
Cities and towns around the country are turning to composting as a way to create usable soil and reduce the amount of methane gas produced in landfills.
“When food goes to the landfill, it’s similar to tying food in a plastic bag,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The vast majority — 95 percent — of food waste in the United States winds up in the trash, according to recent estimates from the EPA, accounting for roughly 22 percent of what’s in municipal landfills.
Composting has gained traction in recent years, with 2.1 million tons of food waste composted in 2015, according to the EPA. That’s triple the tonnage that was composted just 15 years earlier, in 2000. And an increasing amount of food scraps are being converted into energy via combustion.
While there have been gains in composting and energy recovery, roughly 30.3 million tons of food waste went to landfills in 2015, a number that has crept upward in recent decades.Chinatown is the last film that master Roman Polanski filmed in the U.S., a fact that would surely mean he would divide audiences once more with his upcoming French thriller Le Locataire (1976), the last chapter of the loose trilogy concerning the horrors faced by apartment duelers. More than being one of the most brilliant, brutal, realistic and undeniably stylish crime films ever made in cinema history, it is an intentional direct homage to the film-noir genre that was the filmmaking branch originator of several masterpieces mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 40's and 50's. This is the first time Polanski attempts to direct a strictly crime film with no surrealistic elements and psychological horror involved, which is a very daring ambition to achieve. Besides directing one of the best films of the year, Chinatown is a masterpiece which title is able to speak for itself thanks to its originality and powerful brilliance, becoming a timeless work of art that has effectively stood the test of time.
Private detective J.J. Gittes is about to unravel a giant and complex conspiracy web full of violence, lies, deceit, murder, municipal corruption and deceptions throughout related to the water supply when a woman who is pretending to be Evelyn Mulwray, the wife of the city's water supply system builder named Hollis, hires him under the suspicion of Hollis having an affair. Later on, the real Evelyn Mulwray appears in Gittes' office threatening him to sue him if he doesn't drop the case, but when Mr. Mulwray is found dead, he refuses to drop it and inevitably gets deeper into an endless plot of madness. The film received 11 Academy Award nominations for Best Writing, Original Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Best Sound, Best Director and Best Picture, winning only the first award.
The sole brilliance of Chinatown is naturally originated from the extraordinarily developed screenplay by Robert Towne and Roman Polanski, and the shocking power of the several unparalleled performances this film proudly possesses. What the direction achieved is to make the story relentless and memorable. Interestingly enough, Jack Nicholson's character is not very different from the usual cold-blooded characters he has portrayed throughout his filmic career, consequently giving away what would be his best leading performance if it wouldn't be because of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Thanks to the tone of his voice, his scary and cold facial expressions and his overall reactions, the private detective J.J. Gittes gains cinematic life and a very strong presence when being on screen, making his one-liners as sarcastic as possible and transforming a lame joke into a hilarious one thanks to the way he tells it. Faye Dunaway plays a physically weak, yet morally strong woman that is directly affected by the unstoppable outcomes of the surrounding events, finding partial comfort and protection through Gittes, but at the same time not knowing how and when should she confess several truths she hides under her persona or not.
The rest of the characters play the role of a motor for the plot's unexpected and mysterious development. Polanski had in mind both the darkness of a classic film-noir and what a new and more modern audience of the 70's demanded. The result is a brilliant crime film with enough character development and an adequate pace so it can provide much more than just two hours of plain entertainment, excluding the opening and the closing credits. Therefore, it isn't shy at portraying neither graphic violence nor sexual content, including its beautifully stereotypical cliches.
I want to be free at expressing my amazement concerning the technical aspects. The cinematography, the sound and the editing are extraordinary; they actually play a very particular role at strengthening the whole style and power of Chinatown. No matter how small the city is, it actually feels like if the streets and the very water supply system were living characters, when they actually are inert. The aforementioned details are deliciously sweetened by a good soundtrack and a classic musical theme.
Chinatown goes beyond the definition of its own genre. It is a merciless and relentless brilliant masterwork and one of the best definitions of cinema available, without exaggerating. With unforgettable quotes, a hard-to-top story and definitely an extraordinary ending, a scene that caused controversy for some people and disappointment for others, it is a film that has surpassed the expectations of even the actuality audience. In case you cannot see the brilliance of the film or are not interested in seeing it, believe me when I say that you're dumber than you think I think you are.

.”
Here in Oregon we are lucky to have some additional safeguards for young athletes. “Max’s Law,” which came into effect here in Oregon in 2010, requires that school coaches be trained both to recognize the signs of a possible concussion and that they pull players from practice or the game as soon as they suspect a concussion may have occurred. Players are not then allowed to return to the field until they have been examined by qualified professionals and given the all-clear. A subsequent piece of legislation known as “Jenna’s Law” extended these rules to all youth sports programs in Oregon in 2013.
But as the Texas study cited above indicates, the real question is how carefully these rules are observed and enforced. MedPage Today cites several studies from around the country that appear to indicate that enforcement is a serious problem. Put another way, it is one thing for the NFL to say it is trying to encourage a focus on safety and moving away from the ‘just play through the pain’ mentality – but everything a young athlete sees when watching an NFL game on Sunday or listening to it be analyzed on TV or the radio during the rest of the week sends very different signals.
As a Portland attorney with experience in cases involving sports injuries to children I believe that the extra safeguards our state offers through Max’s Law and Jenna’s Law are absolutely essential. With children getting involved in competitive sports at ever-younger ages it is important that the state set – and enforce – clear guidelines designed to protect child athletes from coaches more concerned with winning than with safety. At a time when even the professional levels of many sports are struggling with long term injuries and their consequences, it is more important than ever to make sure that life on the field is safe as well as fun.
MedPage Today: Heads Up: Has CDC Concussion Awareness Program Flopped?
MedPage Today: CDC’s Heads Up vs. Heads Up Football
University of Oregon Center on Brain Injury Research & Training: Oregon Concussion Laws FAQWe had booked a 4 hour tour for our second day and were so looking forward to seeing all the sights of the city. Martin Tours booked us on to The Grand Tour of Prague and we spent most of it on foot exploring everything there was to see. Trip advisor review here: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g274707-d4960295-r258190924-Martin_Tour_Prague-Prague_Bohemia.html#REVIEWS Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable and gave us plenty of time to take photos and ask questions etc, there were only a few of us on the tour so it was very personal which was great. We started in a minibus that took us from Wenceslas Square through the New Town, past monuments such as The Dancing House and The Rudolfenium, all the way to the top of Prague Castle.
We then made our way around the complex, seeing the inside of the stunning St Vitus Cathedral, passing the Presidential suite (the flag was flying so the President himself was home!) and enjoying panoramic views across the city before beginning our descent towards the Old Town. Once we’d reached the bottom of the castle area we headed on foot to our next star attraction, Charles Bridge, which was truly a wonderful sight. Dating back to the 13th century, the bridge spans the width of the River Vltava and it’s history is etched into it’s bricks. Walking across the bridge was quite an experience, with our guide giving us the background on it’s purpose and it’s origins, and we could see for miles down the river.
Next we headed to Old Town Square and saw the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Týn and the picturesque Old Town Hall before ending up at the breathtaking Astronomical Clock Tower to watch the clock strike on the hour – definitely a sight