text:
Town Square
Why was Emily Harrison suspended?
Original post made by Diana Diamond, Palo Alto Online blogger, on Mar 28, 2007
Of course it's a personnel matter, but that doesn't mean the council and the public don't have a right to know what happened to the person that is second in command in this city. In fact, when Benest is out of town, as has frequently happened, it is Harrison who is running this city. As the governing board in the city, the council is expected and entitled to know exactly what happened to a sometimes acting city manager and why the discipline was imposed.
The public and the press were not notified of the suspension. Someone sent an anonymous note to the Weekly, and that is the way the newspaper learned about it a couple days later.
I don't buy the "personnel" excuse. Yes, public employees have some privacy, but when wrongdoings are involved, the public's right to know trumps the privacy issue. I have been told that there is case law that says once a public employee has been officially investigated and discipline has occurred, the "personnel" protection no longer applies.
At the federal level, we are now going through an examination of why eight prosecutors were fired by the U.S. attorney general. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez originally said it was for "poor performance" but Congress is now learning it may have been for political reasons. "Personnel matter" doesn't seem to be an excuse at the federal level.
In Harrison's case, evidently there was a run-in with another employee at some point, and a complaint was lodged, but that doesn't tell us much. What exactly happened and why did that lead to a three-week suspension without pay? Disagreements can frequently occur on a job, and they normally don't result in suspensions, particularly suspensions without pay. (Two Palo Alto police officers, Kahn and Lee, were involved a couple of years ago in a case where a black man was harassed. They were suspended with pay before and during the trial.)
Were there complaints about Harrison? Or is she being treated unfairly? Did Benest overreact? Or is the three-week suspension an indication that there is more at stake here and that perhaps Harrison is on her way out?
Palo Alto residents should not have to speculate about what happened.. At the very least, I think Benest should have immediately released an announcement on the suspension, including the reasons for it, and be around to answer questions. The public has a right to know, particularly since Harrison has been running the city.
It's all part of being an open government.
a resident of Palo Alto Hills
on Mar 28, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I agree with Ms. Diamond. There is entirely too much secrecy at city hall justified under the rubric of "personnel matters".
We never found out everything about the Utilities Department scandal, and much of what was disclosed only came about after the city fought a protracted legal battle with the newspapers on First Amendment issues.
And it's always puzzled me why the city was on the side of those who wanted to hide the facts in the Utilities matter in the first place. It seems to me that the city's interest, and the interests of the residents, were on the side of openness and disclosure. That's the side the city attorney should have been arguing.
If the employees' union thinks there's some subsidiary or parochial interest that trumps the First Amendment and the public's right to know, let them defend that in court. I'd rather see my city arguing that they have nothing to hide from the public.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 28, 2007 at 2:38 pm
well, this is no surprise--I am sure Benest (who really runs the city) told the City Council that they do not need to know the details and they , of course, went along with what he said, as they usually do.
My feelings is that what happened with Harrison should be made public knowledge,since she is paid by us, the taxpayers. However, since the City Council went to extraordinary lengths to keep us from learning about the malfeasance going on at the Utilities Department, it is no surprise that we will be kept in the dark about this matter as well.
obviously the City Council wishes to avoid any conflict so they will hope that this matter will be swept under the rug so that they can focus on climate change.
a resident of Community Center
on Mar 28, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Hush little baby... you live in Palo Alto.
a resident of Community Center
on Mar 28, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Yoriko: Time to ask the right questions as you did before.
PA Weekly: get ready to file a Freedom of Info lawsuite in 1 month.
PA System works you know the game.
a resident of Crescent Park
on Mar 28, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Emily has been a very active Assistant City Manager. Many question in fact what Frank actually does. Could be Frank over-reacted to a personal issue that someone has or had with Emily . As the article stated, she is tough and makes tough decisions. I'd like to know if the person who filed the complaint has an axe to grind.
I agree the City should be more transparent. How about letting us know why Emily was suspended, and who filed the complaint. Of course it will eventually all be revealed. People talk.
a resident of Midtown
on Mar 28, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I imagine the council and Frank Benest wanted to avoid the Weekly's usual Saxon justice: i.e. trial by ordeal. I can hardly blame them for not revealing a personnel issue. Believe it or not, even city employees are entitiled to some rights and privacy.
a resident of University South
on Mar 28, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Others have said it. Emily Harrison runs the city - and does a darn good job. When the city manager was not able to function because of personal and health problems, we didn't miss a beat.
The Weekly says she is "willing to own part of the grievance, but not all of it". This doesn't sound like a holdover from her strong take-charge effort with the Utilities Dept. Emily does not suffer fools gladly, and I think she called someone to task.
Why this veil of secrecy since it will all come out in the end? Let us know now what occurs in our timid city government.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 28, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Given the city's inclination toward exonerating its own, I suspect there must be something really serious going on here. A suspension would not be given without good reason. This could be the tip of the iceberg.
a resident of another community
on Mar 29, 2007 at 10:33 am
I have had deals with the City of Palo Alto for many years..As I have stated before. I was a firefighter/Paramedic for 20 years in Palo Alto..I have tried to bring this to the public with very little luck..Talked with Diana,who felt that things should be looked at,however,she had no time to do so..State and Federal laws broken over and over again..The publics safety disregaurded..[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] Millions of $ wasted and covered up..A budget that was a free for once signed... One small story..I was working at my fire Station #7 at SLAC..We had a brush fire rig.This is a 4x4 pickup truck with a water pump..We where called to respond to a brush fire along Highway 280..With other local Departments..This truck was in very poor working order,had been for years..This had been reported over and over..When we tried to use the water pump to stop the spread of the fire it would not work,as it had failed to do so many times in the past..We watched the fire burn past us unable to do anything.Spreading it start heading up the hill..I kick the pump over and over again until it started,which was to late..I was on duty for the Los Altos hill fire many years ago..I thought here we go again..40 foot walls of fire moving towards homes worth millions,peoples lives in danger,firefighters lives also..Then like magic this fire that we watched move past us out of control unable to do a thing about ..Started to go out??? It had burned into a natural spring that had not yet dried up..Thank GOD or someone/thing for this.. A new truck had been purchased to replace this one, 1 year before.. The city lost it,oops misplaced it..It took 1 more year to put this new truck into service..So the NEW truck was 2 plus years old when it went into service..Ask the citizens that live west of 280 how they fell about this..Try keeping your fingers crossed for two years??? This is not a limited incident..It is one of many...YOU must stop this..PLEASE help ME to help YOU..IT MUST BE STOPPED!!!!!
a resident of another community
on Mar 29, 2007 at 10:47 am
City workers are not covered by The First Amendment.. If you speak out they can fire you...As some of the threats I received in the past informed me of.. Would this equal {TOUGH}??.. Whistel blowers is what there are called..In Palo Alto it is whistel blowers season 24 hours a day,365 days a year..
a resident of College Terrace
on Mar 29, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Again, we have more sensationalistic journalism that is much ado about nothing. No laws were broken, differences occured, someone was disciplined...period.
Isn't that enough?
What saddens me about journalism these days (if one can call Diana's latest column "journalism") is that it is so much about innuendo and circumstantial guesswork - all in
service to grabbing the attention of people (myself included) who are willing to weigh in?
Diana, as we all know, was removed from a prior management position at a local newspaper. Was that because she was incompetent? Probably not. Most likely, it was a politically motivated removal. That must have hurt, a lot. From that lesson, one would think that diving into the tiny, embarrassing details of personal disagreements at city hall would be beyond Diana's pen - details that tend to level embarrassing hurt - but I guess not.
It's enough for an executive to have to live with the public embarrassment of suspension, but I guess that isn't enough for some.
The constant attacks on management personnel and city workers in Diana's column - attacks that cannot be parried by those who are put under attack, is nothing but shameful, and says something about the author of those attacks that bears examination, and the newspaper editors that let them into its pages. The latter might begin to rethink what kind of message it sends to our city by letting this stuff publish, and further consider how the otherwise fine work that they do is severely counterweighted by this sort of trash. Or, is it all about "the money"?
The last series of blog posts placed here by Diana have been lean on detail, and more about personal attack. Frankly, I;m surprised that the Weekly's editors, who put so much weight on measured discussion, would permit columns like this from Diana, because they do nothing but stoke distrust of city officials and managers. Would the editors want this kind of scrutiny in their positions?
Frankly, if I was a city employee here, I would begin to wonder if it was all worth it.
This is what happens when a newspaper wants to be "cool", and create "contoversial" subject matter. It's a disgrace, and edges into the territory that a now-reformed competitor (PADN) used to own, It looks like the Weekly wants to own some of the territory that a now-more-enlightened PADN has given up. Something to think about.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 29, 2007 at 1:24 pm
ms Harrison is a public employee--paid by us, the taxpayers. She has been suspended without pay for 3 weeks--I think we are owed an explanation for why she was suspended. Apparently this was all kept a secret and only an anonymous note to the Weekly allowed us, the public, to be informed of this.
It looks like Benest and the City council feel that they operate under a cloak of secrecy and they are not accoutable to the citizens of Palo Alt.
Kudos to Ms Diamond for her columns and her other columns for keeping usinformed about the continued hank panky going on at city hall.
a resident of Palo Alto Hills
on Mar 29, 2007 at 1:25 pm
If the city would just release the details of this matter, there would be none of the suspicion innuendo and the like that Mike complains of.
Is it not clear to all public officials that when you appear to be hiding something, as the city does in this case, that people assume the worst?
Do we know that "no laws were broken"? Nope because the city won't release the facts.
Circumstantial Guesswork? Yep because that's all we have to go on in the absence of release of the facts.
Stories in the press that are lean on detail? Release the detail, and we won't have to worry about what the detail is.
Distrust of city officials? Tell us the facts, and then we won't have to "trust".
This is what happens when a newspaper wants to be "cool", and create "controversial" subject matter. ? Hmm..I bet for most readers that beats hands down the alternative "lapdog journalism the Weekly has been accused of for so long . The press's main function in the political arena is to be a watchdog over the branches of government.
Bravo Weekly and thanks Diana
a resident of College Terrace
on Mar 29, 2007 at 1:38 pm
All, perhaps a read-through of Donne's "For Whom the Bell Tolls"?
a resident of another community
on Mar 29, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Mr Mike...If a person any person in the City of Palo Alto was suspended for three weeks without pay for "differances" plain differances that would be a crime and laws broken..I do not think that a person in Emilys position who is so tough would sit back and do nothing.Do you?? Are you sure no Laws where broken??Details come from the City..The City that goes to court to keep details from the public.I was attacked while on duty bye one of the two people, the only two people to cover up for the City in the Sandbag scandel.The two that both where promoted to Captains the very next test..Laws where broken in this case.[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] He got 3 days without pay.This was not his first,second or third incident. You or I do not have enough finger and would most likely run out of toes trying to count..So I ask myself what could she have done for THREE WEEKS??? You are so very correct about wondering if it is worth it..The constant attackes I saw where from the Management on the City workers..I do agree with you some what about Diana.I have tried to speak up for the City workers with very little luck..I will offer my case to the public without court protection..You can ask any questions you like Mike.. In a open public format.Maybe a City Counsel Meeting??When one is treated like trash,with laws broken along the way. Having an axe to grind might be something you would have also..How I understand the last part of your reply "would permit" meaning Censorship??? Mike please ask Frank,Emily and the members of the City Counsel Who,What and why about Firefighter/Paramedic [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] ..That is myself..I give you my permission..Better yet lets wait for Emily to return and we all will meet in front of the open public...As I have said before the view from the inside out is much differant than from the outside in..
a resident of another community
on Mar 29, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Mr Mike if YOU have a AXE to grind with Diana that is your issue..Personal issue..Stick to that..I do not think Diana has cost the City Millions of $$$$ and endangered there safety,laughing all the way to the bank.Playing the fool out of the citizens along the way..As for talking about City Workers I was one for 20 years..Maybe you should gather some facts from them and not guess at what it was like.[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of College Terrace
on Mar 29, 2007 at 4:27 pm
It's understood that there are internal politics at play in EVERY organization. It's a fact that those politics often play out as severe personal differences that for whatever reason are not successfully mediated, and result in either organizational dysfunction, or an abuse of power.
Emily Harris has been suspended by the person she reports to. That should be enough.
The City Manager is charged with being the final arbiter of claims made by subordinates against superiors. It appears that our Citty Manager took the actinos that he thought were appropriate. If those actions were highly questionable, or illegal, stronger measures would have been put into play. They weren't.
Anyone who claims to need to know more about this has one or two agendas: either they simply don't trust city management, or they're "out to get" city management. I would advise all citizens to avoid the latter category of attacker/complainers, and ask themselves what motivates such a lack of trust from the former group. What underlies their mistrust? Is it a congenital thing? After all, some people are simply not trusting of others. Or, is it a genuine need to know more, for reasons that will make our city better.
If we're talking about the last case, how will knwoing more about this help out city to move forward? How will it help to preserve the respect that a suspended executive requires when returning from a suspension? How will it help those who would hinder the operation of government by feeding on innuendo, or magnifying the truth to an ugly scenario - as long as it serves their purpose...in this case, to get column inches.
This is a "small" inquiry, at best cheap in its leaning toward gossip and innuendo, and at most harmful to the operation of city government.
a resident of another community
on Mar 29, 2007 at 6:05 pm
The answer is in your responce..TRUST...Or lack of.. If you trust ..Then let the people talk...Make an arena for them to talk...The TRUTH will set you free P>S Read a book on HITLER Maybe your bell will ring a differant tone???? I think he believed in personal differences equal punishment...Ask someone who is Jewish..
a resident of Palo Alto Hills
on Mar 29, 2007 at 6:49 pm
One need not have all the ulterior motives Mike attributes to those on the other side from him in this matter to be in favor of openness in government.
All he says about this being an appropriately handled personnel matter may very well be true. But all the evils he cites - increased innuendo, harm to the city from gossip, questions about the City Manager's action, lack of trust in city management, etc. - can be eliminated by just putting out the facts.
Mike says that the city manager took actions that were appropriate and that if his actions were questionable or illegal, then stronger actions would have been taken. But this assumes too much. The very purpose of illuminating the actions of government officials is so that citizens can judge their appropriateness.
Mike has no more basis to defend the actions of city officials in this case than any of the rest of us do to condemn them.
Which is why whatever your opinion of city officials - in favor or against - you should be FOR openness and fresh air.
No doubt it's true that some on this forum prejudge anything done by the city. Keeping secrets only serves to deepen this prejudice. Putting the facts out in the open will give defenders of city hall some ammunition if everything is as appropriate as Mike says. And knowledge that the public is watching will serve as a brake to any city official who is ever tempted to do the wrong thing.
So let's not cast aspersions on city officials for the actions they take until the facts are out. And let's not condemn citizens or the press for wanting those facts to come out either.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 29, 2007 at 6:59 pm
SOMEBODY knows what is going on, since an annonymous note was passed to the Weekly. The facts WILL emerge, but it might get messy, unless the City shines some sunlight on the issue.
a resident of College Terrace
on Mar 29, 2007 at 7:08 pm
As usual, we see a few local residents assuming the worst. Hopefully, our City Council members will ignore requests for further public information in this matter.
It's also notable that the Weekly itself is not clamouring for more information. Instead, they let Diana put out her puff piece to draw out those who mostly don't trust government, under any circumstances.
a resident of Professorville
on Mar 29, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Mike, is this what you really want:
City Hall to Citizens:
"Badges? We don't got to show you no stinking badges!"
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 29, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Are you suggesting that the Weekly knows the real story, but is suppressing it? The Weekly SHOULD be clamouring for more information, unless they know the real story and have decided to be part of the cover up.
A three week suspension of a top Palo Alto official, without pay, is a MAJOR story, period. There is something BIG going on here.
a resident of Palo Alto Hills
on Mar 29, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Maybe people who assert that the city should be more open really think the city should be more open - and don't say that just because they hate city employees.
Mike would gain a lot more converts to his side if he weren't constantly attacking the motives of those with whom he disagrees. But maybe that's not his goal.
a resident of Palo Alto Orchards
on Mar 29, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Here is a familiar game that played out not too long ago:
People asked whatever happened in the Utilities dept.
Why did Ulrich leave/resign ?
- it is a personnel matter can't disclose
Weekly says this is open govt.
- it is a personnel matter
Weekly sues.
- oops now we lose. Here take this information - and btw we will also pay for you attorney fees.
a resident of Ventura
on Mar 29, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Sorry to say that I don't buy that line about the public having a right to know everything because we pay their salaries. I don't have any particular information about this example, but in general, I think that we taxpayers have a right to know policies and we have a right to expect oversight. We don't necessarily have a *right* to know what's in the individual's file, unless criminal charges are filed which are public records. Let's make a distinction between our rights and our preferences. It may be that it's unwise to try to keep this under wraps. Perhaps rumors are worse than truth, and perhaps it's a waste of time to resist the inevitable. But arguing that line is different from claiming rights.
I do think we have the right to ask by what guidelines or policies these actions are governed. We have a right to demand oversight by our elected officials. However, as a general guideline, I don't think our rights extend to having personal information about a case in which there were no criminal charges and no harm done to the public. A public employee should not have to give up all privacy regarding their work. There are many matters in the workplace for which there is no compelling reason to invite public exposure and scrutiny, for which the consequences and remedies can be handled internally and supervised through the "chain of command." If you suspect there's a systemic problem, then take it up with those responsible for the system.
a resident of College Terrace
on Mar 30, 2007 at 3:40 am
[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] Diana is asking the right questions. Our city government is too secret. I remember several years ago when we won a "good government" award for providing information to the public. That changed when Benest arrived. Now it's like Dick Cheney is city manager. Here's what I'd like to know --- -- who suspended Harrison and why? It was either Gary Baum or Benest. -- Why? What kind of a "run in" are they talking about? Did somebody grab somebody? Or were strong words exchanged? -- i've gotten the impression that Frank Benest was going to retire soon, maybe right before this fall's election so that the new council could pick their own manager. How does that affect his departure? Frankly (pardon the pun), I don't want this controversy to delay Benest's departure. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of another community
on Mar 30, 2007 at 8:55 am
As another local government employee who has worked for many local governments (including the City of Palo Alto), government employees are under constant scrutiny for all actions completed. If the matter was a personal matter, it should remain as a personal matter. What a person does that is "personal" has nothing to do with who pays them, it is clearly "personal." It is no ones business no matter who writes your paycheck. Public employyes are under the spotlight 24/7, give Ms Harrison a break, she is an outstanding, educated, hard working, professional employee who is an asset to the City. Ms Harrison's tenure and devotion to the City superceeds anyone I have come into contact with in the 5 plus local goverments I have worked with. I would be more concerned she is not around the 3 weeks providing the City of Palo Alto citizens her outstanding services.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 30, 2007 at 9:43 am
If the "private" misbehavior involves a subordinate, is it still private? A modern manager gives up a lot in terms of personal engagement with his/her subordinates. If there is no reporting relationship, then I tend to agree with you - personal behavior can be judged according to it appropriateness, but it is still "private".
For instance, if Ms. Harrison had a spat with, say, someone in the police department or utilities department, then that should be of public interest, because she handles many police and utility department issues.
a resident of another community
on Mar 30, 2007 at 11:46 am
The key word is PRIVATE?PERSONAL?...Who makes the rules& regs for what .. PRIVATE/PERSONAL..means? Would it still be PRIVATE if the facts/truth was told without Names and faces.. Lists of REAL facts,without the names? Might work also??? Or is PERSONAL/PRIVATE a net to trap the truth????
a resident of Palo Alto Hills
on Mar 30, 2007 at 11:57 am
SkepticAl may be correct. However his line of argument (that the public has no "right" to know) is exactly what was argued by the city in the Utilities case. The city lost. The city released the information under threat of court sanction. The taxpayers footed the bill both for the city attorney's attempt to keep secret information about city hall operations - and for the Weekly's attorneys who were on the side of the public's right to know.
I still don't understand why the city attorney should have been arguing in court that the public had no right to know. It seems like he should have been on our side. If the unions or affected employees think there is a reason that information should not be released, let them argue that - and pay the legal fees. But I think the city attorney was on the side of the bad guys in this one. Why?
Where this penchant for secrecy at city hall comes from is hard to fathom, but it is not good for the commonweal, or for removing the ever-growing barriers between the citizens and the governing establishment in town.
a resident of another community
on Mar 30, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Lets not forget all the Citys efforts in the employee's email,newsletters and letters from the City Managers office..Selling to them that this Personal/Private info was Harmful??? Oh yea lets no forget the Firefighters union also...tried to sell that this was harmful.. I still wonder very much about , Mr Vinson??? Maybe it would be nice to start a list...Then stick a $$$$$ amount to this list... Think one could cover the 3 mill need now many times over..Just it the Fire Department, we could cover maybe half of it in one program that was funded,equipment purchased for,staffing increased and a starting date given..That never was????Failed and scrapped before it ever was..The only thing it was ,was paid for.. Maybe Frank or the members of the city counsel or Past Fire Chief should pay that $$$$$ back????? Or maybe that is covered under PERSONAL/PRIVATE... Think the above names would feel that way??? What was that??? Hush little baby,don't ask why??? Palo Alto Citizen will just cry why.. Then we will have to go to court again..
a resident of College Terrace
on Mar 30, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Looks like some people really have an axe to grind. Lots of sour grapes and no substance here. Time to move on...
Diana, try deep sea fishing for a change, instead of trolling the local tidepools for minows and guppies.
a resident of another community
on Mar 30, 2007 at 6:29 pm
No substance??? Have you looked??? Has the City looked..Has the public been given the facts to judge for themselfs?? Move on, I think thats what people who have something to hide would say??? and want.. Substance..Are there 2 Hi-tech Fire Engines that where built to be transport Engines in the City of Palo Alto, Yes... Are they the most expensive Engines the City has ever bought...Yes...Is there a program for theses Engines to be used in... No... Did the Fire department work on this program for many years and spend much more than 1 million $$$$ on it...yes.. So where is the program??? Do noy have one.. Where is the agreement from the union to staff this program?? The City never got one..Tried after spending millions of $$$ and years of work/labor from City employees.. Do the firefighters like or think these Engines are safe??... No.. Would you like to see them???? You can...Would you like to read the reports on how unsafe they are??You can,I have them.. I think that is substance???? Do you want your life or home dependent on these Engines...Well Mike...Do ya...???? Ask the City Counsel or Manager about this program..Think they will give you the information... Move on up to city hall 8th floor and ask...Mike I do not think you would know what substance is ,Or want to know...Star the list,then investigate..To find substance...Not to hard to find 2 ,30 thousand pound Engines.Thats a whole lot of substance...And the tip of much more...Lets start a list.. City/department wide list...
a resident of another community
on Mar 31, 2007 at 10:16 am
One more for the books..I will make it short and get right to the $$$$ and cents..Maybe at a city counsel meeting we can go step bye step. Bye as in $$$$ wasted..Years ago A plane crashed in the marshland near the airport..In the mud..We the Fire Department responded to the incident..Unable to do little to help for we had no program in place for a airport that had been there for 40-50 years??? The Chief puts together a program with a boat,boats need water to float..Program looks go on paper..Program never rescues a person.Firefighters get stuck in the mud at least 10-12 times..Have to wait for the tide to come in..This means the city is down one engine company.. The program is not supported with real trainning and falls apart but stays on the books and the budget getting funded with $$$$ ??? Where did the $$$ go??? Then Frank states that the Water Rescue program will be cut from the budget,this will save 145,000$$$ .This money already had been cut in the real world of services to the public years before..This program left a unsafe trap for Firefighters at best..Oh but still looks good on paper.. How and where do you save money that never got to where in was going..Where did the money go..Who covered it up??? Now Frank will say that the money was saved in trainning.. NOT TRUE.. The trainning $$$$ that where spent where on paper only..You see we train while at work on duty..This money is paid to us in wages..We get paid this money even if we do not train. This is part of the daily staffing,we are there anyway... Now where do you save 145,000 $$$$$. Yes the boat for a program that is unsafe,not legal and was cut from the budget is still at Station #3.. Maybe Frank things Marine World will be coming back and he can make a little extra money with a water skiing show..Where did the 145,000 a year for 3-4 years go????? Just asking Frank..Well City Counsel...I know back to court we go...
a resident of College Terrace
on Mar 31, 2007 at 11:07 am
To Fireman:
Did'nt you quit your job with the city and then four days later come beggging for your job back.
Remember, there is always two sides to every story.
a resident of another community
on Mar 31, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Well Mike in a nut shell yes,your NUT shell.. Look back at your reply above {{I would begin to wonder if it was all worth it}} Sound like something you might have written... Yes I wondered..I put my letter in to resign, then on the day this was to take effect I ask to remove this letter..This was done by someone in the past,her letter was given back to her in the cheifs office.. The City reply was maybe lets have you jump through some hoops,,I jumped. I was told two times with a witness present that I would be returnning to work.Then they change there mind.In aletter sent to my home.Not in person. I am now dealing with the city..You see they want to use the citizens money to shut me up..You see I was a whiste blower and they can not have that..You have seemed to take intrest in my case..Lets go walking hand in hand up to City hall,see Frank and the Counsel and ask if we can have a chat with them about myself..Lets not forget the public.. Its a long story with the city breaking the law along the way many times.. As I was told..It makes no differance if I am right.They are the City of Palo Alto they have more money,lawyers and no life to live and they will break me!!! Oh that hand you might be holding has done many things for the Citizens for Palo Alto..Ever have to wash brains from a citizen who was run over with a car off your hands??? Ever have to speak or deal with someone who's wife,husband,child,mother,father,etc has just been kill..Ever hold a dead baby in your arms..The list goes on..I will spare you for I try not to remember..Then with these job related hazards ,deal with the City of Palo Alto...Now lets see I go to a doctor he looks at my medical history,x-rays and takes a MRI... Well Mr Jentzsch you need a new shoulder joint..That means replaced.. The City doctor or duck.. Looks at no medical reports,takes no x-rays ,no MRI and reports that I have carpal tunnel syndrome...??? As I said before I work for the citizens of Palo Alto for 20 years..Saved many lives,put myself in harms way..That means risked my life and have done things that I wonder if you would or could do..What have you done for the citizens?????? Its about substance Mike.. When would you like to go ask Frank and the City counsel to talk about me in front of the public and someone who could bring legal action against the city...Or are you sure no LAWS have been broken...Just BENT??? Have you ever seen or heard one employee group say how nice the City has been to work for or with.. If you think the City has nothing to hide??write to Frank and the Counsel..Then let me know where and when I and the Public should show up..How many copies of the SUBSTANCE would you like???? A little information is dangeres..A little closed mind is fatal.... WHERE and WHEN???
a resident of another community
on Mar 31, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Open to all... I have many things written down on paper about life in the Palo Alto Fire department/City of Palo Alto,,People who also where members wanting to talk,present members who would talk if it was safe for them to do so,,Thousands of Department Emails and reports.. It is a huge amount of information..If anyone would like to see it let me know,,Pass it on to a person you think might be interested..I hope that someone would like to ask why.. How could all this have happened and how could all this be covered up.. Two short storys.. One about Morphine a drug that is a controled substance..Well not in the Palo Alto Fire Department..Morphine like all controled substances must be controled/gaurded.The federal government sets the rules PAFD/CPA do not seem to floow rules..The Fire department upper managment did not want to spend the 200 to 300 hundred dollars to buy a safe or secure lock bock..So we where told to keep it in a wood cabinet that was in a room that had two doors and was most of the time open where the public could walk right in.. The lock on this cabinet was a joke.you could also pull on the door and reach in and grab anything you wanted in there..Pay a Million for a study but not 200/300 dollars to follow the law..Well that along with mismanagement we have 80 to 120 mg of Morphine missing or unaccounted for..Maybe more after awhile you stop caring..Then when we promote a new Chief for the medical part of the Fire Deopartment his first job was to cover it up on paper of course..Then be impressed with himself on how slick of a job he had done doing so.. See you have to know how to play the game in the PAFD to get ahead and not wonder if it is all worth it.. Second..A female empolyee of the City working in the Fire Department but,not a member of the Department was feeling uncomfortable about how some of the Firefighters where treating her..She started to close the door to her office.. Things went up to the management about this..The person who now is the Chief ordered the door to be removed and stated that the employee had no right to close the door. That this was not her private office and she had no right to think she could close the door.. So lets just take it off..Now if you the public thing you get no answers we the employees also get no answers.. Remember PERSONAL?PRIVATE?
a resident of Crescent Park
on Mar 31, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Correct me if I'm wrong- but when did this posting become a Fire Department issue?? I thought it was about the Assistant City Manager being put on a 3 week suspended (without pay) leave!?!? I'm lost!!
a resident of another community
on Mar 31, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Sorry Tim, it expanded... However it all has to do with the City and there leaders,also on the Public getting kept in the dark..Kind of zeroed in on the City manager and Counsel.. Tim you can post whatever you would like about the suspension.. People will still see it..They will just get alittle more information about what has been going on for along time..Have anything to say..Or trying to steer.... Tim do you know where the money went,or way millions where spent on a program that the city does not have?????
a resident of another community
on Mar 31, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Tim maybe if the City leaders where more truthful and open with there information it would not end up like this??? Now if Frank or the City Counsel would do that to Emily, What would they do to a small fish employee like myself????
a resident of another community
on Mar 31, 2007 at 8:22 pm
You resigned, and the city has the right to accept your resignation.
I sense a lot of anger about the consequences of a choice you made.
Sorry it worked out poorly for you.
a resident of Barron Park
on Apr 1, 2007 at 1:50 am
Though this discussion has drifted in a different direction, I'd like to go back to the management of the city. In my very limited contact with Mr. Frank Benest, I got the impression that he was just a "figure head" -- somebody who was to provide a few "sound bites" but was leaving all of the details up to Emily Harrison. When it came time to get down to details, I worked with her. Emily was extremly professional, courteous and informed. She seemed to be a much better City Manager than Mr. Benest, who impressed me as a "blowhard." Maybe -- and this is speculation -- Mr. Benest came down on Emily harder than necessary in order to eliminate an hair apparent, so that he could keep the top job. I know there have been rumblings that City Council wanted to fire Mr. Benest, but those in favor of firing had only 4 of the 9 votes on Council. Perhaps Ms. Harrison's departure was an insurance policy for Mr. Benest. Again, this is just speculation. But unfortunately, that's what we're left to do given the paucity of information being released by OUR city government about this very important situation.
a resident of Community Center
on Apr 1, 2007 at 10:33 am
Well said Luis. Thanks for your candid appraisal/opinion/comments....and for bringing the topic at hand back into focus.
Fireman: sounds like you have had some bitter moments with folks downtown. Thanks for sharing as well. Hopefully this forum has allowed you to at least let go of some of the anger that you seem to hold. I hope that you can move on from this episode. Keep up the good work. Thanks for caring/sharing. More power to you.
a resident of another community
on Apr 1, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Lets get real. Three weeks without pay is a MAJOR sanction. The next level would have been termination. Whatever happended had to be very serious indeed to justify this kind of punishment.
a resident of another community
on Apr 1, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Mike said:
Looks like some people really have an axe to grind. Lots of sour grapes and no substance here. Time to move on...
Diana, try deep sea fishing for a change, instead of trolling the local tidepools for minows and guppies.
Posted by Mike, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Mar 30, 2007 at 3:13pm
Then he says he doesn't insult anyone. MikeAnnaVeritas RWE JeremyNot so Fast, JL,Pubicus and who knows what else, you are a TROLL.
Note to other people: Don't feed the troll ! (DFT)
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Apr 2, 2007 at 6:08 am
To DFT--just for the record, I am not Mike/Anna/Veritas/RWE/ Jeremy/Jl or whomever else you think. I post under that name not under any others.
Not sure why you find it hard to believe that more than one person can have an opinion that is different than yours.
As a matter of fact, I completely disagree with Mike regarding the proposed bond measures, something you would have seen had you read my posts in this and other threads.
a resident of College Terrace
on Apr 3, 2007 at 1:05 pm
All this yammering over a three week suspension...yawn.
Is the city still running? Are you getting power to your home? Are the streets open for traffic?
The fact is that Emily Harrison is a very competent administrator. She made a mistake and has been disciplined for it. So? Time to move on...se la vie...
a resident of College Terrace
on Apr 3, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Veritas, you're probably right; it was most likely a serious internal *personnel* matter. As long as no laws were broken, it *needs* to stay private. Why? because making something like that public - details beyond the fact of the suspension - could impact the suspended person's ability to manage in the future. Think about it.
I have personally disciplined people for poor job performance, without letting their subordinates know the details. Why? because they were otherwise competent - even outstanding- employees. Why would I compromise a person's organizational reputation, and compromise his ability to manage after a rather severe disciplinary action? What if the employee is indispensible to my organization? What if the employee's performance - on the whole - FAR exceeds the mistake he made?
Some people want blood. That's been the tenor here; it reveals far more about those who are frothing at the mouth for details than anything else.
a resident of another community
on Apr 3, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Mike, three weeks suspension without pay is a quarter-step short of outright termination. The damage to organizational effectiveness has already been done due to the seriousness of the lapse in judgement and lack of self-control than would result in this severe a punishment. The newspaper coverage just puts an exclamation point to this affair.
a resident of College Terrace
on Apr 3, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Veritas, I agree -as long as further details stay private, the organization will recover. I'm not questioning the suspension, just the rubber-neckers and gossip-mongers who want all the details.
a resident of another community
on Apr 3, 2007 at 4:49 pm
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of another community
on Apr 3, 2007 at 10:17 pm
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of Green Acres
on Apr 6, 2007 at 2:08 pm
I have had on several occasions the good fortune to work
with Emily Harrison in her capacity as ACM. I found her to
be an excellent listener, a reasoned advisor with good
advice, which at times was hard to listen to, and harder to
realize was in my best interests.. But she was always directly
honest and forthright. If she had a problem, I am sure there
are two sides to the story. And we should be allowed to make
our own decisions about it.
a resident of Community Center
on Apr 9, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Emily Harrison returns to work April 10th, just in time to help Frank Benest celebrate his seventh anniversary as Palo Alto City Manager. (Benest's first day as City Manager was April 10, 2000.)
What's the appropriate seventh year anniversary gift for someone who just suspended you and reduced your annual income by over $10,000?
Someone leaked the fact of Harrison's suspension.
Someone also refused to identify the 19 Utility Department employees, including nine managers and supervisors, who were disciplined as a result of the Utility Department scandal that Harrison resolved with the help of Administrative Services Director Carl Yeats, who is retiring at the end of 2007 according to a gratuitous comment Benest made during a Council meeting earlier this year.
Six of the 19 disciplined employees were terminated are forced to resign, in addition to Director John Ulrich and Assistant Director Scott Bradshaw.
Even the Weekly would not identify the names of the disciplined managers when it reported in its editorial of July 6, 2005, that it "had obtained the names of two other managers who suddenly disappeared from work with no announcement in the past month, plus two others said to be on leave."
Yet the someone who leaked Harrison's suspension to the Weekly must have been confident that the suspension would be reported, while the someone who refused to disclose the names of the disciplined Utility Department employees could apparently rely on the Weekly to keep secret the names of the disciplined managers it had learned of on its own.
Maybe the someone who leaked Harrison's suspension to the Weekly and the someone who refuses to name the 19 disciplined Utility Department employees is the same "someone".
The process that led to Harrison's suspension involved interviews with a large number of city employees who ultimately report to City Manager Frank Benest and is reminiscent of the interview process the City Council used in 1981 when there was a dispute between City Manager Bill Zaner and City Attorney Roy Abrams, which the Council ended by interviewing a large number of employees who ultimately reported to the City Manager.
Meanwhile, Harrison's suspension and its disclosure come at the same time that neighboring Menlo Park is beginning a six-month search for a City Manager, where two of Harrison's former colleagues, Audrey Seymour (Assistant to the City Manager in Palo Alto) and Kent Steffens (Assistant Director of Public Works in Palo Alto) have successively been named as Interim City Manager, and the deadline for submitting applications for the City Manager's job is April 30th.
The public disclosure of Harrison's suspension could adversely affect her potential candidacy for Menlo Park City Manager.
The salary Harrison lost when she was suspended also affects her retirement benefits should she choose to retire in the near future, because the amount of her retirement pay is directly related to the highest annual salary she received before retiring.
Should Harrison decide to remain a City employee for at least a year to restore her retirement benefit to its former amount, she has no guarantee that she will receive the same salary increases that other employees receive, or even retain her current salary, because Palo Alto management and professional salaries can vary substantially below (or above) the amount established for each position in the city's compensation schedule.
Should Harrison decide to retire, the current and proposed city budgets include changes to employee expenses that would facilitate any transition.
The current fiscal year budget for the year ending June 30, 2007, includes a new mid-level management position at an annual cost of $149,748 that was first proposed by City Manager Frank Benest at the Finance Committee meeting of May 23, 2006, to "offload certain projects and administrative support functions and free up the Assistant City Manager [Harrison]" to "provide support to the department's oversight function."
In effect, for almost a year, Harrison has been training a mid-level manager as her potential successor.
For the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2007, Benest proposed a number of operating expense reductions to be reallocated to increase spending on existing infrastructure.
Curiously, in a document that proposed expense reductions, Benest included an increased annual expense of $242,133 in the Police Department to restore the position of Assistant Police Chief for better oversight and succession planning in the department headed by Harrison's friend and joint property owner Police Chief Lynne Johnson.
These two new annual management expenses total $391,881, although the addition of the Assistant Police Chief would be offset by the elimination of one Police Lieutenant for a savings of $193,362, resulting in a net increase in annual expenses for the two new management positions of $198,519.
The Utility Department scandal and the Harrison suspension may indicate that something is broken in Palo Alto's current system of government.
We have had city-owned utilities since 1896 for water, since 1898 for wastewater, since 1910 for electricity, and since 1917 for natural gas, but it is only recently that we have had scandals in the Utilities Department. (Remember the Utility Department employees who got paid overtime to play golf on the city's golf course?)
Palo Alto has had a Council-Manager system of governance for about half of its existence as an incorporated city -- incorporated 1894; voted for Council-Manager government in 1950.
Maybe it's time for a change.
a resident of another community
on Apr 10, 2007 at 11:05 am
Big Daddy knows SUBSTANCE...Thank you,restored alittle faith in the human race,Thanks.. This is about a City and one of there top employee's being suspended.. #1..#2 How severe this suspension was..A history of attacking co workes in the Fire D gets 3 days?? #3 Maybe?? about what this position in the city did??..Small picture.. Big picture How this City has changed into a iron curtian.. Showing no respect for there workers or the Citizens. Anonymous letters,secerts court found,Huge amounts of the publics $$$$ wasted,services and programs cut to cover this..Employees threatened and dirty deeded to make shut up or follow orders.. I was just trying to show you a part of the picture,then to look at the whole..I spent 21 years helping the people of the PUBLIC,all the public the same..Was taught "The pubilc is the Customer and treat them right and 1st,, Do your job.Do it well..For good or bad..Think about the whole picture.. Maybe this annonyous letter was Emily's why to get help?? Someone else wrote See Emily Play???..Who knows?? But there is substance all around to show huge problems..
a resident of Midtown
on Apr 11, 2007 at 11:12 am
Thank you, Charles "Daddy" Marx, for a thought-provoking analysis. Don Imus (the talk show host) only got a two week suspension for making sexist and racist remarks on air. Two PA police officers got suspended with pay after allegedly beating a black man. What could Harrison possibly have done to deserve three weeks without pay?
Harrison is a senior executive. If Palo Alto was a public company, do you think the board of directors would tell its shareholders and the press that an exec's suspension was just a personnel matter?
We need to know the truth on this one.
a resident of another community
on Apr 11, 2007 at 4:46 pm
The San Jose Mercury had a story today.
Details of city manager's suspension will be released
Web Link
Details of city manager's suspension will be released
By Kristina Peterson
Article Launched: 04/11/2007 01:45:52 AM PDT
The city of Palo Alto will release the discipline report detailing why Assistant City Manager Emily Harrison recently was suspended without pay for three weeks, City Attorney Gary Baum said Tuesday.
In response to a MediaNews public records request, Baum said the city would provide both the notice of discipline and a report prepared by an independent investigator within two weeks. The report will include performance evaluations, e-mails and other information related to the suspension, though all names of anyone other than elected city officials will be redacted.
Baum said the independent investigation cost the city between $25,000 and $30,000.
Harrison, who returned to work Tuesday, earlier had confirmed that the discipline stemmed from a clash with a city employee.
Assistant City Attorney Don Larkin said Tuesday there are no specific guidelines for determining the length of a suspension.
"There is no set of rules for this violation," Larkin said, adding that discipline is "at the discretion of the city manager."
Harrison received a preliminary "notice of intended discipline," then met with City Manager Frank Benest to "give her side," Larkin said. Harrison later received a final notice of discipline. The attorneys declined to specify on Tuesday when the notices were issued.
The three-week suspension without pay cost Harrison $10,740 in salary. According to a 2007 management compensation table
available on the city's Web site, she earns $186,166 annually. Harrison did not return a late afternoon phone call for comment.
Palo Alto Online blogger
on Apr 11, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Diana Diamond is a registered user.
Charles "Daddy" Marx -
You seem to have a lot of knowledge about the city. Please send me an e-mail with your telephone number -- firstname.lastname@example.com. Thank you for all the information you provided us. Certainly food for thought.
a resident of Crescent Park
on Apr 12, 2007 at 11:39 am
I look forward to finding out more about this in the estimated two week timeframe. Since the Utility Department incident, and the strange behavior by the city to hide it, I have wondered if there might eventuallt be an attempt to get even by parties who felt offended, or the union itself acting through employees.
Perhaps this suspension is the result of an altercation between the assistant city manager and the employees union; similar to a brush back in baseball where the pitcher intimidates the batter to reduce the chances of a hit.
If it is anything that reveals possible infighting or employee/management sniping I think we should know. It may certainly bear on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of our city operations and perhaps the costs as well, which I still tend to think are way above what they should be if they were more closely managed.
a resident of another community
on Apr 12, 2007 at 1:16 pm
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of Crescent Park
on Apr 12, 2007 at 1:51 pm
I think you are naive if you don't think that this is often how adversarial groups work within all kinds of organizations-including union and management friction. A group pressures a decision to come down hard on someone they do not like. The group does not have to be the ones with authority to deal out the disipline.
If you don't get the brush back analogy, think of the firing of a warning shot across the bow.
I guess we will know better in two or so weeks...


text:
Dos and Don'ts
Atmosphere: San Diego is an easy-going, welcoming city with relaxed cultural mores. "Expect to be smiled at by passersby and hugged by people you've only known for five minutes."—Marael Johnson, author, National Geographic's San Diego guidebook.
Attitude: "Having a bad attitude or acting like a New Yorker won't get you very far."—David Nelson, San Diego restaurant critic, Westways.
Location: The city is larger than many visitors expect—choose the location of your hotel carefully. "Don't be lured into the Gaslamp Quarter as the be-all, end-all San Diego experience. The Gaslamp is convenient to eat and hear music, but it's so overpriced."—David Coddon, associate editor, Night&Day, San Diego Union-Tribune.
Transportation: San Diego's public transportation is not efficient for getting between the major sights, especially if your hotel is in the beach areas or La Jolla. However, visitors staying downtown will find buses to all major attractions, and the San Diego Trolley is ideal for travel from downtown to the Tijuana border crossing, Old Town, and Mission Valley.
Cultural Fabric: Don't make assumptions based on ethnicity. One third of San Diego's population is made up of people of Hispanic origin, most of whom are legal residents and an important part of the city's cultural fabric. Many shops and restaurants have employees fluent in Spanish, partly due to the influx of wealthy visitors from south of the border.
Tijuana: The city of Tijuana, 17 miles (27 kilometers) south of downtown San Diego, is not the Mexico many people dream of. It can be a fun day trip for souvenir shopping, but keep your wits about you. There is an overflowing transient population, poverty, drug crime, and pollution, plus safety issues for American tourists. Before crossing la frontera verify current passport requirements for the trip back north (www.state.gov), and note that northbound border waits of an hour or more are common.
Phrase Book
Hola: Hello, in Spanish. Pronounced O-la.
P.B.: Pacific Beach.
O.B.: Ocean Beach.
T.J.: Tijuana.
State: San Diego State University, also known as SDSU.
Black's: Short for Black's Beach, the city's nudie strand just north of La Jolla Shores.
The Cove: La Jolla's iconic beach.
The Del: Hotel del Coronado.
The Globe: The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park.
The Cross: A 29-foot (8.8-meter) white Latin cross atop Mt. Soledad, above La Jolla, erected in 1954, to honor Korean War veterans. The site has been a subject of litigation since 1989 (for being a religious icon on public property).
May Grey: Cloudy weather that embraces coastal areas many mornings and afternoons in May.
June Gloom: The same cloudy May weather that continues to cover the coast in June.
Zoni: Summer visitor from Arizona, usually in search of a more temperate clime.
Hell Lay: A city to the north of San Diego.
North County: San Diego region north of the city limits, including the coastal communities of Del Mar, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside leading up to Camp Pendleton, with Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Santa Fe, and Escondido just inland.
Uptown: The area north of (and up the hill from) downtown, encompassing Hillcrest and adjoining neighborhoods.
Pill Hill: Hillcrest, home to two major hospitals and numerous doctor's offices.
About San Diego and the United States
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Lego Cuusoo, for those who've not heard of it before, is a part of the Lego website where builders can upload photos of their creations. However, it's not a place to just show off what you can build – if the model gains enough support from the community, and meets a strict set of guidelines, Lego will consider putting it into production as an official set. So far, only three sets have made it into the shops – the Shinkai Submarine (currently going for silly money on Amazon), the Hayabusa satellite and a Minecraft set (both of which are still available via lego.com and Amazon). Continue Reading "Great Scott! Doc Brown's Delorean Will be Lego Cuusoo's Next Set" »


text:
Younger 'Smackers' stay in competition mode
While the senior swimmers for the Smoky Mountain Aquatic Club (SMAC) were busy tackling the Ironman competition, the younger swimmers for the team were still hard at work competing at the Asheville Swim Club's Quad Meet held at the Asheville School on Dec. 15.
The younger groups, made up mostly of 14 year-old or younger athletes, wasted little time letting the other three teams know they were there to compete. More than half of the 25 swimmers who competed notched a top-ten finish.
Kiana Schumacher (13), Stephen Stiles (8), Stephen Wenzel (12) and Trinity Wenzel (8) led the team with second place finishes. Trinity got her second-place finish in the 25-yard butterfly; Stephen Wenzel got second in the 50-yard freestyle; Stiles in the 25-yard butterfly; and Schumacher in the 200-yard individual medley. All swimmers cut time in their respective event, with Schumacher knocking off 20 seconds in her IM. She also finished with a third, fifth and sixth-place finish, while Stiles added a third and eighth-place to round out his day.
Cora Dodson (14) also had an excellent meet by bringing home three top-10 finishes, her best being a fourth-place showing in the 200-yard IM.
Abigail Jones (8), who is one of the youngsters on the team, notched a third-place finish in the 25-yard butterfly. That was one of her best showings of the year, according to SMAC Head Coach Andy Wagner.
Liam McLeod continued his string of good races by finishing fifth in the 200-yard backstroke. He also had two other top-ten finishes on the day.
Alexander Flowe (8) hit the water with a purpose and landed three top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish in the 25-yard butterfly. He finished sixth in both the 25-yard freestyle and the 25-yard backstroke. Both his siblings, Elizabeth (12) and Mackenzie (12) also had good showings with Mackenzie claiming a seventh-place finish in the 50-yard backstroke.
Up and comers, Marshall Graves (9), Harrison Hall (10), and James Morrow (13) had a solid meet with several top-ten finishes. Morrow landed in the top-10 three times, while Hall and Graves managed to knock on the top-10 door several times.
As has been the custom throughout the year, Kevin Wenzel (10) and Stephen Wenzel both had solid performances. Kevin had two sixth-place finishes, a fourth and a second, while Stephen knocked out a ninth, sixth and fourth in addition to his second-place finish in the freestyle.
Faith Hannah (11) finished out the top-ten barrage with a ninth, seventh and fourth- place finish, the latter coming in the 50-yard butterfly.
Others competing in the meet were Craig Elke; Ellery Byrd; Savannah Jones; Robert Lowe; Erin Springer; Angelique Tinklepaugh, who placed seventh in the 50- yard freestyle, Patrick Trantham, who notched a sixth-place finish in the 50-yard backstroke; Lillian Varvoutis and Katherine Wimmer.
"Overall I thought the kids swam really good," said Wagner. "It was fun to have a meet where the youngsters were the entire focus. I saw a lot of good things from their swims today."
SMAC will continue to train through the holiday season, with their next competition coming on Jan.18-20 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Those interested in becoming a member of SMAC, contact Coach Wagner at 865- 806-1776, or email him at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
But less likely if sales clerks think theyre trying to lose weight
Sales clerks tend to subtly discriminate against overweight shoppers but treat them more favorably if they perceive that the individual is trying to lose weight, according to a study by Rice University researchers.
The research, conducted in a large Houston shopping mall, will be presented in a poster session at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) April 15-17 in Los Angeles. SIOP singled out the study as the most outstanding student contribution to the conference by selecting it for the organizations John C. Flanagan Award.
B.J. Almond | EurekAlert!
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Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a bacterium that colonizes by far more than half of the skin and the mucosa of adults, usually without causing infections....
Physicists from the University of Würzburg are capable of generating identical looking single light particles at the push of a button. Two new studies now demonstrate the potential this method holds.
The quantum computer has fuelled the imagination of scientists for decades: It is based on fundamentally different phenomena than a conventional computer....
An international team of physicists has monitored the scattering behaviour of electrons in a non-conducting material in real-time. Their insights could be beneficial for radiotherapy.
We can refer to electrons in non-conducting materials as 'sluggish'. Typically, they remain fixed in a location, deep inside an atomic composite. It is hence...
Two-dimensional magnetic structures are regarded as a promising material for new types of data storage, since the magnetic properties of individual molecular building blocks can be investigated and modified. For the first time, researchers have now produced a wafer-thin ferrimagnet, in which molecules with different magnetic centers arrange themselves on a gold surface to form a checkerboard pattern. Scientists at the Swiss Nanoscience Institute at the University of Basel and the Paul Scherrer Institute published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
Ferrimagnets are composed of two centers which are magnetized at different strengths and point in opposing directions. Two-dimensional, quasi-flat ferrimagnets...
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26.05.2017 | Life Sciences
Water forms 'spine of hydration' around DNA, group finds
26.05.2017 | Life Sciences


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Home >> Colorful Flower Butterfly Print IMD Black Plastic Back Case for iPhone 4 4G 4GS
|Product Name
|Phone Back Case
|Fit Model
|Apple iPhone 4 4G 4GS
|Colorful Flower, Butterfly
|Hard Plastic
|Main Clolor
|Net Weight
|Package Content
|1 x Back Case for iPhone 4 4G 4GS
- IMD is an injection molding technology that involves transferring decorative patterns inside the mold during the formation process. Enhances adhesion of printed patterns and makes them more resistant to abrasion and decay.
- Protects your phone from dirts, scratches, fingerprints, etc.
- Makes your phone look more luxurious and chic.
- This is a NON-OEM generic product.
- Accessory only. iPhone is not included here.
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Can't open a Google file or folder
If a file won't open, a few things could be wrong:
- The file owner didn't give you permission to view the file.
- You're signed in to a different Google Account.
- Your access could be denied because someone removed your permission to view the file.
Request permission to open the file
Request access through Google
- Open a link to the file.
- On the "You need permission" page, click Request access.
- The owner of the file will get an email asking for approval. After they approve your request, you'll get an email.
Contact the owner directly
If you need access right away, you can contact the owner of the file and ask them to give you access.
Try a different Google Account
If you have more than one Google Account, see if you have access to the file with a different account.
To switch to another account:
- Open a link to the file.
- On the "You need permission" page, click Switch accounts.
- Sign in with a different Google Account and see if you can open the file.
Get more help
If these options didn't help, check out the answers in the Google Drive forum.
Mary is a Docs & Drive expert and author of this help page. Leave her feedback below about the page.
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Dutch App Tells You if a Train is Busy
Catching a train can be a pleasure. As you sit and watch the world go by, you can catch up with work, read the paper or maybe get to the next level of Angry Birds. But, time your journey wrong and there is nothing pleasant at all about being crammed into a tin box on wheels. The only thing worse is finding as you get off that there was plenty of space at the other end of the train.
Passengers in the Netherlands could soon find they may be able avoid the worst of the squash. It is not that the national train operator NS has solved the overcrowding problem, however, it is experimenting with an Android app called PlannerXtra which displays in advance levels of train-crowding on a scale of one to three, as Wired explains.
The information is broken down not only on a train-by-train basis, but also on a carriage-by-carriage basis, so that passengers can position themselves at the right point along the platform to optimise their chances of getting a seat. For more long-term planning, the app also supplies a forecast for the average level of crowdedness on a particular train, based on historical data. However, this doesn't account for any delays, disruptions or any other planned engineering works.
The data is gathered through around 280 infrared sensors placed on the doors and throughout the train to measure the number of people who get on and off and how they move through carriages within the train. Around two minutes after the train leaves a station, the system updates the app to give a real-time overview of the level of occupation.
The app also provides information on the location of designated quiet carriages, wheelchair or cycle access and the location of first and second class compartments. It is currently being tested on 11 trains running between Roosendaal and Zwolle.
Wired: Train app lets customers see how busy carriages are before boarding


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Unlike most investment funds, Pinetree is not encumbered by sunset issues that impact investment timing, minimum or maximum size of investment, nor sector focus.
As such, we are able to be extremely flexible and opportunistic in our investing activities. This is evidenced by our move over the last several years from a technology and biotechnology focus to a resource focus. No doubt, we will shift our focus again as other sectors provide greater opportunities for above average returns.
Regardless of the particular sector focus, we always look for the same attributes in our investee companies:
Please view our FAQ for further information.
|©Copyright 2012 Pinetree Capital Ltd.


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Punched Star Candle Sconce
- Overview
Hand-punched designs create sparkling candlelight and glimmering shadows.
- 6.25" wide x 6.75" deep x 18.75" high
- Made of iron with a blackened finish.
- Mounting hardware included.
- Dimensions & Care
- Holds a filled glass votive.
- Includes two anchors and two screws.
- Overall: 6.25" wide x 6.75" deep x 18.75" high
- Wall Bracket: 1.5" wide x 18.75" high
- Wipe frame with a soft cloth.
- Shipping & Return Info
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 4-5 business days.
Next Day Delivery and Processing
We can arrange for next day delivery to most destinations within the contiguous 48 states, for an extra charge of $17.50 per address. If we receive your order by 6pm PT Monday through Friday, you'll receive your order the next business day; orders placed on Friday after 6pm PT through Sunday will arrive on Tuesday. Note: Next Day Delivery service is not available for some oversized items, White Glove Delivery, out of stock items, personalized items or for items shipped directly from the manufacturer.
Select oversized items have an additional delivery and processing surcharge; this charge is listed below the item price.
View the complete Shipping and Delivery Information page.
We take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of each and every Pottery Barn product and we hope you love your purchase. If for any reason you do not, you have 30 days – or 7 days for all Quick Ship upholstery items – to return your purchase for a full refund or exchange. You can return most non-furniture items to your local Pottery Barn store – FREE.
Delivery fees are non-refundable and prior purchases are not eligible for a price adjustment. The following items are non-eligible for returns or exchanges:
- Monogrammed items
- Mattresses
- Gift cards
- Special-order items (including made-to-order upholstery and custom order rugs)
- Final Sale items (identified by a price ending in $.X7 or $.X9)
- Items damaged through normal wear and tear.
Questions? See our full Returns Policy.


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APC's unease with EASSy made loud and clear
By APCNews
ITHALA, SOUTH AFRICA, 16 March 2006
A BBC News article published on the British Broadcasting Corporation's online edition on Wednesday March 15 reports on the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and APC's reluctance to the way it's expected to be implemented. The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) has made its concerns and reservations about the new optical cable project for East Africa loud and clear at a consultation conference taking place a couple of days prior to the article's release. BBC readers from Ethiopia, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Namibia and many other countries are presently commenting on the BBC article which highlighted that "campaigners [such as the APC] fear that the cable might not actually make much difference to consumers because of high prices."Ver artículo completo http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4787422.stm


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By RON WILKINSON, PE, LEED AP, CPMP; Jersey City, N.J.
The International Code Council is breaking new ground with the International Green Construction Code (IgCC). Published this spring, it is the first internationally acknowledged code focused on high-performance buildings. It contains a comprehensive and detailed treatment of high-performance-building strategies, including energy conservation and commissioning (Cx). This article discusses the Cx sections of the code.
Redesigned AERCO Benchmark 3000 Boiler Offers Improved Performance and Flexibility The AERCO Benchmark 3000 boiler delivers 15:1 turndown for energy efficiency, lower operating costs, and high reliability. Visit www.aerco.com/pac
With summer around the corner, David Simkins, director of industrial services for Polygon US Corp., the North Andover, Mass.-based provider of property-damage-restoration, temporary-humidity-control, and property-performance services, offers four tips for controlling moisture in buildings and keeping maintenance and operation costs from skyrocketing.
An automated-demand-response program managed by Honeywell is the recipient of the Energy Project of the Year award from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) Southern California Chapter.
Money lost or poor indoor quality, which group do you fall into? DCV systems over ventilate costing owners' money or under ventilate leading to poor indoor quality affecting human comfort. Download this Application Note for better understanding of the key to selecting a technology that will lead to higher success.—Vaisala
ASHRAE and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will present "Moving Toward Sustainability," a conference focused on refrigerants, Oct. 29-30 at NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md.
Siemens recently appointed Matthias Rebellius president of its Building Technologies (BT) Division in the United States, effective June 1.
Registration for Mechanical Systems Week 2012, a national seminar and product showcase devoted to HVACR, hydronics, and plumbing taking place Sept. 19-21 in Schaumburg, Ill., is open.
You are subscribed to this newsletter as `email` For questions concerning delivery of this newsletter, please contact our Customer Service Department at:
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Copyright 2012, Penton Media. All rights reserved. This content is protected by United States copyright and other intellectualproperty laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast,directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Penton Media.
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[quote user="AsianGiant"]So what's the latest news today? Any new EQ's or volcano eruptions?
Actually I should not joke, I'm sure something is going to happen any day now....
The British are using their Navy to bring back some oftheir citizens.....from Spain I think. Have not heard a word about the USA doing the same. Military are flying back to the USA directly from Afghanistan. No flights into Germany

More eruptions from the volcano


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UPDATE: 1 killed in I-25 crash
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. - The Colorado State Patrol is investigating an accident on I-25, south of Pueblo that killed one person.
The crash happened around 10 p.m. Sunday, about six miles south of Pueblo.
Troopers say the driver of one vehicle lost control on the wet road and crashed into a guard rail. The vehicle spun, crossed the highway lanes and went off the side of the road, then crashed into a second guard rail.
A truck then crashed into the first vehicle. A passenger was thrown from the first vehicle.
The driver of the first vehicle, 30-year-old Jerrell Jinkins of Colorado Springs, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Troopers say he was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The front passenger, 26-year-old Rashada Jinkins, was also wearing a seat belt and was treated for minor injuries. The rear passenger, 58-year-old Jerry Jinkins, was killed after being thrown from the vehicle. Troopers say he was not wearing a seat belt.
The driver and passenger of the truck, 20-year-old Luke Greer of Colorado Springs and 20-year-old Rya Dyes of Centennial, were not hurt in the crash. Both were wearing seat belts.
Alcohol and drug use are not suspected in the crash, but troopers believe speeding was a factor.


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"There is no doubt McNabb has been a better overall pro than, say, Eli Manning. Eli has two more rings, but the Hall of Fame shouldn't be all about rings. McNabb made six Pro Bowls for a reason."
He is right it should be about choking in the big games :/.
Regardless of my dislike for Mcnabb, He did put up good stats. So what do you guys think?
I'll vote NO to this regardless.
P.S. I hope someone else didn't post this already


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The growing buzz around social media is making jumping on the social bandwagon "de rigueur" for more and more nonprofit organizations. That's the good news. The bad news is that most are embracing social media without really understanding how it works, how it can help them meet their goals, and more often than not, without a real plan.
Nonprofits that turn to social media to keep up with the Joneses but without a clear sense of direction or purpose, will likely fail.
Social media engagement is not like a switch that can be turned on and off at will. Online relations need to be developed and nurtured over time and organizations that want to take advantage of these powerful new tools must be prepared to invest in listening, participation and genuine conversation. A good place for them to start is by distinguishing between their tactical and strategic objectives and opportunities.
At a tactical level, social media platforms and social media engagement can be particularly helpful in facilitating consistent and targeted contact and engagement with an organization's key audiences.
Twitter for example, can be used to start conversations and carve out relations with influential reporters or politicians.
In addition to using Twitter to engage with important external audiences (mainstream media, political influencers, potential third-party supporters), organizations can use social media to connect and engage their membership, the sector they represent and the general population.
One low-cost way to do this is to create a Facebook Page around an issue of concern to the sector the organization represents and around which an online community of interest already exists. An example of this is the Facebook page created by InterChange Public Affairs to support FCM's campaign to increase the number of women in municipal government.
This tactic can be used to support efforts to mobilize an organization's members, its sector and public opinion in the run-up to a key legislative vote, policy announcement, election or simply to raise awareness around a particular cause.
It is important however that organizations not fall into the social media "if-you-build-it-they-will-come" trap. A platform does not a social media campaign make.
Scoping out whether a community of interest around an issue or issues exists, its scope, level of engagement and top influencers are all critical first steps before undertaking any kind of social media campaign. This is particularly true if the campaign is designed for short term tactical impact.
Absent an existing and broad-based conversation around an issue it can be very difficult to mobilize sufficient numbers to create political room for an issue. In fact, a social media campaign that sputters can have the opposite effect and serve only to demonstrate the absence of interest and support for an issue.
In the absence of a well-established online community or ongoing online conversations around an issue, a social media platform like Facebook can still be used to initiate engagement, amplify messaging and build a network, but its use should not be positioned or branded as a social media campaign.
Listening should be step one for any organization contemplating social media engagement.
Unlike full blown social media engagement where an organization openly and transparently shares information, responds to comments and queries, and actually becomes part of a community, listening is the first—but essential–step in successful social media engagement.
As a general principle of social engagement, listening uncovers the nature of the conversations within a particular community. Just as you would not arrive at a cocktail party unannounced and attempt to monopolize the conversation, listening within a social media network allows you to determine your comfort zone and ease into conversations.
Whether it's from a business perspective, a public institution, or that of a nonprofit advocacy association, listening allows organizations to determine who the thought leaders are in a given community and what it is that makes them most relevant. Listening allows organizations to determine what content is most relevant and why. And most important, listening allows them to hear what people are saying about them, their brand or their issues.
Listening is easy and there are a number of tools available, from simple online search tools to advanced brand and reputation management platforms.
More strategically, social media can be used to expand and diversify an organization's communication reach. In the short run, it can be used to grow its network by identifying like-minded influencers and encouraging conversations. In addition to expanding an organization's network, this will amplify its message by promoting the sharing of content on multiple platforms.
In the longer term, social media has the potential to fundamentally transform how organizations view and conduct advocacy, engage their members and staff, raise funds and develop policies.
While tactical social media engagement is largely transactional and focused on achieving short term objectives, strategic engagement is based on a vision of emerging technologies as enabling transformative change.
From an organizational perspective, strategic social media engagement needs to rest on four things: a corporate vision of technology that embraces and facilitates change, the resources to implement it, a sound understanding of the dynamics of social media engagement and a well-established social network.
Tags: advocacy, advocacy 2.0, Listening tools, nonprofits, not for profits, Social Media, social media engagement, socialnetworking


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CPJ calls for release of U.S. journalist held in Yemen
New York, December 4, 2014--The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of U.S. freelance journalist Luke Somers, who has been held hostage in Yemen for more than a year. Following a video released on Wednesday that showed the journalist pleading for his life, U.S. government officials issued press releases today publicly acknowledging that Somers was being held by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. CPJ did not previously report the case at the request of the family, who today released a statement about the kidnapping.


text: Most noticeable when truck is heavily loaded (full of bricks or full of wood). Somewhat less noticeable when not loaded, or when put into 4L. Somewhat told me there is a screw that can adjust it (he had 97 1500 manual), but I wouldn't know where to start, nor do I even get the mechanics of the judder.. perhaps plates not well aligned? More gas seems to make it worse. Also, when put in low gear seems to not roll/slow down even when in neutral. Truck has 126K miles. Clutch seems OK beyond first gear.. no grinding, slippage, etc.


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Cheek Augmentation (Implants) Doctors in Kanata, Ontario
(1 results)
COMPARECheck the boxes to compare.
- Cosmetic Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery (BOTOX®), Plastic Surgery, Vein Treatment
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- Kanata Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
- 895 March Rd
- Kanata, Ontario K2K 1X7
To provide high quality, experienced and confidential cosmetic surgery is essential to the care that Dr. Lacey and his staff offer at Kanata Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery. We have created an accredited and licensed private on-site surgical facility for local and general anesthetic surgery.Kanata Plastic and Cosmetic surgery is also proud to provide you with our business association with The Spa in Bells Corners and The Spa Retreat in Kanata. We highly recommend their esthetic services and registered message therapy in an effort to provide our clients with a full range of esthetic services.
Most Popular Procedures: Breast Augmentation (Breast Implants), Breast Lift Surgery, Liposuction Surgery (Lipoplasty), Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
- James Lacey, MD
Kanata Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
- Location: 895 March Rd Kanata, ON K2K 1X7
- Click here for phone number
- Top Procedures:
- Breast Augmentation (Breast Implants)
- Breast Lift Surgery
- Liposuction Surgery (Lipoplasty)
- Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
- Experience: 3 years
- James Lacey, MD


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This scene of sondha bandham opens at the place of shakthi. We see sumithra and Reshmi. Reshmi requests that sumithra give back the mobile phone she had taken from the safe. Sumithra rejects and advises Reshmi that she needs to see something vital in the phone.Once again a call received, but it was from Iru Malargal uncle. He asked her about their life. Madhu said that they were so happy. He asked about Iru Malargal health condition. She managed very well. Uncle daughter was amazed that Madhu was complaining about Iru Malargal. She will make this small thing into a big problem.
Iru Malargal 15-02-16,Iru Malargal 15-02-2016 Polimer Tv Serial Online,Iru Malargal 15-02-16 Tamil Serial online,Iru Malargal 15/02/2016 Today Episode Online,Iru Malargal 15-02-16 15th February 2016,Watch Iru Malargal 15-02-16 Polimer Tv Serial Online,15-02-16 Iru Malargal Watch Online,Iru Malargal Serial February 2016 Of 15
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All these threes!
All these threes!
Mood: WOOF!
I think CHandler heard are grumblings..lol He was a beast against Millwaukee! First 20board game in 5yrs! Also, huge big game for Felton and STAT, and Jr Smith came away with a solid performance.. A good win against a solid RD team in Milwaukee..
huge game on the boards for Chandler..
Chandler already has 12 rebounds. This team is just lethal from behind the arc. Anthony's actually the one messing up the curve.
Melo only has 2 points as of now, but is leading the team in assists. You also have to love this new role for Amare.
Lol this game is awesome. I know it's the Kings but man, down 12 in the first..and now up by 40+? I'll take it!
Mood: WOOF!
amazing.. love this team, Woodson is coaching the all-star game.. if Miami loses tomorrow
Last edited by Carter.525; 02-02-2013 at 09:32 PM.


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It is not too often that I receive a submission with a staged photoshoot, and less often that I will accept them. However this particular one is so incredibly stunning, there wasn't a chance I was going to deprive all our fabulous readers!
This vintage but 'not your Grandma's wedding' style shoot was submitted by Christy Whitehead Photography. I'll let them explain, "This was a stylized shoot that we did at an old sawmill. We had tails for the groom and a lacy dress for the bride. Handmade cameos are featured on the cake. We even had an actual family marriage certificate displayed in a frame on the sign in table. We loved the idea of mismatched place settings and the feel of you pulled this stuff out of your grandmother's trunk. [It is] very much a possible do it yourself project on a budget."


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#2 Gevalia 4 Cup Filter Paper
Special Offer:
Free shipping for 1 year on all Auto-Delivery orders with the purchase of 2 subscription-eligible items
Coffee filters are not all the same. And choosing the right one does make a difference in the taste of your coffee. That's why we offer our own, crafted from a paper carefully selected for superior filtration so you taste more of the rich full, flavor of our coffee. Size: 4 cup with 40 filters in each bag.


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Consumers have the responsibility to use utility services safely. In the case of natural gas and electricity, failure to use services safely can be harmful or fatal. The OUCC and IURC encourage consumers to read the following tips carefully. Also, consult with your utility for additional tips and carefully read safety information that may be included in your bills.
Because natural gas is colorless and odorless in its natural form, utilities add a chemical to the gas so you can easily smell a leak. The chemical, mercaptan, smells like rotten eggs and is potent even at small amounts. If you smell this odor:
Carbon monoxide (CO) is odorless and colorless, and can quickly cause illness and even death. CO can be formed if natural gas, propane, kerosene, wood, charcoal and other fuels are not completely burned. These steps can help prevent CO poisoning:
Space heaters can cause a serious fire hazard and are a leading cause of injuries and deaths every winter. Consumers are strongly urged to follow these tips:
Pipelines that transport natural gas, petroleum and other fuels must meet strict state and federal guidelines in order to ensure safe, reliable delivery. If you are near a pipeline and smell a rotten egg odor, move away until the odor is no longer detectible, then call 911.
If you plan to do any digging on your property, state law requires that you call the
Indiana Underground Plant Protection Service (IUPPS) at least two days in advance. The service is free and you can either call 811 or 1-800-382-5544 toll-free.
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor
115 W. Washington St., Suite 1500 South
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2215
Toll-free: 1-888-441-2494
Voice/TDD: (317) 232-2494
Fax: (317) 232-5923
Website: www.IN.gov/OUCC
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com