fires caused when cigarettes are left unattended.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says smoking was the biggest cause of fire-related deaths in the country from 2002 to 2004, the most recent years for which data are available. On average, 630 deaths were caused by smoking-related fires during each of those years. My advice? Just don't smoke, or quit. But I know, easier said than done.
4. My issue I already thought of, the Beatrice State Developmental Center. See the blogs below for more information on it.
UNK issues to consider
In my search to find 3 topics of discussion on state issues, I ran into two for UNK. I know it's a way off, but I'm holding onto these for reference.
The first is eliminating trays from the cafeteria. This was on the Omaha World Herald.
I found it kind-of funny, though with this quote:
"Just the other day, Zatechka saw a student pile his plate high with chicken nuggets. When the student finished his meal, Zatechka followed him to the tray-return area and saw eight untouched nuggets on his plate. 'We aren't going to permit that kind of food waste," Zatechka said. "We can't.'"
*Gasp* OMG, like, 8 chicken nuggets left over after an entire plate full...maybe it's good that he didn't eat all of them.
But, I did like this information:
Gauging waste
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last fall, the University of Kansas looked at whether trays made a difference in how much food students threw out. KU found students dumped more food with trays than without them.
Food waste: Decreased from an average of 1,063 pounds per meal to 657 pounds when the trays were taken away.
Beverage waste: Decreased from 105 gallons per meal to 48 gallons without the trays.
The next article I found in the Lincoln Journal Star and it was about budget cuts on the UNK campus in order to keep jobs.
The proposed pay cuts would range from 10 percent for those making more than $150,00 a year to 1 percent for those making more than $30,000. Those making less than $30,000 a year would see pay cuts of less than 1 percent.
I like this idea better than eliminating jobs completely. First, if we eliminate professors then there will be less classes available, less classes available means not many students can take the class-so why not consider another major or another school that is adaquetly staffed. And let's not forget the Kearney community, UNK is a primary employer in this town.
The last one I found was in the Journal Star.
According to the article, a high school coach and 3rd grad teacher was placed on paid leave for giving a 17-year-old Sidney girl alcohol. Shane Nordby, 36, is charged in Buffalo County Court with two misdemeanor counts: procuring alcohol for minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Court records say the incident occurred Dec. 23 at Nordby’s home.
The first is eliminating trays from the cafeteria. This was on the Omaha World Herald.
I found it kind-of funny, though with this quote:
"Just the other day, Zatechka saw a student pile his plate high with chicken nuggets. When the student finished his meal, Zatechka followed him to the tray-return area and saw eight untouched nuggets on his plate. 'We aren't going to permit that kind of food waste," Zatechka said. "We can't.'"
*Gasp* OMG, like, 8 chicken nuggets left over after an entire plate full...maybe it's good that he didn't eat all of them.
But, I did like this information:
Gauging waste
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last fall, the University of Kansas looked at whether trays made a difference in how much food students threw out. KU found students dumped more food with trays than without them.
Food waste: Decreased from an average of 1,063 pounds per meal to 657 pounds when the trays were taken away.
Beverage waste: Decreased from 105 gallons per meal to 48 gallons without the trays.
The next article I found in the Lincoln Journal Star and it was about budget cuts on the UNK campus in order to keep jobs.
The proposed pay cuts would range from 10 percent for those making more than $150,00 a year to 1 percent for those making more than $30,000. Those making less than $30,000 a year would see pay cuts of less than 1 percent.
I like this idea better than eliminating jobs completely. First, if we eliminate professors then there will be less classes available, less classes available means not many students can take the class-so why not consider another major or another school that is adaquetly staffed. And let's not forget the Kearney community, UNK is a primary employer in this town.
The last one I found was in the Journal Star.
According to the article, a high school coach and 3rd grad teacher was placed on paid leave for giving a 17-year-old Sidney girl alcohol. Shane Nordby, 36, is charged in Buffalo County Court with two misdemeanor counts: procuring alcohol for minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Court records say the incident occurred Dec. 23 at Nordby’s home.
More on BSDC
I'm getting most of my sources from Journal Star.com,
I found it interesting in this article that retired speech therapist said that she blames former Gov. Ben Nelson for the issues because combined five separate agencies into a single massive health and human services system, in which, McConnell said, there were more levels to hide and more levels to confuse people.
A seven-member committee was created last year to oversee the problems at BSDC. After review, it was decided that they should continue to oversee the facility.
"'This spring, the center will likely lose about $29 million in annual federal funding because of those problems and will be completely state funded for the one or two years it takes to get recertified by the federal Medicaid program,' special committee chairman Sen. Steve Lathrop said Monday."
See, this is where I get confused. If this facility is in such poor shape, why take away federal money from it? How is that supposed to fund better facilities, new equipment, medicine, doctor and therapist visits, food and proper training for employees that is routinely checked on? There is no way that the state can fund all of that, unless taxes are raised or something gets cut. Which, by the way, has happened. BSDC used to have a hospital on it's campus to treat it's patients, so this made is easier in an emergency situation because the patient could be taken under care until an ambulance came (if it was that severe). It shut down last year.
I found it interesting in this article that retired speech therapist said that she blames former Gov. Ben Nelson for the issues because combined five separate agencies into a single massive health and human services system, in which, McConnell said, there were more levels to hide and more levels to confuse people.
A seven-member committee was created last year to oversee the problems at BSDC. After review, it was decided that they should continue to oversee the facility.
"'This spring, the center will likely lose about $29 million in annual federal funding because of those problems and will be completely state funded for the one or two years it takes to get recertified by the federal Medicaid program,' special committee chairman Sen. Steve Lathrop said Monday."
See, this is where I get confused. If this facility is in such poor shape, why take away federal money from it? How is that supposed to fund better facilities, new equipment, medicine, doctor and therapist visits, food and proper training for employees that is routinely checked on? There is no way that the state can fund all of that, unless taxes are raised or something gets cut. Which, by the way, has happened. BSDC used to have a hospital on it's campus to treat it's patients, so this made is easier in an emergency situation because the patient could be taken under care until an ambulance came (if it was that severe). It shut down last year.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Nebraska Issue: Beatrice State Development Center
I've been doing some research and decided to write my next editorial on the Beatrice State Developmental Center, since it is in my hometown and my younger sister works there. I, too, have experience in working with the mentally disabled when I worked at Mosaic, a private instuition that is also in Beatrice and throughout the Midwest.
Here, the Lincoln Journal Star has been doing a lot of work coving the issues at hand.
The latest issue stated that BSDC had to get 50 residents moved to Lincoln and Omaha facilities my 5:00 p.m. today due to concerns of their ability to handle, "medically fragile" residents. Concern arose when two deaths occured in March 2008 and mid-January 2009. Proper emergency procedure was not followed.
My younger sister only works in the kitchen of this instuition, and from her experience it is very relevant that abuse in almost a natural thing. Her boyfriend works directly with the clients. He has not abused his clients, but he has had to turn in co-workers for it. The lastest "de-de-de" moment from the workers there was that when temperatures were below zero...just a few weeks ago. The boyfriend's co-worker came to visit him at his house with a client in the passenger seat. The client already had a cold and typically is sleeping by 8:00, it was 8:30 when he visited. Now, what would posess this kid to think that it's a good idea to drive around a sick client in the evening in temperatures below zero with icy driving conditions? Why didn't someone stop him? This is relevantly minor compared with other events that have happened on the campus.
As a resident of Beatrice, I understand that those who work there do not want to see the instuition shut down, this means our town unemployment rate will skyrocket...a large chuck of people who work in town work there. Otherwise, it's manufacturing plants or Wal-Mart (which most jobs are taken by the elderly, who have to still work well over their retirement age for minimum wage pay just to afford groceries and perscriptions, but that's another story).
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Phelps smokes pot, apologizes
CBC Sports
So here goes another big debate, is marijuana OK to use? Will it have negative effects?
For Michael Phelps, the answer is no. Recently, a photograph began floating around of Phelps with a baseball hat turned backwards taking a hit from a bong in a party at the University of South Carolina in November. The photo turned up in a British tabloid.
"I engaged in behaviour which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," Phelps said in a statement to the Associated Press. "I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."
Marijuana is different from performance-enhancing drugs, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA.An athlete is subject to WADA sanctions only for a positive test that occurs during competition periods.
"We don't have any jurisdiction," Howman said. "It's not banned out of competition. It's only if you test positive in competition."
The worst thing that is going to happen to him is that he may lose $100 million dollars in sanctions by embarrassed sponsors.
Yes, he is a role model for many aspiring athletes and for America as a whole, therefore I agree that his behavior was inapproiate. Yet, he did apologize and he should be forgiven. It obviously didn't stop him from winning 8 gold medals in Bejing, China and be named sportsman of the year by Sports Illustrated.
I think embarrassment should be enough of a punishment. Some people who commented on the news article I found stated that they think Phelps should give up his medals. I disagree. Marijuana in no way enhances a person's performance, so he wasn't cheating. I think people should refer to their D.A.R.E. Program days and get the facts.
I personally do not agree with Phelps using the drug at the party, and I agree that he demonstrated bad judgement. But, this does not mean that he should forever be punished for one bad night by taking away sanctions, his medals, and his good reputation.
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