New Zealand recycles old computers for free

Monday, September 4, 2006

Saturday, September 2nd, Wellington held a computer recycling day for free hosted by computer maker, Dell. Now Auckland is looking to host one of their own.

During the recycling day, sponsored by Environment Ministry and Computer Access New Zealand Trust, Dell New Zealand took in more than 30 tonnes of obsolete equipment by 1,200 people at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium. Instead of the equipment going to a landfill where it is unable to decompose and will leak chemicals into the ground, 97% of all equipment collected will be recycled.

Susan McGregor, an Auckland City Council spokesperson, said: “There is a regional forum looking into waste disposal; but to date there is only a scheme for hazardous material to be collected separately by the council. It [the council] would welcome computer companies taking some responsibility for disposing of old computer ware.”

Dell has indicated it will hold another PC clean up next year.

According to Dell, out of the 6.3 million New Zealand computers, 250,000 of them are old and obsolete, mainly because most computer owners, according to a survey, will upgrade their computers every two to five years.

Sydney, Australia had recently hosted one of their own computer recycling days; however Wellington’s event was four times more successful.

Tennessee town mulls ‘stop work order’ as construction of controversial grain tanks begins

Saturday, December 3, 2005

Mayor Scott Jewell of the city of Dyer, Tennessee did not issue a “stop work order” to Dyer Grain Company late Tuesday afternoon as had been expected. The order would have temporarily halted construction of new grain storage tanks.

Dyer Grain’s efforts at expansion have been blocked several times over the past few years both by zoning restrictions on the height of structures and by citizens groups who filed suit against the grain company and the city’s board of zoning appeals. The lawsuit was dismissed two months ago. The Dyer City Council then amended the zoning ordinance to include “grain storage tanks and bins” in a section of the ordinance listing exclusions, such as free standing spires and towers, to the regular 40 foot height restriction on buildings.

Several citizens spoke at the November 28 city council meeting to address alleged deficiencies in the building permit issued to Dyer Grain. The citizens claimed that according to the site plan filed with the application for the permit, the location of the tanks will violate another provision in the zoning ordinance restricting the height of all structures to the distance from surrounding property lines plus ten feet. The citizens were also concerned over a “grain conveyor” that will cross a city street. Mayor Jewell indicated that he would contact the Gibson County building inspector (who is contracted by the city to act as the municipal inspector) to research the citizens’ concerns.

Jewell contacted Ricky Bailey, Gibson County Building inspector, on Wednesday. Bailey reportedly could find no deficiencies with the permit and, based on this advice, Jewell chose not to issue the stop work order himself. The City Council could still meet and vote to issue the order. The council meets the second Monday of each month.

“The main problem is that the grain company is in an industrial zone — which is located smack in the middle of a low-density residential zone.” Nathan Reed, an elected Alderman of Dyer said, “The property values in the area have increased (with inflation) but not at the same rate as other properties.”

Normal buildings, such as offices and warehouses, can’t exceed 40′ plus 10′ to the eave. The requested change in the ordinance changes the status of the towers from a building to the same status of an antenna or tower.

Mr Reed added, “The height to the eave is 76′, the height to the top of the tank is 105′, the height to the top of the elevator (atop the tank) is 133′. The 133′ is the only measurement that matters now because the change to the zoning ordinance means this is no longer a “building”, but rather the same as an antenna or tower.”

“The grain company specifically requested that change to the ordinace — which was opposed by several citizens…They can build it as high as they like so long as it conforms to the overal height restriction for towers, spires, etc.”

Mr Reed commented on additional concerns, “The citizens are concerned about the health effects of (additional) grain dust, noise, and grain explosions.”

The new construction is expected to generate annual property tax revenues of $10,000 to $16,000.

Princeton media class discusses Wikinews

This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Princeton, New Jersey —According to Ryan Walsh, editor of the websites for both the Princeton Journal of Science and American Foreign Policy, internet news service Wikinews was the topic of a report by Federico Baradello in a Princeton University course on mass media and public policy. The course, offered through the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, studies “the impact of policy on the content, presentation, influence, and technology of a rapidly-evolving 21st century news media,” according to the school.

Walsh, currently a junior at Princeton, characterized the report in an email to Wikinews user Pingswept as “great” and added that “everyone in the class seemed to enjoy learning about Wikinews, and Federico was a great speaker.”

According to an email from Baradello, the report, which took place on Monday, 21 February 2005, provided a “basic overview of its history (evolution), ownership, viewership, and position in the news market.” It included a live demonstration of adding new content to Wikinews. The barebones content provided in the demonstration was developed into this article.

Baradello’s report is available on the course’s blog. His final course paper on the decentralization of news gathering includes a case study on Wikinews with commentary from Jimmy Wales and will be available in PDF form by late May.

Wikinews Shorts: September 6, 2010

Monday, September 6, 2010

President Alvaro Colom says torrential downpours causing flooding and landslides have undone the country’s reconstruction from Tropical Storm Agatha in May. Up to eighteen people are reported killed in rain-related incidents across the country as weather systems in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific batter the region, and forecasters expect another 48 hours of precipitation. At least ten people were killed, 20 rescued, when a landslide buried a bus as it traveled on the Inter-American highway in the worst single-incident.

Sources
  • “Heavy rains devastate Guatemala” — BBC, September 4, 2010
  • Reuters. “Torrential rains kill 18 in Guatemala” — Toronto Star, September 4, 2010

Five people are dead, 39 injured after a suicide bombing in the Dagestan Republic of the North Caucasus. The information is still unfolding, and earlier reports had three killed, 26 injured. The attack occurred at 00:30 local time (20:30 UTC) when a Zhiguli car packed with explosives drove into the gates of a military base near Buynaksk. AFP reports a second explosion nearby on a nearby highway, but with no injuries.

Sources
  • “Death toll in N.Caucasus suicide bombing rises to five (Update 1)” — Ria Novosti, September 5, 2010
  • “5 killed, 39 injured in Dagestan suicide bombing” — AFP, September 5, 2010

The Arizona Cardinals US football team has released Heisman trophy-winner Matt Leinart after being unable to find a favorable trade. Leinart had been unable to break out of the back-up quarterback role with the team after early injuries kept him on the sideline for a couple years, and expressed his frustration publicly on Monday. The Cardinals, forced to trim their team roster to 53 players, cut Leinart leaving him without a team.

Sources
  • Bob Baum. “Arizona Cardinals release quarterback Matt Leinart” — Cape Cod Times, September 4, 2010
  • Judy Batista. “Leinart, With Career Full of Disappointment, Is Now Without Team” — New York Times, September 4, 2010

After driving away from police, a thirteen-year-old driver struck a pole, plowed through a couple of fences, and bumped a parked car into the house before coming to a rest at the front door. Police spokesperson Ros Wetherall reported officers attempted to stop the Holden Commodore around 1 a.m. local time (5 p.m. UTC), but had to search for the vehicle which they found crashed into the home on Grovelands Drive, Camillo. The driver and one other youth in the car were uninjured. The young man will appear in court on charges of reckless driving, failing to stop and not having a driver’s licence.

Sources
  • AAP. “Boy charged after car meets house” — TheAge.com, September 5, 2010
  • “Car crashes into house: 13-year-old charged” — Australian Broadcasting Corporation, September 5, 2010

News briefs:May 21, 2006

The time is 17:00 (UTC) on May 21st, 2006, and this is Audio Wikinews News Briefs.

Contents

  • 1 Headlines
    • 1.1 Violence escalates in Afghanistan
    • 1.2 Iran stands defiant on Uranium enrichment
    • 1.3 Militants target rally in Srinagar
    • 1.4 Professionals and students continue strike in New Dehli
    • 1.5 300 Vietnamese fishermen rescued after record China typhoon
    • 1.6 Pair extradited and charged over Granville, Sydney shootings
    • 1.7 Ray Nagin re-elected New Orleans mayor
    • 1.8 Snowy Hydro Scheme to go public
    • 1.9 Missing BC girl found safe
    • 1.10 ‘Naked Guy’ Andrew Martinez dies
    • 1.11 Finnish metal band win 51st Eurovision Song Contest
  • 2 Closing statements

Wikinews interviews organiser of New Zealand’s Rock2Wgtn festival Phil Sprey

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Across Easter weekend Wellington, New Zealand was host to Rock2Wgtn, an international two-day hard rock festival. Large crowds showed up at Westpac Stadium to see the various acts. The world has never seen an event of this kind before.

Day one featured three theatrical acts. Finnish band Lordi, known for their monster costumes, opened the night. They were followed by the US shock rocker Alice Cooper, whose themed set included the horror theatrics regularly associated with him and a hanging stunt he recently restarted after a gallows collapse nearly killed him two decades ago. The night was headlined by the distinctively costumed band KISS, complete with their famed black-and-white makeup.

The first major act on the stage on day two was the American hard rock/glam metal band Poison. After Poison, British act Whitesnake took to the stage and performed their set to the crowd. British-born American rocker Ozzy Osbourne, who, as well as a solo career, fronts the world-famous Black Sabbath, was the second night’s headline act.

The festival’s entertainment did not stop at the six main acts. There was also support performances from three New Zealand bands – The Symphony of Screams, The Valves and Sonic Altar. Their sets were accompanied by a special effects package from award-winning studio Weta Workshops, who are known for their work on movies such as The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. This came in the form of ‘Drusila the Dragon’, which rose up to a height of six foot and wigspan and moved for the audience, shining lasers from its eyes and breathing red smoke. Flame Fire Productions were hired to put on a fire show featuring several dancers alongside the performers. Also performing were six local guitarists and a group of ‘zombie‘ cheerleaders.

Despite the crowds that flocked to the event, however, it has recently become apparent that financial trouble has hit the festival. Although figures remain to be confirmed, an estimated NZ$750,000 has been lost.

Wikinews secured an exclusive interview with Phil Sprey of Capital C Concerts, who organised the festival. The entire interview is now available below.

Garden Sheds Dont Need To Be Expensive}

Submitted by: Simona Rusnakova

You may have considered getting a garden shed possibly for keeping your tools or as a workshop in your garden. However, you may think that it is expensive to get a good quality garden shed but this is not true. Sheds do not have to be expensive if you look for the right things.

Where to find less expensive garden sheds

Find inexpensive garden sheds is something you should know about. There are many places where you can look and find the bargain you want. Online classifieds are a great place to look for a bargain when it comes to garden sheds. One thing to keep in mind is that the shed may be used so the condition is very important. Online stores will often have sheds at a lower price than a physical store so checking them is a good idea. There are many stores that will offer seasonal discounts on their sheds. This is done because people believe that there are certain times when people are more likely to be using their sheds.

Getting group discounts on a garden shed

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFz2S8o8_OU[/youtube]

You do not have to put all the money forward for a garden shed yourself. If you are part of a gardening club then you can get other people in the club to pitch in and all you have to do is allow them to use the shed. Should you not have large boundaries like high walls between you and your neighbours then you could pitch in and get a shed for the two houses. As there will be more people paying for the shed the amount you have to put in will be much less then if you were buying by yourself.

Making sure wooden sheds are good quality

If you are going to buy a wooden shed by yourself and are looking for a bargain you have to check that the material used to make the shed is good. Just because it is cheap it does not mean that the quality of the wood can be inferior. The first thing to look at is whether or not the wood has been treated. Untreated wood is more likely to swell when it is wet and this can cause structural problems. You also do not want the shed to be made of chipboard as this is not as sturdy as other wood panels.

Yardmaster garden sheds on strange websites

Buying online often allows you to get a lower price on Yardmaster garden sheds but it also opens you up to a host of other problems. One of these problems is that the website owner does not send you the product and is in fact a scam. Websites that look a bit strange should be avoided simply to be safe rather than sorry. If the website has links that go nowhere or your internet security pops up then you should be a bit cautious. If you land on a strange website you should look and see if there is a way to contact the people who own the website and what their terms and conditions are. If you cannot find any contact information then it is advised that you not use them.

Finding a garden shed that is inexpensive is not as hard as you might think. Of course you should make sure that the quality of the shed is not compromised because of the price. Buying a shed with a group of people will also allow you to buy a shed that would otherwise be out of your price range.

About the Author: This article was submitted by Simona Rusnakova,

SEO consultant

of 3r.ie, on behalf of StayHome2Shop.com, an online shopping website selling

garden sheds

, garden hedge cutters, baby equipment, Regatta outdoor clothing, Caribee backpacks, solar products and electric bikes online in Dublin, Ireland.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=777395&ca=Gardening}

Media round-up: April Fools’ Day 2008

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Many media outlets traditionally deliberately spread hoaxes on April Fools’ Day, including notable quality sources such as National Geographic and Science.

The popular British tabloid The Sun wrote that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to undergo stretch surgery to make him taller than his wife, Italian artist and model Carla Bruni. The report claimed the 5 foot 5 inch leader would be made 5 inches taller in one year using a method by Israeli professor Ura Schmuck. The Sun noted that during his visit to Britain last week, Sarkozy had high-heel shoes while his wife wore a pair of flat pumps.

The Guardian on the other hand ran an article that suggested that Carla would head an initiative by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to bring more glamour, good taste and sophistication to the U.K. general population. This would involve collaboration with Marks & Spencer for high-street fashion and Jamie Oliver for meals and wine.

BBC News had real-looking footage of flying penguins fronted by documentary host Terry Jones, which were actually an advertisement for its new iPlayer.