February 17, 2009, analog television becomes a thing of the past. Are you ready?

the Oregonian

By government decree, February 17 2009, millions of analog television sets without a converter box will go dark, to be replaced by digital.

Federal officials estimate that 45 million (20%) of the households in the US, get their TV signals over the air. Others receive their signals via cable or satellite service. this translates to roughly seventy three million TVs that will have to be converted or retired.

"If TVs suddenly go dark, millions of viewers will be looking for someone to blame. "You will have a disaster on Feb. 18, 2009, and people will be screaming -- not at you but at us," Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, told government officials Oct. 17."

Beginning January 1, 2008, the national telecommunications and information administration, an arm of the Commerce Department will begin accepting applications for $40 coupons that can be used to defray the cost of conversion boxes, which will cost anywhere between $50 and $70.

"The last thing we want is some sort of pitchfork rebellion with viewers storming down Pennsylvania Avenue looking for revenge," said Dennis Wharton, spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters, a trade group whose core membership provides over-the-air TV."

TV manufacturers since March have been required to equip all new sets with digital tuners and retailers are required to attach "consumer alert" to unsold analog TVs. The FCC has already sent hundreds of warning letters to retailers that have failed to display the disclosure clearly.


Federal Communications Commission and the Commerce Department are the two federal agencies principally responsible for the switch.

that is all good and well that they are willing to give us coupons to defer the price of the digital converters, but not everybody has the money to buy a converter, or for that matter even, want to mess with a converter.

To my understanding, what they're not saying in the article, is that the whole reasoning for converting from analog to digital, is that it uses a narrower bandwidth and more frequencies can be sold.

We will see how "smooth" the conversion will go when millions of people do not switch to digital and advertisers start losing money.

The kicker... would you prefer it as a check or as a credit on your taxes?

Oregonian --
The kicker refund check which is scheduled to go out in early December, will cost the state of Oregon an estimated $2 million in borrowing costs and an estimated $1 million to print and mail the check's.

"I think we need to understand is sending out this kicker as a Christmas present is costing us a lot of money," says Senator Ginny Burdick who chairs the Senate's interim financing revenue committee.

The idea of a credit instead of cash is part of Ted "tax and gouge me" Kulongoski's 30 member tax reform task force discussion before the 2009 legislative session.

They are always trying to find a way to keep our money aren't they?

" sanctuary cities would lose discretionary federal grants, as would colleges and universities that allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition."

KEZI--

Republican candidate Fred Thompson said Tuesday that the government should yank federal dollars from cities and states that don't report illegal immigrants and challenged presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney by criticizing "Sanctuary City's" that bar city workers from reporting suspected illegal immigrants.

Thompson feels that money should not be provided to illegal immigrants and that his rivals are soft on illegal immigration because Giuliani, as New York mayor, sued the federal government to keep his city's sanctuary policy, and that Romney as Massachusetts Governor had also tolerated sanctuary cities.

" The immigration issue is important to many conservatives who influence Republican primaries. Some argue that illegal immigrants are straining schools and hospitals and taking jobs from U.S. citizens.

Thompson chose to announce his plan in Collier County, which has vast tomato farms that hire thousands of immigrants and last year was part of a two-county sweep that saw 163 illegal immigrants arrested in one weekend.

Thompson's campaign said 22 percent of the county's crime is committed by illegal immigrants. "

"Taxpayer money should not be provided to the illegal immigrants," Thompson commented in a roundtable discussion.

" Thompson said to Collier County, Fla., sheriff Don Hunter, "You've clearly been swamped with a particular kind of problem because the federal government, in large part, has let you down and has not done their part. "

Under Thompson's plan, sanctuary cities would lose discretionary federal grants, as would colleges and universities that allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition and has called for stronger laws forcing employers to verify that workers aren't illegal immigrants.

I'm back!

I have Internet service!!!

Not high-speed, but faster than dial-up.

It will take a day or two to get caught up on what is going on around the area, however I expect to resume blogging on Wednesday.

By the way, I'm looking into satellite Internet. Has anybody had any experience with satellite?

I look forward to blogging again and thank you all for your patience.

Robin

My dear readers,

Well, I'm still searching for some sort of semi-reliable Internet access. I've tried resorting to dial-up which works sporadically and I can only maintain communications for about five minutes if I'm lucky. I signed up for Verizon wireless Internet, which they assured me that they cover 90% of the United States and that my area should be covered. While as luck would have it, I am in the 10% that is not covered. AT&T, which is currently advertising that "the Internet can't hide anymore", has found a place to hide here. So my quest continues...

As I said in my previous post, there has been some good things and some bad things that have happened since I quit my job.

The plan... was that I moved in with my best friend who recently moved to North Dakota about a month before me, obtain my CDL, and start driving trucks for three dollars an hour more than I'm currently making.

I bought my friend a train ticket so that she could come down and help me work on the house and then take two vehicles back to North Dakota. On the day that we were getting ready to leave, her and my sister got into a fight which started a chain of events that cost me my best friend.

Shortly after arriving in North Dakota, I find that North Dakota has a residency requirement of 90 days before I can get a North Dakota driver's license or CDL and that you have to prove with a utility bill or some other official documents. A handwritten rent receipt is not acceptable proof.

Fortunately for me, in the meantime, my ex-best friend's friend is allowing me to stay with him until I get my CDL and get a job, in exchange, I have been helping him work on his trucks (he owns a trucking company) and help him around the farm.

I've also been restoring a 1987 Freightliner as part of my training.

Well, like the saying goes, "best laid plans..."

My home, and my family are still in Eugene.

I left my job on good terms, and although my company does not "backfill", my supervisor sent me several listings of jobs that I am eligible to apply for (assuming I can get to the Internet).

There are job opportunities here. So the dilemma is to stay here and take advantage of the opportunities or go back home and HOPE that I can find work before my reserves are totally expired.

Should I decide to stay to work, my heart and home are still in Eugene, and as soon as I can get reliable Internet service, I will resume the blog on a daily basis again. (They're not getting rid of me that easily)

So, keep checking back, and again, thank you for all your well wishes and support.

UGH! I miss my high speed internet!

Greetings and thanks for all the well wishes.

Yes, I am using dial up (UCK!) and it has taken this long to get it to work.

Lots of things have been happening since I left Eugene, some good and some bad.

will write more later. :-)

Robin

Robin's Nest and personal life changes

Robin's Commentary--

As some of my regular readers have discovered, postings to Robin's Nest has been sporadic lately. The reason for this is a major life change.

Today, I'm doing something that I've never done in my lifetime... leaving a job.

After semi surviving my experiences at Lane community college and the ridiculous amount of constant battle with financial aid, I was fortunate enough to land a job with a local Fortune 500 company where I have been for the last year.

While I'm not going to say anything good or bad about the company here, [I could spend all day on that subject] I will say that it has been a very interesting and very stressful experience to the point, that it has severely started to affect my health.

In the 13 months that I have worked for this company, I have had to take off more days more for being sick than with any other company in my life. So, I am forced to start asking my self, "Is the money really worth your health?"

In this particular case,no! it is a high stress, low-paying ($13 an hour) with not much room for professional advancement job.

So today is my last day.

While I do have the prospect of another job lined up, [despite what people at City Hall think, Eugene's economy sucks big time (or is that sucking sound the sound of more taxes being drained out of my savings?)]
unfortunately, during this transition, I will not have the time to post for at least a couple of weeks.

To my loyal readers, please continue to check back as Robin's Nest is only going to take a little vacation.

Wish me luck!

Sincerely,

Robin

What the heck are "Bike boxes", "Road diets", "Bike-ped","Contra-flows" , "bicycle boulevards" & "Complete streets"

Register guard--

It is the "Oregon bicycle and pedestrian plan" which is a state issued book on how roads and paths could be improved for cyclists and walkers who want to get around without their cars.

The "complete street" concept has been inspired by Eugene cycling advocates Paul Moore to include the concept of "muscle powered transportation" and to point out the cycling trouble spots which could be fixed or some ideas and standards in the states "bike-ped" plan

Eugene bicyclist correlation member Webb Sussman and Moore recently took a trip up High Street at 7th Ave to point out a worn out painted line of a "bike box" (pictured) at the intersection which is a designated area were cyclists may make their way from left to right side bike path. [I thought that's what crosswalks were for]
"Contra-flow" are streets such as 19th and Alder, or bike lanes that allow light traffic in both directions on a one-way street.

"Bicycle boulevards" are areas that include barriers to keep cars out.

A "Road diet" is a reconfiguration that would reconfigure a street from two-car lanes in each direction, to one lane each way, which would create space for bike lanes. The downside of a "Road diet" could mean eliminating the number of driveways and on street parking.
besides being another attempt to "get you out of your car", some of the suggestions like the "bike box" in my opinion is stupid and dangerous.
The "bike box" or other words known as "the advance stop line" consists of two lines at a traffic light. The first line is for motor vehicles. The second line, which is closer to the intersection, is for bicycles. On a red light, this allows bicyclists to overtake the waiting motor vehicles and cut in front of them.

" The "bike box" allows bicyclists to go to the head of the line and so, on casual observation, it appears to advance the status of bicyclists over that of motorists. Not only do bicyclists get to go to the head of the line but also, motorists must wait in line behind the bicyclists.{John Allen's bicycle facilities, laws and programs }-- "

Think about everyday driving downtown, and you can just picture just how dangerous this concept is.
{image courtesy of John Allen's bicycle facilities, laws and programs }

Teen driver may face charges in boy's death

Register Guard--

By guest commentator Gary
"Bailey Hill is without a doubt a dangerous obstacle course of lights and traffic," Bryce Vandiver said. "People don't use their turn signals and think speed limits and red lights are a suggestion."
"There's no enforcement,” Cynthia Anderson said. "There aren't even signs." She said she has called the city at least five times about drivers failing to stop for children trying to use the crosswalk. Her son crosses Bailey Hill Road daily and often waits as 10 to 12 cars zip past without stopping.
Eugene's traffic engineer Tom Larsen said the city has fielded calls about the stretch of roadway south of the Churchill High School. But his crash statistics don't back up neighborhood claims.
The city recorded one crash - a car hitting a tree - at the Bailey Hill and Westleigh intersection in all of 2003, 2004 and 2005 combined, he said. Numbers for 2006 were not available Tuesday.
There were nine recorded crashes at Bailey Hill Road and Warren Street during the same period. None of the wrecks was fatal.
"In terms of crash history, this is not a dangerous intersection," Larsen said.
I wonder how the family of 10-year-old Vaclav Hajek of Eugene feels about that statement. Vaclav, who lived nearby, was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he was declared dead after he was struck by a car on Monday. An initial investigation indicated that the driver was speeding south on Bailey Hill Road approaching Westleigh Street

it is unfortunate and very sad that someone got injured and killed, especially a child... but as far as the issue of vehicles running stop signs and red lights, in the area that I live, this is a very common phenomenon.
There is no excuse for running a stop sign!
Besides being extremely dangerous no matter how "clear" the intersection may seem, it is because of these idiots that they're putting up red light cameras, increasing insurance costs and changing laws and we have to pay for it because as somebody else stupidity.
I have personally assisted with the local PD in over 250 accidents. If you do not think that a car is dangerous, you're DEAD wrong. -- Robin

What does the EmX and the Hollow Road/Pioneer Parkway roundabout have in common?

Robin's commentary

The LTD EmX project is about to invest another $38 million into LTD's pet bus line which service is expected to begin in 2010.

I got to thinking about the overpriced bus system which is funded 80% by the Federal transit administration, 15% by "connect Oregon" in 5% by LTD match{LTD.org}--, and having the experience of trying to navigate through the roundabout during heavy traffic, which is an experience in itself, I began to wonder about how the Pioneer Parkway roundabout system will work LTD's EmX.

Although on the LTD web site, they have a map regarding the route... they do not indicate whether or not the "bus lane" will go through the roundabout itself, have a special lane through the roundabout, and/or some sort of traffic control device, which of course would defeat the whole purpose of having a roundabout.

I still have to ask the question that if the only advantage really to the EmX is that it has its own special bus lanes, why not just have the LTD fleet use the new bus lanes and save $800,000 per bus?