Are our dogs killing trees?

About The Atlantic Cities

The Atlantic Cities explores the most innovative ideas and pressing issues facing today’s global cities and neighborhoods. By bringing together news, analysis, data, and trends, the site is an engaging destination for an increasingly urbanized world.

Add caption

Why You Shouldn't Let Your Dog Pee on Trees

Anyone who's ever owned dogs knows that the lovable creatures are potent forces of destruction. From vomiting squirrel parts on the sofa, to inhaling the girlfriend's laundry-basket panties, to arranging a trashcan's contents over the floor with the gusto of an FBI forensics team, some days it seems as if canines were bred solely to generate hilarious barroom anecdotes.

But might dogs be engaged in a more clandestine, less-funny campaign of attrition, one that is harming the very health of our urban landscape?

Read More

Don' Miss: Chester, The amazing peeing dog

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/08/why-you-shouldnt-let-your-dog-pee-trees/3117/

Local Cook Seeks to be Crowned “Mrs. Holiday” with Community Help

 September will soon arrive and the beginning of of election season. Something that most people, especially this season, relish like a visit to the mother-in -law's.

But wait, we all can have some voting fun and practice before that nasty day in November arrives.

A local lady is running for a national office and she needs our help. Ruth Hartunian-Alumbaugh, a Willimantic resident and activist has  thrown her “apron” into the ring to be named Mrs. Holiday through Taste of Home Cooking magazine’s contest!

This has  to do with an opportunity for our community to help Ruth as she seeks the office of Mrs Holiday.

Here is the “skinny” on the contest;

To audition for the role of Mrs. Holiday, women age 18 or older must visit Facebook.com/TasteofHome to enter a virtual pageant. There they can submit a video entry of no more than two minutes to show/tell us how they bring the holidays to life and convince us why they should be Taste of Home's Mrs. Holiday. They also should submit a signature holiday recipe in 200 words or less. Unlike the Miss America pageant, consumers will have a hand in picking Mrs. Holiday by voting for their favorite entrant. Mrs. Holiday will be selected from among the top 100 vote getters by a panel of experts.

What’s in it for Ruth? A job doing something she loves, a chance to highlight her community since many of the demonstrations will occur locally here in Willimantic where she lives, AND a chance to visit her family in Wisconsin where she grew up. Taste of Home’s headquarters is in Greendale, WI., about ½ hour from where she grew up in Cudahy! So, being crowned Mrs. Holiday is a blessing for many, not just one!

  So please vote Ruth   “LIKE” Ruth on the Taste of Home Mrs. Holiday page at this link; https://www.facebook.com/tasteofhome/app_308553629224079. Click on VOTE NOW. Then, find her entry in the MOST POPULAR section after you click on VIEW ALL. Vote for her every day between now and September 7th. She needs your help.

Ruth's Beef Burgundy Stew

 Ruth Hartunian-Alumbaugh  

Claire's Italian Garden, Part 3

Italian Garden, a fixture on Main St Willimantic for over fifty years was known for the best pizza and pasta in our world.  It was common occurrence to see several tour buses parked in front of the restaurant.  Usually alighting,  visiting athletes on their way or leaving an UConn athletic event. Big East Basketball teams seem to camp out at IG's especially if the couches last name was Pitino.  Massimino or Carnescsca.

Between 1975 and  1985 Claire Meikle served up the best pasta and salads  seven days a week  Along with friendly advice, a big smile and a little gossip she managed to keep a constant flow of hungry customers happy,  In addition she  recorded the coming and going of her most favorite customers with her Kodak Pocket Instamatic.

Please follow link to Claire's Italian garden

Claire's Italian Garden

Ranking America's Health Care

Why do we spend so much to get so little?

It is hard to ignore that in 2006, the United States was number 1 in terms of health care spending per capita but ranked 39th for infant mortality, 43rd for adult female mortality, 42nd for adult male mortality, and 36th for life expectancy. These facts have fueled a question now being discussed in academic circles, as well as by government and the public: Why do we spend so much to get so little?  Read more from New England Journal of Medicine

The World Health Organization's ranking

Nursing Home Reports

What We Found Using Nursing Home Inspect

In February 2011, a nursing home resident in Michigan wandered away in a blizzard, unnoticed by staff. He was wearing only pajama pants, a sweater, canvas shoes and a knit cap. A technician driving to work found him half an hour later at a busy intersection, wet and covered with snow, government inspectors wrote.

Five months later, a resident at a different Michigan nursing home climbed out of a secured window in the home’s locked dementia ward, hitchhiked a ride and was picked up by police hours later in a restaurant some 65 miles away. Nursing home staff did not even realize he was missing, inspectors found.

Were these incidents, known as “elopement,” isolated? Or do they suggest a pattern? Until recently, no one could really say how often such incidents occur. Read More

Now, ProPublica has mademade it easy to search nearly 118,000 deficiencies found during government inspections at 14,565 nursing homes nationwide.

News Application: Nursing Home Inspect

Tipsheet: How to Use Nursing Home Inspect

by Charles Ornstein | @charlesornstein |

From Windham High to Windham Academy

When Windham’s high school students return to school in a few weeks, they won’t be returning to Windham High.  Instead they will be choosing between attending “STEM (The Science Technology Engineering & Math Academy” and “The Humanities & the Arts Academy.”

Instead of principals, there will be two Headmasters and two new Deans of Student. More changes and  re-engineering by the special master, Steven Adamowski.

Will it work?

Read John Pelto's Blog:  Windham and New London: Beware of False Prophets

Windham Schools: What Went Wrong?

What went wrong with Windham Schools? How did it go wrong? Why did it go wrong and who were the players responsible for it going wrong? Twenty years ago our schools were an above average  school system.  Windham was the educational pride of Eastern Connecticut.  Neighboring towns sent their high school students to Windham's  high school. Today our schools have been taken over by the state and run by a special master while the town's board of education has been relegated  to observer status.

Read More

Note: This is a Windhamweek rerun