GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Transit Oriented Development

2012-01-19T13:00:00.002-08:00

Source: San Francisco's Transbay Transit Center.
The new Transbay Transit Center in downtown San Francisco will replace the current bus terminal at First and Mission Streets with a multi-modal transit center serving eleven transportation systems.
Interactive link: Transbay Transit Center

TOD
Transit Oriented Development: the built environment (perhaps high density and walkable) near transportation infrastructure -- not just automobile freeway on/off-ramps.

The Right Kind of Density (Excerpt) "Imagine great public spaces where opportunities to sustain public life become numerous. Then focus on great sidewalks, an integral part of great streets, which in turn are the major constituent of public space. As the most intimate of public spaces inhabited by individuals, sidewalks are where we have our most visceral experiences of the city. TOD represents not only an opportunity to put density near transit, but possibly as importantly, to remake the public realm creating a city of great streets and great sidewalks. Yet, many ... have repeatedly been thwarted in ... attempts to build in such a manner due to existing zoning regulations, bureaucratic inertia, and well-organized groups of NIMBYs masquerading as environmentalists. Why? ... While many of the NIMBYs can never be won over, others are merely worried that the scale of new development will overwhelm them and diminish the quality of the public realm ... 'High-Density' development too often appears monolithic, insular and just plain in-human. Separated from its context so completely, it often appears to have dropped from the sky."
Source: Kaid Benfield's Blog, with quotes from Neal Payton

LIFT (Link I Found Today)
It's the elderly, stupid.

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Sprawl vs. Infill Growth

2012-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Sprawl

Some time before and then especially after the GI’s of WWII came marching home, America's cities, towns, and neighborhoods grew by spreading outward. Covering up land with homes on low density suburban lots, low rise commercial buildings, acres of surface parking, and wide streets where city busses, big-rig semi-trucks, or track-based transportation would never travel. This template has been common for planners, architects, engineers, and developers. And has provided some of the most preferred suburban, if not remote and isolated, neighborhoods for many Americans to buy into.

Until 2008 -- a year during the 110th United States Congress. This ‘new normal’ may last for awhile. The creation of vast tracts of suburban sprawl may have significantly slowed -- if not completely halted -- in some areas. The seemly inexorable movement outward over previously undeveloped areas of land is given pause to reconsider.

Infill Growth

This pause may also be a type of opportunity. Leaders and professionals in the built environment could be encouraged to turn with head and shoulders to look back over the “rings of suburbia” (copyright notice), toward the city core itself; to see various places for growth, revitalization, and new forms of economic development in the existing built environment.

Densification

Of course as never before, there could be a few problems. Physical challenges and knee-jerk reactions. The existing built environment is not at all of bean fields and cows.

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle
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Merry Christmas Praha

2011-12-22T13:00:00.001-08:00

Prague Night Christmas

Night in Prague from Metron on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, to all !!

LIFT (Link I Found Today)
Auroras (singular: aurora). Northern lights, southern lights, dance of spirits, or a sign from GOD?
10.30.2011 photos (You may want to copy and paste this web address into a browser.):
http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Christina-Hammock-turnover-aurora_007adj3_sm_1320023866.jpg
Source: spaceweather.com

LIFT (Link I Found Today)
"Why U Haz Lied To Me?"

Source: bits and pieces

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Next scheduled post: 1.19.2012

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Graduation: Conferral of Degree

2011-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Dad’s Commencement Address

(with apologies to The Beatles ...)

College graduation is a situation of goodbye hello.

You can stay, still it’s time to go, go, go!

Your eyes have found the horizon,

the mind holds on to the memories.

Hello goodbye, hello goodbye. Oh, oh no!

I don’t know why you say goodbye, it’s hello, hello, hello ...

Now to all that potential you’ve harnessed and honed.

Now with the capabilities and skills, that all can see you’ve owned.

Degree Conferred December 10th, 2011 by CPSU

Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering

Universities Attended (most recent first)

California State Polytechnic University (CPSU) at San Luis Obispo

University of Melbourne Australia

University of Queensland in Brisbane Australia

California State Polytechnic University (CPSU) at San Luis Obispo

Priceless
Is already having a job after graduation,
in San Francisco's financial district,
at this global consulting firm: Protiviti

Honored Graduate

Our son!

GOOD JOB

Quote this ...

"The only thing constant is change. Problem-solving is happening constantly. Another name for problem-solving is opportunity."
Source: John Muir plus others, and something your father told you.

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Unscheduled post. Next scheduled post: 12.22.2011

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Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-11-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

"Do not think negatively about what you don't have or what once was. Be grateful and thankful for what you still have."
Source: Quote paraphrased from a business acquaintance.

Quote this ...

“If the 49ers’ success offends you, so be it.”
-- Jim Harbaugh, SF 49ers Football Head Coach, October 2011

Update: A Thanksgiving Blessing, prayer on Saturday 11.26.2011

"Today, Father GOD, LORD Jesus we gratefully thank YOU.

[We] are thankful for the honor of hosting this Thanksgiving,

regardless of the day.

Bless this meal and the food as we eat it --
even in slightly crowded seating.

We pray for YOUR grace and blessings in the life of each person LORD.

Jesus in YOUR name we pray. Amen.

Thank you all for being here." -- QwkDrw ’11

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Next scheduled post: 12.22.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications from GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle.)

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PARK(ing) Day

2011-10-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

MEDIA CREDIT: Jayson Mellom

California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo

(Excerpt) "Cal Poly grad students, clockwise from top, David Eng, Allen Lu, Cindy Ma and Anais Mallinge, enjoy their transformed parking space ... [on 9.16.2011].
The park is part of a worldwide annual event called PARK(ing) Day, meant to challenge people to rethink the way streets and parking are used in urban settings."
Source: The Tribune, 9.17.2011, page B1

Walkability Increases Home Values

(Excerpt) "Homes in more walkable neighborhoods are worth more than similar homes in less-walkable neighborhoods, according to an analysis from CEOs for Cities. The report, prepared by Joseph Cortwright, is called Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities. Cortwright analyzed data from 94,000 real estate transactions in 15 major markets, using data provided by ZipRealty.
According to Cortwright’s findings, houses with above-average levels of walkability command a premium of about $4,000 to $34,000 over houses with just average levels of walkability in the typical metropolitan areas studied. Just a one-point increase in walkability increased value from $700 to $3,000, depending on the market. Gains were larger in denser, urban areas such as Chicago and San Francisco and smaller in less dense markets such as Tucson and Fresno.
In 13 of the 15 markets, higher levels of walkability were directly linked to high home values...
Walk Score measures the number of typical consumer destinations within walking distance of a house, with scores ranging from 0 (car dependent) to 100 (most walkable). By the Walk Score measure, walkability is a direct function of how many destinations are located within a short distance. The Walk Score algorithm then assigns a 'walk score' from 0 to 100. Walk scores above 70 indicate neighborhoods where one can get by without a car."
Source: California Real Estate, October 2011, page 8.

Rhetorical question for Give Me A Moment Blog readers:
Would you be able to tolerate some types of stores having fewer parking spaces available for customers -- if those stores were located within a reasonable walking distance from a large number of homes or offices?

LIFT (Link I Found Today)

Locations with Hearing Loops installed may significantly help individuals with Telecoil (T-Coil) equipped hearing aids.
Source: www.hearingloop.org

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Steve Jobs: Apple Inc.

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Steve Sightings

It was our family's honor to be invited guests for lunch on the Apple Inc. campus at One Infinite Loop, Cupertino. Both experiences in the company's dining room during the busy lunch rush would have been amazing because of the people, place, and of course the great food. Those two amazing experiences, however, were beyond the high expectations that we each held.

During two separate visits for lunch in the rarified air of the security controlled Apple campus, our family was lucky enough to have a "Steve sighting". This is what we have come to know as the affectionate term for seeing the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs. In our two incidents, as he walked through the large outdoor courtyard at One Infinite Loop and again as he made selections for his own lunch tray in the Apple dining room. Personalized by these two Steve sightings, I have many memories of Steve Jobs and Apple Inc.

On one of these lunch visits, our small but multi-generational group relaxed for a brief time on the comfortable sofas and chairs in an open, spacious, and tall skylit atrium lobby with restrooms located discreetly nearby. Briefly, our adult daughter had casually left an electric flat iron (hair straightening tool) in plain view on one of the sofa tables. Two young male, causal Friday distinguished, Apple employees approached as they work/walked their apparently familiar way through this pleasant atrium lobby. Their conversation was interrupted while they noticed the hair flat iron. One quipped, "Are you here to see if that device has application as a scanning peripheral?" The intellectuals disconnected from us and smoothly continued on their work/walk as the young married woman respectfully reflected, "No, it's only for straightening hair."

Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Address on June 12, 2005

Video segment length: 14:34
Source: FoxNews.com, October 6, 2011
Prepared text of the entire commencement address:
Stanford Report, 6/14/2005

Posted with an Apple Macintosh
This was written on a magnificent personal computer ...
an 11-inch MacBook Air.

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle
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Freshwater Redistribution

2011-09-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Redistribution of Wealth
An abundance of freshwater in a region may be a form of wealth. Physical location on planet earth determines this wealth. People that own property in a region that is wealthy with naturally occurring freshwater may or may not benefit when private or governmental entities build projects for freshwater redistribution -- the redistribution of wealth.

Desert Dwellers
The American southwest plus southern California probably would not be considered rich with freshwater. The people that own property, live, do business, and even vacation there probably would benefit if freshwater redistribution projects gave them plentiful supplies of freshwater from other regions. Yep, already happens.

Consider: Maybe the Land Owns the Freshwater
Naturally occurring freshwater, in regions fortunate enough to have some, is directly associated with a physical location -- the land. Maybe it could be said that the land owns the freshwater that comes from that land. Logically, the people that own property, live, do business, and even vacation there probably should benefit when freshwater redistribution projects take freshwater from a region.

The Aqueduct Only Flows One Direction
There may be rare individuals that enjoy the health benefits of physically shouldering and carrying a sack of clean burning low sulfur coal to the New Castle region. More commonly, freshwater aqueducts and pipelines carry water to where there is a need for some. And generally, the place that the transported freshwater comes from has plenty to begin with. (The long established and profitable practice of carrying coal from New Castle.)

Centralized Infrastructure

(Excerpt) "... China [is] embarking on one of the most colossal infrastructure projects this world has seen ... Its economic engine is the northern cities, specifically Beijing, which is a relatively arid region ... Beijing, wracked by drought for decades, continued building, at no consumer expense, large engineering projects to fix the problem of dwindling water supplies. The city’s two largest reservoirs have gone dry. Now, two-thirds of the city’s water demand is met with groundwater, which has lead to massive agricultural impacts as farmers’ wells have dried up and their lands dry, crack, and subside. The Chinese government, recognizing the economic implications of this water crisis, have begun construction of ... [another freshwater redistribution] project which will bring trillions of gallons of water from southern rivers to the thirsty north. The project entails the construction of thousands of miles of pipelines and canals ...

China, unlike the US, is unencumbered by NEPA, water rights and democratic processes in general. Such a pipeline here in the US would therefore surely have little chance of being realized [currently] ... consider three things. First, in the US, there are 55,000 miles of crude oil pipelines. If the commodity to be transported is valuable enough, the transportation infrastructure will be built ... Second ... water [is predicted] to be the next oil and the result will be the construction of water pipelines, the volume of which will exceed that of oil pipelines. Third, consider that the seven states who receive water from the Colorado River comprised 19% of total US GDP in 2010; California, the 8th largest economy in the world, alone comprised a whopping 13% of total US GDP in 2010.

... [the existing Colorado River freshwater redistribution project] was doomed from the start: the Colorado River Compact of 1922 was based on six years of flow data, which, as it turns out, were years of unusually high flow."

Source: http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/09/06/western-water-woes-is-big-infrastructure-the-way-to-go/http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/09/06/western-water-woes-is-big-infrastructure-the-way-to-go/

Question for Blog Readers:
Who should pay the monetary costs of building freshwater redistribution systems? And logically, who should 'get paid'?

LIFT (Link I Found Today):
CreateSpace
Enabling writers to self-publish content with on-demand printing and online distribution services. Authors retain their rights and sales profits. The company Zero Mass Engineering is innovating the self-publishing tools. Amazon.com wholly owns CreateSpace. The software development shop has been for six years located near to Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo) and is guided by two Cal Poly Engineering graduates while employing Cal Poly alumni, students, and others. Their trademarked phrase is: “put creativity to work.”
Source: Cal Poly Engineering, “Doing” 2010-2011 Annual Report.

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Gas-Electric Hybrid Truck and SUV Engine

2011-09-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Worldwide, thousands of hybrid cars and some light trucks with exceptional fuel economy are sold by several automobile manufacturers. Missing to date has been the similar mass production of heavier vehicles with a more powerful gas-electric hybrid truck and SUV engine that also provides exceptional fuel economy.

More Powerful Gas-Electric Hybrid Engine System

Ford and Toyota have announced a collaborative project to co-develop a more powerful gas-electric hybrid truck and SUV engine that both auto giants could use in their own individually designed rear-wheel-drive vehicles with enough power to haul and tow heavy loads.

(Excerpt) "Trucks and SUVs are indispensable for the U.S. society ..."
Source: Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota's executive vice president for research and development

Ford-Toyota Agreement

(Excerpt) "Derrick Kuzak, Ford's product development chief, said that although the trucks could have the same engine and transmission, each will be different. 'What makes them uniquely a Ford truck will continue to be there with a hybrid powertrain that we co-develop with Toyota' ...

It will take a year for the companies to figure out who will do what research ... After that, they would sign a definitive agreement that would lay out timelines to develop the technology ... It will take at least two or three years after that to develop a system, and the companies hope to bring it to market this decade.

Ford and Toyota also said they will work together to develop standards for the way electronic devices such as smartphones link to cars and trucks. But they would each retain their own touch screens and would have unique systems on their dashboards ...

Ford said this is the first time it has worked jointly with Toyota on any project ... the companies have no plans to share any other components or technologies beyond the agreement ... Ford and Toyota would save money and time on the cost of developing the hybrids, bringing them to market at a much lower cost and faster than either company could do alone ...

Neither company was worried that anti-trust regulations that could halt the collaboration, saying that such cooperation is common in the auto industry."
Source: Derrick Kuzak, Ford's product development chief

In the Same Airport Lobby at the Same Time

Apparently the idea for this collaboration came up between Ford's CEO, Alan Mulally, and Toyota's President, Akio Toyoda, as they waited in the same airport lobby at the same time.

Question for Blog Readers:
Would you enjoy the reduced noise and increased fuel efficiency of large city busses that were powered by a similarly powerful gas-electric hybrid truck and SUV engine? Or an even quieter all-electric drivetrain designed for heavy and powerful vehicles? (Think: railroad train engine on rubber tires -- without the train whistle.)

On Topic (past post links):

RFID Based Vehicle Ignition System

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) -- one explanation

3000 lb. "Plug-in Hybrid" recharges from 110v. household outlet also supplies power to the grid

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Next scheduled post: 9.29.2011 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

High-Speed Rail Safety

2011-08-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

High-Speed Rail Train Collision in China

-- Report: at Least 39 Killed, 192 injured

(Excerpt) "This photo taken on July 24, 2011 shows workers clearing wreckage of mangled carriages after a Chinese high-speed train (bold text emphasis added) derailed when it was hit from behind by another express late on July 23 in the town of Shuangyu near the city of Wenzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province.

A torrent of outrage over a deadly high-speed train (bold text emphasis added) accident grew further on the Chinese Internet Tuesday, reflecting the mounting challenge China’s leaders face in managing opinion of their governance among an increasingly wired and demanding public."
Source: WSJ - China Real Time Report

One commenter (@ the article) said of this High-Speed Rail situation:

"People shouldn’t be moved by mob hysteria and demagoguery. The train is a good metaphor for China’s development which has been very fast. The people with hatred in their hearts want to derail China’s development. Once in a while there are mistakes and setbacks, these people will get all excited. But China will move forward, and these people will be disappointed and angry most of the time." -- PC Man
Source: WSJ - China Real Time Report

China to Suspend High-Speed Rail Development
Premier Wen of China also indicated,

(Excerpt) " ... 'high-speed rail (bold text emphasis added) trains should operate at slower speeds at their earlier stage of operation.' Earlier this year, the Ministry of Railways slowed all trains to a maximum speed of ... 186 miles per hour and many trains that were to operate at that speed were slowed to ... 155 miles per hour. At the time, reports indicated that the slower speeds were to lower operating costs so that fares could be reduced. Concerns had been raised about the much higher fares on the new trains and the cancellation of many conventional trains, which had much lower fares."
Source: newgeography.com

Question For Blog Readers

When you consider all private and public modes of transportation, is the unfortunate death and injury toll in this accident between two high-speed rail (HSR) trains in China statistically significant to you personally? Would the accumulated deaths and injuries worldwide from HSR train accidents cause you not to use HSR trains?

On Topic (past post links):

Cali High-Speed Rail Alternatives

California High-Speed Rail

San Jose Diridon Station

Unscheduled update. Next scheduled post: 9.1.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications from "GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle".)

Mixed Land Use Big Box Store Site Planning

2011-08-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Some effort has previously gone into describing the latent potential that may exist in big box store developments designed or redeveloped to include mixed land uses with increased density.

See: Mixed Use Big Box Store

Site Planning

It does not seem too far out on a limb to suggest here that the site planning for these type of projects must be successful. The architectural forms, surfaces, and finishes of the buildings of course determine some of the project's character. However, in my view, the site planning for how the buildings are located on the site and the "spaces" that are created between and surrounding the buildings is what will ultimately enable the successful mixed land use big box store projects.

Question for Blog Readers: If you shop at a big box store, what are the things that you would most like to improve about how the building is located on the site and the "spaces" that are created surrounding the big box store?

Next scheduled post: 9.1.2011 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

Improving Sudden Hearing Loss

2011-07-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Emergency Event

Standing in a classroom while instructing junior high art students, the sudden loss of hearing in her left ear was traumatic: all at once a swoosh with a blocked or plugged feeling in the ear, and then everything went quiet. Some medical specialists say that this type of unforeseen episode requires emergency treatments. For some patients, the correct medical procedures during the first few hours may greatly increase the odds for some recovery of hearing.

Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL)

The above described case of sudden hearing loss may or may not be one of various kinds of sudden sensorineural (inner ear) hearing loss.

(Excerpt) "Sudden sensorineural hearing losses (SSHL) are medical emergencies. You need to see your ear specialist (preferably an otologist or neurotologist) immediately ...

By definition, you have SSHL if you have a hearing loss that occurs within three days (often within minutes or an hour or two) and your hearing loss is greater than 30 dB over three adjacent octaves (test frequencies) as shown on your audiogram."
Source: Center for Hearing Loss Help

The subject young substitute teacher that suffered a trauma is now in the stages of improving sudden hearing loss. She is in the care of our LORD, several medical doctors, rehabilitation technicians, her husband, friends, and she is our daughter. The progress up from her 'profoundly deaf' status in that ear has been exhilarating for her parents as we get updates.

"Use this to improve ourselves as people and to help others ..."

Also an amazing thing to me is how well she and her husband have handled this and other medically related setbacks during their young marriage. A CEO in San Francisco, her husband encourages all to use this unfortunate experience to help improve themselves as people and to help others that may be struck by the trauma of sudden hearing loss.

Read more on her blog: J-Jo Navigate through the posts there for information about her experiences with improving sudden hearing loss.

Next scheduled post: 8.4.2011 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

San Francisco's Treasure Island Plan

2011-06-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=kgo&section=&mediaId=8176694&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site=">

(Video Segment: Approximately 2:00 minutes + 0:15 advertisement)

Source: KGO-TV San Francisco, Reporter: Don Sanchez

Water Ferry Dock

The prosed project apparently includes a public transportation ferry terminal that presumably would connect to other public water transportation facilities in the Bay Area.

(Excerpt) "The current plan, which includes one parking spot per residential unit, doesn't do enough to encourage residents to take public transportation, said Michelle Myers, a spokeswoman for the Sierra Club's San Francisco Bay chapter.

'We're certainly not against the project, but it needs to be true transit-oriented development'..."
Source: fresnobee.com

Question for Blog Readers: If the residents of Treasure Island are limited to one parking space per residential unit, will they be reasonably encouraged to use the water ferry and other public transportation? Should privately owned vehicles be further restricted on the island?

On Topic (past post links):

Bay Area Treasure Island Redevelopment

Yerba Buena Island

Port of Redwood City

Blog Comments Add Value to Topic

Unscheduled update. Next scheduled post: 7.7.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications from "GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle".)

Cali High-Speed Rail Alternatives

2011-06-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Source: Cover graphic from the California Legislative Anaylst's Office (LAO) publication, "California High-Speed Rail is at a Critical Juncture" (PDF - May 10, 2011) prepared by Eric Thronson and reviewed by Farra Bracht. The LAO is a nonpartisan office which provides fiscal and policy information and advice to the Legislature.

(Excerpt):
California Legislative Anaylst's Office Recommendations
We recommend that the Legislature take the following actions to increase the likelihood that the high-speed rail project will be developed successfully:

• Fund Only Needed Administrative Tasks for Now.
We recommend that the Legislature reject the administration’s 2011-12 budget request for $185 million in funding for consultants to perform project management, public outreach, and other work to develop the project, and only appropriate at this time the $7 million in funding requested for state administration of the project by ... [California High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA)].
• Seek Flexibility on Use of Federal Funds.
We propose that the Legislature direct HSRA to renegotiate the terms of the federal funding awarded to the state by the Federal Rail Administration (FRA). We believe the state must obtain relief from the current federal restrictions on the project if it is to be developed success- fully, and therefore that the Legislature should proceed with the project only if this flexibility is obtained from the federal government.
• Reconsider Where Construction of the Line Should Start.
If the federal flexibility proposed above is obtained, we recommend that the Legislature further direct HSRA to reevaluate which segment or segments should be constructed first based on criteria determined by the Legislature, such as potential statewide benefits from building a particular segment and whether a selected segment could generate the ridership and revenues to be financially viable on its own. The HSRA would be authorized to subsequently seek a budget augmentation to fund the development of whatever segment the Legislature approves based upon these new criteria.
• Improve the Way Project Decisions Are Made.
We recommend that the Legislature pass legislation this session that shifts the responsibility for the day-to-day and strategic development of the project from HSRA to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). A new and separate division of Caltrans dedicated to the high-speed rail project would be better positioned, if equipped with the appropriate project delivery tools, to manage the development of the system in this phase. In addition, we recommend that the Legislature remove decision-making authority over the high-speed rail project from the HSRA board to ensure that the state’s overall interests, including state fiscal concerns, are fully taken into account as the project is developed.
Source: "California High-Speed Rail is at a Critical Juncture", PDF - May 10, 2011, page 3-4.

Question for Blog Readers: In your view, what is the likelihood of the LAO recommendations being incorporated into legislation passed by the California State Legislature?

LIFT (acronym: Link I Found Today)
Simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...

Elimination of U.S. high-speed rail funds endangers California's project (cricket, cricket)

Next scheduled post: 7.7.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

Bromeliad House Plant

2011-05-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Guzmania Bromeliad

The Guzmania variety of the Bromeliad house plant is available commercially with several bloom shapes and colors. To me, this Guzmania pictured above looks like the 'Strawberry' color -- or could be a 'Fire' red.

Kent's Bromeliad Nursery

(Excerpt - a media release) "... The nation's largest Bromeliad Grower just got bigger. Kent's Bromeliad Nursery recently completed an acquisition of new greenhouse space. With the acquisition of more greenhouses, it now boasts more than 1,000,000 square feet of production area in Vista and San Marcos, CA.

The new facilities allow Kent's to keep up with the growth and expansion the nursery continues to experience. 'Sales of Bromeliads continue to increase,' said Michael Kent, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. 'These new facilities allow us to grow more product and better meet the increasing demands of the marketplace.'

Bromeliads are tropical plants indigenous to the rain forests of South America and used primarily indoors where they thrive thanks to genetic engineering performed by growers like Kent's. Requiring little or no attention to maintain their beautiful appearance, Bromeliads are available in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. They are popular due to their easy care and long-lasting blooms, which may provide color for 16 weeks or more.

Another reason for their popularity is that they help freshen the air. A study by NASA's Environmental Research Laboratory identified that indoor house plants, in general, filter health-threatening gases from the air and that Bromeliads and Orchids are some of the best 'Clean Air' plants available [emphasis added].

Kent's Bromeliad Nursery was founded in 1976. It is under the ownership and management of brothers Jeffery, Larry and Michael Kent. The Kent wholesale nursery is the largest Bromeliad grower in the United States, supplying plants to mass markets and interior plantscapers throughout the country. Kent's grows more than 100 varieties, meeting the increasing demand for indoor floral decorating for every season or event. Kent's uses the most advanced growing techniques, growing seedlings in an ideal environment under highly controlled conditions. The ideal climates, combined with the long-lasting potting mix and filtered water, yield strong, healthy plants ideal for indoor planting."
Source: Kent's Bromeliad Nursery

Fractal Geometry

(Excerpt) "A fractal is a complex shape which, when viewed in finer and finer detail, shows itself to be constructed of ever smaller parts, similar to the original."
Source: Math/Chaos Theroy by suite 101

The Bromeliad house plant may or may not be an example of Fractal Geometry with it's apparent properties of self-similarity. Another familiar possible example may be Romanesque Broccoli. We can look all around for "Naturally Occurring Fractals". There may be much visual evidence of this mathematical pattern in nature. But then there's this to consider:

(Excerpt) "... in a review of the application of the mathematics of fractals to the geometry of natural systems ... the application of the term 'fractal' by scientists to such systems is often unjustified ... in most cases the order of magnitude spanning required for mathematical fractality was not achieved, and that the use of the term 'fractal' in these contexts has at most a heuristic value. The authors suggest there is at present no experimental evidence that the geometry of nature is fractal [emphasis added]."

Source: ScienceWeek

Question for Blog Readers:
Would you consider using either "organic rice" food products or "organic dry-cleaning" laundry services?

Note: This blog post was totally inspired by our son, Kyle. And it was written to at least partially acknowledge the diverse potential of his Industrial Engineering Bachelor of Science degree.

LIFT (acronym: Link I Found Today)
Simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...
Fibonacci Sequence
(Excerpt) "The Fibonacci numbers are the sequence of numbers defined by ... linear recurrence equation. [Examples of] ... Fibonacci numbers ... are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ..."

Source: Wolfram MathWorld

Next scheduled post: 6.9.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

LOSSAN North Rail Corridor

2011-04-14T13:00:00.001-07:00

Source: LOSSAN North Corridor Strategic Plan

One existing railway corridor in a portion of the coastal route between Los Angeles and San Francisco is the LOSSAN North Corridor. California coastal region passenger train customers and freight trains traveling from many cities with existing train stations between these two major California coastal cities could enjoy convenient schedules and reduced travel times if existing railway corridors were improved with comprehensively planned rail bed improvements. Separately, the planned California High-Speed Rail (HSR) project is aiming for a different route basically serving cities in the Central Valley.

Some coastal region cities with existing station stops north of Los Angeles Union Station are: Glendale, Bob Hope/Burbank Airport, Van Nuys, Chatsworth, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Surf-Lompoc, Guadalupe-Santa Maria, Grover Beach, and San Luis Obispo.

Passenger train customers using the existing route and station stops from San Luis Obispo (SLO) to Los Angeles (Union Station) probably would be delighted if train speeds between existing stations could frequently be a consistent 60 to 70 mph. Passenger train travel times could be shortened by reducing the need for side track waiting periods that currently allow different trains to pass by each other in areas with one main line track.

It seems, to this less than an expert railroad engineer, that the existing track bed in the rail corridor might be improved to accommodate some additional tracks. Some existing railway bridges might also need to be improved or replaced. Train schedules and travel times could be improved if the additional tracks allowed both passenger trains and freight trains to travel north and south without one waiting motionless on a sidetrack in some locations. The scale (and cost) of these track bed improvements probably would be something less than the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) project that promises to serve other parts of the state. And the train speeds and potential travel time reductions may not be as great as in the proposed areas served by California HSR.

Question for Blog Readers:

Would you be pleased to travel at a consistent 60 to 70 mph between established train stations in familiar Central Coast locations?

Next scheduled post: 5.12.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

..

California High-Speed Rail

2011-03-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Partial Timeline of California High-Speed Rail (HSR):

Collage of stories created from some local media coverage.

Last year's planned 65 mile 'train to nowhere' is currently a planned 170 mile train from near Merced through Fresno to Bakersfield. Following in dated chronological order are credited excerpts from some local newspaper reports, the earliest first.

Critics call the plan a 'train to nowhere'
DATED: 12.2.10
(Excerpt) “As high-speed rail officials … consider … the initial 65-mile route from the farmlands of Borden through Fresno to Corcoran, critics are already panning the proposal as the ‘train to nowhere' ...
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is … to pick a route and enter a funding agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration by the end of the year [2010].
… rail authority engineers recommended the route in response to a Federal Railroad Administration directive that federal funding must go toward a stretch of track in the Central Valley.”

Source: Daisy Nguyen, AP. The Tribune, 12.2.10, page A4.

State gets $624M for high-speed rail
DATED: 12.10.10
(Excerpt) “The [federal] Department of Transportation announced it was redirecting $1.2 billion in high-speed rail money …
California is getting the largest share … [$624 million towards an estimated total $43 billion] system that eventually would extend 800 miles, linking Sacramento and San Francisco to Los Angeles and San Diego …
Van Ark [Roelf van Ark, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority] said the latest funding should help further construction from the Central Valley to another urban center.”

Source: Daisy Nguyen, AP. The Tribune, 12.10.10, page A4.

First portion of high-speed rail extended to Bakersfield
DATED: 12.21.10
(Excerpt) “[The California High-Speed Rail Authority] … agreed … to nearly double the length of the first segment of California’s … high-speed rail line …
[The California HSR Authority board] voted unanimously to spend an additional $616 million in federal funding to extend the segment [south] to Bakersfield.”

Source: Paisley Dodds, AP. The Tribune, 12.21.10, page A5.

Speed rail comes under scrutiny
DATED: 1.9.11
(Excerpt) “[Currently] about 170 miles of dedicated high-speed tracks would carry passengers between Merced and Bakersfield at speeds up to 220 mph across some of the world’s most fertile farmland.
That worries not only farmers whose land is likely in the path of the tracks, but also growers who have property on either side of the route …
Between Fresno and Bakersfield -- where the first … section of track is supposed to be built starting in 2012 -- one primary route is being considered by the rail authority … alongside the Burlington Northern Santa Fe [BNSF*] railroad tracks. Exceptions include a sweeping arc to take the tracks east of Hanford and several options to bypass Corcoran, Allensworth, Wasco, Shafter.
... Between Fresno and Merced [two route options are being evaluated]. One parallels the Union Pacific railroad tracks through the cities of Chowchilla and Madera … while the other tends to run alongside the Burlington Northern Santa Fe [BNSF*] tracks a few miles to the east.”

Source: Tim Sheehan, The Fresno Bee. The Tribune, 1.9.11, page B1.

To read more details about the California High-Speed Rail Authority,

click this link: California HSR Authority

HSR Stations: Growth Inducing Catalysts for Development of Built Environment

Additional land use, transportation, and infrastructure planning would seem necessary to successfully integrated a high-speed rail station into its community. Something that does not seem clear (at least to me at this time) is what level of government -- state, local, or other -- will eventually have jurisdictional authority over land use and related planning issues in the vicinity of proposed HSR stations.

There is potential for proposed HSR stations to function as regional (if not intermodal) transportation hubs. Increased densities and diversification of land uses may occur in the vicinity of, and radiating out from, proposed HSR stations in communities where there is a political will for growth of the built environment.

It is possible that communities that "receive" a proposed HSR station may also "receive" an insufficient amount of money from the State of California. In some communities, this may in some ways be similar to having a state college in their town. Just saying, there are benefits and costs.

Valley cities worried by rail station plans
DATED: 1.19.11
(Excerpt) “[California State Assembly Member Jim Beall Jr., D-San Jose, a strong high-speed rail proponent] wants Central Valley cities with … [HSR Stations] to develop environmentally friendly master plans for areas around the stations -- at their own cost …
The goal … [Beall] said, is to help [Central] Valley municipalities spur development around high-speed rail stations -- not stick them with unfunded mandates …
[HSR] stations are planned in Fresno, Merced, and Bakersfield -- among other cities -- as well as a proposed [HSR] station in Hanford. … Beall said he wants … [Central Valley] cities or local authorities … to create infrastructure financing districts around [HSR] stations to help finance transit projects …
'It’s about having the high-speed rail stations become driving forces for development," Beall said. 'Creating identities around the [HSR] stations. That’s the intention … '. “

Source: John Ellis, The Fresno Bee. The Tribune, 1.19.11, page B2.

Question for Blog Readers

In what ways can local government officials in affected communities financially cope with the impacts of a proposed HSR station?

* LIFT (acronym: Link I Found Today)

Simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...

Warren Buffett buys Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad

Next scheduled post: 4.14.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

..

Mars Colonization

2011-02-17T13:00:00.000-08:00

Outbound Journey

Complete commitment. Never coming back. Just forget about the "culture of safety and political correctness". It's a one-way human mission to establish a necessarily self-sufficient and permanent outpost -- on Mars. A planet that is six months through space away from earth. The transportation pod that one rides in will also be home upon arrival at the red desert surface. Similar to a small Airstream trailer that travels millions of miles through space and has soft landed into the Australian outback on a hot day.

"It is important to realize that this is not a "suicide mission." The astronauts would go to Mars with the intention of staying for the rest of their lives, as trailblazers of a permanent human Mars colony.

... abandoning the need to send the fuel and supplies for the return journey would cut costs dramatically, arguably by about 80 percent..."

Source: To Boldly Go: A One-Way Human Mission to Mars, The Journal of Cosmology, October-November, 2010.

This earthling plan to colonize Mars is not at all like what England did with Australia in the 1700's. The astronauts that land on Mars would not be outcast convicts from over-crowded prisons here on earth. And they probably would not be young.

"You would send a little bit older folks, around 60 or something like that," Mr. Schulze-Makuch said, bringing to mind the aging heroes who saved the day in the movie "Space Cowboys."

Source: The Washington Times

"Initially, colonists may be preferred who are beyond their reproductive age, because their life expectancy is likely to be 20 years or less, and secondly, the first settlers will endure some radiation damage to their reproductive organs, both during the trip to Mars and on the Martian surface...

The advantages of a one-way human mission are many-fold including a dramatic reduction of costs ... and that no [post-mission] rehabilitation program is needed ... [for colonists] remaining on the low-gravity surface of Mars ...".

Source: To Boldly Go: A One-Way Human Mission to Mars, The Journal of Cosmology, October-November, 2010.

Think of it as an exclusive retirement community in a low-gravity, oxygen-deprived, dry-heat climate.

LIFT (acronym: Link I Found Today)

Simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...

"Old People in Space", The Colbert Report, video segment (5:28).

Next scheduled post: 3.17.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

Tule Fog

2011-01-20T13:00:00.001-08:00

Source: CIMSS Satellite Blog "... showed a persistent Tule fog event across much of the Central Valley of California on 05 January 2011 ... snow-covered Sierra Nevada Range can be seen to the east of the Central Valley [San Francisco Bay Area Region seen to the northwest]."

Ain't No Sunshine ...

Tule fog is a phenomenon that can cause a near white-out condition at ground level with an air temperature just above freezing. Unpleasant, dangerous, and lasting for as long as days. Occasionally, when intermittently intense ground level tule fog is combined with even longer periods of higher level fog cover, full sunlight and warmer air temperatures may not reach down onto the valley floor in hundreds of square miles for several consecutive weeks during winter. This huge fog blanket can be photographed from space and may appear conforming closely to the actual shapes of the contiguous Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys that are a central geological feature in California. (Total area greater than shown in satellite photo above.)

Condensed Water Vapor

(Excerpt) "Fog is water vapor that has condensed onto microscopic particles in the air and formed a cloud at ground level. When much of Earth’s heat is radiated out to space, usually on clear, windless nights, it cools the moist, dense and heavier layer of air near the valley’s floor. When air temperature decreases, humidity levels increase and the valley begins to take on a grayish tint. When the air has reached its dew point temperature, the relative humidity is at 100 percent. Water droplets become visible to the naked eye. At that point, tule fog can rapidly develop.

During periods of tranquil weather ... the San Joaquin Valley tule fog can last for days on end as it settles between the Sierra Nevada [Mountains] to the east and the coastal range to the west under a strong temperature inversion layer.

The air above the inversion layer is drier, warmer and hence lighter. Like a cover over a bed, this further serves to trap the cold, dense and heavier air within the valley.

... [During winter], the sun is low in the southern sky and much of its light is reflected back out to space off the top of the fog layer.

Very small amounts of sunlight penetrate the fog and warm the valley floor. Afternoon high temperatures may only reach the high 30s with little temperature change through the night."

Source: John Lindsey, The Tribune, 1.16.11, B1

Question for Blog Readers

Why is this phenomenon called "tule fog"?

Following may or may not be an original word or phrase under consideration for copyright:

"Life is not perfect -- instantly."

LIFT (acronym: Link I Found Today)

Simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...

USGS: Super-storm from Pacific Ocean may hit California someday.

Next scheduled post: 2.17.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2010-12-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday and thank you to my personal LORD & Savior, Jesus Christ. Hopefully, a heartfelt declaration from a wretch like me will somehow serve to actually increase HIS rep.

New Project of Marital Cooperation

For several months, I have watched with anticipation and pride. My intelligent, conscientious, charismatic, and so very lovely wife of some Scandinavian decent has purchased a domain, created and launched the website, and then started her own blog linked to the website. It is very early in the project's development for her as an internet webmaster/blogger. However, the progress from zero to now has been brilliant. And it appears that she might be convinced to occasionally let me help produce content for her website and blog. She may post about once or twice a month at the blog, plus timely website updates when appropriate. See more of her project (Updated title follows):

Cambria Real Estate

Central Coast market trends, local news & the big picture

(Subscribe FREE at her blog to receive email notifications.)

Writing a [Great] Christmas Card Anecdotal Story
Business colleagues, friends, family members, and other associates often produce some type of “Christmas Newsletter” to share. This will often include a few humorous personal comments or even something of a short story. One such comedic story is excerpted below. It is from an actual Christmas newsletter that we received this year. The location, names, and other details have been [changed] to obfuscate identities and hopefully avoid legal entanglements.

“Our ‘get-a-way’ this year was spent in [an area near the ocean] sport fishing for [large fish]. Resulting in resolve never to recommend or go fishing with the repulsive Captain [Donald Duck] again. After catching a 70 lb and a 140 lb [large fish] before noon, [Chip & Dale] (guilty by association) were asked to sit recumbent in the cabin for the remainder of the day in reprimand for the large fish that [Chip] caught. At 3 o’clock, [Dale] was given a reprise and quickly hooked a 90 lb [large fish] that [Captain Duck] grabbed … and reassigned it to a poor, poor man who had only caught a 40 lb fish. Oh golly, with no more time to fish we had to return to dock! In reflection, [Chip & Dale] caught the 3 largest fish on the boat.”

This anecdote is repeated here with apologies to socialistic fishing boat captains everywhere. Credit to the anonymous author of this hilarious story shall remain greatly felt, but not further identified.

LIFT (acronym: Link I Found Today)

The following is simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...

LIFT: "Happy Christmas..." a playlist by Brooke White, American Idol competitor.

Next scheduled post: 1.20.11 (Subscribe FREE to receive email notifications.)

Home Passages

2010-09-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Next scheduled post: 12.24.2010 "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year"

Occasionally one's idea of a proper home may change. These emotional and physical transitions, when considered individually, may each be similar to a passage. If these home passages can be defined and enumerated, planners and designers in society may have a clue where and what different demographic groups may actually find attractive as a home -- next.

A Realtor, with a certain accuracy, may say that the relative market (real estate prices) will show where and what the median of a population do and don't want to call their home. The prices of individual properties in the real estate market, somewhat ironically, may be a type of over-simplification.

Different Tracks

It may be a bold scientifically unproven statement: As a piece of real property (a home) tracks through the market, it's relative value (price) may not coincide with the track of an individual (owner) as one goes through life. Said another way: As an individual (owner) tracks through different stages of life one may place different relative values on where and what to call home -- Home Passages.

Question for Blog Readers

As you have progressed through life (okay, become older), have you found your idea of where and what you want to call home to change and transition?

Election Day in America: Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Many have sacrificed much for our freedom and our responsibility to VOTE.

"alpha and omega"

Mixed Land Uses

2010-09-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

A symbiosis of various, complementary, compatible, and multi-density land uses in walkable proximity. This opinion may be humble myopia and only an approximate of lawful definitions used by communities to regulate land uses.

Question For Blog Readers

What land uses would you like to have within walking distance of your front door? Would high density residences and commercial storefronts in walkable proximity to your home increase your property value?

Next scheduled post 9.30.10, "Home Passages"

Pedestrian Crossing

2010-09-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Photo by: QwkDrw
Location: Moreton-In-Marsh (nearby the Cotswolds), UK
Others have also appreciated similar 'Great Signs'.
See:
City Comforts, the blog

Safe Form and Function

(Excerpt) "In the UK, the country with the safest roads in the world ... there are currently five types of formal pedestrian crossings in use, these being Zebra, Pelican, Puffin, Toucan and Pegasus crossings. The most basic form of crossing is a pedestrian refuge, this is usually in the form of an island in the centre of the road, where pedestrians may wait in relative safety while vehicles pass on either side."
Source: driveandstayalive.com

Walking as a Mode of Transportation

A walk can be calming for some people. In my case, the medical virtues of walking for exercise are well known. Suburban seniors and others that can may actually prefer walking as a mode of transportation, when possible.

Walkable Neighborhoods

The real estate market value of an individual housing unit of course has many components. It has been suggested that the three most important things about real estate is only one thing -- location (Often redundantly said 3 times, however.).

List of Elements Common in a Walkable Neighborhood

• A center: Walkable neighborhoods have a center, whether it's a main street or a public space.
• People: Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to run frequently.
• Mixed income, mixed use: Affordable housing located near businesses.
• Parks and public space: Plenty of public places to gather and play.
• Pedestrian design: Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are relegated to the back.
• Schools and workplaces: Close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.
• Complete streets: Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.
Source: www.walkscore.com

A Question for Blog Readers

Will American baby boomers (born 1946 - 1964) that are aging-in-place want to see Suburbs Diversify and Transform from sprawling, low density, and automobile-dependent into 'Walkable Neighborhoods'?

See also: Blog Comments Add Value to the Topic

LIFT (Link I Found Today)

The following is simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...

LIFT: ... US birth rate to new low

Next post scheduled 9.16.10, "Mixed Land Uses"

Suburbs Diversify and Transform

2010-08-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Source: Photo adapted from the opening title sequence of

Showtime's episodic cable program "Weeds".

America’s Senior Citizens May Live in the Suburbs

Demographic analysis suggests that 70% of American Baby Boomers (age 46 to 64) currently live in suburbia.

The massive boomer population age tidal wave will soon flood into these vast tracts of suburban single family homes -- without anyone moving anywhere. As this population of "suburban seniors" (copyright notice!) age-in-place, the suburbs may diversify and transform to accommodate the aging lifestyles and needs of many soon to be senior citizens already in residence. Consider the empty-nester couple that are home all day across the street, or the single mom next door whose youngest daughter is a fifth-year senior at Pepperdine University next fall. Aging and changing lifestyles.

The transformation of suburbs might be best accomplished with mixed land uses that support living and working day-to-day locally, increased residential densities, design changes in the built environment that facilitate greater walkability, and additional mass transportation options for connections to other areas. Seems that property owners, planners, and politicians would be busy ...

Looking Ahead

(Excerpt) "Current and future geographic shifts of America’s [pre-senior & senior citizen] populations, with baby boomers on the verge of entering their retirement years, are among the most potentially influential demographic trends in metropolitan America today. Emerging senior populations will break with those of the past, not only in terms of their size, but in their educational profiles, their household diversity, and their greater gender equality, as well as their potential for exhibiting greater economic inequality. The sheer size of the baby boom tsunami will magnify these distinct social and demographic attributes, altering metropolitan, city, and suburban populations in both growing and declining parts of the country."
Source: Brookings Institution PDF, by William H. Frey

Executive Summary

The number of suburban seniors that may soon be living in existing large homogeneous tracts of single family homes is potentially huge. Some high density residential, service and commercial land uses are often non-existant within a walkable distance from many residential units in these suburbs. Changes in the existing built environment may be necessary for these areas to become live-work communities that support a diversified citizenry that lives and works day-to-day locally. Consider: Is there the political will for physical changes in the typical suburban built environment? Will the NIMBY Syndrome effectively prevent progress of any scale?

A Question for Blog Readers

As the coming tidal wave of suburban seniors age-in-place, what land use planning and urban design changes will become necessary to transform these vast homogeneous housing tracts into walkable places for a diversified local population to live-work? Is there the political will to allow these necessary physical changes in the suburban built environment?

LIFT (Link I Found Today)

The following is simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...
LIFT: adage.com, "Neilsen: This Isn't Your Grandfather's ... "

Next post scheduled 9.2.10, "Pedestrian Crossing"

Medicare Doughnut Hole

2010-08-05T13:00:00.001-07:00

Variable "out-of-pocket" Costs of

Prescription Medications in the Medicare Program

(Excerpt) "... about eight million participants in Medicare Part D, the prescription drug program, fall into [the 'Medicare Doughnut Hole'] each year. Currently, the gap opens when a Medicare recipient and his plan have spent $2,830 on prescriptions; at that point, he must pay for medications himself until he’s paid $4,500 out of pocket. Then Medicare coverage resumes ...

Starting next year, 50 percent discounts on name-brand medications, plus smaller discounts on generic drugs (because they’re already discounted for Medicare participants), will help reduce that burden. The proportion that seniors will have to pay will fall steadily until, by 2020, the doughnut hole is scheduled to disappear ...

Medicare participants who land in the doughnut hole this year will get checks for $250; the first were mailed out [June 2010]. About four million people will qualify for these refunds (the other four million have incomes low enough to benefit from a program called Medicare Extra Help ...

One caution: Medicare will automatically generate the refund — which is tax-free — about six weeks after a senior hits the $2,830 threshold. “Automatically” means that Medicare Part D participants don’t have to fill out any paperwork or answer any questions in order to receive their checks ... “What we’ve been seeing, sadly, is people calling Medicare beneficiaries at home and saying, ‘We can help you get your check,’ and asking for information,” [said] Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ... Such overtures are not only unnecessary — they’re probably a scam ...

[Pre-Seniors & Senior Citizens] shouldn’t disclose their Medicare numbers to anyone except a physician or pharmacist, a trusted family member, or Medicare itself.

Source: The New Old Age

$250 "Medicare Doughnut Hole" Rebate Check

Hear Medicare's official message about the $250 Part D rebate check

on this audio clip (00:30).

Source: www.medicare.gov

Note: There might be health insurance plans or programs not mentioned here that may or may not be involved with the 'Medicare Doughnut Hole' and related prescription medication costs.

Some Pre-Seniors & Senior Citizens Are

Drinking Dangerous Amounts of Alcohol

(Excerpt) "... study included 3308 current drinkers age 60 and older ...

Older adults ... [are] at risk if they ... consume one to two drinks on most days and take select medications ...".

Source: UCLA finding

A Question for Blog Readers

After one's out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications totaled $2830 - $4500 annually, the government issued a one-time $250 rebate check. Did this refund significantly help that individual manage the reduced but also reoccurring out-of-pocket costs remaining in the 'Medicare Doughnut Hole' until 2020? Could this problem be better solved?

LIFT (Link I Found Today)

The following is simply the last segment to read at the end of this post and may or may not be in any way appropriate or relevant to anything ...
LIFT: California Mid-State Fair - Julianne Hough and audio clip (0:30). Sorry, the links here do not include audio of her singing.
You and your wife -- and your best cowboy hats -- had to be there in the setting sun light ...

Photo Credit: QwkDrw, July 2010

Next post scheduled 8.19.10, "Suburbs Diversify and Transform"