Identifying the Extremist Brain: Worth a listen given our situation here in Lake Worth

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Open-plan bathrooms: the ultimate hotel horror? | Travel | The Guardian

Yet another reason to loathe hotels, much like Madonna loathes hydrangeas. Click title for link to a growing trend in hotel and residential design.

FPL continues to replace power line under Intracoastal | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

This is a major project. Bill and I stumbled upon it when we rode our bikes to downtown West Palm Beach and back. There is activity going on at the barrier island and the mainland (WPB). West Palm Beach is getting the butt end of the stick. Most of the noise and smoke it coming from that side as that is where the directional boring is taking place. There is a property for sale right next to all the construction activity that will be hard sell while this is going on. We stopped by the next day and took some pictures.

These are from the Palm Beach side. 

There is more staging area on the causeway (Southern Boulevard) between the two sites. Here they are storing some clay that will be used to stabilize the sandy soil around the conduit.

And this is the West Palm Beach side.

And this is looking east toward Palm Beach. The cable is going just to the left of the white house. This will establish a new looped system that will protect part of Palm Beach from future outages.

West Palm Beach Mayor Muoio chatting in her office this earlier this week...

The WPB Mayor talks about a change in the economic development staff and how that position will be taken up by one of her assistants after October 1. I'm not sure what she means by being a "go to" person. She also talks about the Chapel-by-the-Lake property and how she thinks that the the 20+ story project is too "blocky" - sounds like she would like to see two towers. Interesting to note that there is no height limit on the property. The main issue seems to be the size of the building relative to the small setbacks. There is acknowledgement that something will be built there, which is how you have to look at a project some times. What is the next best thing that could be put there and is it waiting for the other opportunity? We also hear that they expect $1.5 billion worth of investment in the form of property improvements over the next five years. But this doesn't mean that suddenly the city is flush with money. They have similar pension issues as our own.

As far as a critique of the video itself, Mayor Muoio is rather soft-spoken and does not come off as a forceful presence. Those of us not "in the know" - meaning outside of West Palm Beach politics - don't know the gentleman "interviewing" the Mayor. So we have to ask the question, "Just who is this guy?" It might have been more effective had she just talked to a still camera. And we also are left asking where are the real reporters from the local media? But I give her credit for reaching out to her constituents this way. It is what I encouraged the group of Palm Beach County city managers to do at least for five minutes once a week. I also think that the City of West Palm Beach could afford to get the videographer a tripod. But the shakiness is somewhat endearing.

Allen West Accused of Anti-Semitism, Is Out of Work (Again)

The other blogger's hero steps in it again. Seems like they are prone to the same gaffs and missteps. Who sees a date-night in their future? I do. Click title for link. Click here for another account of the story and a dashing picture of the former Congressman looking like the decorated (overly so?) Army veteran that he is.

Amazon remains mum as permits sought for potential Florida sites - Jacksonville Business Journal

Palm Beach County apparently still in the running for one of Amazon's "fulfillment centers." Others are making the pitch too. In 13 or 14 years, the Park of Commerce will be ready for such a project. Click title for link to article.

Received from Mango Groves Neighborhood Association

Nice Video of an Event inside the Cultural Council building (originally the Lake Theater) from 9/20/13

Bill Gates confesses: 'Control-Alt-Delete' was a mistake | Fox News

City Manager Bornstein referred to the Lake Worth 2020 Plan as a "re-boot" for Lake Worth's next hundred years. It would be great if it could be done by a simple key stroke, but that isn't in the cards. Interesting admission by Mr. Gates. Click title for link.

2,000-home development plan revived west of Wellington | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Why someone would want to live west of Wellington is a mystery to me. This is an example of urban sprawl. What if we had those 2000 families that would live in those 2000 units buy our inventory of vacant and foreclosed properties? I can't think of a greener way to go. If Lake Worth does not put out the welcome mat for people who are not already here, then we are part of the problem. Think of the Pogo cartoon. Click title for link.

County Key Player In Addressing Climate Change

Palm Beach County, as well as Broward and Miami-Dade, are trying to get out front in addressing sea level rise and climate change. Click title for link to article in the Town Crier (Wellington). They are also reaching out to municipalities.

An important aspect of the county plan is municipal outreach, specifically as it relates to climate, he said. “We are in the process of meeting with our cities, and we are taking a different approach in our county than the ones that were taken in Miami-Dade and Broward,” Van Arnam said.
The county is making use of the action plan to offer assistance to municipalities with their own sustainability programs.
“This partnership-building, we believe, is critical to having the implementation of the action plan be sustainable into the future,” Van Arnam said, explaining that the municipalities will have the choice of adopting the action plan in its entirety or using parts of it that apply to them to build their own plan.

Concrete Posts Shaped Like Male Genitalia The Talk Of Scott Township « CBS Pittsburgh

It might just be me, but I don't think there is a problem here. Bollards are used in many urban areas and are usually pretty much the same shape. I don't think these are more suggestive than another design. You can, and people do, say the same thing about bananas, pencils and toothpaste pumps. Click title for link.

Florida House Democrats pick Pafford as next leader - Florida - MiamiHerald.com

Former High Noon in Lake Worth show guest State Representative Mark Pafford is in the news. He was voted leader of the Florida House Democratic Caucus. Click title for link to article. Looks like he is in for some immediate challenges.

By a 29-12 vote, with one abstaining, Pafford beat Rep. Alan Williams for a job that earlier in the week had belonged to Rep. Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg.
“The first thing is getting everybody comfortable, understanding that we’ve hit the reset button and we are one,” Pafford, 47, said to reporters after the vote, acknowledging the disarray that awaits him. “I have some work to do immediately.”

Urban Biking and Commutes | Sustainable Cities Collective

A little bicycle propaganda never hurt anyone. Click title for link to article. The video demonstrates how a bicyclist in Melbourne, Australia rode to work and passed 589 cars in the process.

Container City: The Colombian Food Court with Personality | This Big City

How about this as a redevelopment idea for Dixie Hwy? It would seem in some ways to be a natural. Click title for link.