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We support the California Avenue beautification project, but see no mention of flowers. Every beautiful town in the world has one or more live flower displays decorating their roadways. Mountain View's Castro Street has them, as do many restaurants, retail stores and industries. Sculpture success depends on the taste of the beholder but everyone loves flowers. I know flowers are more trouble to maintain, but in our view they're definitely worth it.
Gary Breitbard
Jena Rauti
San Jude Avenue
Palo Alto
A downtown parking idea
Mayor Greg Scharff mentioned the need for downtown parking in his State of the City address and indicated an estimated cost of $60,000 per parking space. There is an alternative that comes without any cost to the city. If anyone is in doubt about that, you have only to look at an example that has been there for many years.
The Abitare condominium project was developed on what was then a small city parking lot located between High Street and Alma. The developer (Chuck Kinney, who later became mayor of Menlo Park) bought the air rights from the city. A multi-level underground parking garage was built. On top of the garage, a four-story building was constructed that included one retail level at the ground floor and three floors of for-sale residential condominiums above that.
The city got a parking garage for free. The downtown area got some new retail space and, more importantly, some new housing that contributes both property tax revenue and puts consumers who live in the condominiums within walking distance of all the stores in downtown Palo Alto.
This could be replicated on any city parking lot.
While considering this, the council might also want to reconsider the sacred cow (the 50-foot height limit). Garages do not have to be blocky, blah buildings. Downtown Chicago has buildings that include parking and residences that are architecturally stunning. The Abitare project was developed using a vertical subdivision map with a condominium plan overlay. Perhaps the council should ask the staff to revisit this concept.
John Paul Hanna
University Avenue
Palo Alto
One region idea: bad
It seems the Silicon Valley Community Foundation proposes to turn the whole Bay Area into a single region. Hmmm. Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently donated $500 million to this group, and suddenly the foundation apparently wants to take over the entire Bay Area. The last time I checked, we were living in a Constitutional Republic where individual rights are "unalienable," and cities have the freedom and sovereignty to chart their own courses.
This "One-Silicon-Valley-and-Bay-Area-Plan," to coin a phrase, brainchild of the Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, should be very worrying to residents. It would mean losing our representational form of democratic government. Exactly who would be deciding what's best for all Bay Area counties? And why are businesses and government so eager to partner? Have we already forgotten that the classic definition of totalitarian Fascism is partnership between government and big business? Nor is government by "region" — through unelected, nonrepresentational bodies — unknown in Communist countries.
Consider this quote by technology forecaster Paul Saffo: "Powerful regions are the new basic unit of governments in the 21st century." Not so new however: They were the basic unit of government in the Soviet Union in the 20th century! All that regional government accomplishes is to take away the rights of our cities, towns and counties along with those of the residents within them. This "new" idea has long since been proven a disastrous failure and needs to be nipped in the $500 million bud.
Cherie Zaslawsky
Oak Lane
Menlo Park
Whose fault is it?
I would like to share my story of today with your readers:
I was parked in a parking lot of a large electronics store in Palo Alto. Next to me is a motorcycle. I park slightly angled touching the white line with my rear left wheel. When I come back from the store, I find my driver's door kicked in with a large motorcycle boot imprint.
So I call the police who take 45 minutes to appear.
While waiting an old lady tries to park next to me and rams into my trunk.
Police arrive and says:"Oh, that's easy, it's your (my) fault because you are touching the white line. You will have to pay for your own damage and that of the old lady who ran into you. We will file a report for the old lady."
Apparently in the U.S., if you touch the white line in a parking spot, other folks have the right to destroy your property.
I thought that is worth knowing for your readers because it could have far-reaching consequences on parking lots throughout California.
Christian Busch
Greenways Drive
Redwood City
Who knew what?
The issue unmentioned in your soundly reasoned statement about the blown bullying incidents is "who knew what, and when." That the school board let none of the important facts into light during an election year in which two incumbents were running for reelection casts a particularly suspicious aroma on an unusual, prolonged silence.
Credible deniability concepts notwithstanding, this is definitely a case where the dog did not bark.
John Fredrich
La Para Avenue
Palo Alto
What schools need to succeed
I am appalled that the president of the Santa Clara Board of Education and the board appear to be biased against public education and for the expansion of charter schools. I also found no evidence that the president has credentials, experience or training in the field of education. Free public education was first established in the 17th century in this country and has continued to educate all our children to this day. Every child is accepted, regardless of his/her condition or circumstance. None are excluded. It is the genius of this concept that has made our country great, leading to countries around the world seeking to copy our methods and success.
No large institution is without problems nor the necessity to work to solve them. Nevertheless,
the current effort to privatize public education is not the answer. Clearly, studies have shown that charter schools as a whole are no better, and are often worse, at improving performance. Public education is increasingly underfunded in our state. If billionaires and others are truly interested in better educational results, they should see to it that underperforming public schools get the resources, including new methods and techniques, and the highly trained teachers they need to accelerate progress. I hope that both the president and the board will work to see that all the children have what is needed to succeed.
Mae Stephen
Sand Hill Road
Palo Alto
Address city parking woes
I understand there will be a city council meeting on March 18 that will address several downtown development issues including 27 University, the theoretical CAP study and the downtown parking woes. The meeting might also include a proposal from Chop Keenan to build a parking structure on a city-owned parking lot for his exclusive use (but charging employees, I assume). Yes, he should provide for parking, but this is a public property that needs to be devoted to addressing the existing parking problem, not devoted to one owner to help him build even more. If he must build, he can contribute the needed in-lieu funds at $60,000 plus per space (hopefully with no exceptions) and his employees can get in line like others in the employee parking lottery until a real solution is found to match parking demand with a downtown commercial district supply of employee parking.
I might be wrong, but I still sense that the public feels as if there is a simple solution and do not know the scope of what the city has allowed to happen or the impact it is having on our downtown neighborhoods that are soon to be entirely covered with commercial employee, assisted housing, Stanford, high school and Caltrain parking from the Creek to Embarcadero, and across Middlefield Road. Planned studies — let alone any concrete actions — will do little to address the problem, and will most likely just delay it.
Your accurate journalistic and editorial coverage might help create the understanding needed to find real solutions.
Ken Alsman
Ramona Street
Palo Alto
High-speed-rail questions
I can't keep up with the various evolutions of opinion, rumors and facts about tracks, costs, funding and timing; and there is one issue that I have not seen in any consistent manner.
It is clear to me that one significant funding source will be air rights above the tracks. Does anyone know how air rights will be awarded?
One artist's rendering of stations indicates that there will be dozens and dozens of stations and large office/condo buildings above the trenched tracks, a la the Pan Am/Met Life Building over Grand Central Station in New York City.
I lived in New York City during the time when preservationists and developers compromised over the demolition of the historic train station. The economic drivers in mid-Manhattan are not too different from the eventual air rights over our own humble train tracks and stations.
I predict that the high speed rail is the Peninsula's future one way or the other, and sooner rather than later, given the long-term demand for office and housing. Just watch the current development density and heights in downtown Palo Alto and along El Camino Real.
Neilson Buchanan
Bryant Street
Palo Alto
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American Electric Power Co., Inc.
List of Deals
- 1968 American Electric Power Company, Inc.: Ohio Power Company and the Buckeye project basic agreements and bond closing documents, volume 1
During the dawn of the twentieth century, the electric utility industry in the United States was shifting from small, individually owned generator plants to consolidated single systems serving a large area. In 1906 Richard E. Breed, Harrison Williams, and Sidney Z. Mitchell formed American Gas & Electric Company (AG&E). For $6.28 million, AG&E purchased Electric Company of America's assets, including twenty-three small utility companies. The acquired companies supplied services that included gas, water, electricity, steam, and ice. In general, the companies' service was poor, their equipment faulty, and their rates high. Henry L. Doherty served as president of the new company until 1910, when Breed took over the position.
With Mitchell's experience in the industry as a guide, AG&E was able to increase its production and encourage consumption among its customers. By 1917 the company had increased the number of kilowatt-hours it provided from 53 million to 427 million. AG&E developed a plan to give away electric irons to new customers and free toasters to customers using the most electricity. The company also rented vacuum cleaners and ran cooking schools using electric ranges. This program increased consumer demand for electricity. The company was able to lower its rates as consumption increased and offered sliding-scale rates, determined by that ratio.
As AG&E continued to grow, it sold all of the gas utilities acquired in the original deal. The company also sold electric companies that could not be merged into a single system and acquired smaller companies that could be easily consolidated. The company constructed long-range transmission lines to link its properties; its system in Indiana became interconnected with the construction of a 32-mile-long tie line and the replacement of equipment in the area with more powerful generators. AG&E duplicated their success with this program in other regions.
The U. S. entry into World War I created a 40 percent increase in the demand for electricity. The post-war years saw a great increase in industrial expansion and thus the need for more power. Mitchell was a key figure in crafting the ideas upon which the first federal legislation regulating electric power, the Federal Power Act of 1920, was based.
Philip Sporn, an AG&E engineer, created a high-voltage, high-velocity circuit breaker in 1935. That same year, the Public Utility Holding Company Act was introduced, mandating that the company divest itself of two companies, Atlantic City Electric and Scranton Electric. AG&E was able to maintain ownership of its Central System, which ranged from Virginia to Michigan.
World War II caused an increase in the need for power; however, the company did not see marked growth during the post-war years. During the last years of the 1940s, the power industry picked up pace again, and in 1948 AG&E gained 82,000 customers. Philip Sporn became president of the company in 1947 and implemented a strategy of growth through acquisitions, sales promotions, and technological breakthroughs. The company increased its promotion of consumer appliances, such as air conditioners and heat pumps, as a means of increasing demand for electricity.
The company was renamed American Electric Power Company (AEP) in 1958. AEP continued to thrive and saw its stock prices doubling between 1958 and 1965.
A power failure in the northeast, which led to the 1965 blackout in New York City, was the impetus behind the formation of the North American Electrical Reliability Council. The Council determined a means of creating regional power pools, which could help avert such power failures in the future. During the 1960s, power utilities continued to consolidate, and AEP continued to grow through acquisitions. In the latter part of the decade, consumer demand was extremely high, and many companies found themselves unprepared to handle the need for service. In 1967, AEP purchased 2,200 megawatts of power equipment overseas so as to better meet demand.

subset: commoncrawl


text: I was waiting to get some photos of the new A.E.Beach High School this afternoon when I noticed a man with 3 children attempting to fly a kite in the street. I watched for a minute before I decided to go over and take a few pictures. Since school was out for spring break Emanuel Graham was entertaining his two small children, Zoey and Emanuel Jr., along with his niece Vicki by attempting to fly a kite in the street. The kids were having a great time playing even though there was not quite enough wind to get the kite very high into the air.


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After months of research and shopping, I bought my 16 year old a '05 Yamaha Majesty 400cc scooter. It is his first 'street' bike. He has taken to this bike like a duck to water. I think I may have found the perfect first bike! It is a CVT transmission, so no shifting, so less things to detract his attention. It has plenty of pep. Its not some slug that can't get out of its own way, so its fun ride. It will easily cruise at 60 mph or is happy at 30 mph. It has fantastic disc brakes. Relatively low seat height. It handles better than I would have ever imagined. HUGE storage under the seat. (full helmet and his back pack or a basketball or another helmet....) The dual element headlight makes my R1100RT's headlight look like a candle compared to it. LED tail light and brake light. Servicing the thing is a snap. I changed the belt, two air filters, and put in different variator weights, cleaned the pulley surfaces all in less that 2 hours. The tires are cheap to buy. And...get this...he thinks it looks cool!. I will say, it is a sharp looking machine.
I will add this, he has about 8 years experience on dirt bikes, including some hare scramble races, so he is comfortable on a bike and with lots of things going on around him. He has crashed more times that I can count, so he also knows the results of making a mistake on a motorcycle. Nevertheless, he will be taking a rider course very soon.
I think these maxi scooters are a hoot!


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Nevada Dust Devil Sends Bouncy Slide Flying
An inflatable bouncy slide was sent hurtling some 300 feet by a dust devil during an Independence Day party in Sparks, Nevada.
Fortunately, unlike some previous scary incidents involving big bouncy stuff, nobody was actually on the slide when it was picked up and tossed around by the 60-70 mph winds, which also snapped light poles and destroyed several fences.
Two bystanders did suffer injuries due to flying debris in the incident.
Eyewitnesses say that a child had just gotten off the slide when the dust devil struck.
"I was thinking 'Oh, my God. I hope there are no children in there,''' witness Derek Smith told KOLO-TV.
The owner of the slide, George Dolivo, said that it was tied down with half-a-ton of weight, but it clearly didn't do much good.
"It just lifted it off the ground. Broke tethers, just lifted the tethers right up, ripped it right off," said Dolivo.


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Signing Day here for area athletes
Jan. 31, 2012 at 11:02 p.m.
Updated Jan. 31, 2012 at 8:01 p.m.
Edna's Darius Callies and Gonzales' Landon Lock and Cody Jurek will have a chance to continue their football careers on the college level.
Callies announced a commitment Tuesday to play at Texas Southern University.
Lock and Jurek have committed to Eastern New Mexico University.
Callies, a wide receiver, caught 21 passes for 318 yards and eight touchdowns for the Cowboys, who advanced to the bi-district playoffs last season.
He committed to the Southwestern Athletic Conference school after visiting the Houston campus last weekend.
Lock and Jurek decided to remain teammates at the Lone Star Conference school located in Portales, N.M., after leading the Apaches to their first 10-0 regular season since 1963.
Lock was a first-team all-state selection at linebacker. He had 157 tackles, including 24 tackles for losses, caused three fumbles, and blocked two punts and two extra points.
Jurek was a second-team all-state selection at offensive tackle. He had 85 knockdown blocks for the Apaches, who finished 11-1.
Callies, Lock and Jurek will join other area athletes in making their commitments official Wednesday, national signing day.
Area Signees• Jonovan Allen, Rice Cons., Blinn College
• Daniel Brooks, Calhoun, Oklahoma
• Derek Brown, Bay City, Rice
• Darius Callies, Edna, Texas Southern
• Lynx Hawthorne, Refugio, Baylor
• Joey Hunt, El Campo, TCU
• Cody Jurek, Gonzales, Eastern New Mexico
• Jared Kaster, Rice Cons., Texas Tech
• Landon Lock, Gonzales, Eastern New Mexico
• Mac Long, Edna, Houston
• Nick McCrory, Calhoun, Navy
• Devin Parks, Edna, Houston
• Cole Wick, Sacred Heart, Incarnate Word


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Michele and Margaretha's Astronomy Page
CCD Images of the Moon
Click here to look at the results of our adventures with the weather and temperamental equipment. Our best successes involved the moon--Artemis must favor us.
Women and Astronomy
Click here to learn about the history of women in astronomy, and to see great photos of these women who played active roles in astronomy's formation as a profession.
This page was created by Margaretha Warnicke and Michele Nichols.


text:
R.J. Cutler
Chloe Grace Moretz
Mireille Enos
Liana Liberato
Lauren Lee Smith
Jamie Blackley
Aliyah O'Brien
Joshua Leonard
If I Stay (PG-13)
Drama 106 August 22, 2014
The cutest and coolest guy in her school, an aspiring rock guitarist named Adam (Jamie Blackley), spies her practicing alone in a classroom one day, and zing go the strings of his heart. They begin dating, but tragedy strikes: Mia and her family suffer a serious car accident, one that puts Mia in a coma. While flesh-and-blood Mia lies in a hospital bed, right at the crossroads of life and death, out-of-body Mia drifts around listlessly, reflecting on her recent past and asking herself the same question the Clash once posited: Should I stay or should I go? It's the ultimate teenage fantasy, an extension of the "You'd be sorry if I died!" retort so beloved by melodramatic 15-year-olds everywhere. At a certain point, If I Stay takes a maudlin turn and just keeps going. But Moretz is strong enough to carry it. She makes out-of-body Mia's soul-searching wholly believable: There's a vulnerable softness to her eyes that suggests she really is thinking and feeling all the time, suspended in that gel of emotional turmoil we remember as teenagerhood.
R.J. Cutler Chloe Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Liana Liberato, Lauren Lee Smith, Jamie Blackley, Aliyah O'Brien, Joshua Leonard Shauna Cross Alison Greenspan, Denise DiNovi, Gayle Forman, Brad Van Arragon ARRAY(0x2fe7d68)


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Advanced Options
Joe ForwardLegal Writer
June 1, 2011 – In a case of first impression, the Wisconsin Supreme Court recently ruled that a nonclient party – one who is not a former or current client of opposing counsel – could have standing to move for disqualification of opposing counsel.
Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson wrote the lead opinion in Ciccantelli v. Bishop's Grove Condominium Association, 2011 WI 36 (May 24, 2011) (joined by Justices N. Patrick Crooks and Ann Walsh Bradley), which expands the law of standing in attorney disqualification actions.
Specifically, it allows nonformer clients to disqualify opposing counsel when opposing counsel (or opposing counsel's firm) has represented a nonparty on matters closely tied to the case.
In other words, the court ruled the defendant in the case has standing to move for disqualification of the plaintiff's counsel despite the fact that neither plaintiff's counsel, nor anyone from his law firm, ever represented the defendant.
The lead opinion uses Supreme Court Rule 20:1.9 (duties to former clients) as a guiding principle. SCR 20:1.9 specifically gives former clients the right to disqualify an attorney's representation of subsequent clients in the same or substantially similar matters if the interests of the subsequent client are materially adverse to the former client.
In a concurring opinion, Justice David Prosser agreed that a nonparty client could have standing to move for disqualification of opposing counsel, and agreed that Bishop's Grove had standing in this case, creating a majority. But Justice Prosser took issue with a standing analysis that "changes the law while purporting simply to clarify it."
In a concurring opinion, Justices Patience Roggensack, Annette Ziegler, and Michael Gableman agreed that a nonparty client could have standing to move for disqualification of opposing counsel. But those justices clearly disagreed on the analysis required in making a determination.
The case means nonclient parties can move to disqualify opposing counsel if the nonclient party has standing to do so. But the differing views leave something to be desired in terms of the analysis required to determine whether the nonclient party has standing or not.
Susan Foley-Ciccantelli and her husband (the Ciccantellis) sued Bishop's Grove Condominium Association after she was injured in a slip-and-fall, alleging Bishop's Grove allowed ice to accumulate negligently on common property owned by Bishop's Grove.
The Ciccantellis hired Timothy Andringa, a partner at Cramer, Multhauf & Hammes LLP (Cramer law firm), to represent them. Andringa never represented Bishop's Grove.
However, another lawyer in Andringa's firm, Peter Plaushines, represents the Foster Group, the property management agent for Bishop's Grove, and the Foster Group's principal, Wayne Foster. The Foster Group is not a named party to the case but is an insured under Bishop's Grove's comprehensive business liability policy.
Further, Bishop's Grove and the Foster Group have a management agreement, under which the Foster Group is charged with maintaining Bishop's Grove's property.
Bishop's Grove moved to disqualify Andringa based on his firm's representation of the Foster Group, asserting Andringa would have an advantage based on the firm's prior representation of the Foster Group. The Ciccantellis challenged Foster Grove's standing to do so.
The circuit court granted the disqualification motion based on an "appearance of impropriety."
The appeals court certified the appeal, asking the supreme court to decide whether Bishop's Grove (a nonclient party) has standing to move for disqualification of Andringa based on the Cramer law firm's representation of the Foster Group (a nonparty).
The appeals court also asked the supreme court to clarify the proper standard in deciding a motion for disqualification of an attorney, and whether an "appearance of impropriety is the correct standard."
The lead opinion ruled that, in general, only a former or current client has standing to move to disqualify an attorney from representing someone else. But the court created an exception.
The opinion noted that when "no statute, rule or constitutional provision directly governs the standing analysis," courts must determine standing issues using relevant legal principles.
"The issue requires the court to determine whether under the facts and relevant legal principles Bishop's Grove has a personal interest in the controversy; whether Bishop's Grove's interest will be adversely affected; and whether judicial policy calls for protecting Bishop's Grove's interest," Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson wrote.
Looking to SCR 20:1.9, the court ruled that "a non-client party may establish standing … when the prior representation is so connected with the current litigation that the prior representation is likely to affect the just and lawful determination of the non-client party's position."
The court ruled the Bishop's Grove had standing, because the Cramer law firm's prior representation of the Foster Group "is so connected with the current litigation that the prior representation is likely to affect the just and lawful determination of Bishop's Grove's position."
Bishop's Grove is urging the court to enforce duties owed to the Foster Group, the lead opinion noted, and the doctrine of standing generally "prohibits a litigant from raising another's legal rights." But it concluded the restrictive rule is inconsistent with Wisconsin legal doctrine.
"This strict position seems contrary to the general doctrine in Wisconsin law that standing is generally not construed narrowly or restrictively but rather broadly in favor of those seeking access to the courts," Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson wrote.
The lead opinion aligns with other jurisdictions, which take a "middle course" that "avoids the pitfalls of a rule that a non-client party has no standing to move to disqualify opposing counsel and a rule that every non-client party has standing."
The concurring opinions agreed that a non-client party could have standing to move for disqualification in cases like this, but disagreed on the analysis required to determine standing.
Determining if standing exists
The lead opinion ruled that "a non-client party may establish standing …when the prior representation is so connected with the current litigation that the prior representation is likely to affect the just and lawful determination of the non-client party's position."
The lead opinion agreed that Bishop's Grove established it had standing to move for disqualification. Justice Prosser agreed, creating a majority on this point.
In a concurring opinion written by Justice Roggensack, three justices argued the lead opinion "creates and then applies a new test for standing that does not require Bishop's Grove to make a showing that it has a legally protectable interest in the Cramer law firm's attorney-client relationship with a potential witness."
Those justices would require Bishop's Grove to demonstrate "whether Wayne Foster improperly transmitted Bishop's Grove's confidential information to plaintiffs' attorney."
Standing exists, now what?
Once standing is established, the lead opinion sets forth the proper standard in determining whether opposing counsel should be disqualified, a point on which the concurring opinions did not disagree. The lead opinion reversed the circuit court's use of the "appearance of impropriety test," in favor of a test that follows the guidance if SCR 20:1.9.
The lead opinion explained that a circuit court must determine whether: there was an attorney-client relationship between counsel and the former client and whether it is over; the subsequent representation involves the same or a substantially related matter as the former representation; the interests of the subsequent client are materially adverse to those of the former client; and the former client consented to the new representation.
Noting the "paucity" of facts, the court determined that it could not make the determination of whether Andriga's representation of the Ciccantellis involves a same or substantially related matter, and whether their interests are materially adverse to the Foster Group. Thus, the court remanded the case for the circuit court to make a determination on this point.
Timothy J. Andringa of Cramer, Multhauf & Hammes LLP, Waukesha, represented Susan Foley-Ciccantelli and Dr. Mark Ciccantelli. Neal C. Schellinger of Schellinger & Associates, Waukesha, represented Bishop's Grove and State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. John Ebbott of Milwaukee for Legal Action Wisconsin, Inc. filed an amicus curiae brief.


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text:
I don't know if this is a problem with the ASV or Accordance as a whole, but:
I am using Arial, a font that should display italics. But I keep finding the text without italics.
I can cure it for a while by going to Preferences,
changing to Times New Roman, which displays italics,
then going back & changing back to Arial.
Then the italics display -- at least for a while.
I thought maybe this problem arises
when I change the ASV to a different version, using the text select window at the left of the screen, in the bottom tool bar. Then I change back to ASV & lose the italics that way.
However, I tried this with the ESV (which apparently has no italics) and did not reproduce the problem that way.
So, I don't know what causes this problem nor if it only concerns the ASV.
Failure to Display italics
Started by Enoch , Oct 05 2012 03:46 PMMaybe ASV?
2 replies to this topic
Posted 05 October 2012 - 03:46 PM
Posted 06 October 2012 - 02:22 AM
I suspect the prblem lies in the FontBook application, and that you have duplicate Arial fonts there. You can try resolving duplicates in FontBook, or just use a different font for the ASV.
Helen Brown
OakTree Software
OakTree Software
Posted 07 October 2012 - 01:50 AM
I first noticed the problem and was informed that some fonts won't show italics (thanks). Then I changed to Arial. I probably was using whatever is Accordance default when I noticed this problem. I checked Fontbook & only saw one Arial. So the mystery continues. I don't know if this problem arose when I upgraded to version 10 or not.
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


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Boulder, Colo. - The Geological Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce a joint scientific meeting hosted in partnership with the Geological Society of China (GSC), to be held 17-19 June 2013 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. The societies were brought together in their first cooperative effort by the GSA International Section, with the aim of encouraging greater collaboration in understanding and education of the scientific, professional and technical aspects of the Earth Sciences.
Roof of the World focuses on the evolving Himalayan-Tibet orogen and low-T environmental geochemistry. Topics include:
- Evolution of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
- Intra-continental deformation, mineral resources and geologic hazards
- Environmental changes, biologic evolution, geochemistry and carbon sequestration
The three-day conference will be conducted in English and will include post-meeting field trips exploring the tectonic framework of the region and unique sites for the end-of-Permian mass extinctions. View details of the Special Sessions at http://www.
Meeting organizers include the Geological Society of China, the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS), the Department of Land and Resources of Sichuan Province, China, and Chengdu University of Science and Technology.
More information will be posted at http://www.
GSA will not operate an onsite newsroom at the meeting, but journalists will be encouraged to view the technical program online after 1 April 2013 and contact participating scientists on presentations of interest.
Media-related questions may be directed to Christa Stratton, Director of Communications at the Geological Society of America (+1-303-357-1093 or firstname.lastname@example.com).
Geological Society of America
3300 Penrose Place - Box 9140
Boulder, CO 80301-9140 USA
Geological Society of America
Release No. 12-60
Contact: Christa Stratton


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Jack and Betty Parkes had planned for years to sell most of their 37.5-acre property and use the proceeds to subsidize their retirement.
On the hillsides overlooking Hickory Creek and the historic Pilot Knob hill, the couple owns two houses and two barns with horse pastures good for grazing and riding.
When word came in 2010 that Bonnie Brae Street would be widened through their neighborhood, they prepared themselves for the possibility that the new road would divide their property. They planned to keep some of the western corner — about two acres that would include their house and one of the horse barns.
Beginning near the intersection with Highland Park Road, the city is expected to realign the road so that, by the time the road gets to the Parkes property at Roselawn Drive, Bonnie Brae would pass on the east side of their home instead of the west.
Jack Parkes said the couple doesn't want to move from the house because it is comfortable and familiar, a quality that has become increasingly important to him as his eyesight fails. The couple had listed the remaining land for $1.1 million, but potential buyers have been heading the other way when they learn the property will be cut by the new road, Betty Parkes said.
"We're in a deep freeze," she said.
In April 2012, city staff and consulting engineers identified 67 parcels the city would likely need to widen Bonnie Brae from Interstate 35E to Vintage Boulevard, according to documents obtained through an open records request. As the plans were refined, the city determined it needed to negotiate 33 land deals in all, according to city engineer Frank Payne, who is supervising the project.
One year later, the city has closed five land deals, with a sixth expected shortly, spending about $662,000, according to city documents.
Expenditures were expected to eclipse the $1.4 million budgeted for the project's right of way, Payne wrote in an e-mail this week. Additional funding is likely to come from the construction budget and possible reallocation from the city's Transportation Improvement Program Modifications request forwarded to the Texas Department of Transportation, he said.
In 2010, Denton identified about $58 million of city, council and state money, including proceeds from the the sale of State Highway 121 to the North Texas Tollway Authority, to pay for widening Bonnie Brae from two lanes to four.
Negotiations with other landowners are at various stages, with 15 offers yet to be presented and authorized by the City Council, Payne said.
Two of the transactions — land owned by the University of North Texas and by the Meadows of Hickory Creek developer — are being dedicated. The city has closed on the land dedicated by the developer and UNT's conveyances are in progress, Payne said.
The city's negotiations with landowners can vary from a single payment for a piece of land to an offer for different land rights that meet different needs for the city, Payne said.
For example, sometimes the city only needs temporary access to the land for the construction work, but not the project itself. However, whether the use is temporary or permanent, the landowner is still entitled to payment.
Because negotiations stalled with three landowners, including the Parkeses, the city has begun eminent domain proceedings with the Parkeses, outgoing City Council member Chris Watts and the family of the late Zeke Martin, a former Denton mayor.
The Parkeses retained Dallas lawyer Kenneth Wright to help them with the process. The couple turned down Denton's initial offer of $255,000 for more than nine acres of their 37.5-acre tract, Wright said.
This week, the city staff is expected to recommend to the City Council that they hire a law firm to represent the city's interest in the eminent domain cases, according to the city's real estate manager, Paul Williamson.
The city must file suit in order to move the eminent domain proceedings to a Denton court. Once the suit is filed, the judge will appoint a panel consisting of three "disinterested" landowners who will hear the cases and make a judgment, Williamson said. In other words, the court-appointed panel will determine the price the city pays for their land.
The city's process to acquire land for public works projects is guided by state law. A new state law written to protect landowners in their deals with oil and gas pipeline companies has affected the city, too, Williamson said.
"It puts more time into the process and gives landowners time to build a case," Williamson said.
Overall, the city was making positive progress in acquiring the land it needs for Bonnie Brae, given the complicated nature of the project, according to Payne.
At the same time the city is working to acquire land along Bonnie Brae, they are also working on acquiring land along Mayhill Road, for which the city has budgeted another $11.7 million.
"Depending on the direction that the land rights negotiations take, it could be at least another year or more on each project," Payne said in an e-mail.
In addition, Denton Municipal Electric has begun acquiring the land it needs for a massive, $302 million upgrade and expansion of its system that will affect even more Denton landowners over the next several years.
The city staff has sought the authority to negotiate with landowners, but the City Council tabled the matter a month ago and ran out of time to discuss the matter again on March 19.
One Denton resident, Robert Donnelly, has come before the council twice, urging it to decline the staff's request to delegate the authority because it could compromise protections afforded landowners through notices, hearings and other public processes.
Under the terms proposed, the city manager, or his designee, would have the authority to negotiate offers under $350,000 and work with counteroffers that stayed under certain thresholds.
Both Williamson and Payne said that they thought delegating such authority would help move along the city's process of acquiring right of way.
For the Parkeses, the progress along Bonnie Brae has moved so slowly that they decided this month to list their entire property, Betty Parkes said.
Because they are older, they aren't in a position to wait until the "road decides what it wants to do," she said. "We may have to move to Robson Ranch, although it's not what we want to do."
PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881 and via Twitter @phwolfeDRC.
Expected offers to purchase: 31
Budget: $1,403,830
Transactions signed or closed: 6
Amount spent so far: $661,586
Transactions yet to be authorized: 15
Transactions in eminent domain: 3
SOURCE: City of Denton


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A's reflect on Gwynn's legacy, approach to game
By Aaron Leibowitz / MLB.com
OAKLAND -- The A's took time on Monday to reflect on the life and career of Padres Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who passed away at the age of 54.
"Devastated," said right fielder Josh Reddick of hearing the news. "Possibly the greatest hitter of all time."
Right-hander A.J. Griffin, who is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, grew up watching Gwynn in San Diego.
"You would go to a Padres game, you'd always want to see Tony," Griffin said. "He had the '5.5 hole' thing going for him all the time. He was just a classy guy, treated everyone really well."
When Gwynn was coaching at San Diego State, Griffin was able to sit down with him several times as a player at the University of San Diego.
"He was just a loving guy, just a really good guy, easy guy to talk to, liked to have fun," Griffin said. "He just had an infectious personality."
A's manager Bob Melvin played against Gwynn as a catcher.
"Another one of those baseball ambassadors that just made the game better," Melvin said. "Unique in playing his whole career in one spot, then coaching there locally, too. It's really too bad.
"He was one of the great hitters of all time, and the numbers speak for themselves."
Reddick marveled at Gwynn's ability to hit for a .338 average over such a long career.
"A guy who can hit that lifetime over a 20-year career is impressive, especially now," Reddick said. "He knew what to do at the plate. He had his plan and he stuck to it, and when he got two strikes he wasn't going to give up an at-bat.
"That's what makes a Hall of Famer."
The A's observed a moment of silence for Gwynn before Monday night's game.
Reddick hopes to rejoin roster next week in New York
OAKLAND -- On the disabled list with a hyperextended right knee, Josh Reddick will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday, and he hopes to rejoin the A's in New York next Tuesday against the Mets.
Reddick will fly to Texas on Tuesday morning before meeting up with the River Cats in Round Rock on Wednesday. He expects to play several innings Wednesday and Thursday, rest Friday and play two more games in New Orleans over the weekend.
"They want to get me comfortable as possible," Reddick said. "I'm not opposed to that by any means, taking more days than usual."
The right fielder originally believed he might only need a one-to-two game assignment, but he and manager Bob Melvin prefer to take it slow, giving Reddick time to fully recover and get some hits.
"Today's the first day of an actual full routine," Reddick said Monday, when he ran the bases at O.co Coliseum. "Got everything done besides seeing live pitching."
Reddick hurt his knee banging into the wall in Anaheim on May 31 and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 3. He was eligible to be activated on Monday.
In 168 at-bats this season, Reddick is hitting .214 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.
After inking deal, Chapman works out with A's
OAKLAND -- The A's announced that they have signed Matt Chapman, their first-round pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. Chapman was at O.co Coliseum before Monday's game working out with the team.
A third baseman with a rocket arm out of Cal State Fullerton, Chapman was glowing after he walked through the tunnel for the first time.
"It's an honor to be on the same field as these guys," Chapman said. "I'm just going to soak it all in and enjoy it."
After meeting Josh Donaldson, Craig Gentry and Yoenis Cespedes, Chapman fielded ground balls and took batting practice, launching several balls over the 388-foot marker in left-center field.
"It still doesn't even seem real," Chapman said. "My dream was to always play professional baseball. Having never been drafted out of high school, today my dream's coming true."
Chapman plans to head to the club's Spring Training complex in Arizona on Tuesday before joining Oakland's Class A affiliate in Beloit.
Despite boasting a 95 mph arm off the mound, Chapman has no plans of becoming a pitcher.
"I told them that I can move around and play all three spots in the infield, so I'm ready to play wherever they want me to, but I'm assuming it'll be third base," said Chapman.
"I want to play every day, that's for sure."
Chapman was with his mom, dad and sister on Monday -- and with his agent, Scott Boras, who watched his client take grounders from the A's dugout.
"He's got a big, big arm," Boras said. "It'll be one of the best throwing arms in the Major Leagues. His glove is Gold-Glove caliber."
The 21-year-old Chapman, who named Donaldson and Dustin Pedroia as two players he admires, simply enjoyed putting on the uniform.
"I wore white cleats in high school," Chapman said, "so it's pretty normal, I guess."
Worth noting
• Infielder Alberto Callaspo was reinstated from the paternity list Monday, while Andy Parrino returned to Triple-A Sacramento.
Callaspo was wearing No. 7 instead of his previous No. 18, saying simply: "I wanted a change."
• The A's reinstated infielder Jake Elmore (strained left quad) from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Sacramento.
• Catcher Derek Norris has been nicked by several backswings recently, and while he does not plan on changing his positioning, some recent incidents have been a bit concerning.
"I get tipped on the glove all the time, that's fine," he said. "But when you're getting backswings in the head and the neck and the shoulder blade, that's maybe something."
Aaron Leibowitz is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Local Blogs
By Roz Rogoff
Taking the High RoadUploaded: Oct 27, 2009
I'm surprised by the level of civility in the San Ramon City Council election this year. The last time Hudson and Livingstone ran for City Council they trounced their opponent with negative flyers and a mass mailing from the Citizens for San Ramon implying that Ellen Rosenbluth would be a clone of the unlamented "Gang of Three." The letter was signed by two former Mayors and was full of guilt by association, because Ellen's campaign manager had also worked on Jerry Cambra's campaign.
I expected Hudson and Livingstone to come out swinging against their two opponents, but instead they have taken the high road. Their fliers list the many accomplishments of the City Council over the last four years with nary a mention of their opponents at all. That seems to be a very good tactic this time. The Council has accomplished many good things and by ignoring the opponents, Hudson and Livingstone are implying that they are not even worth consideration.
The challengers are also stressing what they can bring to the Council and not throwing much mud at the incumbents. Burr has been critical of the Council's handling of the speed limits in Dougherty Valley and keeping the budget breakdown too much under wraps. Brady has been critical of the City Center plans and the need to support green building in the community, but these are issue-oriented and not personal attacks.
OMG what has happened to politics in San Ramon when everyone is being so nice!


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Tagged: Eddie Cahill
I Have Finally Exhaled
Yes, even though it was fairly certain that the Phillies would reach the postseason, I was somewhat holding my breath the past week or so, given the frequency of poor pitching, sloppy defense, and overall ineptitude that was on display. Yes, I am a pessimist about such things. I think it is genetically coded into all Philadelphia sports fans.
I also hadn't blogged in awhile. Frankly, I don't think well when I'm all tensed up.
So I have finally exhaled. Figuratively, not literally. If I'd actually been holding my breath for that long, I wouldn't be typing this right now, would I? Blood is flowing to my brain again.
The Phillies clinched, then had a big letdown game last night. Oh well. Now we just need to see who our first round opponent will be, the Dodgers or the Rockies. And since they play each other for the final series of the season, it should be interesting.
Introducing Flackmauer
As we are apparently among the minority who don't have Tivo or some such technology, there we were Wednesday night madly flicking back and forth between the ninth inning of the game, and the start of CSI:NY.
After the clinching and subsequent exhaling, my husband started flicking to the Twins/Tigers game during commercials. I was suddenly struck by the resemblance between Twins catcher Joe Mauer, and actor Eddie Cahill, who plays Detective Flack.
Let's see what happens if we put a Twins cap on Eddie:
Why, they could be…twins!
Eddie's even got the sideburns. Then again, a few years ago the Twins gave away Joe Mauer Sideburns as a promotion. Maybe Eddie was at the game that night, too.
(Sports Illustrated photo)


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Padres grab prep speedster Boykin in Round 12
By Jamal Collier / MLB.com
Padres assistant general manager Chad MacDonald called Rod Boykin a tremendous get for the team in the 12th round (358th overall) of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
A center fielder from Edgewood Academy in Alabama, Boykin hit .538 with 56 stolen bases.
"A plus-plus athlete with plus-plus impact speed," MacDonald said.
Boykin has the option of becoming a dual-sport athlete (football) at Alabama State if he doesn't sign with the Padres.
Padres take first lefty, draft Schoenrock in Round 11
Erik Schoenrock, whose father Daron is the coach at the University of Memphis, made the most of his first season in the Tigers' rotation. Schoenrock was 4-2 with a 2.21 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 53 innings this past season as a junior at Memphis, and the Padres selected the left-hander in the 11th round (328th overall) as their first pick on the third day of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
Schoenrock was named Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and beat Marshall right-hander Aaron Blair, who was drafted 36th overall by the D-backs.
Schoenrock was the sixth pitcher drafted by San Diego, but the previous five had all been right-handed.
Schoenrock has a good feel for pitching, attacking hitters with a three-pitch mix. His fastball sits in the upper-80s and touches 91 mph. He also throws a good changeup and a curveball that has the potential to be an above-average offering.
Schoenrock might return to the bullpen as a professional, where he could move quickly as a left-handed specialist.
Friars take junior college pitcher Remillard
The Padres selected pitcher Travis Remillard in the 13th round (388th overall) of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, making him the first junior college player the Friars selected in the Draft.
Remillard went 3-1 with a 4.37 ERA and 33 strikeouts for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in his sophomore season.
Padres go with catcher Miller in 14th round
This year's Draft is thought to have a deep group of catchers, and Ryan Miller was one of them who stood out in the middle rounds. The Padres selected Miller in the 14th round (418th overall) . He has a plus arm and athleticism that scouts believe could help him stick around long-term.
Miller is still a little raw at the plate, but hit .345 and drove in 26 runs while playing for San Bernardino Valley College (Calif.). He does have raw power and above-average speed for a catcher.
If Miller does not sign with the Padres, he has a committment to the University of Nebraska.
Friars pick up another backstop, Dial, in Round 15
The Padres used back-to-back picks on catchers when they selected Tyler Dial in the 15th round (448th overall) of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
Dial was the third consecutive junior college player selected by the Padres after he spent last season at Gulf Coast Community College. He attended Auburn in 2010, but redshirted his first season.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder was a middle-of-the-order hitter for Gulf Coast last season.
Dial attended a Padres workout a couple of weeks ago, and he is expected to sign with the team instead of attending Columbus State next season.
Jamal Collier is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Train Metz → LyonFrom HK$0
Find a Train Ticket
Overview The average travel time between Metz and Lyon is 5h55 minutes. The quickest route is 4h46 minutes. The first train leaving Metz is at 06:06, the last at 16:01. There is an average of 7 trains a day between Metz and Lyon, leaving approximately every 1h30 minutes.
- Departure station : Metz ville ( )
- Arrival station : Lyon part dieu (5, Place Charles Béraudier 69003 Lyon)
Lyon perrache (14, cours de Verdun 69286 Lyon cedex 02)
Why choose us?
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Main stations in Metz and Lyon
Arrival stations
Lyon Part Dieu Train Station
Address: 5, Place Charles Béraudier 69003 LyonOpening hours: Monday to Wednesday : 5:15am to 10pm
Thursday to Friday: 5:15am to 11pm
Saturday: 5:15am to 10pm
Sunday: 5:15am to 11pm
Trains operating in and from this station:
High speed trains (TGV), Intercity trains, Regional trains (TER)
SNCF rail agents, Lost and found, Police station, Lockers, Information Point, Toilets, Luggage storage, Wi-Fi Internet, ATM and Phone cabins.
Lyon Perrache Train Station
Address: 14, cours de Verdun 69286 Lyon cedex 02Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 5am to 12:45am
Saturday and Sunday: 5am to 12:45am
Trains operating in and from this station:
High speed trains (TGV), Regional trains (TER)
SNCF rail agents, Tourist Information Office, Lost and found, Toilets, Waiting rooms, ATM and Public Payphone.
Departure station
Travel inspiration in Metz and Lyon


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"All of us take pride and pleasure in the fact that we are unique, but I'm afraid that when all is said and done the police are right: it all comes down to fingerprints." (David Sedaris)
"People ask if I miss it, but they don't understand that American culture is so ubiquitous that there's nothing to miss. I don't see myself moving back. It's not that I hate the United States. I just always thought it would be a shame not to live in a foreign country. Plus I like being a foreigner. It keeps me on my toes." (David Sedaris, on living in France)


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© 2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Reds eyeing free agents Carroll, Lowry
Jocketty confirms club's interest in infielder, left-hander
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
CINCINNATI -- Although the Reds are working on a budget and are not expected to make a huge splash at the Winter Meetings, general manager Walt Jocketty is still optimistic something would get done. "I'd say I'm hopeful that something will happen," Jocketty said on Saturday at Redsfest. "It makes the week a lot more fun."
Meetings preview Arbitration wrapup
Deals to continue
Jocketty confirmed that his club had interest in a pair of free agents -- infielder Jamey Carroll and left-handed pitcher Noah Lowry."We haven't discussed him at length," Jocketty said of Carroll. "He's gutty and a tough player, a gamer-type of guy that's hard-nosed." Carroll spent the past two seasons with the Indians and batted .276 with two homers and 24 RBIs. He's a lifetime .273 hitter with a .351 on-base percentage since 2002 with the Expos/Nationals, Rockies and Cleveland. Although he didn't play there the past two seasons, Jocketty indicated that he was looking at Carroll as a possible choice for shortstop, where Paul Janish currently is stationed. Carroll played second base, third base and both corner outfield spots in a utility role for Cleveland. But that doesn't mean the Reds are souring on Janish, although they've made their interest in adding someone there known. "If there was somebody that stands out as a good defensive player and a better offensive player, we'd have to be interested," Jocketty said. "But both Dusty and I would be happy with Janish as our shortstop, because defense is so key." Lowry spent five seasons with the Giants but has not pitched since 2007 because of multiple injuries, including a forearm issue that required surgery. In '09, he had a rib removed to relieve soreness in his shoulder and neck brought on by a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome. In his career with San Francisco, Lowry was 40-31 with a 4.03 ERA in 106 games, including 100 starts. He is reportedly healthy, although the Giants bought out his $6.25 million club option for 2010. Jocketty is still looking to negotiate with the agents for arbitration-eligible outfielder Jonny Gomes. There is a Dec. 12 deadline to tender a contract offer. "I haven't had a chance to connect with his agent," Jocketty said. "He's been busy with their free agents." The Reds could have payroll flexibility issues during the winter. Over $64 million is already committed to nine players and the team still has to account for raises and potential arbitration cases for Gomes, Nick Masset and Jared Burton. On Friday, Reds manager Dusty Baker said it had been rather quiet on the Reds Hot Stove front. "There's not much of anything really going on," Baker said. "This is what we're trying to do. We're trying to be creative. We're trying to do whatever we can to keep this team together. We feel that we're close. "There are a lot of teams that are trying to figure out this payroll and budget stuff at the same time in this economy. They're interested in this guy and that guy but they want you to carry his salary while he's playing for somebody else. You're paying him to beat you."
Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Download I.D. Tips
Archilochus colubris
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
Michael Hogan
A flash of green and red, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is eastern North America's sole breeding hummingbird. These brilliant, tiny, precision-flying creatures glitter like jewels in the full sun, then vanish with a zip toward the next nectar source. Feeders and flower gardens are great ways to attract these birds, and some people turn their yards into buzzing clouds of hummingbirds each summer. Enjoy them while they're around; by early fall they're bound for Central America, with many crossing the Gulf of Mexico in a single flight.
Eric S. Liner;
Play Clip
You can attract Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to your backyard by setting up hummingbird feeders or by planting tubular flowers. Make sugar water mixtures with about one-quarter cup of sugar per cup of water. Food coloring is unnecessary; table sugar is the best choice. Change the water before it grows cloudy or discolored and remember that during hot weather, sugar water ferments rapidly to produce toxic alcohol. Be careful about where you put your hummingbird feeders, as some cats have learned to lie in wait to catch visiting hummingbirds. Find out more about what this bird likes to eat and what feeder is best by using the Project FeederWatch Common Feeder Birds bird list.
Find Ruby-throated Hummingbirds by wandering flowering gardens or woodland edges at the height of summer, or by putting up a hummingbird feeder or visiting a friend who keeps them. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are common in suburbs and towns, and can become quite bold, feeding at hanging plants and feeders on your porch or next to your windows.
Watch your feeders and report your counts of hummingbirds to Project FeederWatch
Look for Ruby-throated Hummingbird nests and contribute valuable data about them through NestWatch
The Wonders of Spider Silk: expandable nests
Western Hummingbirds in the East: How to attract, identify, and report late-season vagrants to eBird
Explore sounds and video of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library archive
Attract Birds: Feeding hummingbirds
Ruby-throated Hummingbird from Bent's Life Histories of North American Birds (1940)
All About Birds blog, Flyways for Flyweights: Small Birds Capitalize on Weather Patterns During Epic Migrations, May 15, 2014.
Free downloadable poster about container gardening in urban areas
All About Birds blog, Here's What to Feed Your Summer Bird Feeder Visitors, July 11, 2014.
All About Birds blog, Summertime in the United States of Hummingbirds, July 29, 2014.
Contact the Lab | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site CreditsCopyright © 2015 Cornell University
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. You can unsubscribe at any time. We will never sell or give your email address to others.


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Hell yeah maybe Billups is the one on the verge of dropping 50 tonight ahaha I love it! I always supported Billups as the warrior he is during his slump after the injury this dude is legit just wish his contract wasn't so insane.
We gotta slow down JJ Hickson though. He's their entire offense so far & Knicks starting to pull away & dominate baby! lOVE the effort & energy on defense so far
Wow... Dominating these guys & the Knicks about to MURDER em before it's over & done with!
WOw... letting davis single handidly bring em back..
Yeah @ the last two post.. He put on quite a show in that little spurt
Yeah... Nothing you can do about that @ times. Thats what's made Davis a great player for many of years. His ability to take over, score & once he's hot? He's deadly. Sucks we blew a nice 19 point lead but it's time to gring & blow these guys out.
Just a heads up, Shaq returned tonight for Boston but left in the 2nd with a foot injury, could be serious even though couldnt tell what happened......good news if we have to face them round 1.
EDIT: Its a right calf muscle strain.
Last edited by PaPZ187; Apr 03, 2011 at 19:15.
That midrange fade away to close out the half by Melo was SO good. That was a jordanesque/ kobesque type of shot..
I never root for injuries & I love Shaq... He's the last true Center of the guys I grew up watching since 92. @ one point Shaq was the baby when compared to guys like Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson & Mourning. Even Smitz & DM (greatest shot blocker I've ever seen) all went hard inside the paint. Shaq was blessed with the chance to learn from some of the all-time greats @ the C position. He's the last of the Centers I grew up watching since childhood days. I'll miss that era big time once Shaq is gone for good.
With all that said? I won't complain if the big man never plays another game lol
Comercial Time:
The Denver-Knicks vs Lakers game was great to watch,
holding the Lakers to only 90 points (95-90),
Wilson Chandler defense vs Kobe offense was the crunchtime WIN.
All 4 - Knicks players showed what they couldve did if we didnt have
No-Defense-Damnphony for a headcoach in New York.
Comercial over.....
Sheldon Williams minutes will be a big factor in this Knicks WIN.
Carter have to get some minutes also to shut-down Davis & Sessions
That DEN team has one hell of a Center in Nene. Something the Knicks defense haven't had in ages. A talented & proven center.
Nene, Kenyon Martin, Birdman JR Smith & Ty Lawson make that DEN team. Those Knicks are good players but lets not act like they took over a Nuggets team thats been to the playoffs 7 consecutive seasons. lol. We landed a top 3-5 NBA superstar + Billups who's beating tonight. Melo on pace for 35+ 3 games in a row. Let it go already.
Funny to see the Spurs & Pops stop that 6 game losing streak. Looks like the Knicks aint the only good team who can lose 6 consecutive ;-)


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I installed a Knight Riderz on a 2007 R1200RT and have it wired as follows. I connected a relay in line so the power comes off the aux rear power plug, use the aux ground as well, aux power runs the tail lights, the tail/brake wire triggers the relay to send 12v to the brake side of the Knight Riderz. With this connection the Knight Rider will strobe the lights back in forth when riding and when I hit the brakes the 12v will trigger the relay to turn on the brake light side of the Knight Riderz.
However, I have been told that some times the brake side will stay on. Since there is about 4v for the tail light going to the relay it seems that some times that is enough to keep the relay connection the brake side on. Most of the time the 4v will not trigger the relay and it will release.
Is there some other place I can connect that will provide a brake signal that will be zero when the brakes are not applied and 12v when they are applied. This would be easier to connect on the old three wire tail lights but the new two wire requires some extra work. Any suggestions?


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O.J. Howard is no stranger to the Auburn campus. Howard visited multiple times for home games last fall and returned on Saturday for the Tigers' Junior Day.
Howard spoke with head coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler, and is keeping his options open despite a commitment to Alabama.
"It was probably one of the best visits I've had here," said Howard. "I talked to coach Chizik for the first time in-depth, my parents had some questions answered, it was an overall good visit.
"I've been here a lot, you have to keep your options open. What if someone happened with my commitment to Alabama and I had nobody else to go to?"
Howard, now 6-foot-5, 235-pounds, met extensively with Loeffler about the direction of the Tigers' offense and how the tight-end would be utilized. He was excited about what he heard.
"The best part was sitting down with coach Loeffler for the first time. He's a great guy, he's funny, I love him. He's a down to earth guy that knows a lot about offense," Howard said. "All he talks about is football, he said he loves to use the tight end so I'm going to check that out this upcoming year. He's so creative and he comes up with plays and just puts your name in it like how it would be if you were here."
The nation's No. 35 overall prospect sees an innovative offense in the future where mismatches will be utilized, and Howard believes tight-end his where his future at the next level will be.
"The way he's got it showing looks amazing. It looks fun," said Howard.
A recent hot topic in the world of recruiting has been the emergence of four-year scholarships.
Auburn and Florida both made the decision to extend four-year scholarships starting with the 2012 signing class. Many schools like Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and the entire Big 12 conference recently voted against the emergence of four-year scholarships.
Howard and coach Chizik spoke about Auburn's philosophy toward a four-year commitment and Howard is beginning to understand more about the concept.
"He was saying they gave out four-year offers this year and you never know where you will be," said Howard. "The four-year is guaranteed, but some schools offer a one-year and it's year-by-year. I guess they could cut you if you don't do so good your first year. But the four-year scholarship guarantees you all the way through. I'd rather get a four-year scholarship than a one-year. That's what I like about it."
Howard said he hasn't spoken with Alabama about whether his scholarship would be one-year or four-year, but plans to find out on his next visit to Tuscaloosa.
Four-year scholarships hasn't been the only thing on Howard's mind either. Howard watched as Vigor High School's Darius Philon was forced to switch his commitment from Alabama to Arkansas on signing day after the Crimson Tide ran out of room for the long-time pledge.
Philon wasn't alone, as Georgia running back Justin Taylor, also a long-time Alabama commitment, was offered the option to greyshirt. Taylor instead signed with Kentucky.
"I saw that, I don't know what really happened with it, but I looked at it and wondered could it happen with me?" Howard said. "It probably could, it probably couldn't, but I still take everything like that into consideration."
Howard plans visits to an emerging school of interest in Florida State soon, and possibly Mississippi State, while remaining a firm Alabama commitment.
"I'm still committed to Alabama, but you have to keep your options open," Howard said. "You never know what might happen one day. Auburn is an option for me, everybody is."


text:
Mid Atlantic Social Security Center
300 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Map It!
(Federal Building)
Years Labeled (Rating):
2012 (75)
Facility Type:
Total Floor Space:
Year Constructed:
Building Owner:
United States General Services Administration
Property Manager:
United States General Services Administration
Please note: The building information in this profile was verified and submitted to EPA at the time of application. Building energy performance, operating
characteristics, and ownership/management may be subject to change over time.


text: Image of the Fendahl is fun and scary! And there's a really weird bit in there where Leela, for no reason I've ever been able to fathom, decides to kiss one of the scientists! As I understand it, one of the prerequisites for watching this story is a couch to hide behind... Well... Romana II got a nice, low-cut gothic gown in State of Decay, Tegan shows a lot of cleavage on occasion, and Nyssa went all the way from the "velvet princess" of Keeper of Traken to stripping down to her underwear (thin tank top and very short & miniscule slip) in Terminus. But while the guys may enjoy Peri in a bikini, I've always enjoyed Turlough in shorts! I wonder what the Brigadier would have thought of the later steampunk decor (Paul McGann era and later)!


text:
Ecosystems Can Reduce Risks Caused By Natural Disasters
More research is needed to understand how ecosystems can help reduce disaster risks around the world, according to a report launched in Brussels, Belgium, today.
The World Risk Report 2012 says that human development activities have "massively raised the hazard potential".
It cites the destruction of coral reefs and mangrove forests in South-East Asia — which has reduced protection against flooding and tidal waves — and increased deforestation, which has led to worsening soil erosion and the exacerbation of floods and landslides in Pakistan.
If future development is "poorly done", it will put even more vulnerable people at risk from disasters, the report warns.
But it also outlines an alternative scenario in which the conservation of ecosystems works hand in hand with sustainable development to link disaster risk reduction, environmental and socioeconomic goals.
For example, governments in the Caribbean could focus on coral reef restoration to reduce their exposure to storms, it says.
"Disaster prevention [methods] taking 'green solutions' into account should become a fundamental part of international development negotiations," said Peter Mucke, director of Alliance Development Works, at the launch.
Evidence shows that intact ecosystems can significantly reduce disaster risk, the report says, but these insights have been given "too little attention by politics and science".
There is now a need to "identify places where conservation and restoration of ecosystems represent particularly good solutions for risk reduction". And there is a need for better data and the integration of local studies into international disaster-preparedness plans.
"The new World Risk Report gives us a vivid picture of how environmental destruction on a global scale is increasingly becoming a direct threat to human beings as well," said Mucke.
An increasing number of people around the world are being exposed to floods, drought, earthquakes and cyclones, with more than 4,000 disasters claiming one million victims and costing nearly US$2 trillion in damages between 2002–2011 — with the highest damages in 2011.
The report's WorldRiskIndex used the World Disaster Index's 28 indicators to rank 173 countries by their disaster risk, resulting from a combination of factors, including natural exposure to hazards and low capability to cope and adapt to disasters because of issues such as poor healthcare, research and governance systems.
Regions most at risk — where a high exposure to natural hazards and climate change coincides with vulnerable societies — are in Central America, Oceania, the Southern Sahel and South-East Asia.
Continue reading at Science and Development Network.
Flood image via Shutterstock.


text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 5:28 PM
Town Square
Palo Alto's fiber dreams dealt another blow
Original post made on May 31, 2011
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 5:28 PM
a resident of Palo Verde
on May 31, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Comcast and AT&T may be incumbents but their offerings are absolutely horrible. Internet is unreliable in Comcast's case, and slow in AT&T's case. Both companies have horrendous customer service. The best internet service I've ever had is with Speakeasy, using AT&T's twisted pair lines, but the speeds are abysmal (because of AT&T's lines).
I for one am more than happy to pay $100/month for fast, reliable, non-shared Internet access of 20-30 Mbps. Just give me a simple pipe with fast and reliable bits. That's all I ask. Nobody offers that now.
a resident of another community
on May 31, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Why do you need fast internet or wireless coverage? Just go to one of your dozen libraries!!!
a resident of Community Center
on May 31, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Hi Greg,
I can go to the library and use the internet. But what about carrying my big screen TV to the library.
If you are stuck in time and not progressive your definition of Internet is nothing but browsing.
a resident of Community Center
on May 31, 2011 at 7:54 pm
I signed up for Comcast business class service for my "home office" about 6 months ago (about 13Mbps for $75/month), and have not had a single complaint since. Works just great, and good customer service. I'm guessing that their business class organization is completely separate from their consumer operation.
Unrelated: I live 2 blocks from St. Albert the Great, and am in a complete cell phone dead zone (at least for T-Mobile). I was looking forward to that tower, and am sad the project got killed. Hopefully they manage to get a tower in at the local substation, as that is nearby too.
a resident of Palo Verde
on May 31, 2011 at 8:49 pm
@Chris, I have business class Comcast also. If you have any applications that need consistent always-on connectivity, it still doesn't work. Try running a ping test in the background 24/7 and you will find huge variations in ping times and complete dropouts (lost packets) in short spurts all day long. Even browsing varies hugely in speed. I have made probably about 30 calls to Comcast Business Class Internet tech support, the local techs know me by name (and have given me their emails and cell numbers), and they know when I call about a problem it's usually because something is actually wrong with their network, because I reliably pinpoint it.
Cable is fundamentally a poor medium for reliable service because it's shared; if a neighbor unplugs a cable in their house and doesn't terminate the dangling cable, your line gets noise on it. Eventually Comcast needs to send a tech out to climb the pole and figure out which house is causing the noise, then try to convince the residents to let them in to fix the source.
a resident of Midtown
on May 31, 2011 at 8:53 pm
What a surprise. This city has been having this "dream" since at least 2004.
Problem is that Palo Alto has too many dreams and not enough business plans.
a resident of Crescent Park
on May 31, 2011 at 9:08 pm
"Comparable municipal ventures have failed."
Ample reason for the City of Palo Alto to drop further pursuit of this idea.
a resident of Barron Park
on Jun 1, 2011 at 1:06 am
radioguy is a registered user.
Although not listed in the original article, this is likely a link to the CTC and TVA reports mentioned in the story: Web Link
Overall, I'm disappointed with the quality of the work in both reports. Although CTC claims expertise and "over a decade of experience working with local governments nationwide on cellular towers issues", they appear to have little understanding of cellular communications infrastructure. One of CTC key recommendations is that the City build 100 foot monopole towers on the site of 9 electrical substations and lease space to cell phone providers. Unfortunately, none of these sites provides an adequate "fall zone" for such a structure. While there is no doubt structural some engineer who might sign off on a "self collapsing" design, placing such a tower next to a critical electrical distribution point in a major earthquake zone is, to put it kindly, insane. Generally, fall zones are 110% of the tower height with the requirement that the tower fall completely within the area or property lines of the site. This is why cell companies love placing towers in churches - the fall zone problem is mitigated by the supporting church structure.
CTC claims that each 100 foot tower could be built for approximately $75,000. Although the costs vary widely, it's helpful to know that the 140' ECOMM monopole next to the Los Altos police station cost roughly $350,000 Note, a fraction of this cost was used for radio equipment and the tower cost doesn't vary linearly with height. But, CTC's estimate is irresponsibly optimistic.
Both reports make much of the "4.9 GHz Public Mobile Safety Band" and opportunity to use the monopole site at electrical substations to build out a public safety network using this band. This must be old material borrowed and recycled into this report from previous work. All interest in public safety mobile broadband is focused entirely on the new 700 MHz spectrum which became available with the switch to digital TV. Public safety organizations are now lobbying Congress for the adjacent "D Block" to enlarge their spectrum footprint in this band. The consensus is that the 700MHz spectrum will be used for "public safety only" LTE network. In fact, the SF Bay Area is currently the only place in the country with an LTE testbed using this spectrum. There is little interest in 4.9 GHz anywhere in the country, now or in the future.
a resident of Midtown
on Jun 1, 2011 at 9:01 am
When we moved here a couple of years ago, I was shocked when AT&T could only offer the lowest tier of DSL at our home.
We had ordered the highest level, but it never worked. So, we called the AT&T techs.
After a week of speaking with local and phone AT&T techs, we were finally told that the lines in Palo Alto are just "old." They were only able to support the lowest tier of bandwidth (768 Kbps). A year later, we were told that they had finally improved to where we could purchase the next tier up (1.5 Mbps)
I thought that it was ironic that we could get the highest level of DSL from the rural home that my husband and I rented in Texas during grad school (located several miles outside of town), but we could only access the lowest tiers of service right off of Alma St. in Palo Alto -- the heart of the Silicon Valley.
We considered moving over to Comcast. However, we have Comcast Digital Cable and we see periodic hesitations and pixelations that my husband believes are caused by bad bandwidth.
We were hoping that Palo Alto would be a leader in faster internet. After all, we are the home of HP, Facebook, Stanford and other major tech giants.
a resident of Midtown
on Jun 1, 2011 at 10:13 am
Thanks, radioguy, for your critique of the consultant's report.
One of the many problems with Palo Alto hiring consultants (for seemingly every project) is that no one on staff has the expertise to judge the consultants. This became obvious to me years ago when the city re-did its website for $250K. The result was a disaster and it was clear from employees' defense of the site that they didn't know diddly about websites. It took years – with the help of a citizens' committee – to make some basic fixes.
JA3+ notes that the fact that "Comparable municipal ventures have failed" is ample reason for the city to drop the idea.
These failures were known and pointed out to the city council many years ago, but folks at City Hall continue to believe that Palo Alto is "special" and has nothing to learn from other lesser communities. It's part of the Kool-Aid culture.
a resident of another community
on Jun 1, 2011 at 10:24 am
I've been incredibly happy with Comcast, both with their product and with their customer service. The only gripe I have is that it's expensive.
a resident of Downtown North
on Jun 1, 2011 at 10:47 am
I completely agree how shocking it is to be in the "heart of Silicon Valley" and have such poor bandwidth. AT&T along with Comcast have horrific customer service. Let's face it if we behaved the way they do, we'd likely be fired from our jobs. I've had both Comcast & at&t(DSL) and finally have settled on AT&T because 1)I don't have to keep calling them every 3-12 months to get a new "deal" to bring the price down and 2) for the price I'm settling for the the intermittent service. Maybe the other cities have failed in this venture but one reason is because the telecommunication giants already have spent their (your) money on infrastructure decades ago and the city has to spend the money NOW. not very fair is it? So we settle for suboptimal service. I mean really, I'm paying AT&T 30 bucks a month to run a couple of electrons down a wire? come on!
a resident of Monroe Park
on Jun 1, 2011 at 12:13 pm
I think we need a "public option" for Internet connection. Comcast and AT&T have a fudiciary responsibility to their shareholders to maximize duopolistic pricing up to the threshold of antitrust enforcement.
Internet access should be like water access. Why not fund it out of City revenues and make it free at the basic level? Higher-bandwidth connections could still generate revenues.
a resident of Midtown
on Jun 1, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Julius: Why not have the city provide "free" water, gas and electricity too?
City services are not "free." We're all paying for them with our tax dollars. And in case you hadn't noticed, the city doesn't know how to run a business or make money.
a resident of Mountain View
on Jun 1, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Palo Alto ( and most of the South Bay ) has some of the oldest operating switchgear that was originally put in by the original Western Electric Bell System.
The dirty secret is that your " Baby Bell " has no intention of upgrading the infrastructure; they keep the existing setup operational by swapping ( semi ) operational line amps at the CO. I had a long talk with the VP of Operations ( a hardware techie ) of one of the " independent " providers. This talk was the result of getting the same lousy DSL service ( yes, the problem was on the pole and the techs were the same lousy ones I had to deal with earlier ).
They have to rely on the same equipment and service and are just as frustrated at the aging equipment problem.
You have a perfect trunk setup for F/O, the CALTRAIN right of way, but your service provider will not spend the $$$ to use it.
The PUC SHOULD get involved, but too many are in the pockets of the people they are supposed to regulate.
Qworst finally has a bunch of dark fiber; they will hook it up when they feel the rates they are allowed makes it profitable.
When the $$$ are enough, your Baby Bell MIGHT make the investment. Until then, think of Ernestine's typical response: " We don't have to, we are the Phone Company "...
a resident of Midtown
on Jun 1, 2011 at 3:31 pm
If the city does bring in fiber to more residences later on, I for one want the right to choose whether or not to be connected. I don't trust the city not to hike the rates for fiber after a while--just the way we're now being punished for minimizing our garbage output.
a resident of Ventura
on Jun 2, 2011 at 1:50 am
Ironically, Palo Alto's municipal administration is not entrepreneurial. There has *never* been support for fiber from City Hall - never. Sure, they hire consultants, but the consultants either come up with lame business plans or suggest that there is too much "risk".
There was a time when Palo Alto had a chance to deploy fiber for universal Palo Alto access; that time is past. The lack of ingenuity (of past City Administrations - including the current one - and City Councils)has taken its toll. We're now in a structural resetting mode because Silicon Valley is no longer the goose that lays all the golden eggs. Competitive advantage? Not so hot any more.
Sure, Palo Alto will remain prominent due to its proximity to Stanford, and the nostalgia attached to the "startup game" (Palo Alto is no longer "startup central").
That said, Comcast, ATT and Verizon are thieves; they pay off our government officials to guarantee their oligopoly pricing models. Look who just became the President (or CEO) of Comcast - a highly placed *sitting* FCC official. Does that surprise you?
City Hall? Forget City Hall taking on any risk at all. Remember, the City Manager governs at the pleasure of City Council. Do you really think that Palo Alto's Executive will risk a cushy $250K+ job and benefits on something that *might* go wrong? Seriously folks, what are you smoking? Same goes for School Superintendents.
Go out and look around - see what top Education and Municipal officials are up to. What do they invent? Invention isn't their job. Maintaining the status quo - along with their plush salaries - is their job. That goes for those who surround them in the higher up circle.
Past City Councils can also be put to task for this loss; they were slow to act when we had the impetus and cash to try something. They and the accompanying Administrations didn't want to rock the boat.
Can you get 805 of Palo Altans to vote for fiber - like they have done for school bonds and the library? Those are the kinds of numbers that City Administrations like, because it means that there is a clear mandate w/o going out on a limb - even a thick limb. I mean, what are you gonna do if you lose your $250+K job to a boondoggle that nobody asked for. Get real, folks!
Eventually, perhaps America will permit overseas bandwidth providers to tap into our markets. Don't hold your breath. Until then, America will continue to decline in broadband market penetration relative to most of the rest of the developed world; American politicians will keep taking money form the telcos to make that happen; and, American municipalities will hide under the sheets because they all know that they're screwed, long-term, re: the cushy ride that they've had for the last 30-40 years. It's the latter - assumed guaranteed - good times that lulled everyone into a sense of "this is going to last forever". Well, those chickens are now coming home to roost.
What does all this mean? It means that we're not as smart as we thought we were - and were way less adaptive than we thought we were. Eventually, as constraints increase and we continue into slow free fall, some areas of government and our citizenry will venture out to take real risks again, because there won't be as much mythic power and status to loose (and it is "mythic" because it's just not there any more - I mean who outside of Palo Alto really thinks that Palo Alto is the locus of power these days. Not anyone (of import) that I know - and I get around.
The only way you're going to see fiber in this town is to find someone with cash to put that cash down on the table, to start the whole thing up. Why not tap Mark Zuckerberg; maybe you can catch up with him on his way back from his latest pig or goat slaughter?
a resident of Ventura
on Jun 2, 2011 at 1:52 am
meant to say "80% of Palo Altans"
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 2, 2011 at 8:22 am
> "There is no compelling case for providing fiber service directly to
> residents at this time," consultant Stephen Blum of Tellus concluded
> in his report. "Palo Alto is served by large incumbent retail video
> and broadband service providers that enjoy decisive competitive
> advantages resulting from economies of scale.
This has been true for a long time. Sad that no one on the City Council could see this by themselves. Kind of makes one wonder what good a City Council this ignorant is to the well being, and prosperity, of a town like this one?
> Comcast, ATT and Verizon are thieves; they pay off our
> government officials to guarantee their oligopoly pricing models.
Well .. maybe. But if the Telcos are "theives" for "paying off government officials" .. what does that make government officials who take their money? And wouldn't these be the same government officials that would be in charge of a government-provided telephone/cable system?
> Can you get 805 of Palo Altans to vote for fiber - like they
> have done for school bonds and the library?
Firstly, the "voters" passed those revenue bonds--not the residents. Generally, less than 25% of the residents voted for these expenditures. Business owners were given no votes. Upwards of 50% of the residents are renters, who pay no property taxes directly, and another 20% of the voters are "grandfathered-in" seniors, who pay less than $1,500 a year in property taxes--leaving the newer residents who pay $10,000-$30,000 a year to actually pay for these public projects.
Fiber-to-the-Home is nice, but very expensive. One can be sure that the people pushing it will benefit handsomely, while others will end up paying the bill.
> fiber in this town ..
Well, maybe .. but the reality is that Palo Alto has become a retirement community .. at least for the foreseeable future, and older folks just don't need a Internet service at 1-GaZizzabyte/sec. There are possibilities that might make this sort of thing desirable, but we are seeing strong competition for providing these services with smart phones. Fiber means "being home" to use it. Cell phones allow people to move about--which is a lot more desirable to being home to use your telephone and have Internet access.
The Telcos can provide VDSL to most of their customers--offering up to 100 mbps easily. But the market needs to be there .. and for most people--Video on Demand seems to be about the only use they can find for paying for that sort of bandwidth ..
FTTH may someday be available to new housing projects, and could be easily retrofitted into apartment buildings .. but there will need to be a huge shift in the way people think about how they spend their money in order to justify this shift. To be specific, America needs to want to buy on-line, rather than in local stores. This, of course, is disruptive. We've seen the decline of local book stores with the current level of service available to consumers. We will see a decline in the need for local libraries with the shift to digital distribution. With increased bandwidth, we could see very intelligent applications emerge, which might allow us to purchase clothes on-line, by using images of ourselves as models, and the rendering software showing us in the clothes are interested in. What will this do to local economies, and tax bases?
Palo Alto will survive without FTTH. Most of the businesses already have been offered City-run Fiber services, and about 99.9% have said: "No Thanks!".
Getting the City out of telecommunications oversight/regulation, and letting the private sector do its job will be the way for us to get higher bandwidth sooner.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 2, 2011 at 9:02 am
Internet service is really behind the times in Palo Alto.
We have extended family in other parts of the world who have far superior choices and various options for charges. We have an either/or with no real options for upgrades.
Fast internet is now a utility as important as water, power, sewage and trash removal, and less important than land lines or cable tv. Everywhere else seems to understand that except Silicon Valley.
Modern tvs, security systems, and even cars, are internet ready but not available to us due to the poor internet infrastructure.
I don't care about the excuses. We are behind 3rd world countries once again when it comes to 21st century technology and transport availability.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 2, 2011 at 9:43 am
Here's an example of the kinds of interference that the Telcos have in "big government" towns like Palo Alto--
AT&T's TV plans don't click, advocates say:
Web Link
Who cares where the PEG channels are located? Virtually no one watches them anyway.
Each Comcast customer pays $0.88 a month, generating about $327,000 for the Community Media Center each year, according to Cavallo. In 2006, the city received franchise fees of $581,000, a city report states.
Comcast customers have every right to be angry about having to pay "government" (and its "country cousin" the Media Center for services that are of value to very few people.
One wonders if the fact that AT&T is not considered to be a "Cable" company where its data/video services are concerned (ie--forced to pay the City to do business here), that maybe there would not be as much opposition to its U-Verse service (that comes with higher data rates), as there has been by the unaccountable City of Palo Alto Government.
a resident of Downtown North
on Jun 3, 2011 at 9:43 am
"letting the private sector do its job will be the way for us to get higher bandwidth sooner."
So what's stopping AT&T and Comcast from installing high bandwidth lines? Why, the Private Sector, of course. The investment would take a big hit on their current balance sheets, and Wall Street doesn't like big hits on balance sheets. It's much safer and short term profitable to stonewall the customers and collect monthly fees. After all, where else you gonna go? Who else has the infrastructure?
Anybody remember all those promises about the benefits of deregulation? Nice, weren't they?
a resident of Downtown North
on Jun 4, 2012 at 5:57 pm
You all should just get Clear WiMax. We just got it to supplement inet access at a small business in downtown PA, and are getting consistent 9000 kbps download speed at $50/month. This even endures steady for large (1 GB) downloads, some providers will lower the speed as the download proceeds (they advertise a slower speed, but I think we must be near a tower.)
Also, previous experience at home with Comcast has been great. Upgrade your service to the "Blast" level, I get around 30 Mbps, sometimes 36. Isn't that enough? What do you guys want? They also offer higher levels for more $ of course. I do not notice outages or slowdowns at all, but perhaps my neighborhood doesn't use it as much - previously at a different address I did have cable-neighborhood related slowdowns.
a resident of another community
on Dec 30, 2012 at 10:39 am
I would suggest that everyone interested in the future of Palo Alto as a leader read Susan Crawfords new book Captive Audience. Here is a youtube of her describing the book.
Web Link
a resident of Midtown
on Dec 31, 2012 at 11:41 pm
AT&T is now on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce. Hold on to
your wallets.
Shiyama Clunie, a new Director, is the Area Manager for AT&T's External Affairs department, where she is charged with maintaining AT&T's position as a good corporate citizen in the communities it serves. Shiyama is currently leading AT&T's effort to improve wireless service in Palo Alto, an important goal for Palo Alto businesses and residents alike.


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