Protest at FPL plant site more peaceful than Feb. clash

Distributed by Panagioti Tsolkas yesterday at Park(ing) event (click title for PB Post article):

Insurance bidding to save Lake Worth $2 million

Slideshow: Park(ing) Day in Lake Worth - 2008

What a fantastic event! With the help of the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency and the Lake Worth Tree Board, the parking lot south of the Post Office downtown was transformed for an afternoon into a beautiful park. Parking spaces were adopted by residents, neighborhood associations and businesses into mini urban oases. There was live music throughout the afternoon. Just a real good way for the community to come together, chat and learn about the strength of nature in an urban setting.

This was part of a worldwide event organized by the Trust for Public Land. Click here for more information on National Park(ing) Day 2008. I have also uploaded some of the still pictures from the event to the Park(ing) Day website on Flickr. There you can see what other communities around the country and the world did to transform parking lots/spaces for a day. You'll see that Lake Worth represents very well. Nice to see the City actively participate in this way! I'm working on a YouTube video now that will probably be ready by the end of the day. I'll post it here and in the Park(ing) Day location on the YouTube site.

(Click title above for instant trip to Park(ing) Day slideshow group on Flickr - watch the whole show if you can.)

Great enthusiasm shown by all the participants. I was honored to be one of three judges for the event. Donna Ross, Victoria Skinner and I went around to all the spaces and decided on the following award winners:

• Funniest Park - Cory Metzler
• Best Use of Native Plants - Native Plant Society
• Best Use of Xeriscape - 1000 Friends of Florida
• Most Creative Park - Parrot Cove
• Best Art Park - Mango Grove
• Most Educational - Yummy Yards
• Best Urban Plan Park - Downtown Jewel

So, the consensus is that we have to do it again next year! If you got to see it in person, thanks for coming by.

Great Park(ing) Day in Lake Worth!

This was a great day! Tons of pictures/movies and we are part of a worldwide phenomenon! More to come.

Boil Water Notice

There will be a Boil Water Notice from 1:00 p.m. Friday, September 19, 2008, to 3:00 p.m. Sunday, September 21, 2008 for the following addresses:

2601 - 2613 Holy Cross Lane
2607 - 2614 Georgia Lane and
2601 - 2614 Furman Lane

Be sure to boil water for a period of three minutes for drinking and food preparation.

CERT Training Sign-up

The Lake Worth Fire Department will host Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training from September 30, 2008, through November 6, 2008, on Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Police Department Training Room.

For more information, please contact Faye Fornah at 586-1711, extension 531 or ffornah@lakeworth.org.

Last days for a historic hangout: John G's, Lake Worth Casino to close

The PB Post at its "finest" strumming the heart strings...

Friday Treat - Favorite Stevie Wonder Song

Happy Birthday to ...me!

Part of a Surprise Project - You'll find out more tomorrow...

These pictures were used for Park(ing) Day in Lake Worth by Dave Vespo in the space he reserved. Thanks to Jim Stafford for the yeoman's work getting everything put together. Thanks to Dan Winkel and Erica for helping with the clean up!

Message from Gael Silverblatt re National Park(ing) Day in Lake Worth - 9/19

For participating in National Park(ing) Day each neighborhood association will receive 50 Live Oak Trees, each individual will receive one Live Oak Tree. Those neighborhood associations who could not participate may receive 10 Live Oak Trees each. The trees look good and when planted will be 4-5 feet tall.

The trees can be picked up Saturday from 9am - 12pm (noon) at the Pinecrest Cemetery Building , on the west side of the building. The address is 1724 12th Ave. South. Bring your vehicles for transport.

Neighborhood associations you may give out more than one tree per resident. You don't need to fill out tree waiver forms to receive the trees.

Watering instructions from David McGrew: Please make sure to tell the tree recipients to make sure they water the trees daily while they are still in pots, daily for the first week after planting and then every other day for at least a month. This will ensure their survival. This is allowed under the current restrictions.

The trees will count towards the city's goal to plant 10,000 trees by 2013.

Thanks for making this eco event a community event.

Gael

Florida Red Blue - Say "NO" on 2 Message

Subject: We couldn’t have said it better
We have always taken the time to write our own emails warning about the consequences of passing Amendment 2. This week, to our delight, that email was written by the News-Journal Online. Read their unedited opinion of what amendment 2 does why we must stop it:

"Amendment 2: (Marriage amendment)

While Amendment 1 aims to fight bigotry, Amendment 2 -- placed on the ballot by citizen initiative -- would foster prejudice. Even worse, it's deceptively worded so as to hide its true scope. Voters should see through this cynical ruse to draw ultra-right voters to the polls in a high-stakes presidential election year.

The amendment bills itself as "marriage protection." Its supporters say it's meant to keep Florida from being forced into recognizing unions between same-sex partners. Malarkey -- state law already bans same-sex unions in four different statutes, using language that has withstood legal challenge in other states.

But the real problems with this amendment go further than supporters are willing to admit. Legal analysts say it could be used to block companies that provide benefits for unmarried partners -- regardless of whether such unions are homosexual or heterosexual. It would needlessly tangle "Golden Girl"-style arrangements that allow seniors to share living accommodations while preserving inheritance rights for their descendants, and could also complicate child-custody arrangements for thousands of unmarried parents in Florida.

This amendment is heartless and pointless. The main beneficiaries: Attorneys who would reap fees from the endless litigation this amendment could spawn.

RECOMMENDATION: No on Amendment 2."

Two Thirds of Young Americans Favor Marriage Equality

Michelle Garcia

from The Advocate

September 16, 2008

A new poll shows Americans are split as to whether governments should recognize gay marriage, but a majority say same-sex couples should have legal recognition, the Associated Press reported Monday. The poll was conducted by the AP in conjunction with the National Constitution Center.

Furthermore, more than two thirds of respondents under the age of 35 say that same-sex couples should receive the same recognition and benefits as heterosexual couples; less than 40% of those older than 35 agree with the younger age group.

Those questioned say they support governmental assistance to religious organizations for community service programs, but the support decreases if the organizations also promote their religious beliefs. The poll also suggested the American public is largely in favor of decreased government involvement in their daily lives.

"There is clearly a concern about executive power and the balance of power that comes out in a couple of different ways," Joseph Torsella, president of the National Constitution Center, said.

Note from a Friend re Commemoration of 1928 Hurricane and Cemetery Dedication

Received from Charlie F.

On Tuesday, Sept. 16th, I attended the dedication of the plaque and cemetery at the site of the interment of 674 nameless victims of the 1928 hurricane. It was the 80th anniversary of that horrible disaster, which claimed at least 2,500 lives in total. A friend of mine, Steven Sunday, was instrumental in making the site into a beautiful memorial garden, which had previously been a neglected tract. The ceremony took about an hour and was very well attended.

Some pictures from the day are atteched. One shows Steven and Mayor Lois Frankel next to the wreath which was placed at the site by the WPB Honor Guard. This is an excellent example of private citizens having a vision, and partnering successfully with government and charitable institutions to make that vision come true. Well done, Steven and all others who had a part in development of the site.

Most respectfully,
Charlie F.

Invitation to artist's reception: Thurs Sep 25...

Auditors advise Palm Beach County elections supervisor to fix process before November

Ethics Seminar - Save the Date - 11/7/08

History museum in Lake Worth saved by the chamber of commerce

I have offered to volunteer as staff or whatever else is needed to make sure that this resource continues to be available to the public. If you are interested in volunteering your time and helping to organize the museum under this new arrangement, please contact me at wesblackman@gmail.com

Anti-'Pay-to-play' law proposed for Lake Worth

This item failed on a vote of 2-3 at the Commission meeting tonight. Look for more later on this topic.

Introduction to Corruption - 101

Thesis statement to be developed and supported over a series of posts: Our problems in Lake Worth are not due to corruption as much as ineptitude, selfishness, incompetence and lack of transparency. These combine to produce a similar result as would occur from real acts of corruption. Real corruption often rises to a level of criminal activity. Falsely accusing good people of corruption is nearly as bad as the act itself. Using the term routinely can mask and divert attention from actual and real corrupt activity - something about which we need to be vigilant.

One should not throw stones in glass houses.

From Wikipedia:

Corruption is essentially termed as an "impairment of integrity, virtue or moral principle; depravity, decay, and/or an inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means, a departure from the original or from what is pure or correct, and/or an agency or influence that corrupts."^[1]

Corruption, when applied as a technical term, is a general concept describing any organized, interdependent system in which part of the system is either not performing duties it was originally intended to, or performing them in an improper way, to the detriment of the system's original purpose.

Its terminological usage possesses connotations of evil, malignance, sickness, and loss of innocence or purity.

Classifications

Specific types of corruption include:

• Institutional corruption, as corrupt actions or policies within an organization that break the law, serve to subjugate humans in unlawful manners, discriminate against humans based upon race, ethnicity, culture, or orientation, or serve to degrade other humans or groups for that institution's own profit.
• Political corruption, as the dysfunction of a political system or institution in which government officials, political officials or employees seek illegitimate personal gain through actions such as bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. Political corruption is a specific form of rent seeking, where access to politics is organized with limited transparency, limited competition and directed towards promoting narrow interests (rent seeking is not to be confused with property rental).
• Data corruption, as an unintended change to data in storage or in transit.
• Linguistic corruption, as the change in meaning to a language or a text introduced by cumulative errors in transcription as changes in the language speakers' comprehension.
• Putrefaction or decomposition of recently living matter. This physical process is the primary model of the metaphorical meaning of corruption, so advanced states of corruption in, e.g. a political structure are said to result in their putrefaction.

References

1. ^ Merriam Webster Dictionary. Corruption - Definition of. Retrieved August 30, 2008.

Human's Best Friend

Opportunity to learn about various November 4th amendments:

NORTH PB COUNTY NOW PRESENTS:

“KNOW YOUR BALLOT,

AMENDMENTS TO WATCH OUT FOR”

....a forum on this year’s proposed FL Constitutional amendments that will be on our ballot in November.

Featuring Rep. Susan Bucher,

Rep. Shelley Vana,

David Ganim of FL ACLU,

and other advocates for public education and individual liberties!

When: Tuesday September 16, 6:30 PM

Where: Classroom Teachers’ Association, 715 Spencer Drive, West Palm Beach FL.

Directions: I-95 to Palm Beach Lakes Blvd , drive west ¼ mile to

the Spencer/ Village traffic light, left on Spencer 2 blocks to the gray building on the right that says “CTA.”

=============================================================

Save these dates for outreach and leafleting against proposed Amendment 2!

Friday Sept 20, 6 PM, Evenings on the Avenue, Lake and M St., downtown

Lake Worth, meet by the clock

Thursday Oct 2, 6:30 PM, Clematis by Night, end of Clematis St, downtown West Palm Beach, meet by the fountain.

====================================================

Funny...

I'm listening to the City Commission meeting with Commissioner Golden going at it on the water contract and my Windows Media Player says "Song: City Commission Audio" and "Artist: City of Lake Worth."

I don't think it'll make the Hot 100 list.

Some key descriptive terms:

The word sandbagged is a colloquial expression used to describe a situation in which one is publicly rejected or corrected in the presence of peers, often causing embarrassment.

ambush

Lake Worth CRA's Press Release: Park(ing) Day - 9/19

Press Release: 2008 National Park(ing) Day

"Lake Worth, Fla. The Community Redevelopment Agency and the City Tree Board are hosting nearly 30 Park(ing) Day parks in downtown Lake Worth. There will be a park design contest and each Neighborhood Association creating a park will receive 50 Oak Trees from the City Tree Board, to be included in the City's goal of planting 10,000 trees by 2013, Lake Worth’s 100 Year Anniversary."

Click title for link.

My prize catch from Friday night's fishing expedition...

The fishing wasn't that good - see picture. We threw all we caught back for another day, but we had fun none-the-less.

Stop Sign at Wellesley and Pennsylvania?

This is another item on the New Business portion of the City Commission agenda this coming Tuesday (9/16). It asks that a three-way stop sign be placed at Wellesley and Pennsylvania Drives and was placed on the agenda by Mayor Clemens in response to neighbor concerns about the speed/volume of cut-through traffic on the street.

There is a traffic study that accompanies the staff memo. The study, performed by MacMahon and Associates, dated June 9, 2008 recommends not placing a stop sign or other traffic calming measures on this section of the street. See below:

Mr. Kim, P.E., P.T.O.E. finds that neither the volume or speed of traffic warrant the placement of a three way stop in that location. I am sure the city paid for the study and the staff recommendation is counter to the findings of a professional to install a stop sign in spite of the traffic engineer's recommendations.

I live at the other end of Pennsylvania Drive where it dead-ends into Columbia Drive - I happen to be on the southeast corner. Not too sure of the traffic volumes on Columbia, but we do get a lot of cut through traffic between Federal and Dixie. There is a three-way stop there now. Recently, the city came through an repainted the stop lines on the pavement by the stop signs at all three points of the intersection. My living room and courtyard (which I like to make my telephone calls from) face Columbia and therefore I usually have a direct view of the traffic going through this intersection.

Most cars going east or west on Columbia blow right through the intersection without a stop. Some at least slow down but very few make a complete stop. As far as enforcement, I have only seen a police car sitting on Pennsylvania waiting for someone to run the stop sign once - and that was the day they caught me doing it about two years ago. I was told "It's zero tolerance from now on." - it looked like DEFCON 3 in front of my house, by the way.

At one time, it was needed due to the traffic volume that Columbia experienced when Olive Avenue was five lanes - most people used Columbia to switch over to Dixie. Since Olive is two lanes, the volume has noticeably decreased - even with the addition of the Courtyards townhouses at the end of the street. I think now we could actually do away with it completely, but that probably isn't in the cards.

So, I really don't think we need to put stop signs on Wellesley as it is ineffective in a similar location to the north, it creates an enforcement problem and is not justified by the traffic study. Things like this should also be channeled through the neighborhood association and reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Board for its recommendation. There was time for that given the date of the study.

What is this doing on the Commission Agenda (9/16)?

This is sponsored by Commissioner Golden and it deals with supporting a proposed state law that would require horse (equine) riders under 16 to wear a helmet. While a good idea generally, what possible relationship could it have to do with anything that would affect the City of Lake Worth? There are other burning issues of our time that require legislative support. Offering our support on issues that directly affect the City of Lake Worth would be much more meaningful than jumping on this bandwagon.

Let's try to be relevant and focus on issues that make a difference within our city limits.