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Recently Sleepy Hollow held a public meeting for proposed safety improvements to the crossings at Beekman and North Washington. For this they are seeking a state grant.
There's another hot spot in the Village that may have less users but those users might be at greater risk: on Bedford Road at Pine Street, close to the back entrance of the High School. There's a crosswalk in the middle of the steep slope of Bedford that cars are often cited racing up or down – like in this week's Police Blotters, in which one driver reported seeing another one running a redlight at Beekman and racing dangerously up the hill.
This crosswalk has Patch user "J. Cattano" shaking in his boots.
He wrote recently in the comments:
Crossing Bedford Rd. at the Pine St. crosswalk is like playing chicken. You look and look and then you just dart across holding your breath the whole trime. It is so unnerving. The cars coming down Bedford Rd. going west are usually speeding and even if they see someone standing there be it adult or child they just drive on by. They really need to rush down to that traffic light I guess. It is so dangerous, and it feels to me as has for quite some time now like a tragedy waiting to happen - then they can all start the blame game when a simple fix is so easy to obtain. PUT A SIGN THERE! NY STATE LAW- MUST STOP FOR PEDESTRIANS IN CROSSWALK -- very simple.
Are we waiting for one of our children to be hit by one of these cars that go speeding by them everyday not even caring to slow down let alone stop to let them cross before we take this problem seriously?? I am furious about this and will pursue this with the local news as-well. Shame on you Sleepy Hollow!!!
Putting up a sign seems cheap and easy enough, but Sleepy Hollow Police Chief Gregory Camp basically said: we can't do it; it's not our road.
Though the Chief hadn't heard specific complaints about this crosswalk at Pine Street, he was of course aware of the grave dangers of the whole area. Bedford Road, as is Route 9, is a state road, and we rely on the state for any improvements (or their lack), Camp said.
It's not a state grant we seek, but the state itself.
"It's something we really want the state to look into but until they agree, we're at their mercy," he said.
Camp knows all too well the problem of all the traffic at that notorious five-point intersection below. Bedford itself he called an "old road, windy." Bedford was targeted in several speeding surveys he submitted to the state in about the last year. "It's hard for us to do a real traffic study," he said, noting that the department lacked the equipment and the manpower to do something more comprehensive.
He recalled when Sleepy Hollow High School was built there were caution lights and signage on Bedford, which the state took down after. "I wished they would have left it up," Camp said.
"Until I get someone with the state who's willing to talk with us, I can only send a letter or leave a message," he said, though he did say he would not stop trying to get help for this road and that five-point intersection.
"Eventually if I'm squeaky enough, they'll have to oil me. That's what I'm hoping for," Camp said.
He suggested the community do the same. Bother not the Department of Transportation, he advised, as "there's no luck with the DOT" but go right to the Governor.
You can contact Governor Andrew Cuomo:
- by phone at (518) 474-8390,
- by mail (include your own mailing address on the envelop):
Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
- or by email by following this form on his website.
Add that letter to that other pile of letters likely growing on his desk over that stretch of Route 9 in front of the Manors that have residents scared to turn out of their streets and risk the lives of bikers and walkers brave (or rash) enough to try to navigate the few inches of allotted roadway.
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text:
Contact Hiker Hostel
Contact Information:
Email us at: firstname.lastname@example.com
Or call us at 770-312-7342 for further information.
DirectionsWe are located about 6 miles north of the metropolis of Dahlonega, GA, which is the closest town to the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Head north on Highway 19/60. We are the first paved drive on the left after Mile Marker 18 (just past McDonald Road). Look for the Hiker Hostel sign at 7693 Hwy 19N.
View Larger Map
Thanks for stopping by.
Joshua & Leigh

subset: commoncrawl


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Updated January 14, 2011So what's up? "Nothing but death and taxes." Not so fast, my pessimistic friend. Fact is that since 2000, both the tax rate and the death rate in the U.S. have declined, according to the2011 Statistical Abstract of the United States, from the U.S. Census Bureau.
What is the Statistical Abstract?
Perennially the federal government's best-selling reference book, the latest and 130th edition of the Statistical Abstract includes 1,407 tables of social, political and economic facts that collectively describe the state of our nation and the world. Along with the expected demographic and economic data, the Statistical Abstract encompasses such diverse topics as insufficient rest or sleep, nursing home occupancy, homeschooling, earthquakes, U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions, organic farmland, honey bee colonies, crashes involving distracted drivers and cities with the highest transit savings.
The statistics come not only from the Census Bureau but also from other governmental agencies and private organizations. The data generally represent the most recent year or period available by summer 2010. Most are national-level data, but some tables present data on state, city and even metropolitan levels.
How Things Have Changed
When the first Statistical Abstract was published in 1878, the nation had only 38 states, most Americans traveled using a horse and buggy, Miami and Las Vegas did not yet exist, and Franklin D. Roosevelt had not yet been born. To say the least, things have changed.
Here are a few highlights from the 2011 Statistical Abstract of the United States:
- Death: The overall annual death rate decreased from 9.5 per 1000 people in 1970 to 8.0 in 2007. (Table)
- Taxes: In general, the effective federal income tax rates for all income groups fell from 2000 to 2009. For example The tax rate for individuals with an annual adjusted gross income of $40,000 fell from 12.5% in 2000 to 8.9% in 2009. (Table)
- Voting: In the 2008 presidential election, 58% of the voting-age population nationwide reported casting a ballot. In Minnesota and Maine -- the rate topped 70%. (Table)
- Going to Work: Nationally, 76% of workers 16 and older drove alone to work in 2008, with 11% carpooling and 5% using public transportation. In New York, however, the distribution was far different: 54% drove alone, with 27% utilizing public transportation and 8% carpooling. (Table)
- Going to Jail: The total number of adults either in U.S. jails or on probation or parole reached an all-time high of 7.3 million in 2008. (Table)
- Going Shopping: The number of shopping centers in the U.S. increased from 77,019 in 1990 to 104,919 in 2009. (Table)
- Getting Married: The marriage rate in the U.S. has decreased from 9.8 per 1,000 people in 1990 to only 5.4 per 1,000 people in 2008. (Table)
- And Divorced: The rate of divorces in the U.S. fell slightly from 4.7 per 1,000 people in 1990 to 4.1 per 1,000 people in 2000. (Table)
- Police Killed and Assaulted: The number of law enforcement officers killed in the U.S. fell from a recent high of 139 in 2004 to 109 in 2008. The number of officers assaulted fell from 72,091 in 1990 to 58,792 in 2008. (Table)
- TSA at Work: In 2007, TSA airport screeners confiscated 1.1 million knives, 1,416 guns and 11,908 box cutters. In 2009, they confiscated 116,200 incendiary devices, including ammunition and gun powder, flammables/irritants and explosives. (Table)
- Organic Farming: In 2008, the U.S. had 4.8 million acres devoted to organic farming, a 170% increase since 2000. (Table)
Printed copies of the 2011 Statistical Abstract may be ordered from the U.S. Government Printing Office at 202-512-1800. (ISBN No. 978-0-16-086681-4, $39 for the soft cover edition; and No. 978-0-16-086682-1, $43 for the hard cover edition.)


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Availability: Fountain Court - Stewart Apartments
4-star family-friendly apartment in Edinburgh (New Town) near Princes Street Gardens
Located in the heart of Edinburgh, this family-friendly apartment is within walking distance of Charlotte Square, George Street, and Royal Scots Regimental Museum. Also nearby are Geoffrey Kiltmakers and Weavers and Princes Mall.
Property Features
In addition to complimentary wireless Internet access, Fountain Court - Stewart Apartments provides dry cleaning/laundry services, laundry facilities, and a 24-hour front desk.
Room Amenities
LCD televisions come with satellite channels. Guestrooms also feature kitchens, complimentary wireless Internet access, and washers/dryers.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Fountain Court - Stewart Apartments Amenities
- General
Fountain Court - Stewart Apartments features laundry facilities, dry cleaning/laundry services, and an elevator (lift). Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. Parking is available onsite for a surcharge. A total renovation of this property was completed in April 2011.
Fountain Court - Stewart Apartments is a smoke-free property.
- 24-hour front desk
- Total number of rooms - 31
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Elevator/lift
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry facilities
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Year Built 2011
- Smoke-free property
- Internet
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi
- Parking
Self parking (surcharge)
- Room Amenities
- Video-game console
- Microwave
- Kitchen
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Complimentary toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Shower/tub combination
- Iron/ironing board
- Washer/dryer
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- iPod docking station
- Dishwasher
- Stovetop
- In-room safe (laptop compatible)
- Satellite TV service
- Free Wi-Fi
Fountain Court - Stewart Apartments Policies & Fees
- Check-in
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Special check-in instructions:
Special Instructions: Please contact the property ahead of time to make arrangements for check-in.
- Check-out
Check-out time is 10:30 AM
- Payment types
Accepted at this hotel: American Express, JCB International, MasterCard, Visa
- General
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No rollaway/extra beds available
Parking height restrictions apply
- Fees
- Unless otherwise indicated, the charges below are not included in the overall room price. If not included in the overall room price, they will be charged by the property at check-in or check-out. Charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book. This property told us they will charge you for the following:
We have included all charges provided to us by the property. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- All citizens of United Kingdom will be charged the national value-added tax
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
- Breakfast fee: GBP 6.50 per person (approximately)
- Self parking fee: GBP 15 per day


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Mark Bingel, a 2000 Beekmantown graduate, was awarded a doctor of chiropractic degree in August from Parker Chiropractic University in Dallas, Texas. He has also earned bachelor degrees in anatomy, health and wellness and graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2006 with a degree in nutrition. The son of Gary and Janet Bingel of Morrisonville, he has accepted a position at the Rainier Chiropractic Clinic in Yelm, Wash., working with Dr. Joe Dispenza, neurologist, chiropractor, lecturer and author. Bingel is the brother of Dr. Sara Bingel of Fredericksburg, Va., and he is engaged to Dr. Amber Woods of Centralia, Wash.
Caitlyn LaPier, a physics major at Oneonta who is from Chazy, was a member of the SUNY Oneonta Women's Soccer team that finished 13-5-3 overall and won the WUNYAC title and qualified for the NCAA tournament. She played in all 21 games and started in four this season, scoring one goal.
Saint Michael's College student Kelsey Locke, daughter of Colleen and Kelly Locke of Lake Placid, is studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria, at the University of Salzburg. A senior psychology major at St. Michael's in Colchester, Vt., she graduated from Burke Mountain Academy.
The following local students have received scholarships at Clarkson University, Potsdam, for the 2013-14 academic year: Jack Newberry of Wadhams, a freshman majoring in chemistry, the A. Douglas Burrow '31 Endowed Scholarship; Jessica Burl of Burke, a junior majoring in biomolecular science and mathematics, the Rosemary A. Harrington Class of 2015 Share Clarkson Direct Scholarship; Andrew Turner of Plattsburgh, a junior majoring in aeronautical engineering, the Kardan Endowed Scholarship; Barnes Rakenhoktha of Akwesasne, a junior majoring in digital arts and sciences, the Ralph and Jessie Scott Endowed Scholarship; Evan Tomkiewicz of Moira, a senior majoring in mathematics and biology, the F. Carlton and Ethel B. Simpson Memorial Endowed Scholarship; Lauren Adams of Hogansburg, a senior majoring in civil engineering, the Wallace H. Coulter Endowed Scholarship; Brian Ashline of Burke, a senior majoring in global supply chain management, the James D. Cartin Memorial Endowed Scholarship; Marissa Cook of Chateaugay, a senior majoring in psychology, the Sara Snell Petersen/W. Hollis Petersen Endowed Scholarship; and Coby Dergham of Plattsburgh, a sophomore majoring in engineering and management, the Wallace H. Coulter Endowed Scholarship and the Clarkson University Memorial Endowed Scholarship.


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Full StoryPRESS RELEASE
Cisco Systems to Acquire Atlantech Technologies
Expands End-to-End Network Management Solutions
SAN JOSE, Calif., March 1, 2000 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., today announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Atlantech of Glasgow, Scotland. Atlantech is a leading provider of network element management software, which is designed to help configure and monitor network hardware. This acquisition expands Cisco's New World strategy to deliver end-to-end network management functionality to enable the delivery of integrated data, voice and video networks.
Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco common stock with an aggregate value of approximately $180 million will be exchanged for all outstanding shares and options of Atlantech. Cisco already has a minority stake of 9.5% in Atlantech. In connection with the acquisition, Cisco expects a one-time charge against after-tax earnings of up to $.02 per share for purchased in-process research and development expenses in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2000. The acquisition has been approved by the board of directors of each company and is subject to various closing conditions, including approval under the Hart Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.
Cisco is acquiring Atlantech to provide service providers and ecosystem partners with a single integrated platform for enabling network management functionality across multiple diverse networks. With this acquisition, Cisco will be able to offer service providers a software framework for managing Cisco's comprehensive family of networking products. Additionally, the software framework provides a platform for service providers to develop element management applications to support complex heterogeneous networking environments. Using Atlantech's element management software, service providers will be able to deploy reliable, scalable and interoperable networks.
Atlantech's open, standards-based element network software is a fundamental building block for managing the overall network environment. Element management software performs provisioning and performance management functions across multiple elements of a service provider's network. Atlantech's software is designed to interact with other existing management systems such as legacy OSS (Operation Support Systems) and billing software, both of which are widely deployed in service provider networks today. Leading service providers are already using Atlantech's software solutions and the company is currently in trials with an additional 20 service providers.
Atlantech was founded in 1992. The 120 employees will be led by CEO David Sibbald and will join the Communications Software and Network Services Group within the Service Provider Line of Business. The team will remain based in Glasgow, Scotland.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.# # #
Cisco, Cisco Systems, PIX, IOS and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. or its affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (0005R)Web Content Display


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Albany, New York - Posted on: Tuesday 04/01/14
Assist with regional implementation of organizational training strategies; design/develop and/or tailor local training and technical assistance interventions designed to support achievement of child welfare outcomes of safety, permanency and well-being, and to overcome barriers to permanency for children in need of protective, preventive, foster care, or adoption services provided through local public welfare districts. Project focus is to improve functioning of local county departments of social services while working closely with staff of the project's sponsor, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Duties include, but are not limited to: conducting needs assessments; preparing local district action plans enabling practice congruent with state and federal legislation and nation practice standards, supporting development of district-specific program improvement plans and accepted best practices; providing technical assistance at the local level; acting as liaison with University, state and local agencies; preparing quarterly, other routine/special reports. Full-time position located in Syracuse with variable work hours. Ability to conduct assignments at various/different locations throughout NYS.
Required Qualifications:
1. Master's Degree in Social Work or Human Services/other appropriate field from a college or university accredited by a USDOE, or an internationally recognized organization and 4 years experience in delivery or child welfare services; OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field from a college or university accredited by a USDOE, or an internationally recognized accrediting organization and minimum of 7 years experience providing child welfare services in a local department of social services or private child welfare agency (a comparable combination of education/experience may be considered). Experience must include including thorough familiarity with the provisions of services in NYS in accordance with current regulatory and best practice standards.
2. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
3. Demonstrated ability working with culturally diverse groups of people.
4. Good computer skills including use of e-mail, calendar, computer templates, word processing and Internet.
5. Demonstrated skills in negotiating, implementing, and monitoring mutually developed plans to manage organizational change and appropriate training interventions.
6. Ability to appropriately handle multiple priorities, deadlines/conflicting priorities.
7. Demonstrated ability in project management and organizational development.
8. Demonstrated ability to maintain positive, constructive relationships with all levels of staff
9. Experience in project management and organizational development.
10. Ability to conduct assignments as various/different locations throughout NYS.
11. Valid driver's license.
Preferred Qualifications:
12. Demonstrated skills in field-based organizational consultation.
13. Demonstrated skill in providing adult learning via a variety of strategies.
Related Links
Interested candidates please send resume and cover letter to: email@example.com


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UN climate report: Key points (Update)
Highlights from a report issued by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Friday.
Highlights from a report issued by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Friday.
A UN panel said Friday it was more certain than ever that humans were causing global warming and predicted temperatures would rise by 0.3 to 4.8 degrees Celsius (0.5-8.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this century.
The continued accumulation of sand within the iconic ring-shaped reefs inside Maldivian atolls could provide a foundation for future island development new research suggests. Islands like the Maldives are ...
Scientists and governments pored over the summary Thursday of an eagerly awaited UN report expected to emphasise the escalating threat from climate change.
UN experts are expected to warn on Friday that global warming will hoist sea levels higher than was projected six years ago, threatening millions of lives.
The world's seagrass meadows are in diabolical trouble – but Australian scientists say we can still save them if we act early, even as sea levels rise.
An independent Australian climate change watchdog axed last week by the country's new conservative government was resurrected Tuesday as a non-profit body funded by public donations.
By the year 2100, global warming will have caused sea levels to rise by 1 to 3 meters. This will strongly affect islands, their flora, fauna and inhabitants. A team of researchers from the Ecologie, systématique et évolution ...
Many outlet glaciers in Greenland feed ice from the land into fjords, where discharge of icebergs and melting of the glaciers by warmer ocean waters contribute to rising sea levels.
A new Pacific regional pact calling for aggressive action to combat climate change has achieved a "major accomplishment" by gaining US support, officials said Sunday.
Experts are sounding a new alarm about the effects of climate change for parts of the Caribbean—the depletion of already strained drinking water throughout much of the region.
This century, climate change is expected to induce changes in air pollution, exposure to which could increase annual premature deaths by more than 100,000 adults worldwide. Based on the findings from a modelling study published ...
Big global questions face us, among them: How will we feed a growing global population without ruining the soil and polluting freshwater? Or meet our burgeoning energy demands while curbing the greenhouse ...
A new study says man-made global warming may further lessen the likelihood of the freak atmospheric steering currents that last year shoved Superstorm Sandy due west into New Jersey.
Sea-level rise (SLR) has been isolated as a principal cause of coastal erosion in Hawaii. Differing rates of relative sea-level rise on the islands of Oahu and Maui, Hawaii remain as the best explanation ...


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Joanne Medero is a Managing Director at BlackRock with responsibilities for government relations and is a member of its Government Relations Steering Committee.
Ms. Medero's service with the firm dates back to 1996, including her years with Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. Ms. Medero joined BGI as its Global General Counsel in January 1996. From October 2006 she was the global head of Government Relations and Public Policy for Barclays' Investment Banking and Investment Management businesses. Prior to joining BGI, Ms. Medero was a partner with Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe, in their New York office, specializing in derivatives and market regulation issues. From 1989 to 1993 Ms. Medero served as general counsel of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Previously, she was as associate director for legal and financial affairs at the Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House, from 1986 to 1989.
Ms. Medero earned a BA degree, magna cum laude, phi beta kappa, from St. Lawrence University in 1975 and a JD degree, with honors, from the National Law Center of George Washington University in 1978.
Corporations, Securities & Antitrust Practice Group Teleforum
July 30, 2014
2012 National Lawyers Convention
November 19, 2012
November 16, 2009
Corporations, Securities & Antitrust Practice Group Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 2, Summer 1999
August 01, 1999


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The music business has always been a rocky road for most performers. Even if a struggling artist scores a record deal there is no guarantee the project will ever be released. Although some have success and ride off into the night with their three or four hits, Lee Greenwood has continued his success for nearly three decades. His latest project of re-released material is called Inspirational Songs, and will move you from start to finish.
It is great to see someone still so successful today, continuing to release new music without changing the sound that contributed to their success originally. Evolving into who you are as an artist is just as important to the fans as the music. Lee has covered such a wide range of country tunes it was no surprise to him him explore some gospel songs and typical inspirational tunes as well.
It is always great to see artists spread their wings in order to explore grounds unfamiliar to them. Not everyone can pull it off, yet Lee makes it look so natural. Every project he tackles seems to have that sound of ease. With eleven songs total on this album, there is almost forty minutes of uplifting songs that will help you get through the day or even the week. With mostly old standard hymns, and the grand finale being Lee's biggest hit of all time "God Bless The U.S.A." This is a project that clearly shows where his heart is at this point in his career.
"Rock Of Ages" and "You Like Up My Life" are also add great contributions to this album. With all these great tunes it is hard to believe it can get better, but it does. Lee introduces the world to his version of "How Great Thou Art." This falls into a category like "Amazing Grace." Everyone knows it, yet it touches people in so many different ways.
Hearing "The Lord's Prayer" brings back a lot of memories and is always a pleasure to hear. The last tune on the album is "God Bless The U.S.A." This is one of the most well known patriotic songs in the country. On September 11th, this song stood out among any and gave people hope, strength and the courage to face what was ahead. Regardless if you were at home listening to the radio or seeing Lee Greenwood live in concert, cold chills and a standing ovation was a sure thing. If your a fan of Lee, this is a must have for you collection.
Track List:
- Totally Devoted To You
- One Day At A Time
- Amen
- Amazing Grace
- Rock Of Ages
- You Light Up My Life
- How Great Thou Art
- Bound For The Promised Land
- The Lord's Prayer
- You'll Never Walk Alone
- God Bless The U.S.A.


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(video: Jenna Chandler, Santa Monica Patch)
Last night at Santa Monica College (about 20 blocks from the beach here in Los Angeles, CA), police pepper-sprayed some 30 students in a crowd of about 150 protesters. The students want affordable education. They gathered during a meeting of the college's board of trustees to voice opposition to planned tuition hikes that would raise the cost of bread-and-butter courses during the summer session by as much as 400%. I was close enough to the location last night to hear helicopters and sirens as it happened.
The LA Times reports that Santa Monica police are today "trying to sort out" who used pepper-spray on the peacefully assembled students. Reports I heard last night indicated that the person or persons responsible were campus police, not Santa Monica police, who were called in later to secure the site. Among the injured: a child, who looks to be about 4 or 5 years old from these photos.
One student eyewitness tweeted:
Pepper sprayed a room full of students and two children. A poor lil five year old got it in the face.— Sarah Belknap (@mary_menville) April 4, 2012
There is apparently money for 3 cop choppers, pepper spray, batons, five squad cars, 8 ambulances, but no money for education.— Sarah Belknap (@mary_menville) April 4, 2012
More eyewitness video plus photos of two of the victims follow, at the end of this Boing Boing post.
Student blogger zunguzungu in Berkeley, who has been covering student protests and campus police brutality throughout California, rounds up news link and posts about the incident this morning. An excerpt:
I have seen no allegation that any of the students were violent or even used civil disobedience; the main problem seems to have been — in the college president's words — that the small boardroom wasn't able to accommodate all of the students who wanted to speak: "We expected some students, but we didn't expect that big of a crowd with such enthusiasm."
When students demanded entrance to the room the meeting was being held — a tiny room, with room for only a handful of outsiders (by a great coincidence) — the police went wild.
(...) How does this happen? How does pepper spray become the act of first resort? Even the anodyne phrasing of the LA Times admits that pepper spray was used proactively ("Several were also overcome when pepper spray was released just outside the meeting room as officers tried to break up the crowd") and not in response to some kind of clear and present danger.
Or, rather, it was. A crowd must be dispersed before it does something, goes the logic of the new preemptive policing; a crowd is, itself, a clear and present danger. If you wait until the crowd actually does something, you've waited too long. And so you preempt it by striking first.
If you doubt that this is the way these people think, I'd invite you to read Jeff Young — the current assistant police chief at UCLA — writing his "operational review" of UC Berkeley's police actions against protesters from last November 9th, and note that his main takeaway was that campus police should have probably been allowed to use pepper spray. For more successful protest management, he decides, what the police need is more force options. Perhaps Tasers?
More coverage of the incident: Santa Monica Patch (who were first and best on this as it broke, notably!), KTLA, LA CBS, NBC LA, LA Times story with background on the fee hikes.
Below, photos from "Lady Libertine" on Twitter: Marioly Gomez and Jasmine Gomez, two of the students she identifies as having been pepper-sprayed and assaulted by campus police at Santa Monica College last night.
148 Responses to "Students protesting tuition hikes pepper-sprayed by police in Santa Monica, CA"
Still waiting for the revolution. The state and the police are out of control, so you know it's coming. It's just a matter of how soon.
If there wasn't a revolution in the US after Haymarket or Kent State, I don't see how recent events like this would indicate revolution is much more immanent.
We live in a MUCH more violent society than we did then, on both sides. It can't just escalate forever. Once I thought the American people wouldn't complain until they were all living in cardboard boxes, every one of them. Now I'm not sure it will have to take that long.
Based on the types of domestic preparations the US government has been making lately, it doesn't look like they think things will continue long as they are, either.
Sagodjur says:
The violent crime rate has been going down for decades. The most publicized violence these days is on the part of soldiers and law enforcement officers.
Yes, exactly.
strangefriend says:
In the 1880s, it was generally accepted that Americans had the right to carry a gun everywhere they went. In 1970, America had more crime (murders, rapes, robberies etc.) than today. What are you basing the idea things are more violent now? Video games? That's balderdash.
Noctilucent Studios says:
You're gonna have to wait until all of the Football, Basketball, Baseball, American Idol,_______ ( insert your choice of mass consumed culture spectacle here) are off the air. Americans are just too damned comfortable for any sort of uprising. Plus, the Government has armed drones now. Let that sink in. Armed Drones
Cowicide says:
I wonder how long before students start carrying their own pepper spray and start spraying the sprayers right back in their faces?
People have fucking had it.
Mantissa128 says:
I occasionally have fantasies of ordinary citizens massing up with black uniforms, body armour, helmets, riot shields, batons, pepper spray and tasers. The People's Police.
Cowicide says:
I'm sure you can find some underground fetish clubs in NYC that cater to that sort of thing. ;D
soapdish says:
I'm taking swimming goggles with me from now on.
Brainspore says:
You'll need some kind of breathing apparatus as well.
Wreckrob8 says:
They might decide goggles are masks and criminalise them on protests.
aaronmhill says:
Based on what we saw at UC Davis, the cops will methodically remove the goggles from your face and spray it directly into your eyes.
(EDIT: orig wrote "riverside" i meant "davis")
Brooklyn Imbecile says:
Demonstrators, protestors, activists need to be wearing the same riot gear that the police use.
retrac13 says:
Though my initial response is similar, I must take a step back and respectfully disagree. We do not want to start an arms race with the police*. In their eyes, that will just validate their ever-increasing uses of force.
If you come to the party looking like you're asking for violence, you will be met with violence.
*I can't remember the article or a commenter, but on a past BB article, someone pointed out that if you enter an arms race with the police, you will end up paying for it anyways, since our taxes buy their equipment. Consider this my weak attempt at crediting that previous commenter with the idea.
Cpeterka says:
Yea, then the police bring out the howitzers!!
Escillation begets Escillation !!!
benher says:
Even the mighty samurai cannot stand up to the HOWITZAAAAAAHZ!!!
Jose Pablo Morales says:
What exactly is ESCILLATION? Where is it in the dictionary? Escalation perhaps? Read more.
Drabula says:
Someone please inform me when Americans are ready to fight back so I can catch the next plane out of Heathrow.
Henry Pootel says:
There is apparently money…" tweet. Oh snap, that was good.
Brainspore says:
I had the same feeling watching the Occupy protests unfold in Oakland over the last several months. The city had recently cut back police responses to almost any kind of crime due to budget shortfalls—you pretty much couldn't even get a cop to show up for anything shy of a murder in progress. But get a bunch of non-violent demonstrators outside of City Hall and they suddenly find enough cash for SWAT teams, helicopters, tear gas canisters and military-style riot vehicles.
Christopher says:
I have a bad feeling that a pattern has been established:
1. Individuals protest.
2. Police use pepper spray or other excessive force.
3. Business as usual resumes.
MichaelDalin says:
Don't forget step 2.5, the strip search.
And step 4. Private Security Firms Profit
Cowicide says:
And Step 5. Private Prisons Profit.
hypersomniac says:
And Step 6. Totalitarian Slumber Party
doggo says:
'("Several were also overcome when pepper spray was released just outside the meeting room as officers tried to break up the crowd") and not in response to some kind of clear and present danger.'
Ah, I see what happened here, somehow, the pepper spray, which heretofore had been in custody, was released, whereupon it, the pepper spray, became violent and attacked the protestors' eyes, noses, and respiratory tracts. I'm sure the police tried to stop the pepper spray, but once it was released there was no stopping it.
"Trying to sort out" which cop used pepper spray. I would think it wouldn't be too hard to make pepper spray devices with little black boxes – something to record what time they were used. Maybe a library check-out policy to track the devices. Or a low tech solution might be a little backlash that squirts dye on the hand of the pepper spray user, something that can't be washed off for a day or two, so it would be easy to see who had used it. Either you just voted in Iraq or you pepper sprayed somebody, ossiffer.
aaronmhill says:
Can't they just check to see who DIDN'T turn in a full cannister of pepper spray, or check for residue on the nozzles of the cans? Surely it would be wet or something.
They have an effing forensics lab — but surely this only requires Poirot, rather than CSI, levels of forensics.
alfanovember says:
"I am Spartacus".. All the "innocent" cops on that shift would simply empty their own canisters before turn-in. Discharge it under water in a toilet or some such.
aaronmhill says:
Like I said — any cop who turns in a canister that has been used would face disciplinary action. The fact that all of them might be willing to take the fall for one of them shouldn't stop IA from holding them responsible.
I don't know what sorts of actions are appropriate for this sort of thing (docking vacation days seems to be the norm over on the east coast) — but hitting them in the wallet seems like an appropriate start. There's basically NO opportunity cost (aside from chants of "shame!") for choosing to use pepper spray or tasing, which is likely why we see so much of it.
We're thinking too small here. It should be possible and not too expensive with current technology to mount a video camera on all pepper spray, firearms, maybe even batons? No need to turn the camera on or off at key moment, just leave it on and stream it back to a server that records everything in view at all times. (Maybe a modesty shield could be put over it when going to cop-potty?) There would still be simple ways to subvert this, but you'd need to explain to the public or to an honest supervisor if your camera was conspicuously covered at important times when it was activated.
I assume they're working out or have worked out best practices for this kind of thing when it comes to dash-mounted cameras in cop cars, potentially capturing the actions of suspects and abuses by cops.
Brainspore says:
"Remember, as you all go out there to keep things orderly, we want to be sensitive about how we respond to any protesters. We don't want a repeat of UC Davis' pepper spray incident."
"Something about pepper spray and protesters! Got it!"
greebo says:
Paging Little Brother….
chellberty says:
The Doctorow will be with you shortly.
benher says:
Jesus, the police are out of control in that country… pepper spray is more synonymous with the boys in blue than donuts.
mr_subjunctive says:
Coming next: pepper-flavored donuts!
Culturedropout says:
You just gave me a great idea. Next time you go to a protest, hang donuts all over your body; maybe make a pair of goggles out of a couple. The stress resulting from the thought of ruining perfectly good donuts will incapacitate the police…
It looked pretty chaotic in the second video, it was quickly turning into a mob situation. There was no way the 4-5 officers could stop the pushing mob and it continued even after a few students got hurt in the front.
Put yourself in the officers shoes for a minute and think about how you would deal with that size of mob with students showing an aggressive posture towards you. I don't condone the use of pepper spray, especially in a small area, but what other option did they have?
mccrum says:
Good point, it's much better to have a half-blinded mob tearing towards you in a rush to get fresh air, throwing elbows and kicking both you and each other in a frenzy.
You know in soccer, when a ref holds up a card he's pretty much lost control of the game, because taking a player aside quietly isn't working anymore because the players don't respect him? Dropping pepper spray is the police's way of saying they've lost control of the situation.
You're totally right, the students in the first video were running towards the police, please. Everybody ran away which is the purpose of the spray in the first place, to disperse a crowd.
The officers had a clear goal in mind, keep people out. They didn't hate the students or chose any side, they got orders to keep people out and they did that.
The situation got out of control when the pushing started so they used the spray. What would you have them do? Stand there and get pushed through a glass door?
I'm looking at this with a non-biased POV and in this situation, with the amount of shoving and aggression, the students in front would have gotten trampled if that door opened.
wysinwyg says:
I'm looking at this with a non-biased POV and in this situation, with the amount of shoving and aggression, the students in front would have gotten trampled if that door opened.
No you're not. Because there is no such thing as a non-biased POV. It's right there in the phrase: point of view.
Cowicide says:
The situation got out of control when the pushing started so they used the spray.
You should educate yourself on what happened. There was zero violence from the protestors and they were preemptively striked on. The pushing and wild aggression started with the COPS.
Being an apologist for the cops is sad. I guess the small child was peppered sprayed for her own safety? Are you fucking for real?
I swear to God I think some of you won't be satisfied until the USA becomes fucking China.
I'm responding to what was shown in this article, I wasn't there. The second video clearly shows the crowd pushing into the doorway.
Like I said in the last post, using the pepper spray was wrong but did you even watch the video?
Were you in the crowd when all of this was happening? If not than your point is as good as mine.
I'm looking at the evidence provided. If you can show me evidence that the police preemptively struck the students than we can have a real debate.
Apologist? really? if you were in one of those cops shoes with a crowd of students chanting and advancing on you, wtf would you do? step aside?
Relax, take a deep breath. Now respond.
Cowicide says:
did you even watch the video?
Yes, I did. Did you? There's multiple videos and if you watch them you can see the cops aggressively shove people to the ground in the beginning. There's also plenty of eyewitness accounts at this point.
I'm looking at the evidence provided.
Not closely enough, it seems.
if you were in one of those cops shoes with a crowd of students chanting and advancing on you, wtf would you do?
Ah yes, here we come to the crux of your bias. It was the students "advancing" on the cops, not the other way around. Once again, if the cops are to act as professionals, they should look at public safety and not escalate the situation.
If one bothers to look, you can see the cops are violent towards the protestors and shoving them to the ground in the beginning.
I'm not going to tell you what I would do. I will tell you what professionals should do.. and that's keep your fucking cool and don't escalate by shoving and throwing people because you're scared of student protestors. And, certainly don't pepper spray them either.
You may not think you're an apologist for the cops, but you sure play the role pretty good.
Richard Dagenais says:
I think that by the time you have police confronting the students, you already have a problem. Faced with a symbol of authority, young protestors are going to escalate until the situation plays out into one of two scenarios (a) protestors victims of unfair assault by police; (b) protestors overcome police – or better yet, both.
My opinion is that police have no place in schools in the first place.
Richard Dagenais says:
Just to put my comment in context…
Young people can be really unpredictable. They are as powerful as the rest of us in terms of free will but haven't really had much of an opportunity to exercise that power yet. They still have a strong sense of principle and haven't had the experience to see that shades of grey prevail over most problems and things aren't as black or white as they may initially seem. They are brave fools, just like we were then. We should indulge them, as I think a society that does is better for it. And our schools should protect them from the police as much as possible, for as long as possible.
Wreckrob8 says:
Could be as we get older we wimp out and find reasons to justify our behaviour to ourselves and others. Maybe you're just an old wuss!
Richard Dagenais says:
You just had to go for the cheap insult instead of catching my drift…
In fact I think that as you get older you have kids and you start to have more compassion for young people and their motivations. But also you are humbled by how much they teach you.
Wreckrob8 says:
No. I just wanted a more nuanced argument which says at different times of life we have different responsibilities and see different things in terms of black and white and shades of grey. As an old wuss I haven't forgotten what it's like not to be one. I am looking forward to an irresponsible old age! I don't think I made any accusations. I think all I did was suggest that there are other ways of looking at things.
Navin_Johnson says:
Police usually escalate the situation.
Cowicide says:
Police usually escalate the situation.
Agreed, we only have to look at the Occupy movement and how often it's the police/authorities that make the first violent moves to squash dissent.
The sad thing is many cowardly Americans are commending this draconian approach to destroying the VERY American, very brave and VERY patriotic dissent of their fellow Americans.
I really think some of these Americans would be happier in China where they can just get in line and keep their mouth shut like good peasants do.
mewbit says:
Campus police is great for escorting students late at night or whenever students don't feel comfortable making a commute by themselves. They are also great for keeping creeps away and/or put.
Pepper-spraying students…kinda puts 'em in the approximately same category as creeps…
Richard Dagenais says:
Re: late night escorts – I've seen this job done by students, either volunteer or paid. Campus police only seem to be useful for bullying people.
aaronmhill says:
But the mob wasn't making any progress — it was a standoff, for sure — but they were holding the ground. There were no violent moves being made (aside from some strong language).
The "other option" they had was to simply remain there and allow the crowd to air their frustration and grievances peacefully, albeit noisily. If the officers simply stood in the doorway and not moved, I am doubtful the crowd would have tried to push through.
Alternately, and I like this option better, the police could have asked the crowd to pick a delegate to meet with them, and have that person speak to negotiate the terms. I think the reason these things seem to escalate is due to lack of communication on both sides. Tensions run high and snap decisions are made.
The police always want to talk about how first amendment rights are curtailed by "time, place and manner" and I think the same should apply to the use of pepperspray. The inside of a building, in a small space like what this appeared to be, IN A HIGHER ED ESTABLISHMENT WHERE NO ONE IS ARMED, is not the time or place to be spraying the pepper.
"What other option did they have?"
Standing aside and letting them in.
This wasn't a crime. This wasn't a violent mob needing to be suppressed. It was political action about public policy intended to make a viewpoint heard. It's called democratic process and it is unacceptable when police violence is used to suppress it.
Manny says:
And now the police get to use punitive strip/cavity searches on arrested students, instead of the usual pro forma arrest, citation, and release.
csforstall says:
"Let us it, Let us in"… hmm that might not be violence per se, but rushing the doors surely puts both those in the mob and those inside the building or at the door in danger…
Think of what people like you would say if one of those protesters was trampled??
You would probably blame that on the police too…
I don't think you really read what I wrote.
I said that there would not have been a need for it to happen at all, what did happen, or your bizarre hypothetical wherein it was the protesters and not the police causing an uncontrolled and dangerous situation. If the student group that showed up had simply been allowed to come in, and were allowed to make their voice heard at the meeting, there wouldn't need to be any chanting or pushing forward.
You apparently are proceeding from the assumption that it is acceptable to use police force to exclude their voice from the process. I don't. When the deployment of that force, and the resulting violence it inevitably and unnecessarily results in causes injury, I rightly blame the party responsible for the inappropriate use of force. You apparently just blame democracy.
Cowicide says:
You apparently just blame democracy.
I honestly think some of these weaklings would be happier in China.
Brad Bell says:
Are these the officers standing behind the 4ft tall woman who used speech – another non-lethal weapon – to get the 'angry mob' to stop pushing because people at the front were getting hurt?
I've seen an officer take on a pitbull with her bare hands, simply by using stern words. Tell me how this is so much worse.
Plut0 says:
… Look again, first it is chaotic, than Jasmine chomez (the one with the strokes t-shirt) managed to relax the crowd and stop the pushing. Then, the cops apparently feel the need to react with violence.
Another thing that can be seen is that the room isn't nearly full. Judging from the video, I think they let noone in.
Diogenes says:
My, but there's always a good little sheep to baaa for it's master. It takes a brave man to pepper spray a bunch of kids. Campus cops are always so professional.
Gavin Boyd says:
You should watch Naomi Wolf explain the 10 steps to a dictatorship See @naomirwolf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooqKhb3AjF8
Cowicide says:
I wish Naomi Wolf was a mindless, raving hack… instead of the prescient genius she really is.
aunthillary says:
Thanks very much for the link…that was incredibly interesting (although also a bit scary). Normally I'm quite dismissive of the idea that any group of people are "manipulating the populace" to create a fascist state…but she's right – it has happened in many countries throughout the world, and the fact that they consistently seem to be working off the same essential blueprint as each other lends the idea a lot of credibility @_@
Thanks again, will have to read more!
Sheik_Yerbouti_207 says:
Ummm, how about postponing the meeting for a day and moving it to a larger room? It seems to me that would have been a much more rational response to the situation.
This has poor decision-making written all over it, and if the college leadership has any integrity at all, they need to make sure the person(s) are held accountable for this.
csforstall says:
Not quite, the meeting was almost over, the mobbing happened during the public comment period… It would have been better for the mob to have appointed representative to carry their collective weight and collective demands into the meeting….
But let me guess, the great forsight of those in the meeting, naturally, should have agreed with your hindsight…
The only people making poor decisions were those in the mob actively trying to disrupt the meeting, and it seems they paid a small price for that…
wysinwyg says:
The only people making poor decisions were those in the mob actively trying to disrupt the meeting, and it seems they paid a small price for that…
They weren't trying to disrupt the meeting, they were trying to express their views in the Q&A portion of the meeting. In other words, participate in the meeting — rather the opposite of disrupting it.
What disrupted the meeting was probably the pepper spray. Pain and screaming tend to be pretty disruptive.
Yes, those in the meeting should have had the foresight to realize that students might object to harsh tuition hikes and have planned for such a reaction.
amit kumar says:
next would be a t shirt saying "dont spray me bro"
Tom Bowden says:
And with the new Supreme Court ruling, police can start fist-fucking people too and call it a "cavity search." Welcome to the police state Republicans and libertarians have been eager for years to install–all with the same line of "reasoning" communist China uses to suppress dissidents.
What? Since when were libertarians eager for this? Wouldn't anyone who supports this be anti-libertarian, even if they are in that pseudo-Libertarian Party? It was a Republican court and a Democratic administration that got us in this mess.
Cowicide says:
You're in a dreamworld if you don't think that many libertarians have played a huge hand in these corporatist shenanigans. They have helped bring much more corporatist power into our government that's becoming more and more corporatist/fascist than people-powered.
Go cry to the Koch brothers.
No, police states and corporate states are authoritarian, very authoritarian.
At some point we need to be able to say that police states and corporate states are *not* libertarian, nor are they liberatory, that plutocracy is *not* democracy, that war is *not* peace, and that ignorance is *not* strength. No matter how much the Kochs and others try to confuse the issue.
Cowicide says:
At some point we need to be able to say that police states and corporate states are *not* libertarian
It's amazing the disconnect you have there. The modern libertarian platform is pretty much privatizing almost everything for corporatist control.
Please observe:
You may think differently, but then that would mean you're not a modern, American Libertarian either. Now go out and support the citizen's united ruling some more…
I'm talking about libertarianism, not about the accursed Libertarian Party. When the Libertarian Party takes authoritarian positions, it is not libertarian.
If you want a 'normative' description of libertarian positions, I think *An Anarchist FAQ* comes closer than any party platform.
Ambiguity says:
Isn't Santa Monica College a public institution, and aren't the police public employees?
Not sure why you characterize this as "corporatist," seeing how no corporations were involved.
You can feel however you want about libertarians, but I don't see it's relevance to the topic of discussion.
Cowicide says:
You should read what I said more closely. The public institutions are less and less so as corporatists continue to infiltrate them. We can certainly thank the Libertarians for that. If you still don't get it, you never will. We can just agree to disagree, thanks.
Teller says:
Somebody ought to call these police at home and tell them to stop it!
Drabula says:
I'm all for peaceful protests and critical masses of people bringing about critical change but history doesn't often allow us to be so sanguine in the face of rampant injustice. America has become a plutocracy that is frantically constructing a police state from Main Street on up to protect its gains. The Apparat will not listen to reason and does not care about the lumpen-99%. America needs radical change and I don't believe that will come easily or peacefully. I wish it would, but unless a huge number of Americans are willing to get off their asses and bring the country to a grinding halt and stop voting millionaires into office etc…..well.
And before you ask me – well what are YOU doing? – I got kicked around for 20+ years being a socialist activist and I finally decided I didn't want to piss away the rest of my life continuing to fight for what seems like a lost cause and so I fled to Europe. There's no paradise here but it beats the shit out of duh-Merica.
jameslosey says:
Another video released by the AP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6hYJ-rA-M4&feature=youtu.be. 1:23 shows what looks like Jasmine Gomez rushing towards an officer and being thrown to the ground.
Cowicide says:
1:23 shows what looks like Jasmine Gomez rushing towards an officer
Oh, you mean where she jumps up and points her finger at the cop? Yes, deadly finger pointing. Nothing worse than when women point their finger at you.
You know, especially after the cops were violent and shoved people to the ground in the beginning? You know, after the cop sprayed caustic chemicals into their faces?
Is that the part you're talking about?
Watch the same video you link to towards the beginning where the cops aggressively grab and throw people to the ground.
jameslosey says:
I think the video adds context to the media offered in the post above, include directly relating to how one of the woman hurt her arm. Throwing someone down is clearly an abuse, but as long as you're on a role do you want to highlight some of other instances in the video that people should check out?
Cowicide says:
do you want to highlight some of other instances in the video that people should check out?
I think it's better to simply watch the video and try not to ignore who the true violent aggressors are.
Plut0 says:
You mean where it shows what looks like Jasmine Gomez getting punched in the throat. That does not seem responsible behaviour. I don't think spraying irritating gasses in close quarters is smart as well. Did these cops even have training?
twency says:
"The students want affordable education."
Well, at least some of them want "free" education (meaning: paid for by others).
"Raw video posted on the Internet Tuesday evening showed students chanting 'Let us in, let us in' and 'No cuts, no fees, education should be free.'"
oldmanraps says:
Oh, the horror! We can't allow the poor to become educated, now, can we?
twency says:
Straw man argument is a straw man. There is a complete and utter difference between prohibiting the poor from becoming educated and forcing others to pay for (even more of) their education.
We as a society already pay for the K-12 education of every kid in the US (we actually require them all to attend, up to certain ages), and throw in free meals as needed. (I think this is a good thing, even though you've probably already written me off as a heartless conservative who hates the poor and wants to keep them dumb and servile.) We also heavily subsidize college and university educations through direct and indirect grants to (or outright government ownership of) many schools as well as programs for students such as Stafford loans and Pell grants (that's not an exhaustive list, mind you). I pointed out that some of these protesters were demanding "free" college on top of that (meaning that they want the rest of us to pay for that too), and your response is that I don't want the poor to become educated. Nice substantive argument.
Preemptively, I'll also mention out that I'm not advocating the pepper-spraying of these demonstrators. Just pointing out that the descriptive text here on BB may be a bit inaccurate.
wysinwyg says:
We as a society already pay for the K-12 education of every kid in the US (we actually require them all to attend, up to certain ages), and throw in free meals as needed.
False, almost all funding for k-12 education comes from local taxes. Your local community pays for your local schools, not Americans in general. This is, in fact, a very serious problem with American education as it does in fact prevent poor people from getting decent educations.
(I think this is a good thing, even though you've probably already written me off as a heartless conservative who hates the poor and wants to keep them dumb and
Your bullshit "I'm martyring myself for pragmatism" attitude actually detracts from your credibility. The notion that federal loans are somehow government handouts does the same (they're loans, which is pretty fucking far from a handout). State universities are funded largely by state governments, not the federal government. For example, this particular institution probably receives very little in the way of direct federal government funding. It's probably almost all the state of California.
Also, I'd rather pay to give people free college educations than pay for the shit I'm paying for now. Indefinite detentions, DHS/TSA, two wars, several more secret wars, an increasingly Orwellian spying apparatus… yeah. Somehow I'm having trouble getting mad about some college students wanting an education.
twency says:
I had no idea I was martyring myself. Shouldn't it hurt more?
Anyway, Stafford loans most certainly are a form of handout. There's a reason they're federally-based: they wouldn't make good business sense to make otherwise.
I never made any distinction between local or nonlocal funding of K-12 schools despite your claim that my comments about them were "false". I only talked about "society", and I stand by my comments. Some districts are poorer than others. What's your preferred solution, a national school tax redistributed equally to every district in the country on a per capita basis?
"It's probably almost all the state of California." So, like I said, government funded. I never claimed that if states paid for school instead of the feds that somehow it wasn't government funding.
Thanks for at least making some meaningful effort at intelligent discussion though, as opposed to "I don't like what you said, so I'll pretend you said something much worse" a la oldmanraps.
Cowicide says:
Thank you for your educated smackdown.
@twency:twitter certainly deserved it.
Brainspore says:
The specific, highly controversial measure being discussed at this meeting was a proposal that would let the college charge several times more in tuition (oh, I'm sorry—"fees") for certain popular classes. This would give wealthy students a huge advantage over their poorer classmates in terms of academic opportunities, which is absolutely antithetical to the whole idea behind community colleges.
twency says:
Which doesn't change the fact that protestors were chanting "education should be free".
Brainspore says:
Which, as I explained below, was more or less the case in California prior to 1970. So not really as batshit-crazy an idea as it might sound.
Every change to California's public college system since Reagan was elected governor has taken us farther and farther from "free" and this proposal is no exception to that trend.
Navin_Johnson says:
It should be.
WillieNelsonMandela says:
How are the protestors expecting to get free education? The state made over $800 million in education cuts last year. What are the schools supposed to do? Free education is probably the last possible option at this point.
Brainspore says:
I doubt many of them actually expect free education any time soon, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't voice the opinion that it should be free. At any rate you've got to admit it's a pretty F-ed up situation when it's cheaper for many Californians to attend Harvard than a state school.
Cowicide says:
Willie, you're tripping over dollars to pick up dimes.
WillieNelsonMandela says:
Okay, I'll bite. How do we give them the free college education that they're asking for?
Cowicide says:
Divert money from the proven to be corrupt, military-industrial complex and their war profiteers. Decriminalize and tax marijuana and divert money from the prison-industrial complex and their drug war profiteers.
Also, take another look at that chart and get back with me and think hard about that decriminalization stuff.
There's many, many ways to do it if you bother to put the mental effort towards it. I'll never understand why it's so difficult for some of you to see the advantages in investing in each other as a society. No wonder America is going to the fucking shitter.
Brainspore says:
Prior to 1970 the University of California did not operate on a tuition-based system. It wasn't quite "free" (there were a handful of fees for incidentals) but it was reasonably close. Then Reagan was elected governor and the rest is history.
As for "how could such a system be economically sustainable?", many beneficiaries of California's public university system went on to found Silicon Valley. You know, that place which is responsible for putting approximately eleventy skillion dollars into California's economy. Plus, having a college education makes you less likely to end up on the right side of Cowicide's chart there.
Cowicide says:
Thank you, Brainspore. Let's see if it the knowledge "sticks". It requires thinking past your nose, so we'll see…
whaledawg says:
Here are some facts (they're always fun):
1) They cannot move the meeting. In CA all public meetings must give notice (I believe 30 days) of time, topic and location and they cannot be moved unless the appropriate amount of notice is given.
2) It is not a tuition increase (which the local community college board doesn't have the authority to do anyways), it is a fee for extra classes to be offered. Are they bread and butter? Since this is a preliminary plan and the particular class list hasn't been released yet it is possible. But let me explain how the administration's hands may be tied.
Let's say that the state cuts my budget and I will only be paid for offering 90 classes this semester instead of the 100 I normally do (this is how CA community college financing works). Lets say this school is a feeder for USC and we typically offer 10 classes in World History which are part of a transfer program to that school. For transfer students, these are "bread and butter" courses that they need.
Now lets say due to the cruelties of fate those 10 classes are taught by adjuncts while the other 90 are taught by full time instructors. As an administrator I must cut those classes because the state will not pay for them to be offered and I cannot fire my full time faculty, even if their classes are lightly attended, due to their union contract. "Bread and butter" or not, it is the only place too cut.
Unless I charge a fee that covers the cost of offering the class which the state won't. A fee that is more than a Cal State school, about even with a UC and much less than the private USC. So for some students it is worth paying for.
While it may not be a good plan and the legalities are still being debated, it is not a tuition increase or a money grab. And anything that takes pressure off the impacted community colleges will open up access to more disadvantaged and under-represented students.
It is as if a police officer, when confronted with the brutality of viciously and needlessly beating someone with a billy club, were to say: "At least I didn't use my gun." That the proximate cause of the problem is underfunding by the state doesn't make the proposed plan any less outrageous. Perhaps the people who authored the plan, if they really do feel that the situation just isn't right, should do something other than passing the burden onto a cash-strapped student body. But, of course, it really is just easier to take advantage of those without money and influence.
wysinwyg says:
You can call it "fees" instead of "tuition" but it amounts to the same thing: the price of education at that institution increases. Perversely, you somehow assert that increasing the costs of students at the institution will "open up access to more disadvantaged and under-represented students." No, increasing the cost of education pretty much inevitably closes off access to more disadvantaged students.
Increasing the cost of education past a certain point pretty much inevitably closes off access to more disadvantaged students.
Giving something away for free means it has no value and can be easily consumed and rejected with no qualms, as there is no personal stake (as opposed to the stake of those offering the service). Giving something away for free means somebody somewhere has to pay for it. Or the ability to offer goods and/or services will be diminished as a result.
If pro-football games were free, would attendance increase? Not past the point where stadiums could seat. Would the quality of the games increase? Not with player salaries going to subsidize free tickets, and the inevitable downturn in player and thus game quality. Which would lead to lower attendance, and more money in the pot for quality players, and the market would work itself out. Assuming both owners, players, and fans are rational players.
Theoretically. Pro-sports is a lousy analogy. Except for the stadium-capacity issue.
You're right. All of this free firefighting, policing, and roadbuilding is really devaluing these services to the point of worthlessness. No one knows that they have received a well crafted truncheon to the head or been the recipient of a really exquisitely timed pepper-spray assault unless they get a bill for the service after.
you mean, I can call for firefighters to come to my house at any time, and they'll do it for free?!!!
That's so awesome. I thought it had to be an exceptional set of circumstances, ie, a barrier to entry to avoid overwhelming the system with frivolous requests.
Sarcasm aside, if you call wolf on the firedepartment, the visit will NOT be for free….
themac says:
Actually they had a month's notice about students coming. We plastered campus with fliers and even spoke directly with Trustees about students coming to this meeting only 2 days before. The Trustees declined to respond to the request for a larger room. There was a press conference about the rally and march to the meeting that very morning.
The contract ed classes in question ARE core courses and they have published a list of them; the Trustees brought them to Monday's AS meeting where they kept spinning their sales pitch and refusing to consider any alternatives or complimentary strategies which could lessen the life span of contract ed at SMC, which they informed us was an indefinite program though DPAC had told us just last week it was a 3 year band-aid.
The major problem with this endeavor is that students who have late priority enrollment dates because they are 1st year or have a certain number of credits will be forced onto the contract ed track and if they do not have the minimum $540 they will not be able to take any classes. Additionally, for students supporting their college experience via Pell Grants a single 5 unit required science with lab will eat an entire semester's grant therefore limiting access to 1 maybe 2 classes which will then alter your full time status and minimize your Pell Grant for the next semester.
Being a community college, SMC's population consists of almost entirely working students. These are tax paying members of the community who are not looking for a "free ride," but rather for the school to adhere to it's shared governance policies and the state to honor the education master plan to provide affordable, accessible education for all in the system that they contribute to and will be able to contribute more to after they graduate.
Queen B says:
Most of the time, campus police are state police. If that is the case, I don't expect much to happen, sadly.
hypersomniac says:
Isn't there an NWA song about negative feelings toward policemen? I'm trying to remember the melody.
Daemonworks says:
Seems like a clear-cut case of assault to me.
scythenoire says:
Democracy is dead in America. Corporatocracy is the ruling government now. Get rid of lobbying. Get rid of millionaire/billionaire politicians. Get rid of corporations having individual rights. America has become everything the founding fathers were against.
Many of the 'founding fathers' were slaveholders.
They weren't going to let the constitution get in the way of systemic exploitation, murder, rape, or crackdowns on resistance and dissent. And their heirs haven't been eager to let the constitution get in the way either. To give teeth to the Bill of Rights and the Reconstruction Amendments would mean going against centuries of practice and precedent.
The Ethnic Hipster says:
Same thing happened in Puerto Rico last year. I am glad that police are focusing their efforts where it matters; after all, nothing is more dangerous than a peaceful protester.
Terri Sweeney says:
A recent study of US millionaires found that 12% of them made their money as educators and administrators.
The education industry and their government enablers need to understand that they have created a bubble, which needs deflation as much as the housing bubble.
Americans who make $50,000 can not afford the product that colleges are producing at the price they are producing it. Massive cuts in costs and salaries are in order.
But don't expect it. Educators are entitled, just ask them.
Brainspore says:
I'm an educator. Being accused of going into this field for the money is like being accused of joining the chess club for all the fast cars and loose women.
Antinous / Moderator says:
Educators are entitled, just ask them.
Colleges have been hiring unbenefited part-time professors for quite some time now. New tenured positions are not the norm.
Brainspore says:
And most of the few openings for new full-time faculty have starting salaries below $50,000. Which is pretty low for a person with a Masters' or Doctorate degree (and who is probably still making student loan payments).
sapphire2012 says:
I think protesting is a waste of time. Protests just have an easy way of getting out of hand and people needlessly end up with police records from being arrested which would seriously dampen their future career prospects more so than a tuition hike. The school is going to raise prices no matter what the students say. The only effective way students have of letting the school administration know their displeasure is to vote with their wallets and transfer to a cheaper school or drop out. Given the crappy career prospects for many young people these days it doesn't make a lot sense to spend all kinds of money on a post secondary education with no guarantee of decent job afterwards. At some point students need to take hard look at what they are spending on their education and ask themselves is it really worth it? Will I honestly get a good return on my investment and what will I do if it doesn't work out? How will I pay back that student debt if the only job I am able to get is minimum wage burger flipper job?
Terry Fuller says:
I can understand how commentors are saying that the police find money to use against protestors, but I think that you can't compare educational funding to law enforcement funding – two different pools of money…
Brainspore says:
you can't compare educational funding to law enforcement funding – two different pools of money…
Why not? Public funding for higher education and public funding for law enforcement are two pools fed by the same revenue stream. And one of those pools is drying up a lot faster than the other.
themac says:
In California last year we spent $8,667 per student and $50,000 per inmate. In the last 20 odd years we have built 1 university and 20 prisons. They don't go to the state as 2 different pools of money. There is 1 big pool which is then divided in a really idiotic manner.
Guys, chill out. Look: the police perform the vital function of keeping your goddamn grubby mitts off rich folks money. Education just tells you why you don't deserve it, clearly less important.
realityhater says:
Yeah but both funded at the state level
taras says:
Pretty irresponsible taking a 5-year-old child to a protest.
Brainspore says:
Yeah, what kind of monster would do such a thing?
themac says:
More irresponsible for the police to discharge pepper spray inside a building where classes were going on.
Antinous / Moderator says:
Pretty irresponsible taking a 5-year-old child to a protest.
Yeah. Goddamn those evil motherfuckers for taking a child to a public meeting so that they could see students giving feedback to the administration.
Eark_the_Bunny says:
"It is not nice to challenge authority, disturb the status quo or offend the sensibilities of the high mucky-mucks. The peasants will keep their opinions to themselves or be punished."
Let us pull away the sheets of shame to reveal the nasty rats hiding underneath. Violence is not the answer to violence since it will only leads to more and more violence. We need to protest in such a way as to put a strain on the status quo. Make them spend money on keeping an eye of us and such. Drain their resources. Let them know we have not given up and will not be satisfied until things are set right. If we give up then they have won and things will only get worse because they are not going give back anything on their own.
Diogenes says:
They are pepper-spraying their own paying customers. There needs to be a general house-cleaning in the upper management at that school, and the cop who lost it, needs to be fired immediately.
perspective2 says:
More recently, with the recommendation of UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau, Provost Breslauer allowed campus police to use excessive force – rammed baton jabs – on students protesting Birgeneau's doubling of instate tuition. Opinions make a difference; email UC Board of Regents email@example.com
elix says:
Good fucking God, what the shit is up with cops in California and pepper spraying unarmed students? When did America turn into Burma?
realityhater says:
it wasn't Yesterday ! Remember KENT STATE This type of thing has been happening more and more frequently and the aggressors for the most part always go unpunished.
HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE NEED TO BE ACCOSTED BY POLICE BRUTALITY UNTIL SOMETHING IS DONE ABOUT IT ? What happened to our civil right to gather and protest ?
Lennoxx Bllaze Wesst says:
If all you have is a hammer, then everything starts to look like a nail. If all you have are weapons, then everything looks like a target.
Brainspore says:
Pepper spray is bad enough… for the love of God, please don't give anybody the idea of letting the campus police carry hammers.
elix says:
If they got hammers, I would stand at a distance, behind the front line, with a sickle. Not menacingly, just holding it.
And then presumably I'd be assaulted with pepper spray, possibly have an arm broken, and be strip-searched after I'm taken into custody for being an armed terrorist.
obah says:
To those who are 100% against free college: here in Finland students starting from high school actually get about 500€ of free money and up to 300€ of "free" loan per month and extensive discounts to almost all services. How has this worked out? I hear something about it being the best/top 3 school system in the world. Of course politicians are dreaming of America and want to ruin it all so "we can have more Harvards".
As for the video, I think more hate should be directed at the people inside and not the officers. Being "against" a mob must be scary. Of course the sprayer should be punished, officers all around made to really understand that force isn't an option in situations like these and as an act of good faith the administrators could just re-organize a new meeting with proper student presentation.
themac says:
Good news. The Chancellor is listening:
AirPillo says:
Here's a video that gives you a view from above (I assume someone was holding their camera in a hand above the crowd) showing what happens before the police pepper spray, and then showing them using the spray.
|R says:
The Quebec student strike supports you!
Judas Peckerwood says:
Spoken like somebody who's never been peppersprayed. And that waterboarding doesn't seem so bad either, amirite?
wysinwyg says:
Tell you what, go out into the world, find what you think of as "real brutality," experience it first hand, and post the pics of you after having brutalized. Otherwise it's going to look like you're just another shit-talking internet tough guy.
Judas Peckerwood says:
"So why don't you stop your sanctimonious crying…"
Can't say that I know what "sanctimonious crying" entails — though it does conjure up quite an image. In any event, it's nice to see that your grasp of language is as solid as your sense of human decency.
Navin_Johnson says:
Can I pepper spray one of your 4 year old family members?
Navin_Johnson says:
Can we change your name from "The Rail Splitter" to the "Hair Splitter"? How about "Somewhat Dishonest Abe"?
Cowicide says:
Getting your right hand chopped off for stealing a loaf of bread is brutality.
Sounds like you'd be happier in that country. Or, would you rather that America keeps lowering its standards so you don't have to leave this country and it can come to you?
What you sound like is self entitled little boy who has never seen hardship of any kind.
Quit projecting.


text:
Pedal car races to debut on Main
Date: November 11, 2009
by: Pam Eubanks | News Editor
LAKEWOOD RANCH — As NASCAR fans rally Nov. 15 for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 in Arizona, East County residents will be revving up for a race of their own.
Lakewood Ranch Main Street will host the first American full size pedal car races Nov. 15 during the Pedal Car Race and Car Show organized by Ed's Tavern.
"This has never been done before, so we are really working on a (blank) piece of paper," race organizer Ken Miklos said.
Race registration starts at 1 p.m., with time trials on a 65-yard modified track to follow at 2 p.m. The two fastest competitors in each age group from the time trials will race each other for bragging rights and prizes.
Race participation is free, but donations from the event will benefit the Bayside Community Church's "Living The Dream" building fund. The Bayside #14 car will compete against the Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 car, officially licensed by JR Motorsports.
The car show itself will last from noon to 4 p.m. and will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International.
Miklos, owner of the Lakewood Ranch-based consumer packaged goods marketing firm K.R. Miklos & Company, had been selling child-size versions of the pedal car to corporations since late 2007. Their buyers would put the cars on display, raffle them off to customers or use them at special events.
But mid-year, Miklos' company expanded its customer base and, following a suggestion, pitched the cars to the U.S. National Guard.
"They came back wanting a full-sized (car) that can be driven by adults," Miklos said. "At the time, the product did not exist in any form, way or fashion."
But through his contacts, Miklos found a U.S. manufacturer who could produce the 250 cars sought after by the National Guard. Soon, he was in business.
Miklos saw the potential immediately: Chevy dealerships, American Legion posts and retailers such as Wal-Mart all would be good candidates. They could hold pedal car races as community events, while helping to draw customers into their stores. Churches and other charitable organizations even could use the cars for fundraisers.
"That's where our races come in," Miklos said.
This Sunday's pedal car races will provide the logistical information needed for Miklos to write a manual for Pepsi Co. and other potential customers about how to organize pedal car races.
"We're doing this as a test," he said.
But Miklos sees it as just the beginning. In the next year, he plans to have two more pedal car races — one in February and another just before the Indianapolis 500 in May. One likely will be on Bayside Community Church's new campus, the other may be held at a high school track, where teams of four drivers each drive 110 yards in relay style.
Miklos also said he soon will begin selling car sponsorships.
Contact Pam Eubanks at email@example.com.
Pedal Car Race & Car Show
WHEN: Noon-4 p.m., Nov. 15
WHERE: 10719 Rodeo Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Pedal car race registrations starts at 1 p.m., with time trials following at 2 p.m.
ACTIVITIES: Pedal car races, door prizes, 50/50 drawing, music and food specials at Ed's Tavern BENEFITS: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
INFO ON EVENT: www.collectorcartstv.com or call Ed's Tavern at 907-0400 or Lance at 371-1061
INFO ON PEDAL CAR RACE OR PRE-REGISTRATION: firstname.lastname@example.com
Each of the adult-sized pedal cars is 8 feet long, 3 feet wide, 3 feet tall and weighs 155 pounds.
"Our cars — think of an exercise bike with four wheels, a steering wheel and a stockcar body," Ken Miklos said. "It's great exercise."
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- Jul
14 Ovation Teen Intensive Summer Camp
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Jul
17 Grand Opening of Goodwill Manasota's Newest Store in Manatee
9:00 am
- Jul
18 Discover DaVinci & Michelangelo "Side by Side"
7:30 pm
- Jul
19 Brunch
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Tennis pro earns honors
Palm-Aire Country Club Director of Tennis Greg High has scored big with the U.S. Professional Tennis Association.
Petruff receives service award
East County resident and local attorney Patricia Petruff, a senior partner of the Dye, Deitrich, Petruff & St. Paul law firm in Bradenton, has been awarded the 2014 William C. Grimes Award for Lifetime Achievement in Community Service.
Fawn-d moment
East County resident Julie Kean recently captured this photo of two fawns resting on Legacy Boulevard, near the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club's tennis and fitness center.


text:
The orgasm is the climax of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an extreme feeling of pleasure, and that can be achieved through masturbation or intercourse. Men and women can experience it, both featuring quick cycles of muscle contraction in the lower pelvic muscles surrounding the anus and the primary sexual organs. Females may also experience uterine and vaginal contractions. It is related to other involuntary actions such as vocalizations and muscular spasms, as well as an increase in heart rate. Ejaculation is usually more associated with male climax. Each discharge is linked to a pleasure wave felt in the penis and loins, but also in the lower spine or lower back. Multiple orgasms are also attainable.
Female orgasms do not usually present any kind of fluid production, although some women do experience a discharge of liquid. The aftermath is generally a relaxation feeling believed to be related to prolactin release in the bloodstream. Another chemical called oxytocin is also released, and it is credited with the pleasant feelings experienced during and after sex, including the feeling of closeness to one's partner.
Female orgasms can be further divided into the vaginal orgasm and clitoral or clit orgasms. The vaginal orgasm as a separate entity was first suggested by Sigmund Freud in 1905. He suggested that clit orgasms were a solely adolescent occurrence, and that after puberty the normal reaction of a mature woman is to experience a vaginal orgasm. In a textbook case of an appeal to authority fallacy, even though Freud produced no evidence to back his claim about, just the fact that he said it made many women feel inadequate when they failed to reach climax through intercourse alone without clitoral stimulation. The truth is that most women are only able to climax by means of such stimulation.
In order to better understand clit orgasms, some knowledge about the clitoris is necessary, something we are very familiar with at Clitoris.com. The clitoris is a sexual organ in female mammals, located close to the anterior injunction of the labia minora above the opening of the urethra and vagina. In human females, the clitoris is the most sensitive erogenous area, and it can experience sexual excitement and clitoral erection. Therefore, it is no surprise that stimulation of this part is integral to achieving climax. During sexual arousal, the clitoris along with the rest of the genitalia become engorge with blood. Research has found that sustained and intense climax can be accomplished through clitoral stimulation.
In general, stimulation or foreplay is paramount to achieving sexual climax. Both genders can derive pleasure from stimulating the nerve endings around and in the anus, for example in anal sex. Some men are even able to reach climax through prostate stimulation alone. The prostate is found next to the rectum, and is the male counterpart of the Skene's glands, thought to be linked to the female G-spot. Women can also find pleasure in anal stimulation, given that the clitoris has legs that reach around the vaginal lips and back into the anus. Also in women, breast and nipple stimulation has been known to lead to mild and intense climax. The breast and nipples are important erogenous zones that play a major part in foreplay, which in turn creates sexual excitement, facilitating arousing and climax. Men can find pleasure to from nipple stimulation, though not as heightened as a woman.
Some women, and in fewer cases men, have little to no refractory period, which the phase of recovery that ensues right after climax. This allows them to achieve two, three or more multiple orgasms, closely following the first one. Although this is more commonly a female phenomenon, some men are able to experience dry orgasms (without ejaculation) or the other way around, to ejaculate without reaching orgasms. This too reduces refractory period, enabling the production of multiple orgasms.
The sensation felt during and after climax varies from men to women, the main one being that female orgasms last longer. Other major difference would be the lack of ejaculation in women, although as was mentioned above, some women do discharge liquid from the paraurethral ducts. The source and nature of such a discharge has been and still is debated among experts, but it obviously has no reproductive purpose, like male ejaculation does.


text:
Are you looking for something to do this weekend? Check out these great local events.
5th Annual Holiday House Tour
- When: Sunday, Dec. 16 from 1 - 4:30 p.m.
- Where: 1240 Center Road, Havertown
- Why Go: Here is your chance to tour some of Haverford Townships most beautiful homes. Tickets are available the day of the tour, and can be picked up at the first house on the tour - 1240 Center Road in Havertown or you can pick them up at 226 Wickford Road.
- Cost: Members: $20; Non-Members: $25
- When: Saturday, Dec. 15 from 1:45 - 3:15 p.m.
- Where: Skatium, 1010 Darby Rd, Havertown
- Why Go: Bring the family out to watch this holiday exhibition hosted by the Delaware County Skating Club featuring Club Members and Guest Skaters. Admission fee includes skating, skate rental, and light fare provided by the Skatium Diner. Performance is 30 minutes followed by Friends and Family skate. General public is welcome to this festive, holiday event at the Skatium!
- Cost: $5.00
Puppy Pictures with Santa & Bake Sale
- When: Saturday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. - Noon
- Where: Haverford Reserve Darby Rd & College Ave, Haverford
- Why Go: The Haverford Reserve Dog Park Committee is hosting a fundraiser for dog park improvements. Bring your dog for a picture with Santa. There will also be a bake sale with lots of Christmas goodies.
- Cost: $5.00 for picture with Santa
Author Event: Skippyjon Jones
- When: Saturday, Dec. 15 at 1 p.m.
- Where: Children's Book World
- Why Go: Judy Schachner and Skippyjon Jones are back! Join us for more fun with Judy as she introduces us to the newest Skippyjon Jones adventure - Skippyjon Jones - Cirque de Ole.
- Cost: Free
Breakfast with Santa at Tip O'Leary's
- When: Saturday Dec. 15 and Sunday, Dec. 16 from 9 a.m. - Noon
- Where:
- Why Go: Enjoy an all you can eat buffet with Santa. Saturday's breakfast will benefit Saint Dorothy's, with 10% of the profits. No reservations. First come, first serve.
- Cost: Child: $5.00; Adult: $11.00
Brookline Fire Company Escorts Santa
- When: Sunday, Dec. 16, starting at Noon
- Where: Brookline District
- Why Go: The Brookline Fire Company is escorting Santa around the Brookline District on Sunday starting at noon. When you hear the fire trucks you will know to come out and see Santa and his helpers that will be handing out treats to all.
- Cost: Free
Oakmont Fire Company Escorts Santa
- When: Sunday, Dec. 16, starting at Noon
- Where: Brookline District
- Why Go: The Oakmont Fire Company is escorting Santa around the Oakmont neighborhood on Sunday. When you hear the fire trucks you will know to come out and see Santa. Any questions or a request for a specific stop call the fire house at 610-446-9837.
- Cost: Free
Llanerch Fire Company Escorts Santa
- When: Sunday, Dec. 16, starting at Noon
- Where: Llanerch District
- Why Go: The members of the Llanerch Fire Company will be escorting
the big red guy around the district on the fire truck starting at noon. There will be candy canes for all the good boys and girls!
- Cost: Free