MrTalk's blog

Systems Notice: We Added Mollum to Block Comment Spam

MrTalk — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:44:56 +0000

This fellow from the UK convinced me to give Mollum a try: Tackling Comment Spam on Drupal.

Mollum was created by the guy who founded Drupal and Talk of the Sound is a Drupal site so this made good sense.

We also added in a module that blocks anonymous comments that contain hyperlinks (which is usually what spammers added to their comments).

Commenting may change a bit and you might occasionally be asked to complete a captcha but this should help block spam freeing us up to approve legitimate comments quicker.

What is a Blog Editor? How to Get Started Using a Blog Editor

MrTalk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:30:28 +0000

Blog Editor or Weblog Client are synonymous terms for software you run on your local machine (desktop) that lets you post to your blog. In some cases, the Weblog Client can even manage your weblog entries. You might think of Weblog Clients as the equivalent of email clients such as Outlook and Eudora Mail but instead of pushing "send" you push "publish". Essentially, the Blog Editor or Weblog Client allows you to write a post even if you are off-line; then, the next time you connect to the Internet, you can publish that post.

Blog Editor or Weblog Client software offers several advantages over posting directly into the blog via a web browser: the ability to save drafts, a nicer interface, fancy formatting features, features like cross-posting to multiple blogs, faster uploading and addition of photos, the ability to keep local backup.

To learn more, read What is a Blog Editor or Weblog Client?. Then read Top 5 Reasons to Use an Offline Blog Editor.

What is RSS, Why Use an RSS Reader and How to Get Started

MrTalk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:26:47 +0000

RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. An RSS Feed includes full or summarized text or audio attachments (podcasts) and video attachments (video podcasts). By subscribing to an RSS feed readers get timely updates from their favorite websites and can aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, mobile device or any computerized Internet-connected device.

Wikipedia has a helpful entry on RSS that tells you what RSS is all about. Google/YouTube has some good videos that explain RSS and RSS Readers. For a quick, light-hearted overview, watch RSS in Plain English. For a rich, detailed how-to guide, watch What is RSS? from the Peoria, AZ school district.

How do I pick an RSS Reader?

There are many choices available but the first decision is whether to select a web-based or desktop-based reader. Each offers different benefits.

How to Write a Good Title for Your Blog Post

MrTalk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:51:59 +0000

The purpose of a blog post title or "headline" is to get potential readers to read the first line of your content. Write a captivating and intruiging title and you’ll draw people into reading it every time. Remember, just as in a traditional newspaper, blog readers tend to skim headlines to find posts that appear to be important to them. The right words in the title are the difference between being read and being ignored so don't rush.

Headlines these days are just as important as the post itself — with users skimming through their large list of RSS feeds or social media links, the headline is your only chance to grab their attention. Headlines for blog posts matter on multiple levels - they are what appears in search engine results, RSS feeds, links from other bloggers, social media sites, web site archives. Often, the only thing that people see and the sole thing that people make the decision to visit your post on.

How to Get Started with Talk of the Sound

MrTalk — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:40:32 +0000

Why Register?

Commenting: You cannot comment without registering. By registering, your comments appear immediately, your account name appears besides each comment and you get your own blog.

Blogging: Any articles or "posts" you submit to your blog will appear immediately on the home page in the upper right corner under "Last 10 Articles" where it will remain until pushed down the list by more recent posts. Blogs will be promoted in several ways: in the left rail as "featured posts", in the list of RSS Feeds, in category-based aggregators in the Table of Contents in the right rail, sorted by subjects like Sports, Politics, and Education.

Will People Know Who I Am?

Westchester County Reports First Official Flu Case for 2008-2009 Season

MrTalk — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:14:38 +0000

The Westchester County Department of Health has identified the first laboratory-confirmed case of flu in Westchester. The flu sufferer was a 36-year-old man who was treated at an area hospital on December 10 and
released that day. Prior to coming to the hospital, he had endured four days of fever, body aches, headaches, a sore throat, vomiting and respiratory difficulty – all typical flu symptoms.

Dr. Joshua Lipsman, Westchester County Health Commissioner, urges residents to get the flu shot to protect themselves. The flu vaccine is recommended for all residents over age 50, pregnant women ages 18 and older, people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, children ages six months and up to age 19; those who are 18 years of age and older with chronic heart or lung conditions, diabetes, or compromised immune systems; and caregivers (including healthcare workers) of high-risk patients.

Each year in the U.S., more than 200,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 die from the flu.

Westchester County Department of Health has distributed free flu doses at Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle. The county also vaccinated residents at county clinics throughout Westchester.

New Rochelle School Board Meets Tonight, "Culture of Censorship" on the Agenda

MrTalk — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:57:24 +0000

In their first public meeting since the Censorship Crisis first came to light last week, the embattled New Rochelle School Board will meet tonight from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM in the new wing at New Rochelle High School. New Rochelle's Talk of the Sound broke the news that authorities at the school district had ripped pages out of Susanna Kaysen's memoir Girl, Interrupted in a vulgar attempt to censor a frank discussion of sexuality contained in the book. The story is just the tip of a very large iceberg, part of the Culture of Censorship that the New Rochelle School District has actively embraced in dealing with students, parents and other New Rochelle residents.

A capacity crowd is expected to be on hand. So far, 127 New Rochelle High School alumni and students have signed up for a Facebook-generated protest, 43 as "confirmed guests" and and 84 as "may be attending" Many other New Rochelle residents have indicated they plan on being there as well. Several news organizations have indicated they may cover the meeting.

Get the Lastest on Censorship Crisis Here

MrTalk — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:35:35 +0000

Want all the latest on the censorship crisis? Bookmark newrochelletalk.com, Sign up for our Google Group Mailing List, Subscribe to our RSS Feed, Join the Cause on Facebook to keep on top of all the latest breaking news on the school district's response to the censorship crisis at New Rochelle High School. You can even receive text alerts using Google Groups.

New Rochelle High Students and Alumni Organize Facebook Protest of School Censorship

MrTalk — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:19:31 +0000

UPDATED REACTION ROUNDUP BELOW: for those who do not have Facebook accounts, we've excerpted some of the reaction from students and alumni from New Rochelle High School below.

So far, 14 20 32 97 students and alumni have signed up to protest the actions of the New Rochelle School District in censoring Girl, Interrupted and the numbers continue to swell; 32 have confirmed they will attend the board meeting. The protest has spread like wildfire across Facebook with over 500 students and alumni receiving invitations; 165 invites are still pending.

The following has been posted on Facebook (you need to have a Facebook account to view or join the "cause")

It has recently been reported by newrochelletalk.com that New Rochelle High School's English Department willingly removed five pages from Susana Kaysen's novel Girl, Interrupted in which the characters discussed the act of giving oral sex. Not only is this disturbing on a moral level, it is illegal.

Facing Firestorm of Criticism, New Rochelle Schools Relent on "Girl, Interrupted" Censorship

MrTalk — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:12:42 +0000

In response to our Exclusive Report on Monday, the New Rochelle Board of Education announced today that it would immediately replace all 50 copies of Susanna Kaysen's memoir Girl, Interrupted which were distributed to students at New Rochelle High School two weeks ago and undertake a review of district policy and practices regarding book selection. No mention was made of the district's "book challenge" policy which is at the heart of the Girl, Interrupted controversy.

Popular New Rochelle Teacher's Car Smashed by Wrong Way Driver

MrTalk — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:19:07 +0000

Students arriving at New Rochelle High School from the entrance near Argyll Street greeted by the site of a popular teacher's car (the green SUV) having been smashed into a white subcompact car that had apparently driven the wrong way down Argyll. The street is a one-way street near the school.

Police had yet to arrive on the scene. The teacher was already in the school at the time of the incident, unaware of what had happened until shown cell phone photos of his car by a student. The driver of the white car was also not present on the scene but might have a bit of explaining to do to NRPD since the car is pointed the wrong way on the street.

New Rochelle Talk of the Sound Hits 5,000 Visitor Mark

MrTalk — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:29:26 +0000

We just passed the 90 day mark by reaching another milestone - our 5,000th unique visitor. Even better, we have a long "dwell time" where readers are spending, on average, 4 minutes and 38 seconds per visit. We have served up over 27,000 page views since the end of August.

New Rochelle Planning 8.25% Tax Increase

MrTalk — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:42:46 +0000

As the country slides into what many expect to be a difficult and prolonged recession, The Journal News is reporting that the City of New Rochelle is planning to increase taxes, increase park fees and reduce services.

(Finance Commissioner) Rattner and other city officials have been working on ways to find new money sources in light of the city's shrinking revenue streams over the years. A public hearing on the proposed $150 million budget is set for 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at City Hall. The City Council is expected to vote on the budget during its regular legislative meeting Dec. 9.

Among the cuts is reducing trash pick up to once a week and raising the fees for Omnicards to access to parks.

Is New Rochelle the "Best Places to Raise Your Kids"?

MrTalk — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:10:35 +0000

In ranking the city among the best places to raise kids in the United States, Business Week magazine describes New Rochelle as "the suburban home of Rob and Laura Petrie in “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” is still a relatively affordable place in ritzy Westchester County. New Rochelle is an ethnically diverse place with a bustling downtown and a mix of single-family homes and apartments."

We'd like to know what you think. Please click on "add comments" and tell us.

New Rochelle Talk Discussion Forums Now Open

MrTalk — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:24:08 +0000

Forums are NOW OPEN!

This will be our first time enabling the forums feature in the software we use to run Talk of the Sound so bear with us if we have some growing pains.

Each blog post already has commenting enabled but some readers prefer threaded discussions like the old-fashioned usenet groups so we are going to offer both - whatever folks want to bring more voices into the dialog about our City.

To get things rolling we've created an Education section with a forum on inequality issues such as the collective punishment topic, the 15 minute lunch topic.

NEW Comment on Talk of the Sound without Registering

MrTalk — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:30:47 +0000

It is always a risk due to spammers but we are going to open up the commenting a bit and see what happens.

As of right now non-registered visitors to this site can add comments to a post. The catch, the comments go into a queue and have to be approved so they could take anywhere from a minute to a day to appear the site.

The perk of being a REGISTERED member of the site is that your comments are published directly to the site without the need for moderator approval.

Win a $1000 For Your School's PTA with Education.com

MrTalk — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:23:22 +0000

Our partners at Education.com have announced an exciting new contest where the PTA for a New Rochelle school can win $1,000 by collecting the most school reviews by December 20th.

To get started click on the Education.com widget on our Education Page and find your child's school.

New Rochelle schools may have a particularly good chance to win the prize (three U.S. schools will win) because Education.com is a brand new start-up company so the number of applicants will not be extremely high and the New Rochelle schools have relatively large populations. It might not hurt that the founder of Education.com actually has family here in New Rochelle with kids who attend school in New Rochelle.

Martin Daly, Teacher's Union Chief, Lashes Out at Talk of the Sound

MrTalk — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:01:18 +0000

Martin Daly, President of the New Rochelle teacher's union, went on the offensive Friday, attacking yet another New Rochelle parent who dared to take criticism of District officials public in two recent blog posts (here and here) on this web site. Robert Cox, one of the founding editors of Talking of the Sound, wrote a scathing criticism of the school board and administrators after attending a recent school board meeting where school officials presented phony data, made blatant misrepresentations of fact and failed to properly calculate even the simplest mathematic operations. Talk of the Sound readers will recall that Daly similarly attacked parents from Trinity School on the Journal News web site for making unrelated criticisms of the District.

JUST ADDED! Google Group Email Alerts

MrTalk — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:26:04 +0000

If you scroll down the right rail of the home page you will see a new Google Group Subscribe Box like this one...

Subscribe to New Rochelle Talk of the Sound Email Alerts

Email:

Visit this group

60 Day Progress Report for Talk of the Sound

MrTalk — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:30:20 +0000

A Message to our Readers

We launched two months ago in August and are ahead of schedule.

The long-term goal for the site is to get to 2,000 registered community members with 60,000 unique visitors a month by the end of the first year of operations. This site was launched on August 25th, 2008 - two months ago. Obviously, at that time we had zero readers, zero registered users, zero comments and zero blogs within the site and were invisible to search engines like Google.

We have made a great start towards reaching our goals and thus creating an active community discussion where all stakeholders in the New Rochelle community get a level playing field upon which they can raise issues of interest to them.

Cops: Knife-toting man takes cash, jewelry in New Rochelle

MrTalk — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:56:55 +0000

NRPD Need Your Help!

The Journal News reports Stick up near Palmer Avenue

[a] knife-toting man is believed to have approached a woman shortly after 9 p.m. at Palmer Avenue and Stonelea Place. The man fled on foot afterward, police said. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the New Rochelle Police Department at 914-654-2270.

Neighbor intervenes in New Rochelle robbery; teens arrested | lohud.com | The Journal News

MrTalk — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:55:03 +0000

More Good Neighbors...

The Journal News reports:

Three teens were arrested after a neighbor intervened in a strong-arm robbery on Church Street Monday night, police said. A fourth youth was arrested yesterday morning, police said.

Giovanni Daley and Gustavo Sierra, both 16, of 19 Rochelle Place and two New Rochelle 15-year-olds were charged with second-degree robbery, a felony. Daley was also charged with felony assault.

New Rochelle man helped from burning home; no injuries | lohud.com | The Journal News

MrTalk — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:53:30 +0000

Good neighbor...

The Journal News reports:

‘I heard like a loud boom. It sounded like glass shattering,’ neighbor Marc Esrig said. That was followed by popping noises Esrig thought were the tires on homeowner Irving Korwin’s 1997 Cadillac that was burning in his garage.

Teenagers were outside screaming, Esrig said. After calling the fire department and seeing the flames ‘get kind of high,’ Esrig ran across the street and began banging on his Korwin’s bedroom window to get him out of the house."

New Rochelle Man Pockets $100G; Rips Off Circuit City

MrTalk — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:52:02 +0000

Check please!

The Journal News reports:

A New Rochelle man ripped off an electronics store for about $100,000 through a returning-merchandise scam, Clarkstown police said yesterday.

Thomas DeJulio, 47, of 643 Pelham Road was charged with multiple felony counts of larceny, possessing stolen property and falsifying business records following an investigation and seizure of his computer records.

Rental truck rams two cars in New Rochelle

MrTalk — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:49:20 +0000

Look out below!

The Journal News reports:

A stolen rental truck was sent down a Maple Avenue driveway early yesterday, ramming two cars, one of which went through the rear wall of the garage in which it was parked.

The truck's engine was running, and the rear wheels still spinning when police arrived at 12:50 a.m. A rock was on the gas pedal, and the steering wheel was taped to keep the vehicle straight, police said.

Westchester pays highest property taxes in U.S.; Rockland in top 10 | lohud.com | The Journal News

MrTalk — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:47:59 +0000

Think you are paying too much in property taxes? You're right!

The Journal News reports

Westchester County property owners paid the highest property taxes in the country last year, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The median property tax bill in Westchester hit $8,422 in 2007, the highest of all mid- to large-sized counties, according to the 2007 American Community Survey. The median is the midpoint, meaning half of property owners paid more and half paid less.

Talk of the Sound Joins Placeblogger

MrTalk — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:26:24 +0000

We have joined Placeblogger - you can learn more about Placeblogger here. Their site should give readers here a pretty good sense about what a hyper-local community site like Talk of the Sound is all about.

NRHS Students' Top 20 Teachers for 2008; 67 Teachers Make Honor Roll

MrTalk — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:36:58 +0000

New Rochelle High School students have once again ranked their favorite teachers on the popular Ratemyteachers.com web site. 67 of 338 teachers made Honor Roll this year. The rankings are based on a raw score total determined by total number of votes cast by students multiplied by overall ratings average for each teacher. The Honor Roll represents those teachers who earned a 4.0 or higher average rating from their students, on a scale of 1 to 5.

Levee Goes Dry as "American Pie" Tavern Loses Liquor License

MrTalk — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:38:22 +0000

If you drive your Chevy to the levee you are going to find that once again "The Levee" is dry - at least until Westchester County officials relent. The operators of the Beechmont Tavern were busted for serving alcohol to minors, not having a bouncer at the door, and over-occupancy all of which comes with a $7,000 fine and a suspension of their liquor license.

Summer's Over: Governor Recalls Legislators

MrTalk — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:55:38 +0000

Gov. Paterson has called lawmakers back to Albany to deal with the state's deficit crisis. Good luck!

The that "a new statewide poll finds that most New Yorkers aren't optimistic the Legislature will accomplish much during the special session." Gee, I wonder why?

MrTalk's blog

Systems Notice: We Added Mollum to Block Comment Spam

What is a Blog Editor? How to Get Started Using a Blog Editor

What is RSS, Why Use an RSS Reader and How to Get Started

How to Write a Good Title for Your Blog Post

How to Get Started with Talk of the Sound

Westchester County Reports First Official Flu Case for 2008-2009 Season

New Rochelle School Board Meets Tonight, "Culture of Censorship" on the Agenda

Get the Lastest on Censorship Crisis Here

New Rochelle High Students and Alumni Organize Facebook Protest of School Censorship

Facing Firestorm of Criticism, New Rochelle Schools Relent on "Girl, Interrupted" Censorship

Popular New Rochelle Teacher's Car Smashed by Wrong Way Driver

New Rochelle Talk of the Sound Hits 5,000 Visitor Mark

New Rochelle Planning 8.25% Tax Increase

Is New Rochelle the "Best Places to Raise Your Kids"?

New Rochelle Talk Discussion Forums Now Open

**NEW** Comment on Talk of the Sound without Registering

Win a $1000 For Your School's PTA with Education.com

Martin Daly, Teacher's Union Chief, Lashes Out at Talk of the Sound

JUST ADDED! Google Group Email Alerts

60 Day Progress Report for Talk of the Sound

Cops: Knife-toting man takes cash, jewelry in New Rochelle

Neighbor intervenes in New Rochelle robbery; teens arrested | lohud.com | The Journal News

New Rochelle man helped from burning home; no injuries | lohud.com | The Journal News

New Rochelle Man Pockets $100G; Rips Off Circuit City

Rental truck rams two cars in New Rochelle

Westchester pays highest property taxes in U.S.; Rockland in top 10 | lohud.com | The Journal News

Talk of the Sound Joins Placeblogger

NRHS Students' Top 20 Teachers for 2008; 67 Teachers Make Honor Roll

Levee Goes Dry as "American Pie" Tavern Loses Liquor License

Summer's Over: Governor Recalls Legislators

NEW Comment on Talk of the Sound without Registering