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The Higgs boson explains why particles have mass -- and in turn why we exist. Without the boson, the universe would have no physical matter, only energy.
The cosmological implications are hotly debated. Can God fit in a scientific story of creation?
The answer is "no" for Lawrence M. Krauss, an Arizona State University theoretical physicist. He argued in Newsweek that the Higgs boson discovery "posits a new story of our creation" independent of religious belief.
"With enough data, physics would make God obsolete, he said. "If we can describe the laws of nature back to the beginning of time without any supernatural shenanigans, it becomes clear that you don't need God."
What will be enough evidence for science to prove that there is no god?.
I had stated in another conversation about this that no matter what science proves, the religious will just say that it is still some divine intervention. God allowed us to see this etc. etc. instead of simply showing himself. Groan!.
"Alternative medicine guru Deepak Chopra said in a YouTube video that the boson hints at a divine interconnectedness of all things.
"It only strengthens the notion that the universe comes out of a nothingness which is everything," he said."
At the end of the day, even a slap in the face does not wake people up. They ask us to prove the lack of existence of god, we give it to them in so many instances and yet they still choose to be delusional simply based on feelings rather than facts.
As usual with Huffington Post news stories, I always encourage you to read the comments as this is where most of the action happens.
Also: 9 Great Nonbelievers In U.S. History
Views: 1636
How much proof is enough? For a strongly religious person, it appears there will never be enough. Personally, I had enough scientific proof a long time ago. For me, god has been disproven beyond any reasonable doubt. Way beyond.
A lot of people here keep saying we've disproved "God" with this and that. You know, Sam Harris once explained that he's an ignostic. Ignosticism aims to define the word "God" before any discussion or debate takes place. Although, no one has cared to define what they mean by "God," I have to assume when people type "God," of course, they're referring to the Abrahamic God or the God of those religions which have their basis in Islam, Christianity, Judiasm or Hebraism or what most people may refer to as "western religion." And that's fine... After all, generally, most English-speaking atheists reside in the U.S. or Europe where, by and large, the majority of religion practiced is some form of "western religion."
In my experience, most atheists I meet often couch their atheism towards western religion, and so when you hear most atheists use the word "God" without defining it, they almost always are referring to how God is thought about in western religion, and most (not all, but most) usually never have an idea of how "God" is thought about in eastern religion, which is practically antipodal in terms of how religion operates in contrast to the west. For instance, God in eastern religion is not imagined to be an entity, for starters, and that really boggles the mind of atheists instilled with concepts from western religion. Here's a brief example below of the eastern conception of "God" (listen out for the final Self), and I'll leave a more thorough example for anyone who has the leisure time or listens to this stuff at work, etc.
The way the divine is thought about in eastern religion is completely compatible with things like evolution, The Big Bang, etc. and physicists such as Brian Greene and Michio Kaku often use concepts in eastern religion in their analogies about String Theory or M-Theory. Well, anyway, I just thought I'd point that out, and if anyone is interested in comparative religion, I'd highly recommend this talk given by Alan Watts. It's a very good listen and is aimed towards a western audience that is more or less ignorant of eastern religion. And here's the link...
I agree with you here about how god is thought about it western religion. Without sounding agnostic, if there is indeed some kind of 'entity' controlling the universe, the earth and everything then how we have perceived it is ridiculous, the worshipping, rules and regulations etc. I do not know much at all about eastern religions but still find the concept of a god creating everything impossible.
I don't know much about eastern religions, but they sound just as made-up as the rest, so until I see good evidence that any are correct, I'm not going to waste any more of my time studying them.
That's rather sweeping. I don't know much of other eastern religions, but Shinto does... two, to begin with: Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto. It's very common for humans to have creation myths, not that it gives credence to any validity whatsoever. I highly doubt the average Japanese citizen actually believes in the creation myth from Shinto. However, most do think of it as an important part of their heritage, much the same way people do of the ancient Greek and Roman myths in the West.
The religions who take their creation myths seriously today will once join that of the ancient religions who leave myths for psychologists and anthropologists to nit-pick through aeons down the line.
It took me coming to Japan and seeing how they view religion to appreciate some aspects of the xian myth. The religion still frustrates me as well as the fundamentalism that spews forth from it, but it doesn't get to me like it used to.
Proof turns out to be a rather rare commodity in the world and appears to always depend on assumptions which themselves are unproved. I don't expect any proof of the existence or non-existence of God.
My own viewpoint is that religious statements have no cognitive meaning, in particular it is impossible to define the term god in any sensible way. The qualities usually attributed to God cannot be attributed to anything else we know and hence are themselves undefined or mere negations. In other words we don't know what omnipotent means in real terms and the same is true for other attributes.
I wonder if Chang pointed out that eastern religions do not have a place for a God as a metaphysical being that is a "creator of everything," because of Sandi's statement. It's common for people to have these sort of misconceptions about eastern religion. It may be because things like Buddhism and Christianity are both regarded as "religions," and since we have categorically labelled these things with this umbrella term "religion," then one may have the misconception that Buddhism must be something like Christianity since they are both regarded as a "religion," which is not the case at all, and I wonder if that's what Sandi had done.
Idaho Spud said, "They sound as made-up as the rest," which also seems to come from this misconception that "all religions are alike." That all religions are "made up." Eastern religion is very different in this aspect. It is not "made up" in the way religious language in western religion is often thought to be "made up." Allan mentioned "proof" and sort of succumbed to a theological noncognitivism, it seemed, in that words like omnipotent cannot be attributed to anything we know.
I don't know if anyone's ever heard of Perennial Philosophy or read Aldous Huxley's book on it, but I'm going to try and summarize that take, which I find very interesting and may shed light on some of these religious concepts. If you think about what Hinduism or Buddhism is, essentially, or the "goal" of the religion, so to speak, is ultimately a phenomenon in consciousness which they have given many names, i.e. samadhi, satori, nirvana, moksha, sunyata, etc. And the entire scripture of eastern religion consist of hymns or poems written by those who've had this experience or philosophical dialogue between either a disciple (someone seeking this phenomenon) and a guru (a teacher who has had this phenomenon occur) or multiple gurus.
So, you see, the point there is that they're not simply abstractions from the imagination or something that's made up in that way, the religious terms or attributes are words that were used to describe this peculiar phenomenon. This experience is, in a sense, a kind of "proof." However, it's not a "personal experience" as when a Christian says, "Oh, well, I feel God in my heart," the sort of comment which would prompt Matt Dillahunty to say, "Maybe you should go see a doctor." It's often described as an impersonal or transpersonal experience, because there's motifs within the experience that cannot be reduced to the individual. It's related more to what Jung called the "collective unconscious." It's a very powerful and colossal transformation of consciousness, and when you have it, you'll know without an iota of doubt that what you're experiencing is orders of magnitude different from your ordinary consciousness.
Now, what Perennial Philosophy is proposing, Perennial Philosophy of the sort that Aldous Huxley wrote so eloquently about and Alan Watts spoke so articulately about, is that this so-called experience that Hinduism and Buddhism is based on ultimately transcends the religion itself, because it is ultimately a phenomenon in consciousness that everyone has the potential for, and you don't necessarily have to be part of a religion to get it. Religion is a kind of by-product which follows when someone has this experience. More contemporarily, this experience has been referred to as "Cosmic Consciousness" by the author Richard M. Bucke who wrote extensively on this topic, "peak experience" by Abraham Maslow or "ego death" by those who've taken the entheogenic path to this experience. So, what Perennial Philosophy posits is that Christ (if he was a real person), Gautama, Mohammed, etc. were all regular human beings, just like you and I, who've all had this colossal experience of cosmic consciousness, and then each went on to become the founder of a religion.
And though Christianity isn't anything like Buddhism, Alan Watts made some interesting points about this, and I'll quote him below:
Now, let's suppose then that Jesus had such an experience, but you see, Jesus has a limitation. That he doesn't know of any religion other than those of the immediate near east. He might know something about Egyptian religion, a little bit maybe about Greek religion, but mostly about Hebrew. There is no evidence whatsoever that he knew anything about Indian or Chinese religion. - Alan Watts: Jesus and His Religion
That's a quote taken from Watts talk on Perennial Philosophy, which I'll link here. The point he was attempting to make is that since Christ was influenced by those religions and philosophies of the near east (the geographical area he may have roamed), he then has interpreted this experience through the filter of those various religions and philosophies. This may be why he'd refer to himself as the "holy son," since the religions of the near east were some form of monotheisms. Gautama, on the other hand, grew up in India where Hinduism was the presiding religion, and Hinduism more or less was cognizant of this phenomenon, and so Gautama was able to elucidate it and simplify Hinduism into Buddhism, which is basically Hinduism stripped of its essentials.
I do realize I said I was going to summarize Perennial Philosophy, but I don't think I could have been so succinct in explaining the essence of this position, but to say a little something about the nature of this experience... You often hear these obscure terms in religion such as omnisicience, omnipotent, agapé, etc., well low and behold, all these things suddenly become manifest in this experience, but before I get some people rolling their eyes, let me try and elaborate. Omniscience is often thought to be a kind of intellectual all-knowingness that is ascribed to a metaphysical entity of some sort, sort of like a super computer with all the answers. Well, it doesn't really work like that in this experience, it's instead a kind of omniscience through intuition. It's not as though you can be asked any question at the height of this experience, and be able to answer, because it's strictly and purely intuitive. There is also a powerful maternal-like love that could be equated to agapé, so on and so forth. This experience is often said to be "ineffable," nevertheless people like me attempt to describe it, but ultimately words pay no justice and to truly understand it, I believe it's necessary to experience it for yourself.
Now, I'm going to throw another wrinkle into this that will make all these fairly ambiguous things sound a little more plausible. Perhaps some people here are familiar with the work of Dr. Rick Strassman. Strassman believes that the neurological cause for these type of experiences may be a result of an induction of N,N-DMT in the conscious state of a individual. DMT is an abbreviation for N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, a naturally occurring neurotransmitter that we all possess behind our eyebrows. It is speculated to be produced in the pineal gland which sits right in between the two hemispheres of the brain as the pineal gland contains all the necessary constituents to enzymatically produce DMT. DMT is also the most potent psychedelic compound known to exist in nature, even more powerful than LSD, psilocybin, salvia, peyote, etc. is DMT. DMT has been studied to spike during the REM stage of sleep which is when the heavy dreams are taking place. It's been speculated to be released during the near-death-experience which would account for the "white light" or the "I saw my life flash before my eyes" phenomena.
N,N-DMT, despite it occurring naturally in our brain, is schedule I illegal in most countries. DMT also occurs throughout most plants and mammals. Shamans in South America have been using a brew they call "ayahuasca" for thousands of years. It's the vine of one plant and the leaves of another. The vine contains an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) and the leaf contains a high conentration of N,N-DMT. Graham Hancock discusses it a bit here:
DMT cannot be taken orally, because there is enzymes in your gut that will break it down before it gets into your blood stream and passed the blood-brain barrier, however the MAOI can suppress these enzymes and cause the DMT to be orally active. Prior to the whole psychedelic era of the '60s and '70s, DMT was extracted in laboratories or basically through anyone's kitchen with a sufficient knowledge in chemistry, and smoked. The experience when smoked only last about 5-10 minutes and after about 30 seconds, you're propelled into a world of 100% hallucination, reality is entirely replaced for about 2 minutes, then you come down in the remaining of the 5 to 10 minutes none the worse for wear. It's a very profound experience, and when someone has it, when they're asked to describe it afterwards, they often reach for the most "profound" thing they know in order to describe it. So, if you're religious, you might say, "I saw God," if you're atheist, you may say,"I glimpsed a higher dimension," if you're a UFO nut, you might say, "I was abducted!" In either case, something transcendent, profound, and interconnected is felt by the individual. People often say in the experience, "It felt as though there was an omniscient presence" or "I felt a profound love like no other," but the point is, no one really comes back, "Oh, it's merely a hallucination. My brain was playing tricks on me!" That's basically the response you get from those you've never had this experience, let alone experienced "hallucination," so as Graham Hancock points out in that video, it's merely a prejudice to call it that when most people don't know what a hallucination truly is. This experience is not to be confused with what's seen on tv or in movies, pink elephants and prancing leprechauns. It's not at all like that. It's too profound of an experience, this is definitely not a recreational thing that's done for "fun." If you do not "come down" from this experience, you can be liable to commit suicide, it's that radical and terrifying. Terence McKenna was once asked, "Is DMT dangerous?" his response, "Only if you fear death by astonishment." However, if someone wants to denounce it as "hallucination," that's fine, however even if someone wants to believe it can be reduced to that, then I still believe that this should be looked at very closely and may demystify the mysteriousness of religion. And to truly put it to the test, try seeking this experience, I'll leave link below that describe typically what happens and some precautions.
Well, I realize this post is getting a little long now, so I'm going to have to close it somehow... I suppose it's worth mentioning that things like LSD and psilocybin (the psychoactive compound in psychedelic mushrooms) are related to DMT, and the entire reason why things like LSD and psilocybin have such a profound effect on your consciousness is because they're structurally related to neurotransmitters that are already inside you, and so it's not as though you're entering completely foreign neurotransmitters into your synapses. For instance, the full chemical name for psilocybin is O-phosphoryl-4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Notice the DMT molecule attached at the end there?
SO, basically, the implication is that Jesus, Siddartha, etc. may have had this experience. It may have happened naturally for Christ, while Gautama may have induced it through meditation. Strassman speculates in his book "DMT: The Spirit Molecule" that the meditation synonymous with Zen or quietism may be a way for producing this natural induction of DMT in a conscious state. Well, if anyone's interested, I'll leave a couple of links below that pertain to all of these things I've mentioned here.
Sam Harris describes his experiences involving psychedelics:
Terence McKenna describes a typical "5 dried gram" experience involving psilocybin mushrooms. A dose he nicknamed the "heroic dose."
Now, here's some interesting ones that are definitely worth it. The very first two interviews here are not just entertaining, but educating concerning all that I've mentioned and more. Terence McKenna is interviewed by Art Bell.
You might find additional supporting evidence in the writings of the French author Romaine Rolland, who wrote the ten volume novel Jean-Christophe and won the Nobel prize for literature. Rolland described what he called the oceanic feeling in his correspondence with Freud and which he had distilled from his study of Eastern mysticism. Rolland considered it the fount of religious energy and viewed its experiencing as sufficient in itself to support the reality of religion absent any doctrinal content—which I take it to be the point you are making. Freud did not experience this feeling, but discusses it in The Future of An Illusion.
As an interesting aside, Freud argues somewhere that if a drug can induce an intense state of pleasurable sensation it could only be because the body itself produces substances which do the same. This was long before the discovery of dopamine, etc.
Yes, that link I left on my previous posts mentions briefly the "oceanic feeling," but Watts attributed to Freud. Now, I see that Freud simply popularized it. I was unaware of Rolland coining it. I'm going to look into his work now, thanks.
Yes, I don't believe Freud ever had this experience, it would have been interesting if he had, I think he would've taken his work in an entirely different direction and perhaps even psychedelics might be more legal in the psychiatric field than they are today. Jung, I believe, had a suspicion that there was something deeper to look for in eastern mysticism, and had even scheduled to visit with Sri Ramana Maharshi, a famous guru in India that lived during his time, but unfortunately Jung died before ever getting the opportunity.
You mentioned that Freud said that it must be that drugs can have this sort of effect on our consciousness, then it must be that we possess it as well. Are you familiar with DMT, if not by smoking it, but the existence of it?
Yes, you see, this position isn't necessarily arguing for a "God," it only points to a phenomenon in consciousness, and I believe that religion and all its conceptions are a kind of by-product of this experience. Now, of course, this experience does not account for all deities or even perhaps all religions, as some deities, I'd wager, were born out of the plenum of the imagination, but usually, they're quite trivial conceptions of a "God," as in some of the ones Dawkins likes to mention like the Great JuJu who lives on the mountain top or what-have-you, but the more profound notions of the divine, such as Brahman in Hinduism can definitely be attributed to this experience.
>>Are you familiar with DMT, if not by smoking it, but the existence of it?
No, I haven't used any psychedelics and don't know anything about them other than their existence.
Well, I was just curious. I was asking if you were familiar with DMT in particular, all other psychedelics aside. In a sense, we all use DMT, since it's a part of our normal neurochemistry, so we've all had a "psychedelic."
Strassman speculates in his book "DMT: The Spirit Molecule" that DMT may be responsible for the hallucinatory nature of the dream. However, if you've ever listened to an account of someone describing the DMT experience when smoked or when taken in the form of ayahuasca, it vastly exceeds any dream you could ever conjure up. It's almost as though you're witness to the fountain of the dream energy itself, the source of all dreams.
Michio Kaku, the renowned astrophysicist, discusses and writes about String Theory so laymen such as myself can attempt to grasp the concept, however tenuously. He once compared the idea of "Brahman" in Hinduism to the "10 dimensional hyperspace" in String Theory. I'll quote Kaku on his notion of this "hyperspace," but expressed in religious lingo as he puts it: "God is cosmic music resonating in 10-dimensional hyperspace." - Michio Kaku
It's always 10 or 11 in which these M-Theorists or String Theorists place this theory on, but the point is, whether it's 10 or 11, but for purposes of this explanation, let's just say it's 10… Rob Bryanton at the 10thdim channel on YouTube put it like this, "Think of the 10-dimensional hyperspace as a 'place where all possibilities are contained'." So, what Kaku means by "cosmic music," as in music, you don't play all notes on your instrument at once, you select notes. Well, what String Theory is trying to say or my interpretation of it is that our reality right now is a partial sectioning (the selected notes) of this 10-dimensional hyperspace (all the potential notes) in just the same way a plane is a partial sectioning of a cone when it transects it. So, what's meant by the "all possibilities are contained" in that metaphor is that the potentiality is all "already there," in a sense. Now, isn't it interesting that this is exactly what the "Brahman" is in Hinduism. Brahman is described as being a timeless, unchanging, ultimate ground of being that lies behind the apparent multiplicity of the phenomenal world.
Perhaps all this sounds too familiar if you've read into the work of Romain Rolland. I stayed up last night reading all that I could find on Romain and his relationship with Freud, and even Freud's take on it. Freud tried pinning it on a "primitive ego-feeling." The Buddha once said all that's demanded from the devotee is nothing less than the extinction of the ego, perhaps Freud could not let that go.
The point of mentioning M-Theory was that it can be made synonymous with Romain mentioned, "The fountain of religion," because the fountain of religion would produce such concepts as God, the soul, the spirit, likewise the fountain of the dream would be the source of all dreams, no matter how wild or lucid they may be, and these things may be one and the same.
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Two for one post.
I wore a tie to work yesterday and I successfully managed to ride my bicycle with it on during the afternoon commute. Of course, I was also wearing a bright yellow jacket which zipped over the tie, so perhaps the neckwear's more notorious potential effects were abated.
I don't normally think of a the drivers of black BMWs are the kind of people who would put on their hazard lights to warn the people behind them of a crossing group of deer, including at least two baby deers, but the one in front of me at the base of the New Mexico hill did and I appreciated his or her cautionary efforts. This runs counter to my belief that were life just like Bambi that BMW drivers would be the hunters.
Bad traffic on 34th, but at least there's bike lanes. Not that that makes a difference when half of the road is closed, including the sidewalk, which I only found out after riding a little on the sidewalk because the bike lanes were blocked. At one point, I hit a bump and my front light flew off. That was inconvenient. Time for a new front light?
When I got to the jersey barriers blocking the street, I decided that rather than wait the interminably long length of time it would take for cars to get through the intersection to allow me enough space to ride through that instead I would just lift my bike onto the my shoulder, hoist it up over the jersey barrier and carry it past the car in front of me, placing it down in bike bike lane just beyond. These are the kind of things you do (or can do) when you have the ready excuse of owning a cyclocross bike. Cause lifting bikes past cars and over concrete barriers is what they do in cyclocross, right?
I arrived at Rosslyn and had a great time at the #bikeDC happy hour. The usual suspects (@Blacknell, @BikeArlington, Dave Kirschner) and the chance to meet some people that I know of from the interwebs (@JDAntos, @SwimBikeRunDC, @Zanna_Leigh, @ countless others whose nametags I couldn't read) and a good time was had. Among the topics of discuss included: triathletes and why they're _____ (insert praiseworthy or disparaging term depending on perspective), the joy that is Robin Hood Men in Tights and Cary Elwes' subsequent lack of career, the lack of widespread appeal of this blog, living on Capitol Hill, those shoes that look like feet, and potential of an all CaBi throwdown super-race (with skin suits and aerohelmets) at Hains Point to determine, once and for all, who's the 'fastest' rider in DC, if not the universe. This NEEDS to happen and it needs to be recorded, edited put on the internet. It'll be the perfect cross between a Streetfilm and Breaking Away.
Thereafter I rode home, electing for the city streets and their ambient unnatural light to the probably fast, but significantly darker, trail route. It wasn't bad down M or Pennsylvania and I made it to the White House without much hindrance. There was a group of celebrating Libyans outside. Penn was again fast, but mostly blocked by trucks on account of some late-ish night road/sewer work. Not a big deal and I still managed to stay within the confines of the bikeway, but just rode on the other side.
Highlight: running into the Bicycle Space I Street Social on East Capitol (and being recognize by Fearless Leader Erik in the near dark. Very impressive. Reason #2,523,522 to shop at Bicycle Space) I dinged aplenty and I think I even said "woo I Street Social" in a sort of a falsetto, so sorry about that.I was just very excited.
Lowlight: literally, being low on light when my front light once again ejected itself from its holder. It rolled under a parked car on East Capitol and I had to shimmy underneath in order to retrieve it. Thanks for not calling the police, anybody! So, yes, I'm going to need to address that.
Then I got home, ate some carrots for dinner, watched tv, went to sleep, got up the next morning and rode to work.
I wore my regular clothes because that's a nice thing to do on Fridays, when offices allow workers to dress down (tuxedo jacket and jeans in place of full tuxedo). In fact, I think that this might lead to greater incidences of bicycle ridership on Fridays. Someone should look into that. UPDATE: If this idea sounds familiar, it's because it was posited by the Official Wife in February.
A lot of bikes on the road today. It was like Bike to Work Day 2: Tokyo Drift or something. Speaking of which, DC should really have an officially sanctioned autumn Bike to Work day. It's just so freaking nice out. Unless of course, you don't like cold fingers (isn't that a James Bond movie?), which I don't, so I stopped to put on little gloves and it took me about three complete stop light sequences. I have the manual dexterity of an eel.
On 15th, I rode behind a guy with two backpacks on, but an empty rear rack. Er?
At 15th and Mass, there's always a car or two "blocking the box" and cyclists have to ride around into the path of traffic. Today, a woman on an LHT coming in the opposite direction almost rode into me because she didn't want to follow the whole right-side of the road thing. Maybe she was British. Or dyslexic. (Note: I think dyslexia only applies to reading, but I don't know for sure.)
At 15th and Rhode Island, there was a drive who was, LITERALLY, playing maracas on his dashboard as he listened to some salsa beats. When will DC Council consider my long tabled "no playing maracas while driving" law? How many more pedestrians and bicyclists need to be scared into thinking that a rattlesnake is fast approaching before this issue is finally taken seriously?
Saw a guy riding an Xtracycle with a full-grown adult sitting on the back. First time I've seen that, though I doubt it's very uncommon.
That's pretty much all I remember. I really wanted to remember the maracas thing, so I might have displaced some other stuff in the pea that is noggin.
Ride Home 10/20 and Ride In 10/21
3 comments:
LOL on the maracas guy!ReplyDelete
And we most definitely are in dire need of an Autumn Bike To Work Day.
I've seen the maracas guy, too! Same place, but inbound on RIA in the morning about 3 weeks ago.ReplyDelete
I wonder if maracas guy is a professional maracas player or what. How did it come about? Like, he just really likes playing maracas and figured that driving would be a good time to practice? That it brings joy to his humdrum commute? So many questions...ReplyDelete
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subset: commoncrawl


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Reimagining School Symposium highlights Creativity in Education
On March 3, the second installment of the "Reimagining School" symposium series was held at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. A collaboration of the Golden Apple Foundation, NLU, Family Action Network and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the symposium brought together nationally recognized figures in education for a conversation about the ways schools can foster creativity and innovation to raise students' global competence in a changing world.
The second installment featured Trung Le, founder of The Third Teacher +, an education design consultancy, and Nichole Pinkard, an Associate Professor in the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University and founder of Digital Youth Network and Remix Learning. WBEZ's arts and culture reporter Alison Cuddy moderated the conversation.
A recording of the symposium is available for viewing at Reimagining School symposium.


text: Hi, I used really static on a previous server and loved it, but on my new server it isn't working. I've attached a screenshot showing my Destination Folder settings, which is where I think the problem is. Does it look correct to you? I've input the location of my theme's files, and the location for my visitors to see the site. Which folder should be chmod'd?


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Paul Ceglia, the man who claims that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sold him half of Facebook for $1,000, lost his fourth legal team this week.
Edelson McGuire withdrew quietly from the case, following in the footsteps of DLA Piper and Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in June and Connors & Vilardo in April, according to AllThingsD. Partner Jay Edelson declined to comment on the change, referring all questions to Ceglia's lawyers -- now only Jeffrey Lake of San Diego and his long-time lawyer Paul Argentieri.
Ceglia's lawsuit against Facebook started last year, when he claimed to have given a young Mark Zuckerberg $1,000 to start what his lawsuit calls "the face book," in 2003. Facebook lawyers called Ceglia's alleged original contract and e-mails "complete fabrications," according to federal court papers. Both sides agree that Zuckerberg was contracted to do work for Ceglia -- for a site called StreetFax.com which dealt with photos of traffic intersections for insurance companies.
U.S. & World
Losing a fourth legal team doesn't fill us, or likely anyone, with confidence about Ceglia's case. We suspected this was all about an out-of-court settlement, but with Facebook digging in its heels and Ceglia's revolving door of lawyers, Ceglia's pay day might never come.


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As soon as the ball left Michael Drysch's hand, he had a feeling.
In the days before the 50-year-old McHenry computer technician stood on the Miami Heat logo Friday night for a shot at $75,000, he had tried every conceivable method of getting his 42-foot shot on target.
Last week, he had spent his lunch hour outdoors, first on the outdoor court outside his Vernon Hills office before traveling to a nearby park. He attempted shooting in a two-hand underhand fashion. He tried to throw it like a baseball. But before long, Drysch decided a sky hook shot would provided the most momentum and give him his best chance.
He estimates of all the practice shots he attempted, 1 percent found their mark.
So when he walked to center court Friday night in Miami as a the grand prize winner of a sweepstakes connected to one of the NBA's biggest stars, Miami's LeBron James, his strategy to launch the half-court hook shot was set.
"Nobody tried talking me out of it," Drysch told the Northwest Herald in a phone interview Saturday afternoon. "I got a little advice – to roll my fingers to create backspin. I lined up over my head with the basket to make sure I hit it straight. Then, I got some momentum and I put as much energy as I could into it.
"It felt good going up, it had enough arc and it went in."
By now, the video footage has gone viral.
Drysch's shot was perfect, dropping through the net, igniting an instant celebration. As Drysch jumped up and down at midcourt, James, who appeared even giddier over Drysch's accomplishment than the man whose life has changed overnight, tackled him.
"He was coming in at me quick," Drysch said. "All of a sudden, I look up and big, ole' LeBron was coming at me and gave me a big bear hug, and I gave him a big bear hug and we're all good friends now."
James, who partnered with Carmex for the sweepstakes, which benefits Boys and Girls Club of America and The LeBron James Family Foundation, didn't think the shot had a chance.
"When he wound up, I was like, 'Oh no, there's no way,' " James told reporters in Miami after Friday's game. "When it dropped, it was awesome. I probably would have air-balled that in that situation."
When reached Saturday afternoon, Drysch said he hadn't slept. After doing an NBA TV interview with James on Friday night, he became an instant celebrity around South Beach. Still dressed in the shorts and T-shirt he had worn to the game, Drysch said he was immediately recognized everywhere he went, ending up at The Mansion night club, where night soon gave way to early morning.
After appearing on a Miami TV station Saturday morning, Drysch was preparing to board a flight for New York, where he was scheduled to make appearances on Fox News' "Fox and Friends," ABC's "Good Morning America," on CNN and possibly on Anderson Cooper's daytime TV program.
Drysch said the experience has been euphoric. But it's not the first time he has been the recipient of a big sweepstakes win. Drysch said for the past seven or eight years, he has entered 25 to 30 online sweepstakes a day through a program on SweepstakesAdvantage.com, which auto-fills forms. He was selected to travel to Miami out of 30,000 entries.
He has won everything from a new pickup truck to a trip to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, a James Bond weekend in London and the Playboy Mansion to smaller prizes like baseball caps and T-shirts.
But none have been as life altering as his latest triumph.
"It's changed in the blink of an eye," said Drysch, who plans to use the money to pay bills and possibly visit his mother in Utah. "I took the shot and there's LeBron – and wow. What a change."
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who was drawing up a play when Drysch hit his shot, told reporters that as nice as the $75,000 will be, it likely won't be the part of the experience that Drysch will remember most.
"Having [the shot] on video with LeBron James tackling you at half-court in front of 20,000 [fans]," Spoelstra said, "I think that will be the longer-lasting memory."


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Candied Yams - Thanksgiving Side Dish
>> Wednesday, November 24, 2010
I am going to apologize now for the sugar/butter content of this recipe - just trust me, it's worth it!
- 1-2 yams (you can use sweet potatoes, and yes, I know they are not the same) sliced 3/4 - 1 inch thick
- 3/4 cup white corn syrup (Karo brand works great)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Get a large pot of water going on the stove. Once the water has started to bubble add in your sliced yams/sweet potatoes. Cook until you can barely pierce a fork through them. We want them BARELY cooked. About 3-4 minutes. Drain the potatoes.
Assemble slices in one layer in a pyrex baking dish. Try to avoid overlap and focus on one layer (use another baking dish if you have to).
Evenly sprinkle sugar over potatoes. Then drizzle with corn syrup (I already apologized for all the sugar right?).
Top with dots of butter and finish off with a drizzle of vanilla (you could also use nutmeg for a different flavor profile).
Place dish on the middle rack in the oven and cook until bubbling, about 30 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Try not to eat all the candied yams.
Bam! You are done! You now have a delicious side dish to bring to Thanksgiving that will add to the indulgence of the day :)
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and their families!Read more...


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Garlic Roasted Winter Vegetables
Total TimePrep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min.
Makes6 servings
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 medium turnip
- 1 medium parsnip
- 1 cup cubed red potatoes
- 1 cup cubed peeled butternut squash
- 3 whole garlic bulbs, cloves separated and peeled
- 3 shallots, quartered
- 4-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Peel the carrots, turnip and parsnip; cut into 1-in. pieces. Place in a large bowl; add the potatoes, squash, garlic, shallots, oil, salt, thyme and pepper. Toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan.
- Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 45-50 minutes or until tender, stirring once.
Nutrition Facts2/3 cup: 135 calories, 4g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 137mg sodium, 24g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 3g fiber), 3g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.
Recommended Video
Jan 13, 2017
I've made this twice; it's excellent! I thought though that the first time the squash and turnip were a bit too hard. The second time I boiled them first for five minutes before adding to the rest of the veggies. The garlic is not overpowering at all; being roasted calms it down.
Mar 7, 2014
Absolutely delicious! Roasted garlic is much more mellow than minced or crushed, so it wasn't overpowering at all. People should really refrain from reviewing until they have actually tested the recipe. So annoying.
Jan 20, 2014
I love this recipe, going to make it a second time, first time only used one bilb of garlic because I read the recipe wrong, I used turnip instead of parsnip, not a squash eater but loved this! I will use all the garlic this time, recipe is a keeper
Jan 15, 2014
I haven't made this but that seems like ALOT OF garlic! It sounds great just wondering if my coworkers will suffer the next day 3 stars until I make it
Jan 14, 2014
This is a fantastic recipe! Our daughter who is not overly fond of certain veggies, loves this. Very similar to a recipe by Ina Garten. She also uses cut-up sweet potatoes. To make it easy, I toss all the veggies in a gallon freezer lock bag along with the olive oil and then spread them on the baking pan.


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Givat Shmuel, Israel – June 15, 2009 – Cimatron Limited (Nasdaq: CIMT), a leading provider of integrated CAD/CAM solutions for mold, tool and die makers as well as manufacturers of discrete parts, announced that it will exhibit its latest Die Design solution at the Stanztec Die Making Tradeshow, Germany (Hall MSEG, Booth B02).
The Stanztec tradeshow, for the die making industry, will take place for the first time in Pforzheim, Germany starting June 16th. Participants at the exhibition will include die shops, machine tool builders, material providers and software solutions. Roeders, a leading machine tool builder, will also participate in the trade show as part of the Cimatron GmbH booth.
Latest Die Making Solutions
At the trade show, visitors will be able to see demonstrations of the latest Die Design solution which includes enhancements for progressive and transfer die making, as well as tool design, and the brand new CimatronE DieQuote Solution.
New enhancements to the Die Design solution increase automation, improve analysis capabilities, and handle changes across the entire die design process including forming, strip and tool design.
Enhancements include:
- Ability to pre-define parameters related to tool design and material used in order to further automate the tool design process.
- Improvements to dedicated applicative tools: The time-saving unbending capabilities have been enhanced to work in more situations including "unfold" and "L-Unbend", for unbending sharp corners.
- New piercing design functionality allows users to easily plan the piercing sequence of array of holes and create the suitable faces.
- Easy implementation of geometry changes in each of the forming shapes and stations across the project.
- A new die forces analysis tool which calculates the forces applied on the strip during production, allowing for a quick estimate of the required press capacity.
Cimatron GmbH will also be showcasing CimatronE's new DieQuote Solution, designed to allow die shop estimators to generate more accurate quotations in record time.
Roeders will present a new machining series that facilitates Jig Grinding and High Speed Cutting in one machine.
Stanztec is one of many events in which Roeders and Cimatron have worked together to present their complementary products. Past events in which Cimatron and Roeders have cooperated include a Roeders open house that took place last month in Italy, as well as several events in Germany during the last years. Cimatron and Roeders work together to achieve the most accurate, reliable results for customers who use their products together.
"We are privileged to participate in the first Stanztec trade show for die making," said Dirk Dombert, General Manager of Cimatron GmbH. "The dedicated solutions we have provided especially for die makers can speed up the process considerably and we are working with Machine Tool Builders, like Roeders, to make sure our solutions operate seamlessly with the most advanced machines available."
About Cimatron
With over 25 years of experience and more than 40,000 installations worldwide, Cimatron is a leading provider of integrated, CAD/CAM solutions for mold, tool and die makers as well as manufacturers of discrete parts. Cimatron is committed to providing comprehensive, cost-effective solutions that streamline manufacturing cycles, enable collaboration with outside vendors, and ultimately shorten product delivery time.
The Cimatron product line includes the CimatronE and GibbsCAM brands with solutions for mold design, die design, electrodes design, 2.5 to 5 axes milling, wire EDM, turn, Mill-turn, rotary milling, multi-task machining, and tombstone machining. Cimatron's subsidiaries and extensive distribution network serve and support customers in the automotive, aerospace, medical, consumer plastics, electronics, and other industries in over 40 countries worldwide.
Cimatron is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol CIMT. For more information, please visit the company web site at: http://www.cimatron.com
This press release includes forward looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act Of 1995, which are subject to risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such statements may relate to the company's plans, objectives and expected financial and operating results. The words "may," "could," "would," "will," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," and similar expressions or variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of the future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's ability to control. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: currency fluctuations, global economic and political conditions, marketing demand for Cimatron products and services, long sales cycle, new product development, assimilating future acquisitions, maintaining relationships with customers and partners, and increased competition. For more details about the risks and uncertainties of the business, refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchanges Commission. The company cannot assess the impact of or the extent to which any single factor or risk, or combination of them, may cause. Cimatron undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


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book review: Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
The basics: Secret Daughter is the story of Somer, a white California doctor; Somer's husband Krishnan, who grew up in India and is also a doctor; Kavita, a married woman in India whose husband believes they can only afford one child and it must be a boy; and Asha, the young Indian girl Kavita gives up for adoption and always wonders about and Somer and Krishnan adopt.
My thoughts: I began reading Secret Daughter with high expectations, and from the opening pages, I was mesmerized by the characters and stories. The novel moved through time and effortlessly shifted between narrators. I was simultaneously eager to catch up with each character and reluctant for the chapter to end. I loved following the stories of these characters who did not know their own connections to each other. I'm a huge fan of novels dealing that are stories of lives and how events shape us.
Secret Daughter is about family and cultural identity, but Gowda blended the themes with the story beautifully. I would stop short of calling it an epic, but it does have hints of it. There were truths sprinkled throughout:
"At some point, the family you create is more important than the one you're born into."Gowda wrote well, but I rarely found myself writing down passages. It's a novel I'll think of fondly because of its structure and story more than its language. It's a testament to the characters Gowda created that I eagerly turned the pages to see what would happen to each of them.
Favorite passage: "Sometimes, as she has well learned in life, one's actions must precede the emotions one hopes to feel."
The verdict: Secret Daughter was unputdownable for me. I loved the pacing, story and characters. It's a novel that will stay with me for a long time and one I wholeheartedly recommend.
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5 stars)
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: March 9, 2010 (it's in paperback now)
Source: I received a copy from the publisher via TLC Book Tours
entire tour schedule.
You can find out more about Shilpi Somaya Gowda on her website. She is also on Twitter and Facebook.
Convinced? Treat yourself! Buy Secret Daughter from an independent bookstore, the Book Depository or Amazon in paperback (it's also available for the Kindle.)
As an affiliate, I receive a very, very small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you for helping to support my book habits that bring more content to this blog!


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Changes at La Taza include name, prices
While La Taza prepares to open La Tazita in the SNL Buildings, which we reported on last week, down at their Downtown Belmont location they're cooking up some changes as well–- like changing their name.
That's right, according to La Taza owner Melissa Easter, the Belmont coffee house and eatery will soon change its name to the more elaborate Roast: a neighborhood eatery and espresso bar. Easter says its an effort to re-brand the place for the "eclectic blend of folks" who've frequented La Taza over the years. The change will include bringing the prices down, making service quicker, redecorating, going green by adding solar hot water heaters on the roof, adding more soups and sandwiches, and naming the sandwiches after streets in Belmont.
"Cash is a problem right now," says Easter. "And we want to make it reasonable to go out."
Easter says the changes should be done next week, but that people shouldn't expect to lose that La Taza atmosphere entirely.
"We've changed colors a little bit, moved things around, but it will still have that funky La Taza feel," she says." I think it's prettier than it was before."
As for La Tazita, Easter says she was initially skeptical about expanding over the bridge, but has since warmed up to the idea.
"I'm so excited about La Tazita," she says. "It's going to be a nice, little, cozy warm spot in the SNL building."
Of course, all this sudden change has been a whirlwind for Easter.
"It's crazy, it was a lot to do in a little time," she says.
14 comments
Dave... line 15 again.
/I'm going to have to start charging.
La Taza's counter staff are frequently borderline rude, almost always apathetic. You are frequently made to feel as though you're interrupting a very important conversations they're having with their friends or co-workers. And slooow? Wow.
Agreed on the "loose" thing. It's like a virus. How did everyone forget how to spell a basic word? Weird.
What is with the loose proliferation of misspellings of the word "lose"? Were passels of textbooks printed with a typo, forever condemning generations of school children to a lifetime of ignorance of the correct spelling of this one syllable, four letter word?
In the last 5 years, I've seen the mistake more and more often. It is truly puzzling.
Good job, Floozy.
Has pedantic behavior also increased over the last five years?
Decaf guys, decaf...
Perhaps I'm actually Flozy. I'll have to look into that... as the actress said to the bishop.
Do they not have Google on your planet?
...or clocks that tell Earth time, since I just replied to you at 6.37pm and your post is time stamped 7.15pm. OMG... tell me what alien technology you have that I could patent. Did you send us Bill Gates? Oprah? Halsey Minor?
Could someone tell me just where the SNL buildings are?
As somebody who could be walking on a daily basis to La Taza but doesn't, I'll weigh in on the actual topic and say Bravo. Change is definitely needed. I should be able to consider the place my second kitchen and own private coffee bar, but I don't because of service, pricing and, let's face it, cleanliness.
New chance to get some of your neighbors back in there. Can't wait to see you do better. You're sitting on a goldmine.
Great to hear that the owners are restructuring the service. I used to frequent La Taza, but stopped after experiencing poor service several trips in a row. It shouldn't be that hard to serve 10-15 people coffee and a few egg sandwiches; somehow La Taza can't seem to get it right.
Not to mention the cocaine residue on the back of the commode after Tiki Bar. Allegedly! There is etiquette after all. Leave a toot at least for the next person in line...so to speak.
And, seriously what is going on with the loose thing. I can imagine getting an email from a long lost lover. "Darling, I stand here bereft of your gifts, your warmth, I can not loose you."
It's bizarre how pervasive it has become and I'm not a grammar or spelling Nazi like others who have nothing else to do except berate people on the interwebs for things that matter little.
Yeah, I stopped visiting La taza when I had to wait ungodly times even for a Latte and there was hardly anyone there. I didn't suffer rudeness, but it was like they couldn't stop stocking the drink cooler to come over and actually serve me.
I hope that on this change they can get that right.
Sorry to hear La Taza service is not good. How odd that is. Fortunately many of the other independent coffee shops in town (Greenberry's, Shen Joe, Java Java, the Mudhouse outposts but not the Mudhouse itself) are very cheerfully run. I don't like being served coffee by someone who seems desperately in need of a pick-me-up herself.


text: When asked to imagine the birthplace of our contemporary republican democracy, most educated people point to the democratic traditions of ancient Athens and to the institutions and offices of the Roman Republic. Yet, Athens was destroyed and its democracy destroyed centuries before the birth of Christ, and the Roman Republic succumbed to imperial despotism in 27BC. These shining examples continued to burn as embers of remembrance long after their practical extinction, thanks to a political and intellectual class dedicated to the preservation of ancient documents and knowledge. But while preserving the records, the successor states of both Athens and Rome were neither democratic nor republican in character.


text:
sponsored by
CHRIS COYNE, agent - State Farm Insurance
welcomes first baby of 2014
Send a link to a friend
07, 2014]
Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital welcomed its first baby of 2014 on Friday, Jan. 3, at 12:42 p.m.
Aeris Mae Ginger is the daughter of Shana and David Ginger of Lincoln.
Aeries weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 18½ inches long at birth.
Aeris was the recipient of several
gifts as the first baby of the new year. The ALMH Auxiliary
presented Aeris and her family with a basket of baby care items. She
received a quilt made by Friendship Manor residents and a crocheted
hat from ALMH volunteer Ruby Glickerman. ALMH also presented Aeris
and her family with diapers and a gift card for baby necessities.
In 2013, there were 209 babies born
at ALMH, 105 males and 104 females.
[to top of second
ALMH, at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln, is a
25-bed critical access hospital affiliated with Memorial Health System.
ALMH's Family Maternity Suites is a
state-of-the-art obstetrical center that features spacious private
labor-delivery-recovery-postpartum rooms with private restrooms and
showers. Each mom and baby receives individualized care. To learn
more about the
Family Maternity Suites or the other health care services
offered at ALMH, visit www.almh.org.
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text:
Guillen gave credit to the White Sox scouts when talking about Gordon Beckham and Daniel Hudson making contributions at the Major League level this season. Both players were part of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. "We have two guys here from 2008 on the big league roster playing good, not just being here."
more Ozzie Guillen:
"(Scouts) have a lot of work to do. They are very, very underrated about the job they have. But like a lot of people say, those guys can get you fired. They are very important in any organization. That's why we got better."


text:
Should be good at Struts MVC / Spring MVC
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text:
The root of this blog post is witnessing one too many DBAs, either through direct action or indirectly by failing to act, damage or destroy the very databases they are charged with protecting. In a sense, DBAs are the guardians of an extremely valuable corporate asset - its data. But a large number of DBAs, while responsible for databases, have no idea how to be a proactive guardian of that data. And, in my opinion, that is a moral and ethical breach more than it is a technical shortcoming. This is even more important when we consider that some of these databases have a direct impact on human lives, particularly medical, security, and defense related data. (I write more about this topic in my monthly column in Database Trends & Applications Magazine.)
When we consider other professions with a direct effect on human lives, we can see that they have all implemented professional codes of ethics. Famously, the Hippocratic Oath of doctors is just the beginning. "First, do no harm." Professional Engineers (PE), whose buildings might fall down on our heads were they only motivated by maximizing profits, must adhere to seven fundamental canons. Among them, PE's shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public and that PE's shall perform services only in areas of their core competency. Even professions that affect our finances (e.g., certified public accountants) and contractual obligations (e.g., lawyers) are sworn to uphold professional codes of ethics.
The Association for Computing Machinery has a rather long code of conduct for a variety of computer-related disciplines. But the closest it gets to a DBA-type role is one for a systems engineer. Certainly, it has some passages which are reusable, such as those related to conflicts of interest. Honestly, though, it's not that close. I think we need our own - a code of ethics for DBAs, database programmers, and BI professionals.
So - what do you think? What are some ethical standards that we should aspire to? What are some big ethical lapses that you've witnessed, and that we should be sure to avoid as true professionals?


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Book a flight to Chicago with Qatar Airways
A wealth of iconic sights and a spectacular skyline overlooking Lake Michigan – these are just some of the great experiences that await you when you book a flight to Chicago with Qatar Airways.
As the hub of the US' Midwest, Chicago oozes effortless charm. It is where blues and jazz music found a home, and it bore witness to the building of the world's first skyscraper. Fabulous shopping, fine dining and high culture are all in attendance, surrounded my some of the US' most elegant architecture.
Chicago highlights
Music, architecture and twenties pizazz await you in Chicago's buzzing boroughs.
Tourist attractions
Chicago can boast some of the most resplendent museums and art galleries in the world, each housing internationally renowned collections. Head straight for Museum Campus, where you'll find three of the best: Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium. The nearby Museum of Science and Industry is also worth a visit, and don't miss the Art Institute of Chicago either, which hosts an unrivalled Impressionism collection.
Travelling to Chicago should also take in Trump Tower and the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, which was once the tallest building in the world.
Leisure activities
There are plenty of other attractions to choose from when you fly to Chicago. A visit to Chinatown, one of the city's most colourful and dynamic neighbourhoods, is unlikely to disappoint. The Shedd Aquarium on Museum Campus is especially good for family visits with a rich array of aquatic life and interactive exhibits.
For an evening of culture, try Jefferson Park's Gateway Theatre, or Steppenwolf in Lincoln Park. Most prestigious theatres are located in the Loop area. Chicago's many districts play host to a number of festivals throughout the year, so you'll never be short of pageantry or spectacle.
Chicago is also home to some of the world's most popular sports teams. In the summer, enjoy a baseball game at Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs, or U.S. Cellular Field to see the White Sox. In the winter, the United Center hosts the Chicago Bulls NBA basketball team and the Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. During the autumn, you can take in an American Football game at Soldier Field to see the Bears.
Chicago is one of North America's great culinary destinations. Different neighbourhoods specialise in different cuisines, such as Greek, Indian or Chinese. Areas such as Albany Park and Lincoln Square are best for German, Middle Eastern and Korean food, and Wicker Park is famous for its award-winning restaurants.
But perhaps the most famous of the city's gastronomic delights is the Chicago deep-dish pizza. You won't have to go far to find one.
If you're travelling to Chicago primarily for shopping, you'll not be disappointed. You can find just about anything here, and the most famous street for retail-seekers is the aptly named "Magnificent Mile". Here you'll find boutiques, multi-story malls and premier department stores, all in the Near North region of the city.
There are cutting-edge shops in and around Wicker Park and Bucktown; and if you are in the market for designer home goods, head for River North's Gallery District, the largest arts and design district outside of Manhattan.
Essential facts about ChicagoEnjoy a hassle-free journey with all the information you need to know before your trip
Visa information
Check visa and passport requirements before you fly.


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Let's not create a cyberbullying panic
by Larry Magid
Recent stories in the press about teenage cyberbullying and real-world bullying are sickening. It's hard to know how much cyberbullying contributed to her decision to kill herself, but the case of the Phoebe Prince brings tears to my eyes. The South Hadley, Mass., 15-year-old was reportedly the brunt of repeated cruelty at the hands of classmates (six of whom are now facing criminal charges) until she put an end to her life.
There is also the recent cyberbullying case of Alexis Pilkington, a 17-year-old girl from Long Island, N.Y., who committed suicide last month after being taunted with cruel comments on the Web site FormSpring.me. Some of those comments reportedly even continued after her death.
And there are countless more bullying and cyberbullying cases that don't make headlines. But even though the overwhelming majority of children are able to "survive" being bullied doesn't mean that it's not painful. I still have emotional scars from being bullied when I was a teen.
Cases like these have contributed to what's starting to look like a bullying panic, not unlike the predator panic of a few years ago that caused people to worry (in most cases needlessly) about their children being sexually molested by someone they meet online. Those were great headlines and sound bites for politicians, but the research showed that it just wasn't the case for the vast majority of youth. While it is true that kids are many times more likely to be bullied and cyberbullied than sexually molested by online strangers, we need to put this issue into some perspective. Yes we should be concerned, but there is no cause for panic.
Bullying on the decline
As prominent as it is, bullying and cyberbullying are not the norm. Most young people want no part of bullying and consider it reprehensible behavior. Depending on what study you read, anywhere from 15 percent to 30 percent of teens say they have experienced some type of bullying or harassment from their peers.
And when it comes to bullying in general, the trend is moving in the right direction. Rather than an epidemic, bullying is actually on the decline. A study published last month in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that the percentage of youth (a 2 to 17 years old) reporting physical bullying in the past year went down from 22 percent in 2003 to 15 percent in 2008.
A national study of youth commissioned by the Girl Scouts came to a similar conclusion. Young people are actually more responsible, more involved in their community, and more tolerant of diversity than they were 20 years ago. The survey found that 84 percent of youth said they wouldn't forward an embarrassing e-mail about someone else; 6 percent said they would. That's 6 percent too many but still a relatively small minority.
Not all surveys have the same results. In February, the Cyberbullying Research Center polled 4,000 teenagers from a large U.S. school district and found that 15.9 percent of boys and 25.8 percent of girls reported having been cyberbullied at some point in their life. Among the boys, 7.1 percent said they had been cyberbullied in the last 30 days and 7.9 percent of girls had been victims during that time period. When combining genders, overall 20.7 percent of teens say they've been cyberbullied in their lifetimes with 7.4 percent saying they were cyberbullied in the past 30 days. A survey conducted last year by Cox Communications found that approximately 19 percent of teens say they've been cyberbullied online or via text message and that 10 percent say they've cyberbullied someone else.
Turning numbers into a positive
There is no question that there is a problem and I certainly don't want sugarcoat it, but it's also important to look at it from the positive side as well. It's worth pointing out that about 80 percent of teens say they have not been cyberbullied while 90 percent of teens say they haven't cyberbullied other teens.
Posing the issue in the positive is not just a silly math trick–it's actually a strategy that can help reduce bullying or, at least marginalize those who engage in it.
In a paper (PDF) presented at the 2008 National Conference on the Social Norms Approach, H. Wesley Perkins and David Craig reported on a survey of more than 52,000 students from 78 secondary schools and concluded that "while bullying is substantial, it is not the norm." They went on to say that "the most common (and erroneous) perception, however, is that the majority engage in and support such behavior." The reason that this is an important observation is because, as the researchers found, the "perceptions of bullying behaviors are highly predictive of personal bullying behavior." Even though the "norm is not to bully," only a minority of young people realize that. If kids think that bullying is common or "normal," they are more likely to be bullies.
Based on this research, the commonly held belief that we are going through an "epidemic" of bullying or cyberbullying is not only inaccurate, but it is likely contributing to the problem.
A better strategy is to try to convince young people that bullying is not only wrong and and unacceptable but is abnormal behavior, practiced by a small group of outliers. Taking it a step further, how can we marginalize bullies so that they–not their victims–are seen as losers and how can we enlist young people themselves to stand up against bullying when they see it or hear about it.
Adults as role models
Adults need to be good role models. Politicians need to think about this the next time they consider demonizing (as opposed to criticizing) an opponent. Media personalities and talk show hosts need to think about the messages they're giving to children when they engage in name calling. We all need to be aware of comments we make in the presence of children and even people who comment on blogs need to think about the difference between legitimate criticism and derision. Children learn by observing our behavior, and there are plenty of adults who behave like bullies.
Changing behavior isn't easy, but it's not impossible. I've been watching episodes of the TV show Mad Men, which is set in the 1960s when it was acceptable to smoke around other people, ride in cars without seat belts, leave trash everywhere, make derogatory comments about minorities, and treat women as inferior beings. We haven't yet completely eliminated any of those dangerous or antisocial behaviors, but we've come a long way. With concerted effort and national leadership, we can do the same with bullying.
This article first appeared on CNET New.com


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Summer has arrived in the Peace region at long last!! I am so happy we're here to enjoy it. We spent all of May and the first week of June in Edmonton, Hubby having different modules of his NCSO spread over that time. As I posted earlier, we stayed in a very comfy B&B and totally drank in the leisure, lovely spring days. We went out to the park as often as we possibly could as well as browsed thru stores and enjoyed several delicious meals out. We also took in a afternoon matinee movie. Sheer frivolous fun :)
We just spent the past few weeks cleaning up the yard, just doing a bit at a time. Our lawn was over-run with dandelions and broad leaf weeds. The process took time.....first spraying the weeds, then fertilizing the lawn and mowing it to get it into the shape we like! Yesterday we totally went thru the shed and yard stuff and finally got rid of junk we don't use or are cracked, broken or old and faded. We had 2 huge totes under the porch that I store ornaments and pots and tools in during the winter. One was almost empty and the other's lid was cracked and broken and so was partly filled with stagnant water....gross!! Anyhow, that one we filled with junk and take to the trash. We set out the table/chairs and raked up. We will be given several ferns from a friend and I'd like to plant those around the front porch. And so we'll enjoy our yard this summer.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Summer has arrived in the Peace region at long last!! I am so happy we're here to enjoy it. We spent all of May and the first week of June in Edmonton, Hubby having different modules of his NCSO spread over that time. As I posted earlier, we stayed in a very comfy B&B and totally drank in the leisure, lovely spring days. We went out to the park as often as we possibly could as well as browsed thru stores and enjoyed several delicious meals out. We also took in a afternoon matinee movie. Sheer frivolous fun :)
Posted by Faye at 4:44 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
We have searched out many of the parks in the city and have come to the conclusion that is is really only one we really love to go back to over and over. A lot of the parks are either Sport Parks or children's parks. The one we love has, among other things, lots of picnic tables, grassy areas, a walking trail and river side areas. I love to sit and watch water rushing by. There is something do peaceful about it and the cry of seagulls flying overhead as well as birds chirping to each other from the tree branches. The new leaves have literally been bursting in trees and shrubs and Spring is here to stay :)
On Sunday is Mother's Day and we've been invited to Bernie & Janice Kiers' place for a BBQ. It'll be so nice to visit with a couple we've known for years and haven't had the opportunity to visit for many years.
Posted by Faye at 2:41 PM 0 comments
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Here we are sitting in a very comfortable King Suite in a lovely home and clean neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta. We came a week ago as well. You see, Hubby is taking his NCSO course, which takes up almost all of May and then a few days the beginning of June. On the drive here today Hubby mentioned he's really looking forward to this course. He truly loves having his brain challenged and it's so wonderful that, after all the effort it took to find accommodations, that we can be here together. It's sort of like a vacation, although the daytime hours will be filled for Hubby. We will be here over the May long weekend and plan to so some serious exploring.I'm going to do some research while he's in class, to find some places we'd be interested in seeing or visiting. Also, with the weather suddenly turned into summer temps, we'd love to take our supper out to the park and enjoy the lovely warm evenings.
Anyways....lots of plans!!
Posted by Faye at 9:24 PM 0 comments
Friday, May 3, 2013
Warm Weather
I was visiting a girlfriend the other night and the all-important subject of weather came up. She pointed out to me that our first snowfall last fall was the 3rd of October and our last snowfall was the very end of April...that makes for just shy of 7 whole months of winter....NO wonder we feel like we need to see Spring happenin'.
We're like frisky lambs in this gorgeous sunshine!! Went out to Kevin's and Colin's places and enjoyed the fresh country air! There is life in the trees and shrubs and Jodie is in heaven working in her greenhouse :) Now I need to process laundry and pack!!
Posted by Faye at 10:26 PM 0 comments
Monday, April 22, 2013
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Sunday, April 21, 2013
Dress yourself to feel rad!!
Just came across this little article. I edited out the swearing but it still has the impact I like this for. Now, you will never catch me in a bikini no matter what....but I love the cheeky attitude of just wear one if you want to!!
How to dress for your shape: are you human shaped? Play up your confidence and natural sex appeal by wearing whatever you want.
Life Tip: As the weather gets warmer continue to wear what you want. Flaunt some skin or keep it cool under cover. Dress yourself to feel rad!
How to get a bikini body: put a bikini on your body
Want sexy own-the-beach legs?? shave or don't because they're your legs!!
Posted by Faye at 12:26 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Spring Fashion
With warmer temps and the snow melting away, we shrug off our layers of coat, scarf, gloves. I have been able to wear just my light jacket. Consequently, I pulled out our spring/summer clothes and sorted through them to freshen up and discard the ones that are faded, worn or sun damaged. Now it's time to go shopping. I think Maxine expresses my thoughts exactly......
Posted by Faye at 6:51 PM 0 comments
Friday, April 12, 2013
Last night I picked Hubby up at the airport. Oh it was SO great to see him again. It was a tough trip for him to make but for him, knowing his Mom was well taken care of gave him peace. It gave him some closure. Of course there is the ongoing grief of losing his Mom. We all grieve differently and that's the case for my Hubby and I. His strengths of organization and sorting thru problems and solving them means that dealing with all that has to be done when a loved one passes away, to get all of this finished and to finally take her ashes and put his Mom to rest gave his own heart rest!
This morning when George sat relaxing with his coffee, Mitzi hopped on his lap to tell him how much she missed him while he was away. Sweet :)
Posted by Faye at 3:59 PM 0 comments
Monday, April 8, 2013
Time to Say Goodbye
This morning came very early...4:30am to be exact! I could barely crack an eyelid but had to take Hubby to the airport to catch his flight to Southern B.C. Today he was going to have to wrap up stuff at his Mom's Care Home and pick up her personal things and then go to the Funeral Home to pick up Mom's ashes. Tomorrow he says his final Goodbye.
Posted by Faye at 4:53 PM 0 comments
Friday, April 5, 2013
Real Love: A Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13
Posted by Faye at 9:41 PM 0 comments
Spring Snow
I just poured myself a steaming cup of tea and have the lights on low, creating a warm ambiance...unlike the scene that's happening outside! The Calendar says April...quotes, poems and Authors write about this month using words like, "showers, gardening, planting, blooms". In this northern town, so far this month none of those words apply!
Yesterday afternoon the wind kicked up and snow started falling, driving the snow horizontal. Brrr! Road conditions were slippery and visibility was almost nil. This carried on through the night and this morning but this afternoon the sun came out for a brilliant ending to the day.
Spring???....not so much!!
Posted by Faye at 9:28 PM 1 comments
Thursday, April 4, 2013
August 28, 1923 to April 1, 2013
We have moved into the month of April. April 1st coincided with Easter Monday this year and the end to the long weekend. As we were hanging out enjoying a quiet evening Hubby's cell rang. His Mom had passed away. She had really been declining the last year....going from a mentally clear, intelligent woman into full dementia at the end. The last time Hubby saw her, she did not recognize him and became very agitated when he hung around her and was his charming self. She was a wonderful woman and drew me into her heart completely. Hubby was her only child so having a daughter and our three boys added to the family made her so happy! She survived World War 11, finally fleeing the Russian and Nazi invasion, leaving her parents and home in Hungary. It was a terrifying time for her. She landed up in a Refugee camp in France and then climbed aboard a ship to the only country left with open borders, Venezuela. She already spoke Hungarian and German and quickly learned Spanish and English to survive in her new Country. She got a job at Shell Oil and that's where she met her Husband. Not wanting to get married in a Catholic church, they went to Panama City to get married in a Protestant Church. After 10 years my Hubby finally joined the family and sadly they could have no other children. Hubby spent his first 12 years in Venezuela before Immigrating to Canada.
Canada was good to Mom and she was well looked after in her retirement years, having the foresight to secure an Apartment in a Senior's Manor and later spending her last years in a Retirement Center after the death of her husband. She lived to be 89 1/2 years old....not a bad life :)
Rest in Peace mom and we look forward to seeing you again with all our other loved ones!
Posted by Faye at 6:30 PM 0 comments
Saturday, March 30, 2013
The Amazing Race
Along with TV show, I also enjoy a few Reality TV shows. The Amazing Race is one of them. The last time our Grand-daughter was here she mentioned that she likes that show as well. When I heard that I decided to buy the Game off the local auction sight. yesterday we played it. Such fun!! The game has a DVD you play, with Phil narrating it and you inter-act with him on a board. The age recommended for the game is teen to adult and Kaylie is only 11 years-old, but SO clever!! She managed it very well...and let me tell you, you learn a lot about the different countries you fly to. I highly recommend the game. Great for 2 people or more by forming up to 4 teams.
Posted by Faye at 5:52 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
ok ladies...when one has to go get x-rays taken and after registration is led to a change room and given instructions to strip to panties and socks, put on a gown and go sit in the waiting area until called, am I the only woman that feels a little under-dressed for a waiting area that has 5 strange men and a couple ladies all sitting there....in their clothes!!! Quite frankly, I'm not at my best in a gown with sagging body parts and a chilly breeze from the vent. All I can say is thank God the gown fit and wrapped around me enough as to not expose the behind...I really wanted to pull a "Maxine", but couldn't come up with a cheeky expression that quickly!! OY!!
Posted by Faye at 1:13 AM 0 comments
Friday, March 15, 2013
March toward Spring!
The snow that was predicted did show up and covers the world with a sugary, glittery blanket of pureness. Not a lot of snow dropped however it was enough to make the world look pure and beautiful again. As much as I am waiting very impatiently for Spring, it is a very messy, dirty Season. As the snow melts into slush the gravel that is used on the streets and highway when it's slippery, mixes with the slush to make everything filthy. It gets splashed up onto vehicles driving through what appear to be lakes!!
Next week starts Spring Break for all the school kids. In our School District the Break is for two weeks, which includes the Easter long weekend. Many people take some vacation time, while others struggle to arrange child care for two weeks. I have taken the opportunity to have my grandkids come visit during their break.
Posted by Faye at 3:04 PM 0 comments
Monday, March 11, 2013
And we thought Spring had arrived!
It's going on towards mid-March and for some reason we imagine that maybe....just maybe, Spring has arrived! This winter has been different with the temps fluctuating between freezing cold and so very nice and mild. That seems to have lulled us into a false hope that Spring is here! Then the Weatherman comes along and bursts our bubble...you guessed it right....there is snow predicted for the next three days! POP!!
Posted by Faye at 11:32 PM 0 comments
Friday, March 8, 2013
Going Once, Going Twice, BOUGHT!!
Posted by Faye at 7:01 PM 0 comments
Thursday, March 7, 2013
And this is Life...
You know, I don't get too tired of having Hubby around...unless he's off work for a couple months like he was Nov./Dec.! But with him gone for 2 weeks and home for 1....well it makes the time spent together for that week very precious. I think the actual missing him when he's away has been a good thing for me...for now anyhow.
Today we had a Doc's appointment together...well Hubby had a Driver's Medical Exam that he has to have to keep his Class 1(semi-trucks) license with Air(brakes) and I had a follow-up for the Lab work and ECG as well as pain management(osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia). SO...Doc prescribed a stronger pain med and a new Insulin. Turns out everything is great but my blood sugar levels...they have been all over the place, so I need to work with that.
So there you have it....Hubby is perfectly healthy and I have a long list of chronic illnesses...ugh!!
Posted by Faye at 10:44 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
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Monday, February 25, 2013
Kaylie celebrates!
I had a wonderful weekend. On Feb. 16, 2002 a very precious pink bundle or pure sweetness was born into our family. Kaylie celebrated her Birthday by having a few friends over for a sleep-over and I felt like going to the party would just be spending time more with her Mom than with her. I invited her to come over this weekend instead. I picked Kaylie up from school and took her shopping for her gift. But our first stop was at Kurios Books for a Latte and browse. Kaylie is a girl after my own heart....she loves to read! She picked up a 2-book series as part of her gift...you just can't have enough books!! From there we went to Warehouse One and found her 4 cute tops. We did some more exploring through the stores before heading home and eating a well deserved supper. An evening of watching movies and browsing through pictures and me telling stories.
Sat. morning we pulled out the baby pics and scrapping supplies and scrapped the whole morning. Mom came to pick up Kaylie just after lunch. We had fun :)
Posted by Faye at 3:29 PM 1 comments
Thursday, February 21, 2013
My Friend the Shredder
No, Shredder is not a guy with sharp teeth and a motor-mouth...he is indeed a paper shredder. One thing I procrastinate at is filing papers and bills. I hate doing it and everytime I go to find something I vow that I will get it all organized and filed away properly...if I've said it once I've said it a thousand times...ugh!! This time I was serious and ...oh my!!!...what a job!! I had paper going back to the 1990s....I know, hey??!! So, I've been spending a lot of my day just sorting and shredding and filing and today I can honestly say that I'm on the home stretch....hallelujah and pass the hand lotion :)
Posted by Faye at 11:08 AM 1 comments
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Yesterday, after a very full day doing my grocery shopping and a bit of other running around, I came home to discover that DH was home already.....home from working north of Fort Nelson, on the Sierra(not that I know where exactly that is) for two weeks. With DH new job, for now he is on a two weeks out and then one week home. We've gotten all the running around stuff done and we're now settling in to enjoy his week at home. I've missed him terribly this time, so to solve the fact that we weren't able to communicate via our lap-tops, we've gotten me a cell phone so at least we'll be able to text and stay in touch. Not a bad toy for me to play with either.
Posted by Faye at 12:09 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I came across this Blog today! What an encouraging article. I think we all have an inner voice that makes us focus more on our faults than our beauty. I agree with Teresa, in that I have seen a pic of myself and all I can focus in are the double chins hanging down to my knees. But we deprive our loved ones of precious memorable moments and life is too short to get all hung up on what we perceive to be ugly. I guess my challenge to myself is to make this the "Year of Faye"
"So you're feeling too fat to be photographed? . . . Ok. But you're the only one who notices. The rest of us are too caught up in loving you."
Posted by Faye at 1:12 PM 0 comments
Saturday, February 2, 2013
New Beginning
This winter has been like riding a thermometer roller-coaster ride. The temps go from extreme frigid to mild, from blustery winds lowering the wind chill factors risking frostbite and then back to Chinook-mild winds that melt the snow and creating icy conditions in the chill nights!!
With this New Year's arrival came a new job for DH. He goes away for two weeks and then home for a week (for this project anyhow!) It's not the easiest schedule, but there is plenty of room for advancement and for now I can hang in there. It's a huge relief and blessing for DH to have landed such an awesome opportunity for us.
Posted by Faye at 3:31 PM 0 comments


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Cedar Hill Lions Club members are local business people, educators, professionals, government officials, retirees, and others who wish to serve our community and the world we live in. These men and women give back to the community by sponsoring various activities and charities.
The Cedar Hill Lions Club meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the Month at the Good Shepherd Church, located at 915 Old Straus Rd, at noon.


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What to expect when a wireless facility is proposed on a utility pole in your neighborhood
Updated 1/18/11
I supervise the Office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management (a.k.a. "Cable"), which regulates use of the public right-of-way for private purposes such as commercial utilities, and manages fees for public facilities such as water and sewer pipes. Because the City is reviewing many new applications for wireless facilities in the streets (a.k.a. cell towers and antenna placement on utility poles), my staff and I prepared the following information to help you know your rights and opportunities for affecting the placement of these facilities.
Wireless services are continuing to grow at exponential rates, and cell phones have become the equivalent of a basic, lifeline utility service to thousands of Portland residents. Currently there are about twice as many wireless subscribers as there are Qwest 'wireline' phone customers in Portland. Over 60% of all calls to 9-1-1 in Portland come from cell phones.
As cell phone use and other wireless technologies continue to grow exponentially, wireless carriers will want/need to place more and more antennas in residential neighborhoods. This is because wireless technology is a "line of sight" service, and each company's equipment needs to connect with other facilities in their network. Existing facilities are reaching or exceeding capacity, and new companies want to provide service in Portland. Consumers want good connections and competitive pricing. This requires additional antennas.
The federal government does not allow local jurisdictions to "prohibit or effectively prohibit" the ability of any entity to provide telecommunications service (FCC 253a). This means the City has limited ability to restrict the placement of cellular facilities. The City's job is to balance the growth desired by providers and consumers with the sensitive nature and livability of our neighborhoods, under the applicable laws.
Information on why the City cannot consider potential health impacts is here. If you want to help advocate for reconsideration of this federal policy, see here. The 2009 Portland City Council Resolution asking the FCC to re-evaluate potential health impacts is here. Please copy Cary Turkon on my staff if you email your congressional Representative/Senators, so my office can monitor how many Portlanders are lobbying our legislators in D.C.
The City undertook several public processes to develop the current Zoning Code and contracts with the wireless carriers. A history of public involvement and adoption of regulations and contracts is here. After a highly-publicized, contentious public hearing at Council on proposed new regulations in the right-of-way in the fall of 2008, the proposal at that time was tabled, and my staff and I initiated a fresh look when I took office and was assigned to Cable in January 2009. We looked at multiple options, with the City Attorney's office, city staff in Cable and in Development Services, citizens who had been active with concerns in the 2008 proposal and others who became involved over the course of several months, and industry representatives.
The goal of the 2009 process was to ensure that new wireless antenna sites will be placed in residential areas only as a last resort. If they need to be in residential areas, their impact must be minimized. The result of this public input is a system adopted by ordinance after an evening Public Hearing before Council in May 2009. It requires wireless carriers to follow a hierarchy for placement of facilities. It allows taller structures so there can be fewer facilities, rather than shorter structures that require more poles to reach the "line of sight" coverage connections.
If there is an existing building or structure, such as a business, church, school, existing cell tower, or water tank where the new antennas can be placed, that option is preferred. Approval may require a Land Use review using Zoning Code regulations and approval criteria.
If an existing building or structure is not available, facilities must be placed on existing utility poles, based on a four-tier street ranking, from busy arterials to quiet neighborhood streets. The street rankings are here. The facility must be placed on a pole on the largest street possible, based on the coverage need of the carrier. The process for this option is described below.
If the above choices are impossible, then the carrier can apply to build a cell tower.
This policy has been effective. No new cell towers have been built in residential areas since about 2004, and of the 80 sites with an antenna on a utility pole, only about 20 have been placed on poles on small neighborhood streets in residential areas.
Specific Requirements and Opportunities for Input when an Antenna is Proposed on a Utility Pole in a Residential Area
Because the Zoning Code does not apply to the right-of-way, approvals or denials to work in the streets are administrative permits rather than land use cases. Citizen influence in individual siting decisions in the streets is different from citizen influence in land use cases. There are no discretionary decisions, only review of whether or not standards are met. Nevertheless, during the public process in the spring of 2009, participating community members clearly stated that they wanted both notice and meetings, even if these aren't land use cases and even if they don't have the same voice in these permits as they do for land use cases. The City's current requirements reflect this request.
****Updated 9/26/10:
1. The wireless carrier is required to schedule a meeting in conjunction with the neighborhood association, business association, and neighborhood coalition. Carriers typically arrange to be on the agenda at the next regularly scheduled neighborhood or business association meeting.
2. The carrier is required to notify property owners and residents within 400 feet of the utility pole of the meeting. The notice must describe the proposal and provide names and contact information for the wireless carrier, the pole owner, and the City.
The Notice will have contact information about the pole owner. Most but not all poles are owned by PGE and Pacific Power & Light. Qwest owns about 40,000 in Portland, sprinkled throughout the PGE and PPL service territories. Verizon owns an estimated 1,000-2,000 in outer NE Portland, and the City owns roughly 8,000-10,000 throughout the city. It's the wireless company's responsibility to figure out who the pole owner is and provide the correct contact information for the pole owners on their Meeting Notices.
The Notice will have contact information about the pole owner. Most but not all poles are owned by PGE and Pacific Power & Light. Qwest owns about 40,000 in Portland, sprinkled throughout the PGE and PPL service territories. Verizon owns an estimated 1,000-2,000 in outer NE Portland, and the City owns roughly 8,000-10,000 throughout the city. It's the wireless company's responsibility to figure out who the pole owner is and provide the correct contact information for the pole owners on their Meeting Notices.
3. The notice must be sent 14 - 30 days before the meeting date.
4. At the meeting, the carrier is required to inform neighbors of its plans and provide a photograph of the pole and a photo simulation of how it will appear after the equipment is attached. Neighbors are encouraged to attend, ask questions, and offer any suggestions about the proposal. If the neighbors believe that a less intrusive option should have been proposed, or that the aesthetic standards/limitations in the carrier's contract with the City are not being followed (Section 6 of http://www.portlandonline.com/cable/index.cfm?c=46289&a=242692), they can discuss this at the meeting. If they are not satisfied, they can inform the City, and the City can discuss this with the carrier both before and after an application is received. Questions regarding an application should be directed to
Jennifer Li in the Cable Office and Tim Crail in my office.
5. If the carrier chooses to proceed, it submits an application to the City that includes how it responded to the public input. The carrier's application form with this and other requirements is on the web at http://www.portlandonline.com/cable/index.cfm?c=46289&a=245404.
6. The City reviews the application against the contractual requirements. Applications will not be approved if they are incomplete or do not comply with the contractual requirements.
If the contractual requirements are met, the application is approved by Cable and forwarded to the Bureau of Transportation whose staff can issue permits for the work.
Unlike land use review cases, there is no specific timeline for the City's review of applications. This allows flexibility to manage the volume, address citizen concerns, and clarify issues with the applicant before action is taken. After Cable performs their office's review, their recommendation is forwarded for approval/denial to the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), whose staff then performs their technical review and issues or denies the permit. PBOT will not issue a permit untll both Cable and Transportation staff approve the application. Applicants may start work the day PBOT issues the permit, or they may wait and start several months later. There is no further notification to neighbors after the Cable office review is complete.
In about 1/2 the cases the antennas are attached to the existing pole. In the other 1/2 of the cases the utility pole is replaced with a slightly taller one (at most another 15' on small residential streets) and the antennas are attached against the pole. Antenna parts are not allowed to stick out like those on a traditional cell tower. This permitting step can take a few weeks.
7. After the facility is placed, the Bureau of Transportation conducts a field inspection to ensure the facility was constructed as proposed.
8. If the facility does not operate in accordance with standards, or stops operating correctly -- for instance if noise and vibration levels are excessive, the Office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management, the Bureau of Development Services, and if necessary Commissioner Fritz's office, require the facility owner to correct the problem(s).
In the past, some owner(s) have not responded quickly to complaints. This problem is being addressed (see below).
What else the City is doing on this important issue
Our team at the Office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management is working diligently to press for responsible regulation of cellular facilities. For example:
* We filed an amicus brief in helping to overturn the 9th Circuit's prior decision in Qwest vs Auburn. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that telecom companies can only sue cities & counties for actual or effective prohibitions of service, not speculative or theoretical ones.
* Our Government Relations lobbying team continues to work with our federal delegation in requesting re-evaluation of potential health impacts - you can help by contacting your legislators -- see here.
* We are pursuing new strategies to address the hundreds of upcoming applications for more cellular facilities
* We communicate regularly with Bureau of Development Services staff reviewing applications for cellular facilities on private lots (remember, the Cable office works only on facilities in the right-of-way - development on lots is regulated by the Zoning Code)
* We worked to provide more funding for BDS inspectors through the budget process, and will also pursue other ways to support the one Noise Officer in BDS including possibly proposing noise/nuisance regulations specific to cellular equipment.
I recognize many Portlanders are concerned about the siting of cellular facilities. After a sufficient number of applications have been reviewed and approved/denied, my office will work with Cable staff and citizens to assess whether changes to the current regulations are needed.