Governor Herbert's tardy response and what that proves about Gerrymandering

Last night on the news Governor Herbert made an announcement to the press in some cozy location in front of a pretty Christmas tree, warning us that more severe weather lies ahead with predictions of high winds--this time with snow--on Sunday into Monday.  And I have one question:

Where have you been for two days now, Governor?

I drove through the towns of Davis Country yesterday and destruction is everywhere.  Pick any random street and you will see property damage.  The sound of chain saws is in the air.  Neighborhoods have rallied to help neighbors cut up huge trees, repair houses, clean up.  I saw a housing construction site in Farmington that will have to be bulldozed.  I didn't take pictures as hundreds have already been posted on news channel web sites.  Some communities are still without power after three days.  Property damage is expected to exceed $20 million.

As I watched the governor last night, it occurred to me that we had heard not one word from any state official nor any state-level representative--let alone a congressman.  Not so much as a gratuitous photo-op in front of a downed tree.  No promises of help.  No offering of resources.

Maybe I missed something, but the highest officials I have seen making public announcements are the mayors of the cities affected.

And we in northern Utah are not surprised, as I'm sure our counterparts in southern Utah would not be either.  The powers that be in this state are so ensconced in Salt Lake, it's almost as if their world ends at the county boundaries.  If it didn't happen in Sandy, it didn't happen.

Well thanks for the weather report, gov.

And it got me to thinking further about this whole problem of representation and the gerrymandering fiasco recently perpetrated on us by a legislature intent on becoming a one-party state (as if it's not already that).  Our representation is not local, it's stretched over many counties with a meaningless mix of rural and urban areas.  There is no way our representatives can focus on the unique problems and issues affecting their constituents in individual communities when the district covers such diverse and expansive areas.  And so, the result is the smaller communities or the minorities in general get overlooked--are not heard.

As Utah heads further and further into the realm of single-party rule, there will be fallout.  Not just failure to act when people need help.  That's something that is easy to see and photograph.  But there will be greater corruption of public officials who will have too much power and no fear of being ousted from office.  There will be less concern about the real needs of the people of Utah and more focus on padding the bank accounts of elected officials and their families and cronies.

Because it always comes down to money.

And I don't blame the officials.  We know it's not their fault that power corrupts; that's a law of nature.  I blame the silly voters of Utah who just lazily check that "R" box because they think it's all about unborn babies and fail to see the real big picture of politics in Utah.

Cross-posted at OneUtah 

UPDATE: The gov may have read my blog. Today he activated the National Guard to help with cleanup and rolled up his own sleeves for TV reporters. But I still wonder why this didn't happen on Friday. Still tardy. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=18352901&title=davis-county-hopes-to-beat-storm-in-clean-up-effort

Where are those old posts?

Just FYI, I took down hundreds of my old posts some time ago in a moment of sheer frustration with the blogging world.  I may at some point make some of those available again.  I have to give it some thought.

Finished with the War

Time to bring this one out again.


Finished with the War - A Soldier's Declaration

"I am making this statement as an act of willful defiance of military authority, because I believe the war is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it.

"I am a soldier, convinced that I am writing on behalf of soldiers. I believe that this war, upon which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest. I believe that the purposes for which I and my fellow soldiers entered upon this war should have been so clearly stated as to have made it impossible to change them, and that, had this been done, the objects which actuated us would now be attainable by negotiation.

"I have seen and endured the suffering of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust.

"I am not protesting against the conduct of the war, but against the political errors and insincerities for which the fighting men are being sacrificed.

"On behalf of those who are suffering now I make this protest against the deception which is being practised on them; also I believe that I may help to destroy the callous complacence with which the majority of those at home regard the continuance of agonies which they do not share, and which they have not sufficient imagination to realize."

-- S. Sassoon
July 1917 (Regeneration, Pat Barker, 1993)


A few pages later, his psychiatrist asks Sassoon, "Would you describe yourself as a pacifist?" Sassoon replies, "I don't think so. I can't possibly say 'No war is ever justified', because I haven't thought about it enough. Perhaps some wars are. Perhaps this one was when it started. I just don't think our war aims--whatever they may be--and we don't know--justify this level of slaughter."

I can't add anything to improve on this.

Credit: Pat Barker, Regeneration, 1993. Regeneration is a fictionalized portrayal of real life poet Siegfried Sassoon and historical events of World War I.

Kern River Pipeline work closes freeway lanes

Kern River Pipeline company has been working on this area quite a long time.  See my earlier post, Kern River Pipeline Problems when part of the frontage road was damaged and closed last November.  This is a major natural gas pipeline that runs very near homes in my community.  Too near, if you ask me.

All I know is that Kern River had approval to increase the capacity of its pipeline.  I assume this ongoing construction work may be related to that.  But there seems to be no way of getting more details about what is going on.  Every day a highway patrolman is parked at the site with emergency lights on to warn drivers to slow down on the busy frontage road.  Sometimes a lane is closed.  I wonder what the work is they are doing, what the risks are, why it's taking so long, and who is paying for highway patrol presence. 

Today, part of the freeway was undermined and lanes again had to be closed.

KSL.com

The Utah Department of Transportation originally closed two lanes between the US-89 off-ramp and the I-215 on-ramp. Crews drilling under the interstate for a natural gas pipeline caused holes in the roadway's supporting base. So Sunday night UDOT closed the lanes to fix the problem. Crews also closed parts of Beck Street for the same reason. They have opened one lane on northbound I-15, but will keep one closed until at least 3 p.m.

 UPDATE:
An updated news story tells us that apparently tunneling under the freeway has resulted in collapses.  What kind of operation is this?   Does this inspire confidence?  So it does sound like they are replacing existing pipe with highter capacity pipe.  But it seems we should be paying attention to the poor quality of the work being performed here.  A natural gas pipeline that crosses a fault line in six places close to populations should be of great concern to our local governments.  I see little response to this comedy of errors from my community or others.  The highway department is going to suspend the permit to drill, and that's something.

By the way, note to the reporter: North Salt Lake is not Ogden, not even close -- but Salt Lakers are always pretty vague on anything north of the county line.  Come on KSL --- Ogden?

Kennecott expansion and air quality problems in the valley

A friend of mine provided the following information and asked me to share with my readers and urge you to pass it along to others as well.


Kennecott is requesting approval to expand their ore removal operation which, among other things, will result in increased pollutants in the Salt Lake valley.  A speaker at a meeting my friend attended stated that Kennecott is already responsible for 30 percent of the pollution in the valley.  If they are allowed to expand as requested, that contribution will increase accordingly, and we will either have a big increase in dirty air or will have to find other ways of reducing pollution that already reaches unacceptable levels many times during the year.  This is a matter of health for all of us and our families. 

Here’s the website for the Utah Division of Air Quality regarding the proposed approval of Kennecott’s request to expand their ore removal efforts by 25%. It explains the expected increase in pollutants.
http://www.airquality.utah.gov/Permits/DOCS/IN0105710028-11.pdf

There will be a Public Hearing at 6 :00 pm, Tuesday, February 22, 2011, Utah Air Quality Boardroom 1015, 195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Please send your written or e-mailed comments by close of business on March 8 to: Nando Meli Jr., Engineer, Phone: (801) 536-4052, e-mail: nmeli@utah.gov, or the address above. Put this number on all correspondence: DAQE-IN0105710028-11.

Nothing More to Say

 There's an oldie, "This page left blank intentionally." I seem to remember it originated in the 80's, was it IBM who did it first?, and then we all jumped on the bandwagon -- just as we were also dressing for success and trying to be upwardly mobile.

When I think about those days, I just sigh and shake my head. How silly we were about things that just didn't matter. How temporary the "wisdom" of the time.

In the technical writing world, this practice has been all but abandoned.  We leave pages blank at the end of a section or the end of a document and feel no need to explain why.

This page was part of a mailing from my insurance company received just yesterday advising me of its privacy practices.  There were, in fact, two such pages in the packet.  I supposed they figured if they didn't put that statement there, I might think something was missing -- that I might not simply understand they had nothing more to say.

And I thought immediately about this blog of mine, so neglected for so long.  Perhaps I need to post one of those "intentionally blank" pages.

It's not so much that I've run out of things to say.  It's more a matter of lack of fire, lack of passion.  I have felt extremely subdued for a long time now.  A month or so ago I went back and read old posts in this blog and realized how irrelevant most had become.  I had passion then, but the topics were temporary, and my words now sound empty even to my own ears.  As a result, I took down nearly all the posts on this blog except those with videos I like and posts that still get a lot of Google hits.  By "take down" I mean I put them back into edit mode rather than delete them.  I can still see them myself but I no longer publish them publicly.


I thought when the Utah legislature convened this month I would surely feel passionate enough to start writing again.  There are plenty of idiotic things happening up on the hill this year, like every other year.  But it just keeps occurring to me how temporary all of it is.  Next year it will be something else, and the next year something else.  And suddenly I'm not sure if it's my discouragement that we never see any improvement, or simply that it just seems not worth expending personal energy and strength to write how I feel about it.  I just can't bring myself to pick a topic and write.

It feels wrong to be silent.  I feel some obligation to speak.  But without the fire that moves me to do it, anything I write is just hollow.  So for now, this page is left blank intentionally.  Until I find my old voice or a new one and a passion for the topics that belong on this page.

Would you shop at Barnes and Noble?

I like book stores and prefer them to online shopping when it makes sense.  However, today, thinking of the fast approaching Christmas, I thought I would just order some books for my grandson online.  There were 40% discounts on the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books.  I ordered those and a couple more.  But when I entered my member number to get my discount, it said my membership had expired.  Sigh.  Okay, I'll run down to the store after work.

At the store they checked and said indeed my membership had expired.  So I renewed the membership and proceeded to check out a pretty good stack of books.  But the "Wimpy Kid" books were all ringing up at full price.  Wait a second, I told the cashier, aren't those 40% off?  She tells me, oh these are the hard cover, you probably want the paper backs.  As there was no helper around who could go and get them at the time, I paid for all the other books except those and returned to look for the paperbacks .

Alas.

They do not come in paperback.

I learned this when I returned to the front of the store and spoke with two other workers.  So I questioned why the books we not on sale in the store when they were online.  Forty percent is a significant difference in books that are $16 and $17.  Well!  The two workers were eager to inform me that in the store we have to pay their wages and the light bill.  They got a bit huffy.  So I thanked them and said I'd just order them online in that case.

Or so I thought.

When I again entered my member number online, it again informed me that my membership had expired.  So I called the customer service line and asked if they would help me with the order.  I was told by the nicest of people that even though I had, in fact, paid my $25 in a store to renew my membership, the computer system wouldn't be updated for 24 to 48 hours.  But . . . but . . . but . . . it's nearly Christmas and these books are for my grandson.  Oh, she assured me, the books will definitely arrive by the end of next week.

I couldn't help it, I just started laughing.  We both laughed.  I told her it's pretty hard to imagine in this day of instant everything when I can surf the internet on my phone, that it takes up to 48 hours for a store computer to update the company computer.  Boggles the mind.  I asked her if she would please submit a complaint on my behalf at this unbelievable lapse in service for their good and loyal members.  (I did not go so far as to say the word "Amazon".)

But with her assurances, I am waiting and will try again tomorrow and maybe the next day and try to order.  If I am successful, I can get three books for less than the cost of two in the store.  If I'm unsuccessful, I'll go back to the store.  But then, will the computer know that I've updated my membership?

Eagles: Please Come Home for Christmas

Kern River Pipeline Problem?

What's wrong with this story?

Portion of US-89 closed through Monday

NORTH SALT LAKE -- UDOT is closing a portion of Highway 89 over the weekend to work on repairs.

The closure will affect the northbound stretch of highway between the Beck Street ramp in North Salt Lake and Eagle Ridge Drive. UDOT says the closure comes after word that maintenance work on the Kern River natural gas pipeline in the area may have weakened the roadway subsurface.  UDOT expects to reopen the road by 6 a.m. Monday.  Drivers are advised to take Interstate 15 to 2600 South to avoid the closure. 

 Something tells me there's more to this story than we see here.  What maintenance?  How exactly did it undermine the road?

Let's remember what we're talking about here.  The Kern River pipeline is a natural gas pipeline that received special permission to cut through the foothills above Bountiful and run along the south end of North Salt Lake to save 20 miles on its way to California, in so doing crossing the Wasatch Fault line 6 times and coming within 50 yards of residences in North Salt Lake.  The company was granted and recently put into place an increase of delivery from 1200 psi to 1333 psi. 

Since they aren't telling us the whole story, we can only read between the lines.  Something went wrong.  Something unexpected happened.  But what?

Here in North Salt Lake, we were assured when the pipeline was originally built that it was extremely safe and not a threat to anyone.  I didn't buy it then and I don't buy it now.  Our representative at the time, Jim Hansen, was silent and refused to become involved -- I think because he thought it might stain his anti-environment/pro big oil reputation.  But that's just my thinking.  Despite huge public opposition, the pipeline easily won the government approval it needed.

The pipeline right-of-way is easily visible as a long straight scar across the mountains and foothills of Bountiful and North Salt Lake going south, and then turning west and running past the site of the defunct gravel pit currently being developed commercially.  Looking at Google maps, it appears that houses may be even closer now with more recent construction.

I'd like to know more facts about this latest incident.

Also see an update to this post here. http://slcblues.blogspot.com/2011/02/kern-river-pipeline-work-closes-freeway.html

Tenderness

A great little tune, from a great little movie. Try a Little Tenderness, by The Commitments, from the movie of the same name, 1991.

Protecting America from Religious Zealots

Glenn Beck and his followers, the Tea Party folks, and all those who scream loudly opposing the New York City mosque have a warning for us:  Religious zealots want to take over our country and impose their extreme religious beliefs on the rest of us.

Maybe these folks should look in the mirror.  I'm more worried about the extreme Christian movement taking over our government -

- and imposing their beliefs on the rest of us.

Press "1" for English

To activate my credit card recently, I had to press '1' for English. And you know what? It was really easy. Bink! Done! No big deal at all.

Unlike those who complain about such things, I am pleased that businesses are willing to help my friends who don't speak English well to clearly understand business and financial transactions. It doesn't mean my friends aren't willing to learn and speak English to the best of their ability. It just means that many subtleties of the English language escape them, and when it comes to doing business, clarity can be very important to all involved.

English is a difficult and sometimes funny language. People who have spoken nothing else their entire lives still often fail to speak correctly (another post for another day). I can't take credit for the following - I copied these from the internet. You've seen similar lists, I'm sure.

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And how is it that people recite at a play and play at a recital.

You can be given a number of injections to make the pain number.

You can ship by truck and send cargo by ship.

We have noses that run and feet that smell.

When the stars are out, they are visible. When the lights are out, they are invisible.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

The wind can be too strong to wind the sail.

There is no time like the present to present you with this present.

How can 'A Slim Chance' and 'A Fat Chance' be the same?

How can 'You're so cool' and 'You're not so hot' be different?

Why are 'A Wise man' and 'A Wise guy' opposites?

What if a seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

The bandage is wound around a wound.

I do not object to the object.

The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

Boxing rings are square.

A soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

A farm is used to produce produce.

Need I continue?

(Presented in the hope that Americans really are kinder, more helpful, and more understanding than they sometimes sound.)

The McCartney Concert

"And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."

I want to write this while still basking in the afterglow.  It was a thrill to be among the 40,000 fans at the Paul McCartney concert last night.  We were there! By "we" I mean three of my sisters and one brother-in-law, my son and his wife, two of my friends and their husbands -- those are the ones I know of.  We didn't all sit together, we were scattered about.  Where I was sitting, the seats were wonderful -- I had a great view of the stage.  I knew this would be good, but had no idea how truly fantastic it would be.

From the time McCartney took the stage around 8 p.m. until he exited at 11-ish, he was singing, dancing, playing all kinds of instruments, telling stories, and entirely positive and upbeat.  We all felt that he really was thrilled to be performing for us.  And the band members, too.  Each one appeared to not only be really into the performance, but also truly having the time of their lives doing it. 

I feel infused with so much positive energy today, I am practically floating.

And speaking of the band, really, what a sound from the most basic group.  A drummer, a bass, a lead guitar, and a keyboard -- and Paul switching off with every tune.  The band did the backup singing too.  The synergy of the group was marvelous.  You could tell they liked being together.

This was an event I've waited for for 46 years.  I've been a Beatles fan since there were Beatles.  The experience was everything I expected and more.  And now it's a memory, but it will be among the treasured memories of my lifetime.

And one thing I take away from the experience is the importance of producing positive energy in our lives.  Paul has certainly suffered tragedy and trial.  But he emerges smiling and happy, and then proceeds to make thousands of people around him feel happy too.  I have a desire to do the same with my small life -- to greet each day with a positive energy that feels good to me and influences those whose lives touch mine that day.

The end of Scrabulous, Lexulous, and Wordscraper as we knew them

UPDATE: February 3, 2009 I have no information about Lexulous. I've given it up.

UPDATE January 2, 2009: Wordscraper on Facebook is now called Lexulous (renamed). The www.lexulous.com site seems to be down at the moment. I have no information about that. I checked out the board at Facebook and it is much improved over Wordscraper. It appears the customization feature is gone and the board is back to a close but not exact simulation of Scrabble. I wouldn't mind this one. No more of those ridiculous 4W and 4L squares, no more circles instead of squares, and back to the nice colors we liked with our old Scrabulous. This might be all right.
-----------------------------------

The Agarwalla brothers have posted a message on the Lexulous web site explaining that, as a settlement in their lawsuit with Hasbro, we will no longer be able to have customized boards that resemble the Scrabble board. In addition, we will play with 8 letters instead of 7. Many players on Facebook have finally given up. My long-time partner and I are giving it up too, and reluctantly going to Hasbro's Scrabble on Facebook. It still is too colorful and lacks some features we had grown to like with our old Scrabulous. How stupid on both sides that they didn't just work something out and keep the half million users who loved the game. Disappointing, yes, but we'll move on.

Here's the message in full:

KOLKATA, India - December 12th - RJ Softwares today announced that it has settled the litigation brought by Hasbro Inc., a Pawtucket, RI, USA, based company that owns the U.S. and Canadian rights to the SCRABBLE crossword game. The settlement resolves disputes concerning Scrabulous, previously offered by RJ Softwares, as well as Lexulous, and Wordscraper that are currently offered by RJ Softwares.

Pursuant to the settlement, RJ Softwares has agreed not to use the term Scrabulous and has made changes to the Lexulous and Wordscraper games (in the U.S. and Canada) to distinguish them from the SCRABBLE crossword game. Based on these modifications Hasbro has agreed to withdraw the litigation filed against RJ Softwares in federal court in New York in July of this year. As modified, the Wordscraper application will continue to be available on Facebook and Lexulous will be available on the Lexulous.com website.

The agreement provides people in the U.S. and Canada with a choice of different games and also avoids potentially lengthy and costly litigation's.

RJ Softwares acknowledges the guidance and support provided by Rajiv Khaitan of Khaitan & Co., India as well as his Meritas colleague, Rose Auslander, of Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP, New York and their entire team of lawyers, in negotiating the litigation and settlement process for the firm.

About RJ Softwares
RJ Softwares develops high quality interactive online games that are fun to play! Founded in 2000 by St. Xavier's College commerce students Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla, RJ Softwares' products engage a global audience. RJ Softwares is headquartered in Kolkata, India. For more information, visit www.rjs.in or, www.lexulous.com

More Snow, October 12, 2008

UPDATE: The news reports that North Salt Lake got eight inches of snow out of this storm.
Sunrise Sunday morning, Oct 12, 2008. A couple of inches overnight. Always looks deepest on the patio furniture.
Heavy wet snow weighing down the branches with unfallen leaves.
More snow predicted today. Looks threatening to the north. Weatherman says Davis County is getting lake effect. Snow plow has been up the street twice this morning. Normally I'd be out clearing the drive and walks, but this will melt fast.

I'm settling in with my coffee, crossword, and the Sunday morning news programs.

First Snow - Oct 11, 2008

Just a powder sugar dusting this afternoon, but piling up a bit now the sun is down and temps are near freezing. Forecast says a high of 38 tomorrow, but back up to the 70s next weekend! Woo!