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Aston Waikiki Sunset
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TravelPod Member ReviewsAston Waikiki Sunset Honolulu
Located 2 blocks from the beach, this slightly dated Hotel boasts fully self contained apartments and a fantastic location.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
Historical Traveler Reviews Aston Waikiki Sunset Honolulu
Just OK
We just returned from our first trip to Oahu & Maui. We stayed 4 nights in the Aston Waikiki Sunset & would not stay at this facility again. It was one of only a few that offer 2 bedrooms which is why it was chosen.
However, upon arrival we were quite disappointed. The hotel is further from the beach than is depicted, at least a 10 minute walk each way.
Also, the 2 bedrooms were extremely small, one of which had only a full size bed as the "master" bedroom. That room was only large enough to allow about 12 inches walking room around the bed. The ocean view was also disappointing, as you had to peer over the small balcony on an angle to see the water.
The room was clean upon arrival, but neither the bathroom nor the kitchen were maintained aside from fresh towels. It appeared as though the bathroom floor had not been cleaned either.
The staff was curtious, but the distance to the beach and the overall size & maintanence of the rooms was quite disappointing. We would definitely choose another facility for our next trip to Oahu.
Very pleased at Waikiki Sunset
Just returned from a stay at the Waikiki Sunset. All the hotel staff, including maids and maintenence workers were courteous and pleasant--the front staff turned us on to some good eating places where the natives eat--off the Waikiki beaten path. The apartment-sized kitchen in our suite was fully stocked and contained a microwave, toaster, and coffee maker (Kona Coffee included)--we cooked breakfast each morning. The room was clean and the air conditioner worked well.
The store on the 5th floor contained everything we needed and the prices were reasonable. We also used the washer and dryer on the floor--that was convenient. There was a bus stop half a block from the hotel--Waikiki bus service is efficient, convenient and a cheap way to get around. This hotel is a good value for the price and location (1 1/2 blocks from the beach). We had a view of Diamond Head and a partial view of the ocean. As advertised, I would highly recommend it for families who don't want to spend $150+ a night on a room. Aloha.
Very Satisfied
I was very pleased at this hotel/condo. I booked an oceanview suite that overlooked Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach. I asked the friendly woman at the front desk to put us on the highest floor available and she gave us the 37th floor! The floor-to-ceiling windows in both the living area and bedroom gave breathtaking taking views. Since the window was right next to the bed, I woke up to a beautiful blue curtain (the blue sky blending in with the ocean) every morning. As we were watching TV, fireworks started going off on Waikiki Beach! Thanks to our balcony and beautiful view, we were able to take pictures with our camera. Because of our stay at the Aston Waikiki Sunset, it made our stay at Hawai'i very memorable. I would recommend this place to anyone!
Great hotel!!!!!!!
I did a lot of research before booking a stay at this hotel - and what I found more than exceeded my expectations. My main concern was that the room be big enough for my two-year old to roam around in, since we would be staying in Hawaii for a week. The service at the Waikiki Sunset was unbelievable! We stayed Memorial Day week and even though our plane arrived early, the staff let us check-in at 1pm (check-in time was 3pm) and we paid for a standard 1-bd mountain view room -- we got a room facing the ocean and on the 15th floor! What amazing views of the ocean and the sunset!The pluses of the hotel was definintely the full kitchen which was stocked with all the utensils, pots/pans, dishware, etc. Even dish soap and tray to wash & dry dishes. The spaciousness of the room, the mini-mart on the 5th floor definitely came in handy! In some reviews I read that the beach was pretty far -- it took us all of 10 minutes - not far at all! Maid service was GREAT!!the only downside to this hotel was the $7 a day parking - if you could find street parking then this didn't matter, but we could NEVER find street parking. AND the pool was not very inviting. From our room we could see the pool at the neighboring Aston Waikiki Banyan and THAT pool was awesome! The Sunset's pool claims to be heated, but it sure didn't feel like it!!I would DEFINITELY recommend this hotel for families who don't want to be stuffed into a small hotel room and who don't want to pay an arm and a leg going out for food throughout the day & night!
We stayed there for 7days. The staff was really friendly. When we got to the hotel they had upgraded us to a 1 bedroom suite on the 34th floor. The view was unbelievable. The pool was nice because it was never busy with a bunch of children. The walk to the beach and to the strip was only about 2 minutes. The suite was clean and bed's were very comfortable. I am a travel agent and I would and have recommeded it to my clients.
Was OK
went there spring break 2001;pluses: full kitchen, view from 21st floor, extra room with sofa (nice to watch movies apart from the bedroom); japaneese noodle place in the middle on the way to/from the beach - great food, ate there most of the time, such good flavored dishes. minuses: little bit old, could use reovations, but livable, wished it was closer to the beach- 15 minutes walk to the beach, pool water cold and very windy on the 4th floor, and it's not near elevator, you have to walk pretty far to get to it, if you are leaving the pool don't forget to close your mouth or you shatter your teeth. Shopsand beach - you walk - good excersize.
When traveling with 3 children it can be stressful. With all the anemities of this condo/hotel it made the trip great. Centrally located to the beach, shopping, and attractions (zoo, aquarium, Waikiki Beach, ect.) it was not only convenient but, priced right as well. We would highly recommend this hotel to anyone.
Exceptional service!
The service of the staff is Exceptional! My husband and I were there for a week on our honeymoon, & we could not have picked a better hotel in Waikiki.
We received whatever we requested, from help with our luggage, to directions to specific points in the city, & even a blender so that we could mix our our drinks in our clean, spacious & luxurious room with a beautiful view of both Diamond Head & Waikiki Beach.
The spirit of Aloha is alive & well at this wonderful hotel. :)
Great Value
My wife and our three teenagers stayed here for 4 nights. The 2 room suite we had was a little cramped (when we were all there) but was not so small as to be a problem. It was very clean and all the appliances and fixtures (something important to us) were clean and functional. The lobby was very nice and welcoming. One down side was the wait to be checked in- probably 30 minutes. Granted there were many other people there and the staff was working hard. Still...
The parking was convenient, and access to the beach was two blocks. We were always comfortable with the neighborhood, except at night. We didn't go out alone; always at least two at a time (common sense, eh?) Even then, we were not concerened. When walking to the beach, you pop out right at the main entrance to the beach at Waikiki. Breathtaking. The first time we saw it, we started running toward it. What tourists we were! But it is so beautiful!
Every day we walked to the other tourist stuff in the center of town: shops, malls, restaurants. This was a little bit of a walk, maybe 3 blocks until it really started. Attractions were close enough that this was not a problem, and was actually nice from our perspective because we weren't "living" in it.
Also, the pool looked nice and private, but we never did use it.
So the location was very good, the price was a good value, the view was excellent, accomodations and staff were very good. We would stay again if we took the kids.
Very Pleased
My family and I were very pleased with our stay at the Aston Sunset. Our one bedroom suite was well maintained, clean, and the daily room service was exceptional. The time of the service varied from day to day but if you are spending your all your time in your room worrying about when your bed is to be made, you are wasting a lot of time and money in paradise ! I think we only actually were in the room once when the service was provided.
The folks at the registration desk were very friendly and helpful and the short walk to the beach was pleasant enough.
The only thing I saw that could be improved was the mini-mart on the 5th floor. It was pretty run down and certainly overpriced !
We stayed on the 30th floor and the view of the mountains was magnificent. At night, the lights from the homes on the side of the mountains were also spectacular.
The weather was so pleasant were rarely turned on the AC, something that this Georgia boy had a hard time getting used to in July !
If you have a family, this is a neat place at a very reasonable price.
TripAdvisor Reviews Aston Waikiki Sunset Honolulu
Travel Blogs from Honolulu
Arrival to Honolulu Hawaii in the evening.
Very excited to be in Waikiki. We found a place to grab a bite. On the first night I walked around and checked out a few shops.
Day 5
Today we got up and bought a ticket for the green trolley. This will take us up to Diamond Head Crater and will give Steven a great idea of the track to take when going for a run from the hotel to Diamond Head Crater. The tickets cost $20 each which is far greater than the $2 per person trip on the pink trolley. On the way up Diamond Head, it became apparent that the idea of running to Diamond Head Crater from the hotel was impossible for Steven. The track ...
Pooped in Honolulu
... luggage and then our rental car: a 2014 Hyundai.... Sonata? I forget, but a picture of it is attached.
I like our hotel so far. There's a lot to do around here!
I need to sleep, though. I haven't slept since I woke up at 4:00 AM to head to Logan! Will write more tomorrow!
The Ship is Ours
... good I got there. The crew drill happened, and I was late because I was doing my laundry and I was waiting for an alarm but it was just an announcement, and people told me I had to get checked off in the casino so I went there first but the guys there told me I didn't have to get checked off, it was just a mess. For drills I stand on stage right in our Cabaret Lounge where we perform our shows and we show passengers how to wear life vests and there is a ...
It's cold on top of the world!!
... is still active. It's also where most of the worlds telescopes are located as it's over 13,000 feet high and has no light pollution. We went to the summit for sunset, which was amazing being above the clouds but it was very cold. After sunset we went a bit lower and had a astronomy lesson. We saw shooting stars, satellites, the Milky Way ...


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Calistoga Alternative News
For Enquiring Calistoga Minds
January 22, 2015
Calistoga Picayune Investigative Analysis Series
February 3, 2015
Picayune endorses the "Napa River Watch"
"The worst portion of the Napa Valley government, and the one that must be fixed now, is the City of Calistoga"
Help Us Grow
We now have a Certified Reporter and several Vetted Columnists. They will be reporting on EXPLOSIVE area issues. Such as, Water/Sewer, Timber Harvest Plans and River Use and Misuse. We will include historical information and how it affects the current issues.
If you feel that these issues need to be exposed to the Sunshine Disinfectant, Please DONATE to this effort.
While not agreeing with some of Mr. Anderson's investigative tactics, we believe that investigative journalism is crucially important in our community and nation.
This website will provide a platform for our certified reporters and contributing columnists, to help bring disinfecting sunshine to our community.
If you wish to contribute, please click the "contact me" button at the bottom of this page.
Please have patience, and check back often as this website is a work in progress.
Although the bare bones of this website is still under construction, we received, an anonymous email communication that we feel is important to kick off this website immediately.
We have not vetted all of the information. We have provided links and hope our readers can help with the vetting.
local investigative reporter and contributing columnist to partner with this website.
Help bring "sunshine" to the community.
The Picayune endorses the "Napa River Watch" an Action Committee founded by Kurt Larrecou
The fact is, clean streams are not just for fish, but for the all inclusive ecological matrix, that sustain's our environment for both mankind and nature to co-exist...
The Napa Valley, is a world class environment that cannot sustain the impacts of unbridled growth that the current politicians of all it's cities and county agency's see as must needed accommodations on their immediate horizon.
This is not feasible with concerns of available resources that are currently non-existent to cope with this massive infill with regard to potable water, sewage disposal and impaired storm runoff.
The actual preservation of this agricultural valley hinges on all of us that are concerned to contact, EPA Region 9 Administer, Jared Blumenfeld.
The United States, EPA Administer is Gina Mcarthy
The EPA has just issued a press release to shape there action to preserve water quality and agricultural exemptions in the next 90 days.
The concerned citizens, of Napa County, must now reply to the EPA in a proactive summation of each of there concerns for the inclusion in the new open document above .
The State of California has turned the very agencies of enforcement for Federal Clean Water Act into self serving, hapless vultures, waiting for the carnage of deceit to become odoriferous in anticipation of the Federal EPA will then take actions.
The San Francisco Bay cannot sustain the continuing infill of Napa Valley which sends a plume of effluent toxins daily into the San Pablo Bay.
The worst portion of the Napa Valley government, and the one that must be fixed now, is the City of Calistoga , who's planning department is morally corrupt to the current industry standards of the Environmental Quality Act, The Uniform Building Code, The State of California Health Code, and all Federal Regulations.
There is no way that the Napa River can sustain itself to be an asset to the residents and farms that are dependent on the very essence of clean water that infiltrates the aquifers of there wells and there allowed intake for frost protection and irrigation.
The Napa River is impaired.
The State of California Water Resource Control Board has continued to mitigate, degradation of the Napa River, to the Federal EPA as well studied controlled acceptance.
This is not acceptable as water and must be corrected by the EPA by starting to initiate there own representative's to challenge the State of California's findings by there own scientist's.
"The Napa River" like Lake Tahoe must be made "Blue"...
The City of Calistoga and the other users are now paying to move the Delta intake pipe from Barker Slough (Click Here for Background) to a deeper portion of the Delta as a result of the Slough became impaired with copious amounts of algae.
The delta smelt live on the algae as a food source for their maturation, as they were being poisoned by the chemicals, industrial pollution, insecticides, and almost 50 waste-water plants that all contribute a matrix of sanitary sewer outfalls to the Delta's water.
The City of Calistoga imports this "Delta Water" to the "Ed Barwick" Water Treatment Plant in Jamison Canyon east of the City of Napa where it is mechanically treated and filtered, chlorinated and wheeled in a 12 inch steel pipe to Calistoga's Dunaweal waste-water Treatment plant which again chlorinates the water inside the pipe and is pressurized and delivered to the Cities existing water system by two electric 50 hp. centrifugal pumps.
The current Calistoga Public Works Director, Mike Kirns stated that this NBA water can only be pressure delivered, outside the City Limits 1/4 mile up Bennett Lane where the City has installed an equalization valve. Bennett Lane heading north ends as Evey Road and terminates at the city gate to Kimball Dam. The water produced at the City's Kimball water treatment plant from Lake Ghisolfo was a high quality water from multiple historic springs and sheet runoff from winter rains that formed the headwaters of the Napa River.
Some History surrounding the "Lake Ghisolfo name
To get a full picture the City of Calistoga's Kimball drinking water source it is instructive to understand and appreciate the genesis of how the City came by its water rights and how "Lake Ghisolfo" came into existence. A close look at the City's reservoir parcel's chain of title history traces the genesis of what is now turning into a hotly contested battle between the City of Calistoga and Debbie O'Gorman, who claims (thanks to the acts of the City's own attorneys) that the water the City is and has been using from Kimball Creek is being used without her express permission as required by the City's reservoir parcel's deed restriction that prevent it from accessing the waters of Kimball Creek.
County Recorder records indicate that the reservoir parcel (APN 017-060-010) water rights were sold to O'Gorman's Great Grandfather, Albert L. Tubbs in 1882 by Pliney Reed and J.L. Wright. (J.L. Wright being the legal guardian of the Florence Reed's surviving children who had inherited her one half interest upon her death)
The first deed recorded April 30, 1883 (CLICK HERE to see (long load time)) Book 33 of Deeds at page 395, gave Tubbs -
"the privilege of diverting the waters that flow down the creek through the Wright or Poulson barrier from their natural course and conveying them by a pipe placed beneath the surface of the ground to the residence now being erected by him for the period of one year from the date hereof."; and, ---
"I hereby bind myself my heirs, executors and administrators upon the payment of the further sum of two hundred dollars, or instead of the two hundred dollars the paid Tubbs may give me a one half inch tap at some point near my house, from which I may be permitted to draw water for domestic family use and for my stock, but not for irrigation or for sale, so long as the supply will permit – to convey to the said A. L. Tubbs, by good and sufficient deed all the rights and privileges hereinbefore mentioned."
The second deed recorded May 2, 1883 (CLICK HERE to see (long load time)) page 400 stated "Witnessed that the party of the first part for and in consideration the sum of one dollar to him in hand paid and the enhanced value of my property arising from the valuable improvements now being made by the party of the second part, on the property purchased by him from John Hoover, has and does hereby grant bargain sell release and confirm unto said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns the right to divert said water from its natural course, and lay down and maintain at his pleasure water pipe to convey said water to his residence for domestic use and irrigation."
One might wonder why Reed did this, but the answer is simple: Kimball Creek ran dry in the summer months and Tubbs had a pipe running from all year flowing springs located high above on the Mt. St. Helena watershed, which he also owned at the same time. From Pliney Reed's point of view, better to have water available all year long through a "½" tap" rather than no water from springtime through the onslaught of winter. From Tubbs point of view he now had the Kimball Creek water for use on all of his then-owned land through which Kimball Creek flowed.
This land included all subsequently subdivided parcels that were sold off which had these deeds in their respective chains of title in common. The City, Markham Vineyards, Chateau Montelena, Rombauer and Rancho Alto Vineyards parcels all have one or more of these deeds included in their title history, meaning that none of these parcels have had pre 1914 riparian rights since 1883 when the right to take water from Kimball Creek was purchased by Tubbs. Since that time, the Tubbs family and then O'Gorman have been paying property taxes on the springs and easements since they came into existence and the O'Gorman parcel is still free to enjoy the only riparian right between their spring (Headwater of the Napa River) and what is now O'Gorman's Home Place.
Because the water rights that were riparian to the land had been sold to Tubbs, the riparian nature of what is now the City's reservoir parcel ceased to exist. These water rights once alienated from the land became the property of the Tubbs that were handed down via inheritance through the Tubbs family subsequent heirs. To realize the scope and contiguous nature of the Tubbs property holdings, one only has to look at the Napa County Map approved by the Napa County Board of Supervisors on January 21, 1895. The map is framed and hangs in the Napa County Recorder's Office. The uniqueness of the map is that is identifies each parcel owner of record as of that date by name, placed on the parcel map itself, giving the viewer a snapshot in time of the County's ownership records graphically displayed.
Albert Tubbs died in 1895, however the estate probate action was not settled until 1905, having been interrupted and delayed by the passing of one of the heirs during the pendency of the probate process. Although the probate was handled by the San Francisco Superior Court, a certified copy of the final administrator's deed was recorded by the Napa County Recorder. The estate finally being settled, Chapin Tubbs by 1919, became the sole owner of the Calistoga holdings of A.L. Tubbs, which included the present day castle that is Chateau Montelana.
To be continued ----
Next edition: How the City and Tubbs clashed over water rights beginning in 1938
Recent History of The
Mr. John O'Hagan
State Water Rights Enforcement Section
State Water Resources Control Board
Sent by:
Grant Reynolds
Representing: Debbie O'Gorman
Discussing the Kimball Creek water rights issues.
This is presented by Calistoga Picayune news, to further clarify and document the start of the current Calistoga water Wars.
In the past Mr. Reynolds has found, difficult, limited and if not impossible access to local media.
We at Calistoga Picayune News offer to Mr. Reynolds and other interest parties access to this site and Radio Calistoga 1610 AM, to discuss Calistoga's Troubled Waters - Calistoga Water Wars.
The letter was sent 2 months before the lawsuit was filed. The date was misstated. The Certified receipt shows January 6, 2009.
Mr. John O'Hagen
Water Rights Enforcement Section
State Water Resources Control Board
November 19, 2014
By Kurt Larrecou, Environmental, Staff Reporter
The court denied the City motion, during oral argument yesterday, Mr. Visick , was attempting to argue a demurrer (challenge to mechanical sufficiency of the complaint) via a motion to transfer the case to Napa, which was an improper attempt to introduce evidence not allowed to be inserted in the type of motion Mr. Visick had filed.
Visick had sought sanctions in the amount of$28,900.00 to be awarded against Mr. Leighton for filing the lawsuit in the wrong court on the
ground that the State Water Resources Control Board ("SWRCB) should be dismissed. That type of challenge should have been brought by demurrer, not by a motion to change venue.
Presumably the City will now have to shoulder the financial responsibility for the Burke Williams mistake. All in all a good deal for Visick and the Burke Williams law firm he works for: If they win it cost the city nothing; If they lose the City pays the $28,900.00 to Leighton for the mistake.
Either way, win or lose, Burke Williams and the Burke Williams law firm he works for: gets paid and the City tax payers get the bill even if Burke Williams makes a mistake.
By Kurt Larrecou, Environmental, Staff Reporter
Water War's
Started May 5th 2008, as Matt Hickerson was checking the the cessation of water flow of the Napa River.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was to declare a "statewide drought declaration" less that a month later.
The water rights of the, "pass through water," for all dam's in California including Hetch Hetchy is determined by the State Water Boards to ensure the streams are viable for for fish, wildlife, river canopy, and residents.
Matt's significant other, Debbie O'Gorman, had the century old water rights that she and Matt determined should be used to enable the Napa River to be flowing.
They called their long time friend Grant Reynolds (read back ground) to help intercede with the powers that be to make it happen.
Grant Reynolds, a long time fly fisherman, was no stranger to water fraud as it had bitten him in Mammoth, California, as recent rampant development dried up the stream he lived adjacent too.
Grant took the water issue to then Calistoga city manager Jim McCann who told him to pound salt, thus a suit was filed to begin the court battle.
The investigation found numerous water-users under the radar of the State Water Board and the California Department of Public Health for both domestic use, frost protection, and irrigation frauds that ultimately led to McCann leaving the town's employment and his long time friend Richard Spitler was hired to carry the torch of defiance by Calistoga's multiple attorneys for well over a million of dollars to date and still going.
"This the amount of water Grant Reynolds has fought for the city of Calistoga to release"
A lawsuit seeking non-monetary damages was filed against the State
The attorney representing Debbie O'Gorman in this action is Brian C. Leighton ("I'm a bulldog," Leighton said. "I don't give up.") of Clovis, California (read here and here and here Have patience-Slow loading-WORTH WAITING FOR)
Recent discovery now indicates that the State Water Resources Control Board was negligent and the plaintiff will seek leave of the court to amend the complaint to allege actionable causes which do allow for monetary damages. Because money damages claims must conform to the notice requirements pertaining to state agencies, this claim is being filed after 6 months but prior to one year of the claim accruing on November 21, 2013.
Based upon these circumstances, but also not limited to others, this claim should be allowed to proceed if in fact it is found to have been filed late.
20. The annual acre foot amount of surface water diverted from Kimball Creek by the City divided by the total annual acre feet amount of water sold by the City's Water Enterprise Fund resulting in a pro-rata percentage of the City's annual gross income derived from the Water Enterprise Fund's Annual income.
The California State Water Resources Control Board negligently issued the City's original permit No. 5502 (A9376) on March 4, 1940 without first reviewing or including the Tubbs water transfer agreement or the Tubbs indenture within its files before issuance, referencing instead that the rights of access and right of way issues were "negotiations in progress (right of eminent domain)." (Ref: Permit check list 3/1/1940 & permit No. 5502)
The California State Water Resources Control Board ("SWRCB") filed an
Administrative Civil Liability Complaint against the City of Calistoga on March 1, 2001 alleging interalia:
"The City has also expanded its service area beyond the place of use authorized by Licenses 9615 and
9616, and Permit 20395, and is delivering water to this expanded area from Kimball Reservoir.
During the inspection, staff was informed by Mr. Steve Anderson, the Water Systems Superintendent,
that approximately 60 customers are outside the service area, and staff was shown the extent of
service northwest of the City on Highway 128. This location was found to be about 0.8 miles outside
the authorized place of use for the City's water projects."
On March 29, 2001 the City paid a $5,000.00 fine and applied to the SWRCB for an increase to its "place of use" ("POU") sufficient to serve what would ultimately be included as an additional 115 water services. The City's first attempt based upon an engineering error was rejected by the SWRCB when the City first alleged that its POU map had been erroneously drawn and requested that the "error be corrected administratively "nunc pro tunc."
On May 9, 2001, the City negotiated a 6-year land lease with Markham Vineyards for six acres of land located adjacent to the City's reservoir property. The lease included a water supply clause, which would have been for AG use. Because this parcel was adjacent to Markham's larger parcel, the water obtained under its lease agreement was used to irrigate the larger parcel as well.
On September 27, 2001, the City submitted a copy of the Tubbs Indenture, describing the document as:
"A water agreement dated November 3, 1939, between the City and Chapin F. Tubbs regarding water use on the section of water main between the City limits And Kimball Dam."
Telling the SWRCB:
"As previously stated, it is the City's opinion that these documents demonstrate that the City has been serving water outside of the city limits prior to the issuance of License 9615 and 9618 and Permit 20395. Therefore the map at the State Water Resources Control Board has on file showing the City's water service area as the City limits is in error and needs to be corrected."
As illustrated below, the above statement is false.
Also included within the letter was the following specific request:
"As we discussed at the meeting of September 13th we would also request that the State review the conflicting bypass dialogue regarding our Permit 20395 and License 9615 and 9616."
Given the wording of the above-described documentation, the SWRCB knew or should have known that no users, other than Tubbs/O'Gorman had a right to hook up to the City's water main because the Indenture provided for only one 2" connection that had been in continuous use by the Tubbs since September 25, 1940, thereby making any claim that the Indenture allowed for an additional 115 users located outside the City's POU invalid and unauthorized. (See Tubbs Indenture @ 6 below)
"Sixth, agree that the parties of the first part shall have the perpetual right to connect to said pipeline of the parties of the second part herein mentioned, for which this grant of right of way is granted, at any place on said right of way convenient to the parties of the first part, and use and take such amount of water therefrom as they may require for use upon the lands then owned by the parties of the first part, said parties of the first part to pay for said water used by them at a rate not to exceed (10c) per thousand gallons; or said parties of the first part may elect to pay for said water so used by them at the lowest established water rate affected by and/or paid by said party of the second part by way of its users within the City limits. All water shall be metered by a meter not exceeding the capacity of a two inch standard meter, furnished and maintained by the party of the second part;"
On January 15, 2002, the City submitted its application for an expanded POU to the SWRCB. During subsequent communications, the City justified its unlicensed diversion and use by stating to the SWRCB that it was bound to do so because of an old water agreement, which is the same agreement sent to the SWRCB on September 27, 2001, which makes no provision binding upon the City to provide water to anyone but the Tubbs.
Included within the application's proposed expanded POU were several additional wineries that had been using water for agricultural purposes ["AG use" (11/3/1939 Indenture)] which was then and is still, inconsistent with the City's SWRCB's licenses that limit the city's water use to "municipal purposes" only. (AG use excluded) The color-coded map submitted with the application admitted that the City had been illegally provided these vineyard parcels with Ag water for many years in violation of the City license terms.
The California Department of Fish & Game and NOAA filed protests in order to kill the City's request to expand its POU. Each of these protests was a complete submission with no further information required. At this point in time the City and SWRCB confronted three barriers that would potentially harm the City's efforts to "legally" sell water outside their POU and for AG use:
The DFG protest;
The NOAA protest; and
The fact that the Indenture language relied upon by the City to sell water for AG was not present, since the Indenture allowed for only one (1) two inch (2") water hookup to the City's water main between Kimball Dam and City limits, which had been in continuous use by the Tubbs since 1940.
Notwithstanding the completeness of the DFG and NOAA protests, on September 17, 2002, the SWRCB drafted letters to DFG and NOAA, giving them 30-days to provide additional information to their protest documents, with the caveat that:
"As a result of a compliance inspection, it came to the Division's attention, that 60 existing homes that the City has been servicing for over 30 years, were left off of the place of use maps for the four applications. Therefore, the City filed Petitions to Change the place of use to match the City's service area for all four applications. Whereas NMFS's letter expresses concerns regarding Kimball Creek Reservoir, it does not address impacts caused solely by the addition of the 60 existing homes to the City's service area. The Division is, therefore, assuming that NMFS is only formally protesting the Cyrus Creek Reservoir extension of time and NMFS protest, as such, is accepted. If, however, it is NMFS intention to protest the Petitions for Change, please provide, within 30 days, a statement of facts documenting impacts that will occur as a result of the addition of the existing homes to the service area. If the Division does not receive a statement of fact, the Division will assume it is NMFS intention to only protest the Petition for Extension of Time and will proceed accordingly."
The letter signed by Dr. Stacy Li was placed in the SWRCB's file however neither DFG nor NMFS received a copy of this letter, leaving the SWRCB free to dismiss the protests of an expanded City POU on the basis that neither agency had responded within the 30-day window allowed by the SWRCB letter.
During the pendency of the City's application for an expanded POU, and although it had already been provided with a copy of the Tubbs Indenture by the City years earlier, the SWRCB requested that the City provide a copy of the water contract to justify the increase to the City's existing POU.
The City informed the SWRCB that it was unable to locate the "old water agreement," while at the same time the City was negotiating water supply contracts with the wineries based on the same the agreement that had been sent to the SWRCB years earlier on September 27, 2001 by the City.
Between the time that the original POU violation was discovered and the date that the SWRCB issued its first order granting the City's petition for an expanded POU, the City negotiated no fewer than six (6) water contracts with wineries. (Chateau Montelana, Rombauer Vineyards, Ranch Alto Vineyards, Pecota Vineyard, Premo, and Markham Vineyards) All of these agreements were based upon the original November 3, 1939 Tubbs - City Indenture, which the City supplied to SWRCB on September 27, 2001.
SWRCB thereafter negligently suggested to the City that it could supply it with water billings to prove that it had been selling water to parties outside its POU in lieu of the "old water agreement."
Had the SWRCB either reviewed its own files or required the City to substantiate its right to take water by using the Tubbs Indenture it had in its possession, or obtain the chain of title history to the City's reservoir parcel of which it had been made aware, the SWRCB would have realized (as the Napa Court did) that the Tubbs Indenture did run with the land, but provided no basis for the City to sell water to users located outside the City's original POU defined by the City limits in 1939 other than Tubbs with one 2" pipeline.
While the City was negotiating its contract with Chateau Montelana Vineyard at the end of May 2995, SWRCB on June 10, 2005 wrote to the City advising of the following circumstances:
The City responded to SWRCB on the 16th , to Ross Swinerton, advising that it wished to proceed and also attached copies of the September 17, 2001 letters purportedly sent to DFG and NMFS as backup exhibits that could be used as a basis to dismiss those agencies protests.
On the same day the City instructed its outside consulting engineer to prepare POU maps, excerpt below:
SWRCB issued its first order expanding the City's POU on March 30, 2007. Number 4 of the order stated:
On August 30, 2007, SWRCB issued an amended order which deleted the above-stated provision from the original.
As a direct result of the SWRCB's negligence in failing to verify the City's claim to water rights, the SWRCB increased the geographical size of the City's POU and deprived O'Gorman of the ability to engage in water sales to the vineyards to which only she had a right to sell water.
After several revisions the Summit POU map was originally submitted on September 29, 2005, was finally accepted on or about July 13, 2006.
SWRCB has been provided with judicially noticeable transcripts and documents indicating that in a prior court action, (Napa Case No. 26-26468) the court opined "That the Tubbs agreement does not run with the land." Because the effect of the Tubbs Agreement, the deed restrictions inherited by O'Gorman prohibiting the City from taking water from its parcel had been held in abeyance since 1939. The Napa court's dismissal of this earlier action based on its perception that the contract did not run with the land, formed the basis for O'Gorman's request SWRCB to transfer title to the City's licenses to her pursuant to Water Code 1016.
Editor: More - Calistoga Water Wars
Reference, Grand Jury Report
Chris Canning, as an employee under Spitler for a non profit Chamber CEO negotiated the Spitler employment contract(see below), in three capacities the other two being a Mayor and a Calistoga TBID Board Member.
The City Managers contract should have been done by the other Council Members with Canning refusing to participate due to a conflict.
The overriding necessity that Canning participate is not justified as this is a blatant violation of FPPC Laws.
The Calistoga TBID minutes attached will show multiple instance's where Canning votes for a financial benefit of the Calistoga Chamber in which he is enriching the actual budget, or a business he promotes as the Chamber CEO and in the capacity of the Mayor who votes for a project that is also a chamber member.
These minutes will allow ......... to see the impropriety's are serious and overlapping to project's promoted by Chris Canning and City Manager Richard Spitler serves to advocate for developers.
There is no oversight from anyone.
This demands a full FPPC investigation, of Calistoga politics that have been keenly maligned for massive infill by Richard Spitler's employment as of January 2010.
Richard Spitler is also the City Clerk. He has the duties to oversee Conflict of Interest Laws and file the Form 700's with regards to upholding the regulations of the State as defined by FPPC.
Richard Spitler was caught as a City Planner in 1989 serving developers and his own interest's. As a result he quit Calistoga employment, in March 15 1990. Reported in a Calistoga newspaper article, stating his intention to work for the very same developer.
The fact is, Richard Spitler, currently has a employment contract (read all) which allows him to consult as a planner for developers such as Silver Rose Development LLC.(here) (and here) This is a Boston Massachusetts partnership that sent a non California licensed, engineer, Michael Perrault to stay at the Marriott Hotel in Napa paid by the City Coffers (see payment attachment ).
Mr. Spitler, hired an outside Planner to oversee the very same project and did a fast track Negative Declaration, while our employed planners watched.
Mr.Spitler serves in many capacities with series of openly blank form 700's, with regard to revenue or honorarium, even though he has his own planning business known as the Calistoga Planning Associates. This business was originally called Richard Spitler Planning was in place since 2008.
The municipal code states Richard Spitler, has power to initiate an investigation regarding his own actions?
. Investigations. The City Manager shall investigate into the affairs of the City and any department or division thereof, and any contract or the proper performance of any obligations of the City. Further, it shall be the duty of the City Manager to investigate all complaints in relation to matters concerning the administration of the City government and in regard to the service maintained by public utilities in the City.
There is rampant overlap as to incompatible office's, that Chris Canning, receives an honorarium, Americas Cup tickets and events , SF Lodging , Dinners, Wine, Air Travel is also non existent on his form 700 forms.
The Calistoga Beverage Company is a Calistoga Business that is owned by Nestle's and Chris Canning was the Calistoga plants CEO.
This Business donates money to the Chamber of Commerce which then is spent by Chris Canning as CEO of the Chamber as he sees fit.
He had stated, that he had Nestles stock but it also is not on is form 700.( Canning was a European Employee of the Swiss owned Company, and may have his financial interest's in Europe)
This business is an Industrial Dis-Charger that outfalls class two toxins such antimony, arsenic,boron manganese, sulfate and salts to our publicly owned waste-water plant.
City of Calistoga was fined recently for antimony. that is paid by a municipal tax which is part of the revenue that pays, Chris Canning. He is paid multiple times a year and provides for a performance bonus for the Chamber Budget.
I ......... TBID Minutes and "Action Items" are Submitted by Chris Canning for the benefit of the Chamber and them he votes on them (see web info).
The last Calistoga TBID Committee meeting was held May 19,2014. Canning had 4 action items for Chamber funding that totaled $43,200. He prepared the items and voted for the funding to be used by the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce that he is CEO of.
(See Attached Agenda and Minutes) of the conflict of interest violation.
This is a clever illegal manipulation of Mayor Canning, to deceive the record. I am sure a broad based e-mail request and records request would ................ to open this corruption up for criminal prosecution by the State Attorney General.
A recently written, public request, for the 2013 Calistoga "Municipal Beverage Tax", paid by the Calistoga Beverage Company was not provided and was labeled as "Proprietary" by the City Clerk .
There is also a TBID conflict of interest that involves, Michael Dunsford, a city councilman that voted $5000 for a TBID expenditure that ultimately funded a "Groupon" package deal to stay at the Calistoga Inn .
The actual TBID vote on this by Dunsford was in the Calistoga minutes and has been removed or edited by Chris Canning.
They also made Dunsford a signer on the West American checking account .The committee also decided to bifurcate their Banking Interest's to, Bank of the West, as they stated West American Bank the primary Bank for the City of Calistoga may be a risk.
I believe an audit would show the check and may even have Dunsford's signature on it.
This groupon deal was a one time web advertisement for the The Calistoga INN and a gift from the Calistoga TBID for the winter of 2013 to early 2014.
Dunsford and Canning also enjoyed several trips to Chicago as late as 2014, by Alan Harkin a resident of that city.
They both voted for massive infill project from Mr. Harkin, developer of the The Enchanted Hills Resort , now known as Calistoga Hills (more info) (and more)
This project included many guaranteed entitlements for water and sewer we do not have. (Short recap here) 10/2012 (complete presentation here)
The catalyst for this fraud involved Richard Spitler who was consulting for the project and managing the town as CEO.
The resort is now listed for sale and Spitler is most likely on the Harkin payroll as they are marketing it worldwide. Mr. Spitler was known to travel to the far east within the last year as it is hoped the Chinese may be able to purchase.
The problems of Calistoga residents are a result of a complex circle of deceit, that started with Richard Spitler as of January 2010 and have with Chris Canning's stealth of multiple indiscretions, have reached a point that now escalated to a dangerous management of the resources of the town providing political perks, personal wealth, and financial backing by creative fraud.
I .......... ....... with evidence of wrong doing as to California Statues and the rule of law.
I must remain anonymous as I would be subject to reprisals in the City of Calistoga.
Previous civic experience left us discouraged
I wanted to respond to your recent editorial "To the few who are active, I applaud you" (Aug. 7).
If you attended city council meetings during the time the huge projects were approved, (more-Read Comments)

subset: commoncrawl


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Ottawa in court over endangered species rules
Environment Canada was scheduled to defend itself in court Tuesday over accusations it is failing to live up to its own rules about protecting endangered species.
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Environment Canada was scheduled to defend itself in court Tuesday over accusations it is failing to live up to its own rules about protecting endangered species.
A Federal Court hearing was scheduled in Vancouver for a group of environmental organizations to try and force the government to set aside land for the sage grouse, a chicken-sized bird emblematic of the prairies whose numbers have dropped by up to 90 per cent over the last two decades.
"The failure to identify critical habitat in the greater sage grouse recovery strategy is representative of a broader systemic failure on the part of the federal government to identify critical habitat in recovery strategies," say court documents filed by the environmentalists.
Those documents say that of about 100,000 square kilometres of grouse habitat that originally spread across the southern prairies, only about 6,000 square kilometres remain – most of that significantly fragmented.
Most of the habitat has been plowed under, grazed over, built up or drilled into.
Sage grouse are known for their unusual mating behaviour, in which males and females gather in lightly vegetated areas called leks. There, the males perform an elaborate dance, involving puffing out their chest feathers, fanning out their tails, inflating a sac on their chests and emitting loud drumming sounds.
The birds are on the endangered species list, and in early 2008 the federal government proposed a recovery strategy as required by the Species At Risk Act.
However, that plan contains no provision for setting habitat aside.
"The (strategy) does not identify critical habitat even while it identifies habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation as a major factor in the species' decline and recommends habitat protection," say court documents from the case.
Although the recovery strategy says more study is needed to identify key habitat areas, researchers disagree.
Mark Boyce, a University of Alberta professor who has been studying the birds for 30 years, said critical areas have already been identified.
"Remaining habitat for sage grouse is extremely limiting and the small areas remaining are essential for the persistence of this species in Canada," said his affidavit filed with the court.
"Only with some long-term habitat restoration can we expect to have sage grouse in other areas that have been degraded."
A representative from Environment Canada was not immediately available for comment.
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You won't be able to dismiss this by usual means (escape or click button), but you can close it programatically based on user choices or actions.
"You can change whatever you need to on these invites. We changed the directions to information. And then just included information on where to book a place to stay and what restaurants where around. Plus it was a good way to provide activities for people to do and other little information."
"We ordered our wedding invitations and information cards in personalised lilac colour on a pearl paper. We got free samples to help us make the best decision and visualise our invitations better than we ever could have from a computer screen. The designers were happy to make minor changes to our suit our tastes, at no extra charge. Delivery was quick, and the final product exactly as we expected. If only every part of wedding planning was this easy and stress-free!"
"These enclosure cards were perfect to go along with our formal invitations. We were able to work in information about the reception location, directions, and RSVP instructions (since we were having our guests RSVP online). Great back and forth with the custom designer. Only docked 1 star for design because I would have loved if it automatically came with the same back design as the invitation (instead of plain white)."
"I used this card for directions. It looked beautiful. I was very happy with the overall look. The quality was great. I do recommend."
"The deep coral like petals were so pretty on the background! I received such positive feedback from the guests that received this sharp, but elegant wedding invitation. The script, paper quality and clarity was all PERFECT and well designed! I even received the order early; awesome job in over promising the delivery of the product!"


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"I stand by my assertion that the $80K or so I spent on childcare (this doesn't count the summer-camp fees I still pay) before both my boys were in school was a straight-up awesome, measurable investment..."—Denise Schipani (@DeniseSchipani), magazine-editor–turned-freelance writer, author of the book Mean Moms Rule, and Long Island mom of two boys, in a post entitled "Why Childcare Is One of the Best Business Investments I've Made," at deniseschipani.com
Things I Googled this Week
do babies eat salmonsalmon baby recipeshow to get salmon smell out of apartmentwhat does a mango look likehow to tell if mango is ripebaby recipes with mangobaby cold symptomswhat is an aspiratorhow to use an aspirator
—just part of a list ("Vol. 2") from the NYC mom who's trying to "rewrite the rules for the modern parent"—with a dose of sarcasm amidst her relatable observations—on her not-so-typical blog notatypicalmom.com
Stories of Our Lives"Our kids loved hearing our tales this morning. Some they've heard before, some were new. But in the telling, I could see how family identity was being shaped before my eyes. We are our stories. Our stories not only reflect our culture, they shape it. A recent New York Times piece encapsulated this, highlighting current research into what makes strong, resilient families: 'The single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest of all: develop a strong family narrative.' "—Chrysula Winegar (@chrysula), on how regaling her kids—again—with the tale of her wedding day (which she describes as a "series of unfortunate events…[that made] great fodder for future family story-telling") is part of a broader family narrative; Winegar, a Fairfield County parent of four who firmly believes in the power of mothers to influence and change the world, not only shares her stories with her kids, but with us at whenyouwakeupamother.com
Juicy Fruit" …when you want your child to eat fruit, consider giving her fruit. An apple, an orange, a banana—they provide less sugar and more fiber, less sticky sweetness and more satiety. Perhaps most importantly, chomping on real fruits and vegetables will help your child consider food the right way: not as something processed and sold in plastic pouches, but as something whole and from nature—seeds and skin and bruises and all."—Melinda Wenner Moyer (@lindy2350), parenting advice columnist at Slate.com, in a post parsing the nutritional value of all those blended fruit pouches we parents stuff in our bags for on-the-go "healthy" snacks for our tots, in a post entitled "Why Suckable Fruit Sucks"; read it for some interesting insights and facts, and don't worry about being guilted—this Cold Spring mom writes with the nonjudgmental perspective of one who's "been there"
How Building a Fire Teaches Beautiful Lessons
How to Help Your Child Make Tough Choices
Tips to Choosing the Right Nanny for Your Family
How to Raise Your Son to Be a Gentleman
20 Discipline Mistakes Even Great Parents Make
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I liked everything about the hotel. The room was spacious enough and very clean. The bathroom was comfortable and big enough. The staff was extremely helpful and kind. The hotel even provides the guests with umbrellas - in a rainy city like Paris it is definitely a big plus! A perfect place to relax after a long day at work. It is also close to a metro station and to a supermarket. - Anonymous
I was satisfied. The staff was helpful. The room was decent. - Sofia
Location and that it was 'cycle friendly' with late check in, and midday check out - Anonymous
Trevlig personal och rent och snyggt. - Laila
Det var tyst och lugnt på hotellet, trots det centrala läget och närheten till en stor, trafikerad gata. - Dan
The apartment was everything we needed for our stay. It was basic and
small though I believe every accommodation in Paris is the same. The
location was perfect- right next to Sacre Coeur and metro. I would stay
here again. - Anonymous
A big surprise in Paris ! Quite well located just in front of the Gare
de l'Est, the Hotel offers clean and well-designed bedrooms.
Although it is located in a busy street, the silence inside the room is
I had the chance to get a suite for a relative cheap price (86 €) but I may think that the standard rooms may be a bit small...
Helpful staff and even if the check-in is a bit late (1500), they offer to keep your luggage until then (and even to call you if your room is ready earlier - Anonymous
Tremendous view, felt light and airy despite the fact it was a studio apartment. The lift was a real asset considering we were 4 floors up. - Anonymous


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Felipe Campolina's ECObitat is a modular housing system designed specifically to provide emergency or disaster relief housing. Easily transported and made of off-the-shelf materials, the one-bedroom home can be constructed easily and delivered to wherever it is needed. We especially dig ECObitat's modular living wall and green roof system that gives the prefab a lush, organic exterior.
ECObitat is constructed using standard OSB sheets, and everything is scaled using 1.22 m x 2.44 m dimensions. A steel frame makes up the structure, while SIP panels are used for the walls and floor to define the rooms and provide support and insulation. The resulting modular system has dimensions of 2.44 m x 3.10 m x 12.20 — roughly the size of a standard 40′ shipping container. The bedroom sits at one end, the bathroom is in the middle, and the kitchen and living areas are at the far end. Long vertical slits in the green wall act as windows, and the two ends fold down like a drawbridge to provide additional outdoor living space.
The whole system sits on telescoping legs, which make it easier to place on varied ground without needing to level out a flat area. A metallic roof holds a series of solar panels as well as a small-scale wind turbine, which produce enough power for the small home. Modular plant boxes are mounted on the exterior and are planted with vegetation, which provides extra insulation. Depending on the types of plants used, the prefab's walls could even produce food. Each modular system can be delivered on a standard flat bed truck for easy deployment.
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Yuka YonedaWINDOWHOP It's easy to get depressed when your work schedule has you getting less sun than Edward Cullen (you've got the sickly pallor to match and it's not nearly as sexy on you). If you're lucky enough to at least have a window in your workspace, openREAD MORE >
Diane PhamCutting back on your energy usage is one of the best ways to bring down your electricity bill. But did you know that making simple changes to not just your wattage consumption but the way your home retains and expels air can dramatically transform the wayREAD MORE >
Jill FehrenbacherDid you know that there are wolves living near you in almost every state in the country? Sadly most of these wolves are not living in the wild, but in wolf sanctuaries, which are conservation organizations set up to protect them and help grow their populationREAD MORE >
Yuka YonedaNamba Parks was conceived when Osaka Stadium closed down, presenting a great redevelopment opportunity for a new commercial district right next to the Namba Train Station, which is just one stop away from Kansai Airport. Since it's one of the first placesREAD MORE >
Beth BuczynskiTop image: A child is put to work at a militia-run mine in Watsa. © Marcus Bleasdale/National Geographic Captured during a 2004 visit to the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Bleasdale's images "tell the story of the country's mineral resourceREAD MORE >
Jill FehrenbacherYou've all heard the tired mantras about changing your lightbulbs and recycling at home in order to save the planet - are you yawning yet? Many consumers think that going green is a gesture of self-sacrifice that often comes at great expense and inconvenienceREAD MORE >
Yuka YonedaBANANAS You might have heard that bananas are favored by athletes because they contain potassium and it's that same reason that makes them great hangover cures. When you're hungover, your body has lost a lot of potassium that needs to be replenished, so eatingREAD MORE >
Yuka YonedaImages © Graham King "The shopping cart tree symbolizes both generosity and abundance, as well as acknowledging those less fortunate where their whole world may be housed in a cart. We see shopping carts every day and take them for granted. IndividuallyREAD MORE >
Jill FehrenbacherTIP 1: Wrap Your Home in Insulation - "The More, The Better!" Proper insulation is probably the most important factor you can control in creating an energy-efficient home. I always say insulation is like chocolate, the more you have, the better! On average,READ MORE >
Kestrel JenkinsWhile conjuring up comfort in the home seems like a basic principle, it's a far more complex process for architect & remodeling guru Sarah Susanka, who believes that comfort can significantly influence the sustainability of your personal abode. WithREAD MORE >
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Publisher's Description+
Beautiful shades of purple and navy blue will embellish your phone screen or tablet device. App that will enrich your image gallery with beautiful transcendent stars of different sizes-only for you. Enjoy watching them float on the screen. Installation instructions: Home -> Menu -> Wallpapers -> Live Wallpapers


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Stormtroopers guard the sever racks on street view *inside* Google's Lenoir Data Center!
Wednesday, 17th October 2012 by @gsightseeing
Wednesday, 17th October 2012 by @gsightseeing
Did you see the little R2D2?
Are these the "tubes" that Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) talked about?
Check out one of the offices, there is a guy with a laptop and desktop on, check out what video he is playing.
Private joke ? When you stroll in the datacenter you can see this screen : "Super secret strategic pue plan"
I'd feel much better if there was a Jedi or two guarding the data center. Those storm troopers drop like flies!
Here at Google Sightseeing we love a chance to create a post about the scenic wonders of Norway1. Today we…
Google Street View may be ever-expanding in its reach, but it's still a long way from covering the entire world. There are numerous services that not only offer their own street-level imagery but have beaten Google to the punch in numerous cities around the globe. That got us wondering just what we're missing from other sites over here at Google Sightseeing, so join us as we take a two-part tour of street-level imagery in places Street View hasn't reached yet!
Known as site of one of the most pivotal naval battles in history, today Midway Atoll strikes an odd balance between its military past and its tropical paradise locale. It's also one of the most remote places ever visited by Google Street View.


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Update of Raynald's SPSS Tools and his Programming and Data Management for SPSS book0 Comments Published March 31st, 2015 in IBM SPSS Statistics
The version 23 edition of Programming and Data Management book for IBM SPSS Statistics has just been released. I'm excited that this great resource has stayed up to date, and so soon after the release of version 23.
IBM developerWorks summarizes the content well: The book covers data management using the IBM SPSS Statistics command language, programming with IBM SPSS Statistics and Python or R, IBM SPSS Statistics extension commands, and IBM SPSS Statistics for SAS programmers.
Importantly, there is a ton of supporting materials including all of the source code, and it can all be found here: Programming and Data Management book
The original author of this valuable book is Raynald Levesque, although I think a number of IBMers help in keeping it up to date. His site has recently been updated with all kinds of new content. I happen to believe that unless you've been using macros for decades, you shouldn't be investing much time in them. You really should be learning python. With that caution, please do visit his wonderful site: spsstools.
SPSS Statistics 23 and SPSS Modeler 17 are Released Today0 Comments Published March 4th, 2015 in IBM SPSS Modeler, IBM SPSS Statistics
IBM has released the latest version of 23. I got to see a sneak peak at last year's IBM Insight conference so I have been excited for the release. Also, I am writing two books using version 23 to be released this year. Spatio-Temporal analysis is a big part of this year's release theme. In Modeler's release notes they are also referring to "Geospatial Analytics". The basic idea is to look at a specific defined space (zip code, county, grid zone, etc.) through the lens of slices of time. You might learn interesting things like that car break ins occur overnight, but that suburban home break ins occur during the workday. The new techniques have names like Temporal Causal Modeling and Spatio-Temporal Prediction. This is not just a single algorithm, in other words. This is a whole new analysis approach category.
An SPSS Statistic feature that is pretty exciting is expanded reporting options including the new Web Report. A Version 22 feature that I think has gotten too little attention is "Style Output" which many of us have written scripts to do. It is in the menus now, and has been for a while.
I won't attempt to review the releases here, but will try to do so within the next week or so.
The SPSS Statistics trial can be found here. Info are Version 23 (and other recent versions) new features is also on the IBM website.
Additional exciting news is that SPSS Modeler also has a trial download page, and info on the upgraded features.
My Amazon page announcing the upcoming books discusses them in more detail.
Off to IBM Insight 20140 Comments Published October 24th, 2014 in Conferences, IBM SPSS Modeler, IBM SPSS Statistics
I'm leaving for Las Vegas tonight for IBM Insight. It is one of the best chances all year to meet with the legacy SPSS Inc. folks at IBM, and learn about what is headed our way in 2015 in SPSS. Also, of course, there is always a lot of IBM news. The subtitle this year is "The Conference for Big Data and Analytics". I'm not a fan of the phrase "Big Data" as everybody who uses the term uses it differently, but I am very interested in IBM BigInsight and what it might mean for those of us that use Modeler. There are sessions about SPSS Statistics 23. There is no release announced, but I would imagine that this is an early sign that a new version is coming soon. There are no sessions for Modeler 17, so the lack of sessions might also be a hint as to where we are in the development cycle. Watson is going to have a real presence at the show.
I will be at the conference bookstore at noon on Monday to sign copies of the IBM SPSS Modeler Cookbook.
Kevin Spacey will be on hand. I love House of Cards, and I'm a fan, so that will be fun. So curious to know what the topic will be and if there are going to try to tie in his presentation into a conference theme. That might be a stretch, but he is such a pro that I'm sure it will be a good talk. No Doubt will be performing. I'm usually wiped out after a day of sessions – I go to something in almost every time slot – so I'm not sure that I will partake. They definitely try to put on a good show, though.
IBM has really formalized the process of watching from home. They call it InsightGO.
I will try to Tweet a few times a day.
A sampling from the new Cookbook0 Comments Published November 18th, 2013 in Uncategorized
PACKT has just posted an sampling of four recipes that I curated from the entire book. I think they are a fun sampling. Here I've written a little bit about my rationale for choosing the recipes that I did. Enjoy.
From Chapter Two, Data Preparation: Select I've chosen Using the Feature Selection node creatively to remove, or decapitate, perfect predictors, to illustrate this. It happens to be one of mine. It is not difficult, but it uses a key feature in an unexpected way.
From Chapter 6, Selecting and Building a Model, Next-best-offer for large data sets is our representative of the pushing the limits category. Most of the documentation of his subject uses a different approach that while workable on smaller data sets, is not scalable. We were fortunate to have Scott Mutchler contribute this recipe in addition to his fine work in Chapter 8.
From Chapter Seven, Modeling – Assessment, Evaluation, Deployment, and Monitoring, Correcting a confusion matrix for an imbalanced target variable by incorporating priors, by Dean Abbott, is a great example of the unexpected. The Balance Node is not the only way to deal with an out of balance target. Also from Chapter Seven, I've chosen Combining generated filters. This short recipe definitely invokes that reaction of "I didn't know you could do that!" It was provided by Tom Khabaza.
Announcing the IBM SPSS Modeler Cookbook2 Comments Published September 14th, 2013 in Uncategorized
Depending on how you count, it has been a two year process. It was that long ago that I asked Tom Khabaza if he would consider taking on the challenge of an Introductory Guide to SPSS Modeler (aka Clementine). We had a number of spirited discussions via Skype and a flurry of email exchanges, but we were both so busy that we barely had time to have planning meetings much less write in between them. I don't know if our busy consulting schedules made us the best candidates or the worst candidates for undertaking the first 3rd party book on the subject.
Some weeks after starting our quest, I got a LinkedIN message from an acquisitions editor at PACKT – a well established publisher of technical books in the UK. She wondered if I would consider writing a book about Modeler. I replied the same day. In fact, I replied in minutes because I had been working online. She had a very different idea for a book, however. She recommended a 'Cookbook'. A large number of small problem solving 'recipes'. Tom and I felt there was still a need for an Introductory book. (Look for it in Q1 of 2014). Nonetheless we were intrigued. Encouraged by the publisher we got to work again, but in a different direction. Believing, naively, that more authors made it easier, I recruited one more, then two more, and then, eventually, a third additional author. I can now tell you, that five authors does not make it easier. However, it does make it better. I am very proud of the results.
We cover a wide variety of topics, but all the recipes have a focus on the practical step by step application of 'tricks' or non-obvious solutions to common problems. From the Preface: "Business Understanding, while critical, is not conducive to a recipe based format. It is such an important topic, however, that it is covered in a prose appendix. Data Preparation receives the most attention with 4 chapters. Modeling is covered, in depth, in its own chapter. Since Evaluation and Deployment often use Modeler in combination with other tools, we include somewhat fewer recipes, but that does not diminish its importance. The final chapter, Modeler Scripting, is not named after CRISP-DM phase or task, but is included at the end because its recipes are the most advanced."
Perhaps our book it a bit more philosophical than most analysis or coding books. Certainly, the recipes are 90% of the material, but we absolutely insisted on the Business Understanding section: "Business objectives are the origin of every data mining solution. This may seem obvious, for how can there be a solution without an objective? Yet this statement defines the field of data mining; everything we do in data mining is informed by, and oriented towards, an objective in the business or domain in which we are operating. For this reason, defining the business objectives for a data mining project is the key first step from which everything else follows." Weighing in at 20 pages, it is a substantial addition to a substantial eight chapter book with dozens of recipes including multiple data sets, and accompanying Modeler streams.
I am also terribly proud of my coauthors. We have a kind of mutual admiration society going. I am pleased that they agreed to coauthor with me. They, I suspect, were glad that they didn't have to play the administration role that I ended up with. In the end, we produced a project where each one of us learned a great deal from the others. Our final 'coauthor' was kind enough to write a Forward for us, Colin Shearer. "The first lines of code for Clementine were written on New Years Eve 1992, at my parents' house, on a DEC Station 3100 I'd taken home for the holidays."
Colin has been a part of the story of Modeler from the very beginning, so we were terribly pleased to have him support us in this effort. All 6 of us have run into each other repeatedly over the years. The worldwide Modeler community was a very small one 15 years ago when most of us were learning Modeler. (Tom has a bit of lead on the rest of us.) With IBM's acquisition of SPSS Inc. some years ago, the community has rapidly grown. From the Forward: "The authors of this book are among the very best of these exponents, gurus who, in their brilliant and imaginative use of the tool, have pushed back the boundaries of applied analytics. By reading this book, you are learning from practitioners who have helped define the state of the art."
The book is being released in November, just a few weeks away. More information on the book, including a prerelease purchase opportunity, can be found on the PACKT website.
More information on the authors can be found here:
Scott Mutchler and I are the managers of the Advanced Analytics Team at QueBIT.
Dean Abbott is President of Abbott Analytics.
Meta Brown blogs at MetaBrown.com
More information about Tom Khabaza can be found at Khabaza.com
KDD 20130 Comments Published August 11th, 2013 in Uncategorized
After many years of trying to align my calendar and travel schedule I have finally made it. I am at kdd 2013 in Chicago.
As I have always feared, it is very academic in nature – lots of graduate student papers and the like. There is not a whole lot of focus on application here. Nonetheless I think it is important to monitor what our friends in the Computer Sciences are up to. So far I have been to a Big Data Camp and a workshop focusing on Healthcare. I have been constantly reminded of the vast gap between my clients – software end users – and the academic researchers. The distance between them is matched by the gap between the software users and their colleagues. Colleagues who don't care terribly much about the software, but must understand the solution. I feel like a fragile bridge between these very different worlds. I won't be able to justify coming every year, but I needed to experience this first hand.
Ohio State Summer Epi Classes1 Comment Published July 13th, 2013 in Uncategorized
My calendar has finally allowed me to attend the Ohio State Center for Public Health Practice's summer program. They had one full length weekend course. I just complete the first day of David Hosmer's Survival Analysis class. The class follows the content of his text (coauthored with Stanley Lemeshow and Susanne May).
The class is bit intense to be honest at more than 200 slides per day, and clocking in at almost 8 hours of content. There are breaks, of course, but class started at 8:30 and ended at just a few minutes to 5. Since most reading my blog would be in industry and coming off a full week be forewarned. Having issued the warning, however, I learned a great deal. I've taught chapter length treatments of this subject in SPSS Inc's old three day Advanced Stats class. That 90 minutes of material clearly had to leave plenty of detail out. Even at a full two days, Dr. Hosmer has to leave plenty of material out of the discussion. Some of the highlights of the experience included learning more about options in Stata and SAS, and when not to trust defaults – topics that just didn't fit my presentation on the subject.
I expect to post again when I've had a chance to reduce some of my lessons learned to writing. In the meantime make a note to check out the 2014 program! It is held around this time of year each year.
My take on IBM's new SPSS Analytic Catalyst0 Comments Published June 19th, 2013 in Data Mining, SPSS Inc., Stats
IBM has just released a new SPSS brand product. I have numerous friends in the SPSS community, and I have been a frequent beta tester, but I didn't know in advance about this release. It does resemble something that I saw demonstrated at last year's IOD. What to make of this product? It is web based, and looks pretty slick: Analytic Catalyst. There is also a video on YouTube. I like the visuals, and I agree that it looks easy to use. I'm anxious to try it, and might recommend it in certain client situations.
Never forgetting that the lion's share of a Data Mining project's labor is spent on Data Prep, and since I've never been on a project that didn't need Data Prep, I think that a tool like this is most useful after a successful Data Mining project is complete. For instance, I worked like crazy on a recent churn project, but after the project the marketing manager had to explore high churn segments to come up with intervention strategies. This could be used for that purpose. Or perhaps 'repurposed' for that since the video seems to indicate that it would be used in the early stages of a project.
My reaction, not a concern exactly, is the premise. It seems to assume that the problem is business users tapping directly into Big Data to explore it, searching for 'insight'. I don't think most organizations need more insight. I think they need more deployed solutions – solutions that have been validated that are inserted into the day to day running of the business. My two cents.
New Role at QueBIT Consulting0 Comments Published May 20th, 2013 in Uncategorized
As of today, I have joined QueBIT Consulting as VP and General Manager of the Advanced Analytics team. I will have the exciting task of building a world class team of SPSS Experts. Joining the team with me will be Scott Mutchler of Big Sky Analytics
Here is today's press release.
Reflections on Statistical Non-Significance3 Comments Published December 5th, 2011 in Stats
Statistical Hypothesis testing does an OK job at avoiding proving the presence of effects, but it does a mediocre job (or worse) at disproving them. There are a lot of reasons for this, poor training among them, but it is largely systemic. I spent my Thanksgiving morning watching the "Vanishing of the Bees," and my mind kept drifting to thoughts of Type II error. I know. I can grasp the obvious … maybe I need a break.
I don't have any biological expertise in evaluating, in detail, the research on either side of the fascinating Colony Collapse Disorder debate, but I am always suspicious of negative findings of any kind unless I can read the research. In the case of this documentary, they claim (a claim that is perhaps biased) that pesticides were determined to be safe after administering a fairly large dose to an adult bee, and determining that the adult bee did not die during the research period. Was that enough? I can't speak to the biology/ecology research, but it got me thinking about Type II.
We know well the magnitude of the risk we face in committing Type I, and it is trained into us to the point of obsession. When meeting analysts wearing this obsession on their sleeve, reminding everyone who will listen, leveling their wrath on marketing researchers daring to use exploratory techniques, I am often tempted to ask about controlling for Type II. I am often underwhelmed with the reply. There are just so many things that can go wrong when you get a non-significant result. Although I wrote about something similar in my most recent post, I'm am compelled to reduce my thoughts to writing again:
1) The effect can be too small for the sample size. Ironically, the problem is usually the opposite. Often researchers don't have enough data even thought the effect is reasonably big. In this case, I was persuaded by the documentary's argument that bee "birth defects" would be a serious effect. Maybe short term adult death was not subtle enough. More subtle would require more data.
2) The effect can be delayed. My own works doesn't involve bees, but what about the effect of marketing? Do we always know when a promotion will kick in? Are we still experiencing the effects of last quarter's campaign? Does that cloud our ability to measure the current campaign? Might the effects overlap?
3) The effect could be hidden in an untested interaction (AKA your model is too simple). The bee documentary proposed an easy to grasp hypothesis – that the pesticide accumulates over time in the adult bee. Maybe a proximity * time interaction? We may never know, but was the sample size sufficient to test for interactions, or was Power Analysis done assuming only main effects. Since they were studying bee autopsies the sample size was probably small. I don't know the going rate for a bee autopsy, but they are probably a bit expensive since the expertise would seem rare.
4) Or its hidden in a tested interaction (AKA your model is too complex). I had a traumatic experience years ago when a friend asked me what "negative degrees of freedom" were. Since she was not able to produce a satisfactory answer to a query regarding her hypothesized interactions, her dissertation committee required here to "do all of them". Enough said. It was horrible.
5) The effect might simply be, and what could be more obvious, not hypothesized. This, we might agree, is the real issue regarding the adult bee death hypothesis. It may not have been the real problem at all.
Statistics doesn't help you find answers. Not really. It only helps you prove a hypothesis. When you are lucky, you might be able to disprove one. Often, we have to simply "fail to prove". In any case, I recommend the documentary. Now that I've been able to vent a bit about Type II, I should watch it again and focus more of my attention on the bees.
I am an independent Statistics and Data Mining trainer. I keep pretty busy teaching people how to use related software. I also consult when I can because I love using real data and producing results that will be put to immediate use. Read More
- Update of Raynald's SPSS Tools and his Programming and Data Management for SPSS book
- SPSS Statistics 23 and SPSS Modeler 17 are Released Today
- Off to IBM Insight 2014
- A sampling from the new Cookbook
- Announcing the IBM SPSS Modeler Cookbook
- Ohio State Summer Epi Classes
- My take on IBM's new SPSS Analytic Catalyst
- New Role at QueBIT Consulting
- Reflections on Statistical Non-Significance