text:
Home » Posts » Treatment » antidepressants » The benefits and harms of antidepressants for youth depression and anxiety #ActiveIngredientsMH
The benefits and harms of antidepressants for youth depression and anxiety #ActiveIngredientsMH
Mark Horowitz>,
There are many reasons for young people to be anxious and depressed today: disruption to life caused by the pandemic; difficult circumstances in which to look for work; the social pressures of ubiquitous social media and competition seeping into every aspect of life.
Prescribing antidepressants for youth mental health problems is widespread and growing: in 2017-2018 more than 10% of people aged 18-24 received at least one script for an antidepressant (Public Health England, 2019), with about 2% of 13 to 17 year olds in England receiving at least one antidepressant in 2016/2017 (NHS Digital, 2018).
The Lancet Psychiatry has published a review as part of its 'Active Ingredients for Addressing Youth Anxiety and Depression' on the topic of SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) antidepressants. The review aims to outline what is known about SSRIs in young people (aged 14–24 years) and what the gaps in knowledge are. Obsessive compulsive disorder, acute stress disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder are outside of the scope of this review.
In England in 2017-2018 more than 10% of people aged 18-24 received at least one prescription for an antidepressant (Public Health England, 2019).
This reviewers searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science (Core Collection) for human and animal (preclinical animal models) studies published from Jan 1, 2000, to July 6, 2020. They included papers published in English.
Two people independently reviewed titles and abstracts that were identified through the search strategy to decide whether studies were of relevance to the objectives of the Series paper and recorded a justification for each excluded study. A third reviewer resolved disagreements.
"The selected manuscripts were read in full and further assessed for relevance to the Series paper. Further focused searches on PubMed were done for selected topics. Given the many references that were identified by these searches, this Series paper provides representative rather than complete citations."
The reviewers aimed to outline the evidence for the benefits, harms and mechanism of action of SSRIs in young people with reference to the outcomes of a workshop they conducted with a Young Person Advisory Group.
The authors outline what they see as the current consensus on harms and benefits of SSRIs in treating anxiety and depression amongst young people, and the major gaps in our understanding from their point of view.
The authors argue that network meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that find most antidepressants are ineffective in depression and anxiety in young people (Cipriani et al., 2016; Dobson, Bloch and Strawn, 2019) were hampered by "a large number of poor-quality studies" conducted by drug companies that produced a "high" response rate for placebo. They note that this analysis found statistically significant effects only for fluoxetine in both conditions (and sertraline and fluvoxamine in anxiety) in studies that ranged from 6-12 weeks in duration.
Instead they focus attention on the TADS study that found a higher response rate for fluoxetine compared to placebo after 12 weeks, although there was no difference on the primary outcome (Jureidini, Tonkin and Mansfield, 2004; March et al., 2004).
They also highlight an exploratory analysis from a recent study of the addition of fluoxetine to CBT in young people with depression, which showed improved depression and anxiety scores in those over the age of 18 with combination treatment compared to CBT alone, although the main analysis found no overall difference in depression scores in young people (Davey et al., 2019).
The authors of the review conclude that "SSRIs are a reasonably effective treatment for depression and anxiety in young people" and "that combination of SSRIs with CBT can be more effective than either treatment modality alone."
The authors outline the increased risk of weight gain, reduced growth, reduced bone-mass density and an increase in the risk of diabetes with antidepressant use in young people.
They highlight the fact that antidepressants cause an activation syndrome in 11-14% of young people consisting of "irritability, agitation, impulsivity, emotional lability, hostility, restlessness and aggression."
They mention concerns around the effect of antidepressants in the long term on "brain development, physical growth and sexual function and fertility."
They address the issue of increased suicidal thoughts and attempts in young people on antidepressants compared to placebo in randomised controlled trials which led to the FDA putting "black box" warnings on antidepressants. They query the methodology behind some of the meta-analyses that have suggested this association and outline one meta-analysis that reports more equivocal findings: that paroxetine and venlafaxine increase suicidality in young people but that sertraline decreases the risk. However, they conclude that "the available studies suggest that some people can experience an increase in suicidal thinking and behaviour during SSRI treatment."
The authors also speculate on how antidepressants might act on putative biological abnormalities that the authors suggest may underpin the experience of depression; including effects on serotonin, brain circuitry, and affective processing and how this might interact with the environment around them.
The Young Person Advisory Group set up for this project identified a number of questions about SSRI treatment in young people, including the long-term effects of antidepressant use on brain function, fertility, and growth.
In putting forward their summary of the field, the authors skip over several issues that could have influenced their conclusions.
The authors work from the assumption that "medication is a necessary tool for clinicians treating young people" and adverse effects are largely considered as a "barrier to antidepressant use". The assumption of usefulness is too hasty as there is much uncertainty about whether antidepressants have benefits – let alone net benefits – in young people.
The article justifies focusing on a single study (TADS) because of the view that early trials conducted by drug manufacturers inflated the response rate of placebo. It is difficult to believe that drug companies would design trials that would do this, and no plausible explanation is given as to how it might have occurred. One opinion piece cited argues that these industry studies recruited less unwell participants (Walkup, 2017) but baseline Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS-R) scores for these industry studies are all around 60 (the severe range), as they are for the TADS study (Hetrick et al., 2021).
The TADS trial that is prioritised in this review found no difference between placebo and fluoxetine on the primary end point, the CDRS-R (p=0.10) (Jureidini, Tonkin and Mansfield, 2004). Focusing on response rates as the authors of the original trial and the current review do, is recognised to inflate small differences between two groups, as present in this study (Kirsch and Moncrieff, 2007).
Since this paper was written the most up-to-date and comprehensive network meta-analysis of antidepressants in young people (6-18 year olds) with depression has been conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration, which clearly highlights the uncertainties in this area (Hetrick et al., 2021). The Cochrane review used an objective set of measures to assess quality, risk of bias and certainty of the evidence provided by all existing trials of new generation antidepressants in young people (26 trials, 5750 participants). It was blogged on The Mental Elf by Susannah Murphy, who is also the first author of this new review in The Lancet Psychiatry.
The Cochrane review concluded that there was evidence that SSRIs had "small unimportant differences" from placebo on depressive symptoms ("high certainty") "which raises the question of whether they should be used at all (Hetrick et al., 2021) (italics added)."
The Cochrane review also pointed out a number of limitations in these studies:
Selective reporting: authors of these studies switched the primary outcomes specified in their methods or protocols, famously including Study 329 which changed the definition of relapse after 8 primary and secondary outcomes failed to show a difference between paroxetine and placebo
Inconsistent reporting: results from the TADS 2004 study have been reported in multiple papers with contradictory results
Funding: most trials were conducted by drug companies. The TADS 2004 trial was funded by an NIMH contract but also had an "unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly".
There are also a number of limitations to antidepressant trials in adults (Munkholm, Paludan-Müller and Boesen, 2019), that are relevant to trials in young people, that were not addressed by the current review:
Unblinding of participants because of noticeable effects of the drug
The inclusion of people who are already taking antidepressants, with the consequence that people randomised to placebo are likely to experience withdrawal effects that may be mistaken for symptoms of depression or anxiety
The clinically uninformative duration of these studies; most studies go for 6-12 weeks, whilst patients are treated for many months or years
The unclear clinical relevance of depression scores to people's functioning and quality of life (this issue was considered by the current review in their conclusion).
Some authors have argued that although there are small and unimportant differences overall between placebo and antidepressants, there may be a sub-group of people who show greater responses, possibly those with more severe baseline depression. However, three recent studies (in people aged >18) have found this not to be consistent with the data (Guo et al., 2020; Maslej et al., 2021; Volkmann, Volkmann, & Müller, 2020), with one concluding that "antidepressants show a relatively uniform effect". A recent individual patient meta-analysis in adults with depression found that there was no difference in response based on baseline severity (Furukawa et al., 2018).
The best available evidence we currently have suggests that antidepressants are not very effective at treating depression in young people.
This is a particularly important topic given that young people are more susceptible to drug side effects generally and to the potential brain modifying effects of drugs given the plasticity of their brains. While the authors mention this topic briefly, they spend more of the article speculating on the possible ways in which antidepressants might reverse hypothetical but unsubstantiated brain abnormalities, and neglect to consider that the brain alterations induced by antidepressants may be harmful rather than beneficial.
There are also a number of harms that were either prematurely dismissed or downplayed.
Withdrawal effects
Withdrawal effects were downplayed in The Lancet Psychiatry review, which noted that fluoxetine is the SSRI least likely to cause withdrawal symptoms, but did not explore the possibility that some young people may experience prolonged and severe withdrawal effects, or may not be able to stop these medications because of aversive effects.
Moreover, fluoxetine is not the only drug used in this group of patients and, despite its reputation, fluoxetine has been associated with a high incidence of withdrawal effects (77% in one double-blind randomised discontinuation study), although these are often delayed because of fluoxetine's long half-life and therefore easily mis-diagnosed (Hindmarch, Kimber and Cockle, 2000).
Sexual side effects
Sexual side effects were mentioned briefly in the paper, and were a focus of concern by the young people interviewed for the current review. The short-term effects of antidepressants on sexual function in adults were discussed (erectile dysfunction, anorgasmia and decreased libido). However, the more concerning long-term effects of antidepressants on sexual function; the condition of post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) which can persist even after stopping antidepressants and may be permanent in some people, as now recognised by the European Medicines Agency, was not addressed (Reisman, 2020).
Suicidal behaviour
The authors of the opinion piece recognise that some young people experience an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviour during SSRI treatment, but they question the reliability of the evidence and neglect to mention a comprehensive meta-analysis of clinical study reports (the raw data from studies) from RCTs which found an increase in the odds ratio for suicidality for young people of 2.39 (95% CI 1.31 to 4.33), along with an increase in aggression (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.62 to 4.81) (Sharma et al., 2016). They also refer to the idea that antidepressants reduce suicides by decreasing depression, even though this is based on flawed ecological studies and not supported by more robust evidence from randomised controlled trials.
The recent Cochrane review provides an up to date summary of this area (Hetrick et al., 2021). This review reported on a range of "low certainty" evidence finding that:
There may be "at least a small increase" in odds of suicide-related outcomes compared with placebo for SSRIs as a group (OR 1.30, 95% 1.04 to 1.63, "low certainty").
Fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline and venlafaxine may "at least slightly" increases odds of suicide-related outcomes compared with placebo ("low certainty").
That escitalopram may "at least slightly" reduce suicide-related outcomes ("low certainty").
Antidepressants have side-effects and withdrawal-effects, and the severity of these is still hotly debated.
We agree with the authors of this review that we need to understand more about how SSRIs affect young people's brains, especially in the long-term in order to better inform patients and their families about the effects of these medications.
However, it seems premature to prioritise study of the mechanism of action or predictors of effect before we establish that the benefits of these drugs outweigh their harms. It is incautious to conclude that these drugs are "necessary" based on secondary outcomes from one or two trials, when an overall appraisal of trial evidence finds minor differences from placebo that fail to reach clinical relevance. We must also weigh up these small differences against the harms of this treatment: effects on height, weight, bone development, and diabetes; difficulty stopping these drugs and potentially long-lasting withdrawal effects; potentially long-lasting effects on sexual function and the possibility that these drugs might increase agitation and suicidality in some young people.
Given there exists a number of alternative treatments such as watchful waiting, exercise and psychotherapy (Jureidini, 2016), surely the most important question to ask is the one raised by the Cochrane authors: should antidepressants be used at all in young people?
The most important question to ask is, should antidepressants be used at all in young people?
The Wellcome Trust initiative on "Active Ingredients" for youth anxiety and depression offers a wide array of promising avenues for helping young people by:
Addressing unmet needs such as financial security, social connectedness, a sense of meaning;
Enhancing psychological skills such as self-compassion, problem solving and emotional regulation;
Reducing aversive habits such as avoidance, and perfectionism; and
Encouraging positive behaviours like stable sleep-wake cycles and engagement in rewarding activities.
In addition to these useful individually-targeted interventions, society-wide changes to lessen social deprivation, job insecurity, and other intersectional barriers to fulfilling and happy lives, as well as more local social interventions around issues such as bullying, racism, sexism, gender and sexuality issues, and drug use would help to address young people's anxiety and depression.
Against these other potential avenues, we should examine whether the relative benefits and harms of antidepressants stack up well.
The Wellcome Trust Active Ingredients initiative has highlighted a wide array of promising avenues to help young people with anxiety or depression. This work, which brings together the mental health science community, will continue over the coming years to forge a common research agenda around active ingredients. Image credit: Ellice Weaver / Wellcome.
Statement of interest
MH reports no conflicts of interest.
JM reports grants from the National Institute of Health Research unrelated to the current topic. She is co-chairperson of the Critical Psychiatry Network (an informal group of psychiatrists) and a board member of the unfunded organisation, the Council for Evidence-based Psychiatry. Both are unpaid positions.
#ElfNuggets
This blog was discussed by Emmeline Lagunes-Cordoba in the October 2021 Elf Nuggets show, which you can watch here:
Murphy SE, Capitão LP, Giles SLC, Cowen PJ, Stringaris A, Harmer CJ. (2021) Active Ingredients for Addressing Youth Anxiety and Depression 2: The knowns and unknowns of SSRI treatment in young people with depression and anxiety: efficacy, predictors, and mechanisms of action. The Lancet Psychiatry 2021; 8: 824–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00154-1
Cipriani, A. et al. (2016) 'Comparative efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants for major depressive disorder in children and adolescents: a network meta-analysis.', Lancet (London, England). England, 388(10047), pp. 881–890. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30385-3.
Davey, C. G. et al. (2019) 'The addition of fluoxetine to cognitive behavioural therapy for youth depression (YoDA-C): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre clinical trial.', The lancet. Psychiatry. England, 6(9), pp. 735–744. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30215-9.
Dobson, E. T., Bloch, M. H. and Strawn, J. R. (2019) 'Efficacy and Tolerability of Pharmacotherapy for Pediatric Anxiety Disorders: A Network Meta-Analysis.', The Journal of clinical psychiatry. United States, 80(1). doi: 10.4088/JCP.17r12064.
Furukawa, T. A., Maruo, K., Noma, H., Tanaka, S., Imai, H., Shinohara, K., … Cipriani, A. (2018). Initial severity of major depression and efficacy of new generation antidepressants: individual participant data meta-analysis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 137(6), 450–458. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.12886
Guo, X., McCutcheon, R. A., Pillinger, T., Mizuno, Y., Natesan, S., Brown, K., & Howes, O. (2020). The magnitude and heterogeneity of antidepressant response in depression: A meta-analysis of over 45,000 patients. Journal of Affective Disorders, 276, 991–1000. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.102
Hetrick SE, McKenzie JE, Bailey AP, Sharma V, Moller CI, Badcock PB, Cox GR, Merry SN, Meader N. (2021) New generation antidepressants for depression in children and adolescents: a network meta‐analysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD013674. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013674.pub2.
Hindmarch, I., Kimber, S. and Cockle, S. M. (2000) 'Abrupt and brief discontinuation of antidepressant treatment: Effects on cognitive function and psychomotor performance', International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 15(6), pp. 305–318. doi: 10.1097/00004850-200015060-00001.
Jureidini, J. (2016) 'Antidepressants fail, but no cause for therapeutic gloom', The Lancet, 388(10047), pp. 844–845. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30585-2
Jureidini, J., Tonkin, A. and Mansfield, P. R. (2004) 'TADS study raises concerns', BMJ : British Medical Journal. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd., 329(7478), pp. 1343–1344.
Kirsch, I. and Moncrieff, J. (2007) 'Clinical trials and the response rate illusion', Contemporary Clinical Trials, 28(4), pp. 348–351. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2006.10.012
March, J. et al. (2004) 'Fluoxetine, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and their combination for adolescents with depression: Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS) randomized controlled trial.', JAMA. United States, 292(7), pp. 807–820. doi: 10.1001/jama.292.7.807.
Maslej, M. M., Furukawa, T. A., Cipriani, A., Andrews, P. W., Sanches, M., Tomlinson, A., … Mulsant, B. H. (2021). Individual Differences in Response to Antidepressants: A Meta-analysis of Placebo-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trials. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(5), 490–497. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.4564
Munkholm, K., Paludan-Müller, A. S. and Boesen, K. (2019) 'Considering the methodological limitations in the evidence base of antidepressants for depression: a reanalysis of a network meta-analysis', BMJ Open, 9(6), p. e024886. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024886.
NHS Digital (2018) The number of antidepressant items and patients receiving them (prescribed in England and dispensed in the community) Years ending 31 March 2016 and 31 March 2017 (Download Excel spreadsheet). (Accessed: 11 August 2021).
Public Health England (2019) Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines. An evidence review. (Accessed: 30 March 2021).
Reisman, Y. (2020) 'Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction', BMJ. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 368. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m754.
Sharma, T. et al. (2016) 'Suicidality and aggression during antidepressant treatment: systematic review and meta-analyses based on clinical study reports', BMJ, 352.
Volkmann, C., Volkmann, A., & Müller, C. A. (2020). On the treatment effect heterogeneity of antidepressants in major depression: A Bayesian meta-analysis and simulation study. PLOS ONE, 15(11), e0241497. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241497
Walkup, J. T. (2017) 'Antidepressant Efficacy for Depression in Children and Adolescents: Industry- and NIMH-Funded Studies', American Journal of Psychiatry. American Psychiatric Publishing, 174(5), pp. 430–437. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16091059.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Ellice Weaver / Wellcome, Licence: All Rights Reserved
Tagged with: #ActiveIngredientsMH, antidepressants, anxiety, brain development, child and adolescent, depression, harm, physical growth, sexual dysfunction, side effects, SSRI, The Lancet Psychiatry, withdrawal, young people, youth mental health
Mark Horowitz
Mark Horowitz is a training psychiatrist, now working as a Clinical Research Fellow at UCL and North East London NHS Foundation Trust. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology and has edited a collection of papers in the journal on Discontinuing Psychotropic Medication. He has a PhD in psychopharmacology and the neurobiology of depression from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London. He has an interest in rational psychopharmacology and safe deprescribing of psychiatric medications, which has been the focus of his recent work published in The Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry, the British Journal of Psychiatry and Schizophrenia Bulletin, as well as a forthcoming textbook on the subject.
Joanna is Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at UCL and a consultant psychiatrist working in the community recovery team at the Norther East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT). She is co-chair of the Critical Psychiatry Network. She is the Chief Investigator of the RADAR trial comparing maintenance antipsychotic treatment to gradual antipsychotic reduction or discontinuation in chronic psychotic disorders. She has an interest in the history, philosophy and politics of psychiatry, and particularly in the use, misuse and misrepresentation of psychiatric drugs. Her work has focused on makings sense of how psychiatric drugs 'work'. A 'disease-centred' model, widely used, suggests that psychiatric drugs work by reversing a hypothetical abnormality or 'chemical imbalance.' She has formulated an alternative model called the 'drug-centred' model which highlights the psychoactive properties of psychoactive drugs: that is they produce characteristic mental alterations that may be superimposed on psychiatric conditions. Her work highlights the confusions and misconceptions that stem from use of the disease-centred model.


text:
Home Celebrities Katie Price has been labelled a 'gold digger' by her son Junior
Katie Price has been labelled a 'gold digger' by her son Junior
Charlie Loran
Katie Price has been labelled a 'gold digger' Credit -Youtube
KATIE Price has been labelled a 'gold digger' by her son Junior after her boyfriend Carl Woods treated her to a pair of Louis Vuitton trainers during an outrageous shopping spree in Selfridges.
With Katie more loved up than ever, her teenage son Junior, couldn't help but set the record set about his mum's relationship with Carl, and branded her a "gold digger".
In the clip on Katies YouTube channel, Katie said, "We're having a really, really good day. He's treated me to a beautiful new pair of trainers.
To which Carl teased, "Yeah you are getting all the presents and all that."
Junior then revealed who's spoiling who in Katie and Carl's romance.
"People saying Carl is gold digging on mum, it's the other way around," he said. "I can't remember the last time Carl let mum pay for anything."
Thank you for taking the time to read this news article "Katie Price has been labelled a 'gold digger' by her son Junior". For more UK daily news, Spanish daily news and Global news stories, visit the Euro Weekly News home page.
Previous articleDinnerlady Stole £23k from School PTA Fund
Next article$216 million SpaceX Starship explodes into fireball upon landing
Manchester born mummy with a two year old diva (2020), living on the Costa del Sol for just short of a decade.
Former chef and restaurateur, holistic health fanatic and lover of long words.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
"use strict"; // run code in ES5 strict mode

var Class = require("../../lib/index.js").Class,
    G = require("./G.class.js"),
    H = require("./H.class.js"),
    expect = require("expect.js");

var F = new Class("F", {
    Extends: G,
    init: function () {
        H.initCallOrder.push("F");
        H.initArguments.push(Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments));
        expect(this.Instance).to.be.a(F);
        expect(this.Instance.Class).to.be(F);
        expect(this.Super).to.be.a("function");
    },
    someMethod: function () {
        expect(this.Super).to.be.a(G);
    }
});

module.exports = F;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


In Japan, if you miss the last train home, you may have to spend the night in a capsule hotel. On Mars, if you miss the last rocket home, you've got much bigger problems.
Astronaut Mark Watney has huge problems.
Andy Weir's exciting novel "The Martian" describes what happens when a near-future manned expedition to the Red Planet is cut short by a violent sandstorm. Five of the six astronauts make it to the escape vehicle, but Mark is struck by flying debris and appears to be dead. Protocol for the situation is clear. They leave the body behind.
But Mark was merely injured. He awakens to find he has set a new record for human solitude: He has an entire planet all to himself, and no way to communicate with anyone back home.
Fiction writers sometimes describe the elements of a basic plot as chasing a character up a tree, throwing rocks at the character, and then getting the character out of the tree. In other words, creating a tense situation, heightening the tension, and then resolving it.
Well, there are no trees on Mars. But there are plenty of rocks.
The Hab he mentions is a round-roofed structure supported by internal air pressure — like a tiny version of Tokyo Dome — meant to shelter six people for one month. To use it for more than a year, Mark has to improvise constant modifications and repairs, patching it up with the proverbial paper clips and strings — plus one non-proverbial material.
He gets excited about the little things, but a sense of humor is key to his survival.
"The Martian" is a highly realistic novel. Everything Mark does appears to be technically possible. This makes his story fascinating as well as suspenseful, especially as Weir confronts his character with many problems beyond air, water and food. He leaves no rock unthrown.
But the realism also means our deep-space Robinson Crusoe has no Friday to share his adventure. If a little green sidekick did appear, he'd probably be named Sol, the word for a Martian day.
Conveniently, one sol is 24 hours and 40 minutes, so adjusting his body clock to local time is one problem Mark doesn't have.
But you may have to adjust your own body clock as you stay up late to find out how on Earth — or how on Mars — Mark can survive his increasingly harrowing predicament.


Read on for a sad and stupid tale of woe! Read on for a catalog of incompetence! Read on for an example of temper being set aside! Read on for a glowing example of Sears Fail . . .
In 2011 we redid our kitchen. As part of the project we replaced a number of appliances, including our stove. Our existing stove was an old electric range that came with the house. We toyed with bringing gas up to the kitchen but decided on induction. It heats up fast like gas but is crazily cool to the touch. There weren't many models out at the time and we settled on an Electrolux, which we purchased at Sears.
Quickly the immaturity of the technology became evident. A variety of circuit boards needed replacing on a regular basis. Eventually the oven stopped working and then the whole unit died. Thankfully for use, there were more than four parts replacements in less than 12 months and Sears agreed to replace the unit.
We went to our local Sears store. We again considered gas, thought about electric but decided to stick with induction. We ordered the stove on April 18th. It was to be delivered on April 25th. Because the original stove had been deemed a "lemon," the replacement would include the removal of the old stove and the delivery and installation of the new one.
There was confusion among the sales associates. One put together the order – including installation – but a colleague said since this was a simple slide-in unit the delivery people would be able to install it. It seemed reasonable at the time.
A few days later we got a phone call. An error had been made with the order and the stove would now arrive on April 30th. Not ideal but such is life. On April 30th the delivery truck arrived. The old stove was removed and the new one brought into the kitchen. The deliverymen couldn't do the install. No installation had been ordered, they explained, and left with the stove sitting in the middle of the floor.
For more than two hours I was on the phone with Sears trying to figure out what had happened and find out how it would be fixed. The earliest installation, I was told, was May 3rd – four days away. This wasn't acceptable. I spoke with a number of people at Sears, none of whom could provide any explanation for what had happened or accelerate the installation date.
How did it happen that no provisions were made for installation? Was the assumption that we'd simply have the stove in the middle of the floor indefinitely? Is it really possible that there is no one capable of installing this stove in fewer than four days?
All of these things seem impossible to me. What I have seen is a series of errors, one compounding another, until we are left with the current situation: a functionless cube sitting in the middle of our kitchen awaiting installation. This is unacceptable. The offer of a $50 gift card, while thoughtful, doesn't make up for the many meals we have been unable to make at home. Rarely have I seen such incompetence, such a failure to perform or such a lackadaisical attitude toward a customer's concerns.
At a time of stress for our family we have few options. The stove is there. The installation is pending. Meals are going uncooked. It's safe to say we won't be shopping at Sears any time soon and will be actively discouraging others.


Mr Rahman says the scope of the CPEC between China and Pakistan has been extended to agriculture, tourism, health, educational linkages and people to people contacts.
PAKISTAN'S new Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is pushing for wide ranging economic, social and political reforms and has introduced austerity measures as the country faces economic and financial pressures like a balance of payments crisis with foreign exchange reserves to meet just a few months of imports.
Mr Khan, who was swept into power in August last year on the promise of corruption free governance and a strong reform agenda, has moved swiftly to start delivering on the many promises he made for the betterment of the country's population which is 207 million strong.
"The major part of the new Pakistan policy comprises social welfare of the people of Pakistan," Mr Saeed Ur Rahman, Pakistan's Acting High Commissioner, said in an interview with The Business Times on the eve of Pakistan's National Day on March 23.
The steps taken by the new government include "institutional reforms, e-services and e-governance, anti-corruption drive, poverty alleviation, improvements in health and education, developing tourism, liberal visa regime, special economic zones and industrial parks, ease of doing business, and wealth and employment creation," he says.
"With the new government of Mr Imran Khan in Islamabad, a chain of positive and business friendly reforms are being introduced to transform Pakistan into a progressive society. The government is investigating cases of and taking measures against corruption, judiciary is introducing reforms for speedy justice, health cards (worth S$7,000) are being issued to families below the poverty line for hassle free and dignified access to health facilities and medicine, and police reforms are underway for incorporating modern technologies and online services," says Mr Rahman.
Meanwhile, the school curriculum has been revised to streamline and upgrade the educational system, and e-governance projects are being implemented to provide online services to the citizens. Social welfare and poverty alleviation are at the heart of Imran Khan's government, he says.
Mr Rahman, 34, is a career diplomat belonging to the Pakistan Foreign Service. He has been Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan in Singapore since October last year. His previous overseas postings were to Bulgaria and Mexico.
He highlighted that after several successful military operations against terrorists, Pakistan has been able to eradicate terrorism from its areas bordering Afghanistan. In this fight, Pakistan has lost more than 70,000 civilian lives and suffered US$123 billion worth of economic losses.
"Nevertheless Pakistan has emerged as a tolerant, peaceful and resilient nation. The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, despite challenges of topography, has been fenced in order to block the entry of terrorist and extremist elements into Pakistan. "The vision of Naya or new Pakistan is based on the principles of greater regional connectivity through the China Pakistan economic corridor (CEPC), the Turkmenistan-Afghanisation-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipe line project for which final host state agreement has been signed between Turkmenistan and Pakistan and for the upgrading of the railway link between Pakistan, Iran and Turkey," says Mr Rahman.
"PM Imran Khan, after his election as premier, extended an invitation to his Indian counterpart for negotiations and peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. The initiative of Kartarpur Corridor for visa free arrival of Indian nationals to Pakistan is another great initiative of the new government," he adds.
Mr Rahman says that PM Khan has reiterated that his government will be working for greater regional connectivity and strengthening peace in the region. His initiative of opening the Kartarpur Corridor, a visa free transit between Pakistan and India, is an important confidence-building measure to promote peace and religious tourism. This initiative has the potential of opening of more corridors in the region.
In line with this policy, the new government is also working on projects to protect religious and heritage sites of the minorities in Pakistan and liberal visa regimes are being put in place for religious and heritage tourism.
To attract international tourists, a National Tourism Coordination Board has been constituted, comprising public and private stakeholders, for tourism infrastructure development and introducing new tourist products. The E-visa system, unveiled on March 14, 2019, is another big step by the government for opening the doors of Pakistan for the international community.
In the new visa regime, nationals of 55 countries, including Singapore, will get visas on arrival through eTA (electronic travel authorisation) and nationals from 175 countries will get E-visas. Business visas for up to five years with multiple entries are being issued within 24 hours, Mr Rahman says.
Taking note of the changes taking place in Pakistan, the Singapore Business Federation - the Republic's apex business chamber - sent a high level business delegation to Pakistan from Feb 24 to March 3 to explore bilateral business opportunities.
Mr Rahman highlights that environment protection is a subject close to the heart of PM Khan. In the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), which is one of the four administrative provinces of Pakistan, one billion trees have been planted to mitigate the effects of climate change after his party came to power in 2014. Now, the Green Pakistan project aims to plant 10 billion trees over the period of five years. Apart from addressing the climate change issues, the project aims to increase forest cover, protect wildlife, and boost eco-tourism in the country.
Turning to the economy and the help being sought by Pakistan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr Rahman says that the immediate economic pressures of foreign exchange reserves have abated due to financial assistance from various friendly countries. The negotiations with the IMF have reached a final stage. Pakistan's Finance Minister, during interaction with the media on March 17, said that the negotiations for the final agreement will be held after the annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF next month. Meanwhile, new data just in shows that the trade deficit in February 2019 was reduced by 73 per cent as compared with February 2018.
The government has also reduced its expenditure considerably through the austerity measures introduced by PM Imran Khan.
Meanwhile the government is working on tax reforms. The Inland Revenue Service, which is responsible for tax policy and tax collection, is developing new strategies to expand the tax net and introduce an easy tax filing system. Despite economic pressures, the government is able to provide tax cuts to the banking system to help them improve financial products and services," says Mr Rahman.
Mr Rahman says that the US$65 billionCPEC will take its initial shape in 2020 as short-term projects have been completed and integrated with Pakistan's national infrastructure.
In the energy sector, seven projects have been completed and energy supply has been added to the national grid. The short-term motorway projects will be completed within the next two months and major bottle necks in the economic system are being addressed by the new government through economic reforms, measures for ease of doing business and investment incentives and tax holidays.
The direct impact of the CPEC on the economic growth rate will be visible from 2020 onwards.
The second phase of the CPEC has been started in which medium term projects will be completed in or before 2025. Nine Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and industrial parks are being developed on a priority basis at strategic locations along the CPEC projects to provide exclusive investment opportunities through tax holidays on the development of SEZs, installation of machinery, production and exports.


text:
Q: Trying to enhance the query to give me results I have 3 three scenarios

*

*where there is no email - returns me empty

*where there are multiple emails with one primary email - should return me primary

*where there is multiple emails but no primary - should return me the first one

Here is my query I am trying
select *
from departs
left outer join answers on answers.fkdepartid =departs.departID
inner join emails on emails.userid = departs.userID
    and emails.primary = 1
where departs.departid = 100

where I can add the logic of the above

A: You can do this with the row_number() windowing function:
SELECT *
FROM (
    SELECT *,
        row_number() over (
            partition by d.userID
            order by case when e.primary = 1 then 0 else 1 end
        ) rn
    FROM departs d
    LEFT JOIN answers a on a.fkdepartid = d.departID
    INNER JOIN emails e ON e.userid = d.userID
    WHERE d.departid = 100
) t
WHERE t.rn = 1

An APPLY lateral join will also work:
SELECT *
FROM departs d
LEFT JOIN answers a on a.fkdepartid = d.departID
CROSS APPLY (
    SELECT TOP 1 *
    FROM emails e0
    WHERE e0.userid = d.userID
    ORDER BY case when e0.primary = 1 then 0 else 1 end
) e
WHERE d.departid = 100

APPLY tends to be slower, but I often find it easier to reason about, which can sometimes matter more than the raw performance.
Note both of these options are NON-DETERMINISTIC, which means they could return different results from one moment to the next. This is because there is not a complete definition of "first" for which email to use if none is primary. In database circles, non-deterministic queries and requirements are frowned upon and something to avoid.
To fix this (because it really is broken until you do) to be fully deterministic, add criteria to the ORDER BY clause to further define which email address you want.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the band's tour van, which can be seen on the back cover of their 1994 second album Trashed.

The band has 12 releases through Fat Wreck Chords: nine studio albums, one EP, one live album and a collection of B-sides, compilation tracks and demos. Lagwagon has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America, Europe and Asia. Their moderate success reflected a growing interest in punk rock during the 1990s, along with fellow California bands Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring. Their song "May 16" was also featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.

History

Lagwagon originally started under the name Section 8 but were dissatisfied with the name because multiple other bands were already using it. According to the liner notes of the re-release of Duh, it was Fat Mike's idea to switch to Lagwagon based on the already written song of the same name about the band's unreliable touring van.  After signing to Fat Mike's label Fat Wreck Chords, Lagwagon released their debut album for the label, Duh, in 1992. Frontman Joey Cape commented on how the album was made, "Back then, we were inexperienced in the studio. It was less about the recording process and more about rehearsing. We recorded and mixed Duh in 4 days. There's something to be said for a budget. You have to have your shit together before you go into the studio and the end result is a record that better reflects the band's sound at the time." Two years later, Lagwagon released Trashed, their second record on Fat, which turned out to be highly successful, leading to the eventual production of a video for "Island of Shame." During this time, a number of punk bands, such as Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid, had hit the mainstream and Lagwagon turned down offers to join several major labels. Hoss, the third Lagwagon album, was released on November 21, 1995. After the release of that album and an extensive tour in Europe, Australia, and Japan, both guitarist Shawn Dewey and drummer Derrick Plourde would leave the band and be replaced temporarily by Kenneth Stringfellow (The Posies) on guitar, and permanently by Dave Raun (RKL) on drums. Shawn Dewey, already in the side project band Buck Wild on Lobster Records would go on to release two full-length LPs, Beat Me Silly and Full Metal Overdrive, and do two European tours with Good Riddance and Ten Foot Pole.

After two more albums, Double Plaidinum and Let's Talk About Feelings, the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2000, due to all members working on side projects. Lagwagon resurfaced in 2002, and released their sixth album Blaze the following year. In 2004, frontman Joey Cape released a split album with No Use for a Name vocalist Tony Sly featuring acoustic versions of songs by both bands. On November 1, 2005, Lagwagon released Resolve, which is a homage to the life of Derrick Plourde, original drummer for Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut.

In 2008, Lagwagon released an EP titled I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon. Despite earlier reports that the band would begin recording their next full-length studio album by 2009, Lagwagon had gone on hiatus from touring and writing again, due to Cape launching a solo career, releasing Bridge in 2008 and Doesn't Play Well with Others in 2010.

In January 2010, Joey Cape announced during an interview with Canada's Exclaim! magazine that Jesse Buglione had left Lagwagon, having been with the band since its foundation in 1990. However, Cape dismissed rumors of Lagwagon breaking up. While he was not sure if Lagwagon would record a new album or embark on another full-scale tour, he said that he was open to playing shows and possibly recording and releasing new Lagwagon songs sporadically. Jesse Buglione confirmed his departure on Lagwagon's official message board himself, as reported by sputnikmusic.com and punknews.org. Lagwagon toured with No Use for a Name that summer. In an interview with fasterlouder.com.au Joey Cape, revealed former RKL bassist Joe Raposo is Lagwagon's new bassist. In a June 2011 interview with ExploreMusic however, Joey Cape said that things didn't work out with Raposo, and the band is testing a new bassist. After first announcing Patrick Solem as the new bass player in August 2011, the band decided that Raposo would remain in the band permanently.

On September 22, 2011, Fat Wreck announced they would be re-issuing expanded editions of the first five albums on CD, vinyl, and digital download. The albums were available both separately and in a box set titled Putting Music In Its Place. The reissues were released November 22, 2011, with a short line-up of concerts in the U.S. played in December and January, and a European tour following in April 2012. As of October 2012, Lagwagon is headlining a full U.S. tour titled The Fat Tour 2012, with Dead To Me, The Flatliners, and Useless ID as support.

In October 2012, Joey Cape stated that there will be a new Lagwagon album, which will be their first since 2005's Resolve. While details and release dates are not yet known, the band announced on its Twitter feed that songs are being written for a new album.  The September 22 Tweet reads, "Writing, writing, writing. New album... It's gonna happen!"

The band recorded their eighth album, Hang, with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room, Ft Collins, CO. The album was released on October 28, 2014, and debuted at #95 on the Billboard 200.

On October 4, 2019, the band released their ninth studio album Railer, with the lead single being "Bubble". To support the new release, a tour was announced with Face to Face as a co-headlining event.

Current members
Joey Cape – vocals (1990–present)
Chris Flippin – guitar (1990–present)
Dave Raun – drums (1996–present)
Chris Rest – guitar (1997–present)
Joe Raposo – bass (2010–present)

Former members
Shawn Dewey – guitar (1990–1996)
Ken Stringfellow – guitar (1996–1997)
Jesse Buglione – bass (1990–2010)
Derrick Plourde – drums (1990–1996; died 2005)

Touring members
Lindsay McDougall – guitar (2008)
Scott Shiflett – guitar (2008)
Chris Shiflett – guitar (1996)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Box sets

Other releases

Singles and music videos
 "Island of Shame" from Trashed
 "Razor Burn" from Hoss
 "Falling Apart" from Blaze
 "Heartbreaking Music" from Resolve
 "Made of Broken Parts" from Hang
"Bubble" from Railer
"Surviving California" from Railer
"Stealing Light" from Railer

Compilations
 "Noble End" on Can of Pork
 "Know-It-All" and "Mr. Coffee" on Fat Music For Fat People
 "Sleep" and "Laymen's Terms" on Survival of the Fattest
 "Raise a Family" on Physical Fatness
 "May 16" on Life in the Fat Lane
 "Alison's Disease" on Live Fat, Die Young
 "Never Stops" on Uncontrollable Fatulence
 "Randal Gets Drunk" on Short Music for Short People
 "Failure" on A Compilation of Warped Music from Double Plaidinum
 "Dinner and a Movie" on Warped Tour 2002 Tour Compilation from Blaze
 "Falling Apart" on Warped Tour 2003 Tour Compilation from Blaze
 "S.O.S. (One Man Army)" on Let Them Know: The Story of Youth Brigade and BYO Records
 "Status Pools" on Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2
 "Violins" on Wrecktrospective from Hoss
 "Discomfort Inn (Tony Sly)" on The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute
 "A Feedbag of Truckstop Poetry" on Playing 4 Square

References

External links

 Official website

Fat Wreck Chords artists
Punk rock groups from California
Musical groups established in 1990
Skate punk groups

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Php mysql - order by temporary value I have sql, with 4 values - ID, TEXT, LIKES, TIME. I have php page that show the posts from the sql. I want to show the "hot" posts first.
Lets say that "hot" posts are given by the formula- LIKES/TIME.
What is the most effective way to do this?
Should I make another column in the SQL, with SCORE, and I update it every few minutes? Or maybe every time that the user enter the website, he will check the scores of all the posts from the last 24 hours?

A: I think you can simply order by this way
Select id, text, likes, time, likes/time as score from youtable
order by score

if your time is a date and you need diff from actula date you can do
Select id, text, likes, time, likes/(curdate() - time)  as score from youtable
order by score

A: SELECT id, count(*) as score FROM <yourtable> GROUP BY id ORDER BY score DESC LIMIT 0,10

This assumes id is the primary key for the post and you want top 10 active ones.


text:
Officer Darren Derby with his new partner, Winston. The poodle is the Police Department's new comfort dog who will be on hand to help victims dealing with trauma.
Pittsfield Police Department Welcome Winston the Comfort Dog
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:44AM / Monday, November 01, 2021 Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- There is a new officer in the city who is fuzzy and loves to be pet.
The Police Department has recently added a comfort dog unit, employing "Officer Winston" the poodle to provide ease in post-traumatic incidents.
Winston works alongside Officer Darren Derby, who is a patrolman, the department safety officer, and known for his work in community outreach. With the new addition, the department hopes to bridge the gap between the public and their uniforms.
"There are a lot of times that people can't or won't talk to the police and he's just another tool," Derby said about the new four-legged officer. "Another tool for us to be able to have that somewhat safe feeling for people when they're talking to the police and animals, but dogs in general, have that ability."
Winston's main objective is assisting in traumatic situations. This can include domestic violence, sexual assault, mental illness crises, or anything involving children.
He is assigned to Derby as part of his community outreach and safety position.
Derby explained that comfort dogs are also commonly used as support when a victim is giving testimony to the police.
On top of that, he said Winston already has done a lot for the department in terms of providing relief. He has freedom within the facility and is able to visit staff members at his leisure.
iBerkshires was warmly and politely greeted by Winston upon entering the employee portion of the police station.
The pooch is currently about 18 weeks old and will reach anywhere from 40 to 60 pounds as a standard-sized poodle. He was named in honor of Lt. Michael Winston, a longtime Pittsfield Police officer who passed away in 2018.
"We thought it would be an awesome tribute to the lieutenant," Derby said. "And it was fitting"
Winston arrived in mid-September after being donated by Berkshire Poodles, a local breeder who has made a commitment to provide dogs to first responders.
The City Council officially accepted the donation at its Sept. 14 meeting. Derby explained that there was a lot involved in the making of it.
"It's not just your typical adding a canine to the canine unit that's already established, you have nothing to go from," he added.
The department had to decide several factors such as what breed of dog it would get and where it will come from. Derby said it was important for him to have a hypoallergenic pup so that he can assist even people with allergies.
It was after the sudden passing of Great Barrington's comfort dog Officer Beko - who was the only police comfort dog in the county -- that the decision was made to move forward with the new unit.
Derby began discussing the process with Chief Michael Wynn and at the same time, Berkshire Poodles reached out and offered the donation of Winston, who was hand-picked for the job because of his calm demeanor.
A couple of months later, the council was approving the donation without comment and the new officer had arrived. Derby said he had hoped the council would inquire about the comfort dog donation.
"I was hoping that we'd be able to talk about it to get people amped," he said.
The next step was giving Winston a transportation vehicle of his own, which was fashioned from a spare canine car.
So far, Winston has gone on calls and visited schools and the hospital.
He will only go to scenes when they are safe, which is why Derby emphasized that he is for post-trauma situations. Anytime that there is a possible physical altercation or weapons, Winston will not be brought out.
He can also be used as a tool to figure out a solution without a criminal ending and further police services.
Recently, the pup assisted in a mental health situation with an intoxicated individual who needed rehabilitation services.
About 10 minutes into Derby's communication with the man, he asked if Winston could join them and the man reportedly perked right up upon seeing the dog.
"And we were able to have a conversation, we were able to break that barrier, get rid of the whole uniform," Derby explained. "That I'm not there for criminal purposes, I'm there to help him and so is [Winston.]"
Derby hopes to do more comfort dog outreach at the hospital so that Winston can help others deal with traumatic situations.
Winston will start formal training next month beginning with basic obedience. Berkshire Poodles also wants to work with a non-profit service dog organization in the eastern part of the state, BASK (Balance and Service K9s) to get him trained to be a service dog.
"Dogs have that keen sense of knowing when somebody needs extra attention," Derby said.
The four-legged officer rides with Derby during the day and sometimes stays at his home but and primarily lives with Wynn when off duty.
"It's kind of nice because it's like, you get the best of both worlds, we're the uncle and the auntie, they can have them at the house and he does come and stay with us," Derby explained. "But he rides with me anytime I'm working."
He said he has seen positive interactions between Winston and the public on a daily basis and the pooch and that he looks forward to his future with the new co-worker and friend.
Tags: K9,
Sign up for daily emails of the top local news headlines
RIBCO Supply
Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!
ribcosupply.com
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue; please keep comments focused on the issues and not on personalities. Profanity, obscenity, racist language and harassment are not allowed. iBerkshires reserves the right to ban commenters or remove commenting on any article at any time. Concerns may be sent to info@iberkshires.com.
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
BCC Spring Semester Starts Jan. 24
03:01PM / Thursday, January 20, 2022
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) begins its spring semester Monday, Jan. 24.
A variety of learning options are offered, including in-person, online and hybrid. Register any time online, or attend a free registration day on Saturday, Jan. 22 from 8 am to 12 pm. Prospective students can walk in without an appointment, apply and be instantly accepted to the College.
"We feel great about the number of students who were successful this fall and are continuing with us this spring, as well as the many new students beginning courses with us," said Adam Klepetar, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Klepetar noted that student support is also available in person or online, including counseling, advising and tutoring.
To learn more about applying to BCC or to view a course catalogue, visit www.berkshirecc.edu.
View Full Story
More Pittsfield Stories
Pittsfield Taco Bell Holds Grand Opening January 20, 2022 | 04:17AM 8 Comments
Local Veterans Raise $10,000 for Afghan Refugee Relocation January 19, 2022 | 05:09PM 0 Comments
Person Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries in Pittsfield Car Fire January 19, 2022 | 11:33AM 0 Comments
Parks Commission Updated on Pittsfield's Outdoor Recreation Projects January 19, 2022 | 04:06AM 0 Comments
Designer Consigner Offers Upscale Consignment Shopping in Pittsfield January 18, 2022 | 04:05AM 19 Comments
Fans Supporting Animal Shelters & Organizations for Betty White January 17, 2022 | 03:44PM 0 Comments
January 20, 2022 | 04:17AM 8 Comments Business
Local Veterans Raise $10,000 for Afghan Refugee Relocation
January 19, 2022 | 05:09PM 0 Comments Community News
Person Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries in Pittsfield Car Fire
January 19, 2022 | 11:33AM 0 Comments Community News
Parks Commission Updated on Pittsfield's Outdoor Recreation...
Designer Consigner Offers Upscale Consignment Shopping in...
January 18, 2022 | 04:05AM 19 Comments Business
Fans Supporting Animal Shelters & Organizations for Betty White
Taco Bell celebrated the grand opening of a new restaurant on Wednesday after two years of planning and building. click for more
Local Veterans Raise $10,000 for Afghan Refugee...
January 19, 2022 | 05:09PM
The funds will help new Afghan-Americans settle in by supporting the acquisition of housing and other resources needed to be successful. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Mayor Linda Tyer were in attendance at the Berkshire Athenaeum for the presentation. click for more
Person Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries in...
The Pittsfield Fire Department responded with one engine and arrived at the same time as the Pittsfield Police Department. Upon arrival, they found a person was still in the burning vehicle and was on fire. click for more
Parks Commission Updated on Pittsfield's Outdoor...
A bike skills track in Springside Park and a master vision for improvements at Pontoosuc Lake Park are on the horizon. click for more
Designer Consigner Offers Upscale Consignment...
Designer Consigner, owned by Pittsfield resident Amy Kotski, has provided stylish, sustainable, and affordable shopping since 2017. In March of last year, her shop moved from East Street to an expanded space in the Allendale Underground at 5 Cheshire Road. click for more
Fans Supporting Animal Shelters & Organizations...
Betty White was a strong advocate for animals during her lifetime in supporting numerous organizations and foundations dedicated to both wildlife and domesticated animals and received the American Humane Society's National Humanitarian Medal and the Legacy Award. click for more
Hilltop Orchards Reopens...
Berkshires Headed Into the...
Fans Supporting Animal...
Pittsfield Con Comm OKs...
Pittsfield Hospitalization...
Hillcrest Commons Residents...


text:
Library of Congress Audio Recordings Search
Format Audio Recording
Search Audio Recordings
Collections with Audio Recordings
Results: 1-25 of 70 | Refined by: Original Format: Audio Recording Remove Contributor: Densmore, Frances Remove
List Gallery Grid Slideshow
Select Title Title (descending) Date Date (oldest first) Shelf Order Shelf Order (reverse)
Manabus Tells the Ducks to Shut Their Eyes sound recording | 1 cylinder recording. | Recorded by Frances Densmore in Keshena, Wisconsin (Venue). Frances Densmore Menominee Cylinder Collection. (Source Note). Recorded July-August, 1925. (Date). Sound Recording (Form).
Contributor: Pigeon, Louis - Densmore, Frances
Sioux sound recording | Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sound Recording (Form).
Contributor: Densmore, Frances
Matthew Stirling and Frances Densmore collection of Acoma Pueblo cylinder recordings Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings of songs from Acoma Pueblo. M. W. Stirling, director of the Bureau of American Ethnology, had his assistant, Anthony Wilding, make recordings during the course of Stirling's ethnological studies with a group of Acoma Indians in Washington D.C. All the songs were sung by Philip Sanchez and interpreted by Wilbert Hunt. Stirling then made these recordings available for study by...
Contributor: Federal Cylinder Project (U.S.) - Stirling, Matthew Williams - Densmore, Frances - Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology
Songs of the Yuma, Cocopa, and Yaqui. [Sound recording] Catalog Record Only Folk music of the United States. "From the Archive of American Folk Song." Recorded originally on cylinders, 1922, by Frances Densmore. Introductory notes by Duncan Emrich on slipcase; text and comments on the music (16 p.) inserted.
Frances Densmore collection of Chippewa cylinder recordings
Chippewa Indian music: the Frances Densmore collection Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings of Chippewa songs and speech recorded by Frances Densmore on one visit to Washington, D.C. and during ten field trips to Red Lake, White Earth, Nett Lake, and Leech Lake in Minnesota, and to Lac du Flambeau in Wisconsin, between July 1907 and November 1910. Included in the collection are the Sioux songs used by Chippewa singers in presenting a...
Contributor: Federal Cylinder Project (U.S.) - Densmore, Frances - Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology
Winnebago (love song) sound recording | Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sound Recording (Form).
Frances Densmore unidentified cylinder recordings Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings on sound cylinders recorded by Frances Densmore with insufficient information on the housings to determine which collections these individual cylinders belong to.
Date: 190?
British Columbian (war song) sound recording | Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sound Recording (Form).
Frances Densmore collection of Cuna cylinder recordings
Cuna music: the Frances Densmore collection Catalog Record Only Collection of dictaphone cylinders of Cuna songs and panpipe music recorded by Frances Densmore in Washington D.C. in November-December 1924. A group of Cuna (Tule) Indians from the Colon Province of Panama were brought to the United States by R. O. Marsh. The visit of the delegation to Washington formed the occasion for extensive ethnological and linguistic studies, during the course of which they...
Makah (Klokali song) sound recording | Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sound Recording (Form).
Seminole alligator dances sound recording | Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sound Recording (Form).
Papago (believed to be Owl Woman's song) sound recording | Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sound Recording (Form).
Frances Densmore collection of Isleta Pueblo cylinder recordings Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings of songs of Isleta Pueblo sung by Anthony Lucero (Pawi'tla). The cylinders were recorded in 1930 by Frances Densmore in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, where members of several Pueblos were performing at the Stand Rock Indian Ceremonial. The cylinders were transferred to the Library of Congress from the National Archives in 1948.
Frances Densmore collection of Yaqui cylinder recordings
Yaqui music: the Frances Densmore collection Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings of Yaqui songs (primarily Deer Dance songs) recorded by Frances Densmore at Guadalupe village near Phoenix, Arizona, on April 17, 1922. The cylinders were transferred from the National Archives in 1948.
Frances Densmore collection of Mandan and Hidatsa cylinder recordings,
Mandan and Hidatsa Indian music Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings of Mandan and Hidatsa songs recorded in 1915 by Frances Densmore on the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota, under the auspices of the Bureau of American Ethnology.
Frances Densmore collection of Iroquois cylinder recordings
Iroquios music: the Frances Densmore collection Catalog Record Only Two dictaphone cylinders recorded by Frances Densmore in 1932 in Washington, D.C. John Napolean Brinton Hewitt, himself a Bureau of American Ethnology linguist of Tuscarora descent, sang four songs of the Condoling and Installation Council of the League of the Iroquois. The cylinders were transferred from the National Archives in 1948.
Contributor: Federal Cylinder Project (U.S.) - Hewitt, J. N. (John Napoleon Brinton) - Densmore, Frances - Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology
Frances Densmore collection of Teton and Santee Sioux cylinder recordings
Teton-Sioux Indian music Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings of Teton and Santee songs and spoken word collected by Frances Densmore in 1911 and 1914 at Fort Yates, North Dakota, and other portions of the Standing Rock as well as the Sisseton Reservations in South Dakota.
British Columbian (hunting song) sound recording | Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sound Recording (Form).
British Columbian (treatment of the sick) sound recording | British Columbian (treatment of the sick) Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs Presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. Sound Recording (Form).
Contributor: Unidentified - Densmore, Frances
Travel song (two renditions) sound recording | Interpreted by Dave Charging Eagle. Sung by Mrs. Charging (Eagle), Willard White Belly, Eugene Hairy Bird, Mrs. White Belly. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sioux song concerning a journey. World's Fair (Venue). Sound Recording (Form).
Contributor: White Belly, Mrs - Densmore, Frances - Charging (Eagle), Mrs - White Belly, Willard - Charging Eagle, Dave - Hairy Bird, Eugene
Chippewa (honor song) sound recording | Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. (Statement Of Responsibility). Sound Recording (Form).
British Columbian (War song) sound recording | British Columbian (War song) Copied from cylinder records of Indian songs Presented to the Library of Congress by Frances Densmore. Sound Recording (Form).
Frances Densmore collection of cylinder recordings from Chilliwack, British Columbia Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings of songs and spoken word from multiple communities: Carrier [1], Mainland Comox [20], Halkomelem [21], Nitinat [33], Squamish [10], Thompson [18], Tsimshian [9], and Yakima [1]. The recordings were made by Frances Densmore among the people gathered at the hop-picking camp near Chilliwack, British Columbia, in September 1926. The songs are transcribed and analyzed in Densmore's monograph, Music of the...
Travel song (3rd rendition) - Sioux sound recording | Sung by Mrs. Charging (Eagle), Willard White Belly, Eugene Hairy Bird, Mrs. White Belly. (Statement Of Responsibility). World's Fair (Venue). Sound Recording (Form).
Contributor: White Belly, Mrs - Densmore, Frances - Charging (Eagle), Mrs - White Belly, Willard - Hairy Bird, Eugene
Frances Densmore collection of Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) cylinder recordings
Winnebago Indian music: the Frances Densmore collection Catalog Record Only Collection of field recordings of dictaphone cylinders and four-inch cylinders of Winnebago songs, recorded on Frances Densmore's field trips to Wisconsin and at her home in Red Wing, Minnesota, between October 1927 and June 1932. Her unpublished manuscript of transcriptons and analysis of these recordings is in the National Anthropological Archives. Includes ceremonial songs, dance songs, game songs, dream songs, love songs, war songs,...
All Items 70
Audio Recording 70
Great Plains 6
Makah Indian Reservation 3
American Folklife Center 67
Library of Congress Online Catalog 35
Performing Arts Encyclopedia 35
Traditional Music and Spoken Word Catalog 34
The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America 1
Densmore, Frances
Federal Cylinder Project (U.S.) 29
Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology 29
Charging (Eagle), Mrs 3
Hairy Bird, Eugene 3
White Belly, Mrs 3
White Belly, Willard 3
Bowlegs, Billy 1
Century of Progress International Exposition 1
Indians of North America 30
Songs 30
Cylinder Recordings 29
Densmore, Frances 29
Ethnomusicological Collections 29
Field Recordings 28
Dance Music 16
Southwest, New 7
North American Indian Languages 9
Central American Indian Languages 4
Siouan Languages 3
Algonquian Languages 2
Wakashan Languages 2
Cheyenne 1
Choctaw 1
Dakota 1
Access Condition


text:
Rams Journal: Learning experience for Matthews, Minnis
By HARVEY VALENTINE
FAIRFAX, Va. � For the second game in a row, coach Dan Hurley went with a lineup of forwards Ifeanyi Onyekaba and Gilvydas Biruta, and guards E.C. Matthews, Xavier Munford and Biggie Minnis. Matthews and...
FAIRFAX, Va. � For the second game in a row, coach Dan Hurley went with a lineup of forwards Ifeanyi Onyekaba and Gilvydas Biruta, and guards E.C. Matthews, Xavier Munford and Biggie Minnis. Matthews and Minnis were each getting their second start.
Matthews, the reigning Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Week, shot 2-for-7, finishing with six points and six rebounds. His steal and acrobatic layup gave Rhode Island a brief lead, 50-48, with 6:48 left. In the final minutes, he was one of several Rams who failed to convert on moves to the basket.
�I thought he was good defensively on a couple of breakdowns. I thought he made some plays in the second half,� Hurley said. �I think he�s going through what normal freshmen go through. We�re asking a lot of him right now in some very intense environments.�
Minnis scored four points in 27 minutes on 1-of-6 shooting from the field, while Jarelle Reischel played 27 minutes off the bench, scoring five points.
�I think we�re close to finding who we need to be,� Hurley said as the November schedule ended. �I think we�re obviously always evaluating what we need to be, but I feel like we have a pretty good grasp going into December of the things that we need to work on, and it�s probably a lot different than what we thought we�d be starting out [with] in October.�
Munford struggles
After hitting 9-of-15 field-goal attempts against McNeese State, Rams leading scorer Munford hit just 5 of 18 in Saturday�s loss to George Mason. He finished with one assist, three rebounds, and five turnovers.
�I think he just pressed a little bit,� Hurley said. �We had a chance today to win our seventh game in November, which the team�s done only one other time. I think he was so amped up about that he just came out pressing.
�In the second half, I thought he attacked the lane well,� Hurley added. �But it�s not last year. He�s got to do a better job of playmaking as opposed to shot taking, and we�ll work on that. He�s been good about that throughout the year.�
Munford is now shooting 32 percent from the field after shooting 39 percent a year ago.
�It�s coming along pretty well,� he said of his jump shot. �I want to keep improving, keep a consistency to my jump shot. Stay in the gym, keep getting reps and keep improving.�
Meanwhile, Biruta had his third straight game in double figures. He converted 4-of-5 field goals, and added 4-of-5 free throws for 12 points. He added four rebounds and a blocked shot, but was limited to 23 minutes due to foul trouble.
No luck against Patriots
Saturday�s loss at George Mason was the completion of a three-game series that began while the Patriots were a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Saturday�s game was a nonleague affair, so maybe having them be conference games will change Rhode Island�s luck.
In losing 61-54 on Saturday, the Rams fell to 0-3 against the Patriots, losing the series by a total of 12 points. They dropped a 55-52 decision at the Ryan Center on Nov. 28, 2012. On Nov. 9, 2011, the Rams forced overtime in Fairfax but fell, 92-90, as a 3-pointer by Orion Outerbridge rattled in and out. Saturday, they were tied at 54-54 with under two minutes to go before George Mason pulled away.
Talking about the Rams after Saturday�s game, George Mason coach Paul Hewitt said they were �much improved� from last year.
�They�re going to get better and better,� he said. �They�ve got a chance to be real good in the A-10.�


You have to log in to the Alfresco Explorer as an administrator (admin) in order to create accounts for each Alfresco user. Only the admin can manage user accounts.
To add users, you need to know the user ID and password, along with other details as listed under Create New Users in the next section.
In Alfresco, each user can have his/her individual space. The location and name for a space can be specified while creating a user account. The user for whom a space is created becomes the owner of that space. As an owner, the user can have full access to his/her space.
It is a good practice to create all users in a single space called User Homes.


Doing your best to put as much disposable income as possible towards your student loan debt payments is a crucial step in paying off this debt as soon as possible. - Castle Rock Bankruptcy Attorney - Jon B. Clarke, P.C.
Jon B. Clarke, P.C. > Blog > Debt Relief > Student Loan Debt: 6 Steps for Paying it Off (Pt. 2) > Doing your best to put as much disposable income as possible towards your student loan debt payments is a crucial step in paying off this debt as soon as possible.
Doing your best to put as much disposable income as possible towards your student loan debt payments is a crucial step in paying off this debt as soon as possible.


Objectif Professionnel : JE SOUHAITE METTRE EN PRATIQUE LE TITRE PROFESSIONNEL OBTENU PAR FONGECIF EN JUILLET 2012. JE RECHERCHE UN POSTE AU SEIN DE VOTRE ENTREPRISE (CONTRAT PRO, ....).
Description : DIVERS TRAVAUX ELECTRIQUES : RENOVATION ET NEUF. STAGE EFFECTUE LORS DE MON FONGECIF DE JANVIER 2012 A JUILLET 2012.


It's the same for all wine regions that become known for certain wines… be it Napa Valley for Cabernet Sauvignon; Sonoma, Santa Barbara or Willamette Valley for Pinot Noir; or Lodi for Zinfandel: choosing what is "best" becomes more a matter of personal taste or preference.
In other words, don't believe numerical scores or "expert" ratings — that's just nonsense. A 95-point wine may be the worst tasting wine to you; whereas a wine that scores "just" 88 might be absolute perfection to your taste. It's a process (and a fun one!), but you have to figure what's best for yourself.
Lodi grown Zinfandel bottlings have proliferated to such an extent, the consumer now has the choice of many styles to choose from. Do you prefer a lighter, easy drinking, fruit forward style of red Zinfandel? There are a number of Lodi Zinfandels deliberately crafted in this style; once considered old fashioned, and now very much back in fashion. Or do you prefer a bigger, bolder, ultra-ripe, heavily oaked style of Zinfandel? You'll find lots of these coming out of Lodi, too.
Then, of course, there are the in-betweens: Zinfandels that are medium bodied – not too big, not too light – and either richly oaked or not very oaky at all, tasting of either tart red berries or soft, lush, black fruit jam.
So if you are thinking about enjoying bottles of Zinfandel this holiday season – or passing them out as gifts – you might want to consider the differences in style among the better bottlings. To help you sort through these options, the following is a list of some of the more interesting Zinfandels being grown and produced in Lodi today, divided into stylistic categories defined primarily by scale of body.
Keep in mind that when we talk about "body," we're talking about the overall sense of weight that a wine gives on the palate – a combination of alcohol (bigger Zinfandels tend to exceed 15% alcohol while lighter Zinfandels hover around 14%) as well as tannin (phenolic compounds giving hard, bitter or drying sensations) and degree of oakiness (vanillin and charred sensations resulting from barrel aging).
2011 Stellina, Chiara ($32) – All about fine, lacy texturing and floral, sweet pepper spice, buoyed by pomegranate-like zestiness. estatecrush.com.
2010 Maley Brothers ($18) – Luscious floral-jammy notes (boysenberry, blueberry) yet bright, buoyant and restrained on the palate. woodbridgeuncorked.com.
2010 Harney Lane, Lodi ($22) – Brightly fruited, lush yet zesty style, blended with 50% Primitivo (a softer clone of Zinfandel). harneylane.com.
2012 Michael Klouda, Broken Vine ($26) – Refreshing emphasis on bright acidity and quiet yet bright, focused, berry jam perfume and flavor. drinkmkwines.com.
2012 Peirano, The Immortal Zin ($14) – Fresh, bouncy, titillating raspberryish varietal fruit, unhindered by any ungainly tannin, oak or alcohol. peirano.com.
2009 Ironstone, Centennial Rous Vineyard Reserve ($28) – Sheer silk and penetrating raspberry/blueberry perfumes tinged with pepper/clove spice. ironstonevineyards.com.
2011 Klinker Brick, Marisa Vineyard ($35) – Single-vineyard, ancient vine bottling, replete with vivid raspberry and cassis-like perfumes, enriched by sweet oak. klinkerbrickwinery.com.
2011 Harney Lane, Lizzy James Vineyard ($35) – Top-of-the-line from this winery; yet still made in a polished, finely sculpted style, with a rich yet restrained intensity. harneylane.com.
2010 McCay, Trulux ($32) – Round, elegantly wrought, French oak nuanced style; textured varietal fruit qualities underlined by subtle, earthy loaminess. mccaycellars.com.
2010 McCay, Jupiter ($28) – A little more autumnal spice (nutmeg, ginger, clove, cocoa) perfume to this taut yet fleshy, balanced style. mccaycellars.com.
2010 Mikami ($39) – Velvet textured, pinpoint style with fine mix of violet, loam, chocolate and red berryish fruit. mikamivineyards.com.
2011 Heritage Oak, Block 5 ($24) – The fullest and richest of this estate's single-vineyard bottlings; still, with a stamp of elegance, zesty acidity, and licorice/pepper spice complexities. heritageoakwinery.com.
2011 Twisted Roots, 1918 ($35) – Picquant middleweight style, redolent with quivery strawberry jam fruit tinged with blackpepper spice. twistedrootsvineyard.com.
2010 The Lucas, ZinStar ($39) – Firm yet supple style, mixing varietal berryishness with floral, leather and loamy qualities. lucaswinery.com.
2010 Watts, Pescador Vineyard ($25) – Medium-full, terroir driven style evincing generous varietal jam, tinged with composted earth and tobacco-like notes. wattswine.com.
2011 Fields Family ($24) – Fairly big style – owing more to sinewy tannin than excessive oak or alcohol – while effusive in black cherry/berry varietal qualities. fieldsfamilywines.com.
2011 Macchia Voluptous, Maley Vineyard ($24) – Downright bosomy texturing and floral-violet perfume, muscled up by aggressively extracted tannin and pungent oak. macchiawines.com.
2011 m2, Artist ($35) – Artful blend of three of Lodi's best vineyards – pungent, fleshy, slightly earthy, rich yet fluid on the palate – sweetened by American oak. m2wines.com.
2011 m2, Soucie Vineyard ($28) – Stylistically similar to m2's "Artist," but even earthier – jammy berry richness laced with loamy, mushroomy, organic aromas. m2wines.com.
2011 Van Ruiten Family, Lodi ($25) – Roasted coffee oak notes skirt the edges of this medium weight style, lacing jammy notes of blueberry and blackberry. vrwinery.com.
2012 St. Amant, Marian's Vineyard ($24) – From venerated 112-year old planting; full and fleshy, with core of muscled tannin and cornucopian varietal fruit intensity. stamantwine.com.
2010 McCay, Contention ($64) – Big, lavish, intoxicating cuvée; eschewing excessive oak, but teeming with sweet berry, allspice, pepper and composted earth intensities. mccaycellars.com.
2011 Klinker Brick, Old Ghost ($37) – Dense, thick, sinewy style, brimming with brambly fruit and sweet cardamom/cinnamon/peppercorn spices. klinkerbrickwinery.com.
2009 LangeTwins Family, Centennial ($48) – Plump, plush, velvety style; bursting with black cherry, with black tea-like complexity. langetwins.com.
2012 Macchia Outrageous, Noma Ranch ($24) – This single-vineyard is always among the zestiest (great natural acidity), biggest, deepest and showiest in all of Lodi. macchiawines.com.
2011 Macchia Luxurious, Rous Vineyard ($28) – Texture of this single-vineyard bottling is truly luxurious – velvety, layered – while opulent in fruit and oakiness. macchiawines.com.
2011 Macchia Serious, Lodi ($50) – Blend of this winery's best barrels (regardless of vineyard source); hence, a marvelously concentrated essence of Lodi, in a thick, velvety, mountain sized package. macchiawines.com.
NV Harmony Wynelands, Pipe Dreams ($44) – Ultra-ripe fruit verging on raisin and dried cherry, but teeming with prettily spiced (blackpepper, cinnamon) qualities. harmonywynelands.com.
2010 Mettler Family, Epicenter ($22) – The Mettlers aim to "rock" your palate with their Zinfandel, and they succeed handsomely with this smoky, spicy, scented mouthful. mettlerwine.com.
2011 Michael David, Earthquake ($26) – This wine wrote the book on the popular, big, muscular, smoky oaked style – so much so, many consumers think all Lodi Zinfandels are like this, while forgetting that (as in this bottling) it can also be done with balance and finesse. michaeldavidwinery.com.


text:
Water supply in Sierra Leone is characterized by limited access to safe drinking water. Despite efforts by the government and numerous non-governmental organizations, access has not much improved since the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War in 2002, stagnating at about 50% and even declining in rural areas. In the capital Freetown, taps often run dry. It is hoped that a new dam in Orugu, for which China committed financing in 2009, will alleviate water scarcity.

With a new decentralization policy, embodied in the Local Government Act of 2004, responsibility for water supply in areas outside the capital was passed from the central government to local councils. In Freetown the Guma Valley Water Company remains in charge of water supply.

A 2005 report says that wide-scale corruption is a major problem in the sector. It continues to say that there is a lack of trust between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the public water company Salwaco, which was "suspicious to NGOs". A decision by Salwaco to use only German Kardia hand pumps was controversial, since they are more than twice as expensive as the India Mark II pumps preferred by many NGOs.

Access
According to the numbers released by JMP in 2017, 58% of the population has access to at least basic water and 15% of the population has access to at least basic sanitation. However, estimating the number of people with access to safe drinking water in a developing country is a challenging task. Since drinking water quality is typically not tested regularly for a representative sample of households through the entire country, there are no reliable data on the share of drinking water that is safe. National household surveys typically ask questions about the type of water source used. House connections, yard connections, standpipes and handpumps that are located within 1 km are classified as what is called an improved water source. Open wells, unprotected springs, rivers, lakes and ponds are not considered improved water sources.

In Sierra Leone, according to a national survey (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey) carried out in 2006, 84% of the urban population and 32% of the rural population had access to an improved water source. Those with access in rural areas were served almost exclusively by protected wells. The 68% of the rural population without access to an improved water source relied on surface water (50%), unprotected wells (9%) and unprotected springs (9%).

20% of the urban population and 1% of the rural population had access to piped drinking water in their home. Since national household surveys are not carried out on an annual basis, more recent survey data than those of 2006 were not available as of March 2010. Compared to the 2000 survey access has increased in urban areas, but has declined in rural areas, possibly because facilities have broken down because of a lack of maintenance.

Access to an improved water source does not give an indication about whether  water supply is continuous. For example, in Freetown taps were running dry for most of the year in 2009. People collected water in containers wherever they can and those who can afford it install water tanks on their houses. Even the fire brigade used its trucks to sell drinking water. There were fights between firefighters and employees of the Guma Water Company, responsible for water supply in Freetown, sometimes resulting in deaths.

Water resources
Sierra Leone is endowed with abundant water resources, including seven major rivers: the Kolenté (Great Scarcies), Kaba, Rokel, Pampana (Jong), Sewa, Moa, and Mano. There are substantial groundwater resources. However, water is scarce during the dry season: only 11-17 percent of the annual river discharge occurs between December and April, with minimum discharge in April.

Freetown example. The main source of piped water for Greater Freetown, an urban agglomeration of about two million, is the Guma dam located in the Western Area Forest Reserve. It supplies 83 million liters a day entering the city from the West where the more affluent areas are located. A new dam, the Orugu dam, would provide an additional 75 million liters per day in its initial phase, entering the city from the East where the poorest areas are located. According to a study by the consulting firm Atkins and Oxfam the dam "is the answer to the water supply crisis in Freetown". In 2009 the Chinese government announced it would provide a US$28.8 million concessional loan to build the dam.

History
Prewar history. By the early 1980s there were only 64 piped water systems serving about 30,000 people out of a population of about 3.5 million. In rural areas, where 78% of the population lived, access to water supply increased from only 10% to 45% during the 1980s, mostly through the installation of handpumps.

A joint study by the WHO and the World Bank recommended the introduction of cost recovery and the establishment of a national water company. As a result, a law was passed in 1988 that introduced the principle of cost recovery and established the Sierra Leone Water Company (Salwaco). Water tariffs were introduced in urban areas as flat rates, i.e. rates that were independent of consumption and without metering for residential customers. Only for commercial customers and public institutions meters were installed and bills began, in principle, to be based on consumption.

The Civil War (1991-2002). The Sierra Leone Civil War - which erupted in 1991, escalated in 1996-98 and finally ended in 2002 - was a tremendous setback for the country. More than 50,000 people were killed, many more were mutilated and 2.5 million people became refugees inside or outside the country.

The social fabric of the country was severely damaged with child soldiers having committed atrocities and families disrupted. Water supply infrastructure fell into disrepair or was damaged, institutions broke down and access to an improved water source declined to 15%. The progress made during the 1980s was completely lost and the country was in worse shape than two decades before.

The dam, water treatment plant and transmission pipelines serving Freetown had been rehabilitated and their capacities were expanded between 1996 and 2002 in the midst of the Civil War with support from the World Bank. This allowed to provide clean water to a burgeoning population inflated by a huge influx of refugees. Furthermore, water supply systems in four towns (Bo, Kenema, Makeni and Lungi) were rehabilitated between 2000 and 2003.

Postwar history. The return of peace and of external donors allowed not only an expansion of investments in water supply, but spurred also a renewed debate about sector reforms. For example, the establishment of an autonomous public utilities regulatory body that would approve requests for tariff increases has been discussed. Private sector participation in urban water supply in Freetown has also been proposed. However, at least as of 2007, none of these reforms has been implemented. In 2003 the Guma Valley Water Company, which provides water to Freetown, incurred an operating loss of US$1.5m, equivalent to almost 40 per cent of sales revenue. The company collected only 28 per cent of its total billings. A major tariff increase in 2004 has not been sufficient to address Guma's serious financial difficulties.

Responsibility for water supply

Policy and regulation
The Ministry of Water Resources, through its water supply division, is in charge of setting policies for water supply within the government. Since 2007 the Minister is Ogunlade Davidson. In September 2008 the government adopted a National Water and Sanitation Policy.

Service provision

The Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) is responsible for water supply in Greater Freetown. The assignment of the responsibility for water supply outside Freetown is ambiguous. According to the 1988 law that created the Sierra Leone Water Company (Salwaco), the company is responsible for water supply in the entire country except the capital.

The Local Government Act of 2004 devolved the responsibility for water supply to local councils. Local councils consist of 12 District Councils for each district of Sierra Leone and 6 town Councils in Freetown, Bo, Bonthe, Kenema, Koidu (Kono District) and Makeni (Bombali District). Where the towns are part of districts, it seems that the district councils are only in charge of the rural areas outside the towns.

As of 2010, Salwaco provides piped water in the towns of Lungi (Port Loko District), Makeni (Bombali District), Bo and Kenema) and was in the process of providing water in Mile 91, Pujehun and Kabala (Koinadugu District). Although Salwaco is supposed to transfer service provision in these towns to local councils, this has not happened so far. Salwaco is also supposed to assist local councils in other parts of the country in planning, building, operating and maintaining water systems, but has little capacity to do so. Local councils also have limited capacities, including for water supply. Water supply and sanitation departments were supposed to be set up in 2007 in local councils, but it is unclear to what extent this has happened.

In some small towns that have no town councils water supply and sanitation boards consisting of volunteers have been set up, such as in Rokupr, a town with 14,000 residents where a water supply system has been rehabilitated between 2006 and 2009. According to JICA, "a fair, affordable and self-sufficient tariff system" has been set up in the town.

Financial aspects
Investments. According to estimates by the United Nations Development Program, the investment cost of reaching the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people without access to an improved water source will cost about US$200 million between 2006 and 2015 in Sierra Leone. Actual investments in water supply were US$12m in 2000, out of which US$10m came from external donors.

Tariffs and cost recovery. When Sierra Leone came to independence in 1961, the Government initiated a free water policy. This has now become a mindset that is hard to break. As of 2005, Salwaco's tariffs were extremely low at 1,500 Leones(US$0.56) per month per connection, corresponding to US$0.03 per cubic meter for a monthly water use of 20 cubic meter. The African Development Bank estimated that only about 10 per cent of people receiving water were paying for it. In Freetown, close to 80 per cent of customers are billed flat rates that are not based on consumption. Often, these bills are not paid or paid reluctantly after the utility cuts off water supply. Water tariffs are among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The average water tariff in Freetown is equivalent to US$0.22 per cubic meter, compared to more than US$1 in Senegal. At 40 percent non-revenue water, consisting of physical distribution losses and water theft - are twice as high as those in a well-run utility, such as the one in Senegal. Despite these challenges the Guma Valley Water Corporation managed to cover 85 percent of its operational costs and about 50 percent of total costs in 2009.

For more recent and detailed information see: World Bank:Sierra Leone Public Expenditure Review for Water and Sanitation 2002 To 2009, retrieved on 7 November 2012

External cooperation
The EU, UNICEF, GIZ from Germany, the World Bank, Danida from Denmark, and JICA from Japan supported water supply in Sierra Leone. In 2011 the African Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development approved $62 million for water supply systems in Bo, Kenema and Makeni.

The Islamic Development Bank provided a loan of US$4.8 million for water supply in Kailahum, Kenema, Kono and Tonkolili Districts. Among the non-governmental organizations CARE, Inter Aide, Action Aid, WaterAid, World Vision, OXFAM, Plan International and others are active in water supply in the country.

References

Water supply and sanitation in Sierra Leone


1. Jessica Lea Mayfield- Sorry is Gone (ATO) A stellar collection of personal explorations based on Mayfield's experiences as a domestic abuse survivor. A haunting release which juxtaposes the ethereal quality of her voice with heavy, confessional lyrics. The music is not the singer-songwriter folk of her earlier records but more of a melodic pop.
2. Propaghandi-Victory Lap (Epitaph) I never thought I would rate a Propaghandi album so highly, but this is a definite stomper of a record. Propaghandi has been putting out metal-tinged records with singalong lyrics and tough melodies for awhile, but on their seventh album, they found the sweet spot, melding their astute political lyrics, which have only gotten more specific over the years, and damn catchy tunes.


text:
Mold can kill you Judges who put profit over your health
You'd be surprised what judges and lawyers would do for profit. Even if it means death? Find out more about how health risks are hidden or ignored by our courts by totally dishonest people who care only about profit. Read the story about how California Judges put profit over YOUR…
The big Elephant in the room no one seems to notice, American Courts are not based on Justice
How can every American accept or come to think "Justice" exists in America? Fact is so many crimes go unpunished because police or those in charge ignore victims. We spend millions on proven killers like Jodi Ann Arias who deserves not one penny or minute of anyone's time for what…
California Julia G. Ansel Professional Fiduciaries Bureau Department of Consumer Affairs Violates Public Records Act
Meet Julia G. Ansel California's Professional Fiduciaries Bureau who pretends to uphold the law and protect the defenseless, weak and helpless conserved Elderly of California. Sources say Julia G. Ansel, who is head of California's Professional Fiduciaries Bureau and a presenter at the California Senate Judiciary Committee public hearings…
22 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Trust Police
22 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Trust Police 1. The Police Have No Duty To Protect You 2. Private Prisons Have "Lockup Quotas" 3. Police Profit From Enforcing the War On Drugs 4. SWAT Teams Are Corporations, And Are Used VERY Commonly 5. Police Can, And Do, Lie To The Public…
March 20, 2015 Friday Join a March against Police Brutality
Join the effort to stop the abuse Bakersfield Police Department 1601 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, California 93301 We will have our Friday night protest against police brutality as we always do at 5:30 pm at the BPD station. Following the protest we will have a candlelight vigil at 6:30 pm at…
Police committing Crimes Out of control Police Steal, Lie, Cheat and Murder because they can
Police committing Crimes Out of control Meet Brooklyn New York Police Officer William Montemarano, who has a history of abuse, breaking the law and dishonesty. Yet he was allowed to continue his crimes and dishonest by a broken system where judges and lawyers who should prosecute him, don't because they depend…
Demand digital audio recording courts to ensure honesty and integrity
Digital Audio Recording Courts via full Audio and Video must be implemented into every courtroom in America. It's what is done behind chambers walls and behind locked court room doors which is destroying the American justice system. The Kids for cash Judge was just the tip of the iceberg exposing…
Thousands of the WRONG PEOPLE get hired. are given guns, have authority over children and commit crimes
Meet Police Officer Jeff Taylor and Police officer Audrey Schurig Take a good look at these faces, in uniform they might appear to be good, law abiding people however the truth is criminals don't always look like criminals. Nor do police always respect or abide by our laws. Fact is…