| CAMPO takes on transit – where the rubber doesn't meet the road
Equally broad-spectrum are the plans, funding sources, and authorized service areas of the cities and transit entities presenting: Capital Metro, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, and the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail District. What's most striking thus far is how close Austin and the region could be to a collaborative solution, if – and it's a big if – the money can be cobbled together. An impressive amount of planning for passenger-rail transit already has been done, albeit in a fragmented fashion. Continued Barton, "Timing is everything, and I have a sense that we might be at a place in the region's history, and in the zeitgeist, where we are all ready to sing 'Kumbaya,' or maybe 'Happy Trails,' together." "This is a historical moment, a remarkable moment!" celebrated Brewster McCracken, vice chair of the group, at its Jan.
Complaints against police nearly double
In all, 88 officers were investigated internally since 2005, and 27 received some form of discipline. In that time, at least eight police officers were either fired or left the department, and five were suspended for at least one shift.The number of allegations isn't so large when put into perspective, said police Sgt. Robb Harry.Two-thirds of the investigations conducted during the three-year period led to no action because the employee was found to either have done nothing wrong or there was not enough evidence to support allegations of wrongdoing.Of the rest, most of the discipline was minor: oral or written reprimands. About 15 percent resulted in suspensions, resignations or firings. No officer was demoted during that timeframe.The increase in complaints comes at a time when the Police Department is already facing questions about its image.
Finding beauty in world's danger zones
"You find the amazing stories of hope in dangerous areas," says Andrea Nix Fine, 38, of why difficulty enthralls her. She collaborates with her husband, Sean, 34, on films that lead audiences into discomfort zones of their own: where people expect horrors, the Fines reveal unexpected beauty. In 2005, the Fines got a call from a nonprofit production company, Shine Global, to film the stories of kids, some of whom had been abducted by rebel soldiers in Uganda. Andrea had just given birth to her son, but they decided nevertheless to follow this call as if it were not a phone call from Montclair, N.J., but a summons to destiny. Having two new parents in a war zone was unthinkable, so Sean traveled to Patongo Refugee camp in Uganda with a sound technician and collaborated with Andrea daily by phone.
Rich nations’ environmental footprint falls on poor
Norgaard, an ecological economist and UC Berkeley professor of energy and resources. "That, perhaps, is one reason that they are poor. You dont see it until you do the kind of accounting that we do here" The calculation of the ecological footprints of the worlds low-, middle- and high-income nations drew upon more than a decade of assessments by environmental economists who have tried to attach monetary figures to environmental damage, plus data from the recent United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and World Bank reports. Because of the monumental nature of such an accounting, the UC Berkeley researchers limited their study to six areas of human activity. Impacts of activities that are difficult to assess, such as loss of habitat and biodiversity and the effects of industrial pollution, were ignored.
WEDNESDAY (23rd)
Club Dragon Eight, 1151 Folsom; 431-1151. 9pm-3am. A gay Asian dance club. Club Hide 9pm-2am, free. Live music. Club NV 10pm-3:30am. Hip-hop and salsa. Club Six 9pm-2am, $10. Dance and hip-hop with various DJs. Desire Fluid Ultra Lounge, 662 Mission; 615-6888, www.fluidsf.com. 10pm, $10-15. Hip-hop, mashups, and rock with rotating DJs. Directions In Stereo Dalva. 9pm-2am. DJs Circuit73, Dave Aju, Wrong?, and Subtext spin everything from punk to disco. Dragon Bar 473 Broadway; 834-9383. 8pm-2am, $10. House, hip-hop, Latin, jazz, and classic dance mixes with DJ Daymetrius. The Dream Queen's Revue Aunt's Charlie's, 133 Turk; 441-2922. 10pm. Drag cabaret hosted by Ruby Slippers and DeeDee La Femme. Element Fridays Element Lounge.
Flooded I-5 could open one lane tonight
It alleged that some of the center's 4,200 monkeys suffered needlessly at the hands of center personnel. The complaint was based on the observations of an undercover investigator for PETA, who took a job as a monkey handler at the center from April to July. PETA accused the center of violating eight provisions of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including failing to prevent monkeys from suffering trauma, behavioral stress, physical harm and unnecessary discomfort. The group also accused the center of failing to provide timely or effective veterinary care to monkeys suffering from chronic vomiting, kidney stones and other ailments. On Tuesday, Michael Conn, the acting head of the center's animal services division, said he thought reasonable people would take the word of USDA inspectors over unnamed animal-rights activists.
End of the road for Japan's taxi smokers
Japan's salarymen once considered it their inalienable right to enjoy a quick puff in the back of a taxi on the way to a meeting. Their wives, too, saw nothing wrong with cycling through the rain, umbrella raised and children perched on tiny seats at the front and back and bags of shopping dangling from the handlebars. But they are being forced to change their ways after the introduction of a smoking ban in many of Japan's taxis this week and, later this year, a planned clampdown on multitasking cyclists. On Monday, Tokyo became the latest of several cities to ban smoking in taxis as Japan made a belated attempt to ride the wave of tobacco intolerance sweeping other developed countries. Smoking is now banned in 52,000 vehicles belonging to Tokyo's two biggest taxi associations, with a further 3,000 other unaffiliated cars, which have so far escaped the ban, expected to follow in the coming months.
Hoffman Will Propose Bill To Shield Counties From RAGBRAI Liability
As the Legislature gets to work, in Des Moines, RAGBRAI officials, county supervisors and bike riders will be watching to see if legislation emerges that could help shape the future of Iowa's great bicycle ride. One western Iowa lawmaker says he'll propose a bill that would provide "immunity" for counties where riders roll. "I think its important we get this immunity for counties," said Rep. Clarence Hoffman, (R) Charter Oak. Hoffman represents the corner of Crawford County where Kirk Ullrich died almost four years ago. He lost control of his bike after it hit a crack in a county road. His widow sued. And, last fall, she settled with Crawford County for $355,000 dollars. County supervisors then passed a resolution banning the annual bicycle ride from its roads. "If we have to fix our roads, and get them into the shape, so that they're gonna be good for bicycles in every situation, then the money for "Time 21" needs to be doubled," Hoffman said.
India hopeful on nuclear deal despite adamant left
There is fresh spine in the government in taking on the communists," said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan. "The government knows this is the last chance for the deal." But Patil's optimism was swiftly rejected by a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), which has threatened to bring down the government if the deal goes through. Communists say the pact, which will give India access to U.S. nuclear fuel and equipment, infringes on India's sovereignty and undermines its security. But they have allowed the government to continue talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over the deal. "There is no change in our position," the CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury told a news conference. "Our position is what it was -- that is: do not proceed to operationalize the deal.
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