Miniscule Guide to Cheyenne (local travel)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Miniscule Guide to Cheyenne

WEB ADDRESS: http://minisculeguidetocheyenne.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Photos and detailed information about Cheyenne, capital city of Wyoming, as well as the rest of the state. Historic sites, tourist attractions, politics, and so on.

MY REVIEW: This is my new blog, which I started to document everything about Cheyenne, Wyoming. Lots of photos, lots of info. It's admittedly a bit of a limited audience - anyone who lives in Cheyenne or intends to visit here will find it of interest!

Sample post
(Photos illustrating post not included):
A fund raising activity that a lot of cities in the USA took part in several years ago was to make scultptures - or casts, I suppose - of the town's "signature item", have artists paint them, then auction them off, and place them in areas around town.

Many years ago in St. Paul, MN it was Snoopy...and I remember how sad it was that many of these wonderfully painted statues were later vandalized by young punks with their grafitti cans, or even destroyed - heads ripped off.

In Norfolk, Virginia, it was the mermaid...in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina it was a winged horse, and here in Cheyenne, it was the boot.

There are 18 boots in Cheyenne, and as this blog progresses I'll show each one.

The Library Boot was painted by Max Larkin, and bought by the Laramie County Library [i.e. the taxpayers who fund the library!]. There are four sides to the boot - the left and right sides, the toe, and the... I suppose it's called the spine.

I only took photos of 3 of the 4 sides...forgetting about the spine...I don't actually think the spine was decorated on this one.

The buildings on the boots are old Cheyenne libraries, now superseded by this new one (see photo 1). On the toe are characters from Beatrix Potter, on the shaft of the boot is Alice.

RECENT POSTS:
--Two views from the deck of my new house
--The Boots of Cheyenne - Library Boot
--Brief bio of Cheyenne from Wikipedia

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Metroblogging New Orleans (travel)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: MetroBlogging New Orleans, by Bode Media

WEB ADDRESS: http://neworleans.metblogs.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Written from the perspective of people who live, work, and play here every day, Metroblogging New Orleans is one of over forty-five (and growing) blogs in the globe-spanning Metroblogging network. Get comfortable and have a look around if you'd like to know more about New Orleans, and have a peek at the authors who share their New Orleans experiences with you.

MY REVIEW: An interesting blog. Unfortunately, it seems to be updated once a week or once every 10 days only, but then, that's the joy of having a subscription via Kindle, you don't have to worry about checking the blog every day, because it'll be sent to you when it's finally updated.

If you're interested in how the city is holding up 5 years after Katrina, and now how they're doing thanks to the BP oil leak (and let us not forget, as they seem to do, that the US goverment is the one dispersing claims money, not BP) you'll find this an interesting blog.

Sample post:

Five Years After Katrina, Five Lessons Learned
by richard August 29th, 2010 @ 5:45 PM Uncategorized
When things were still in chaos; when the streets of Lakeview and the Lower Ninth were drier but not dry; when all we knew about our city came from fifth-hand reports of neighbors who’d stayed or first-hand reports by journalists who’d just arrived; when no one was in charge, right before everyone was in charge: then they broke the news. And the news was this: things won’t be normal in New Orleans, not for a while. Five years, maybe ten.

“Five years?” some gasped as they shoved soggy remembrances into cars and U-Hauls, rushing to move on with their lives. “Five years?” others shrugged, happy to have something to look forward to, an endpoint, no matter how elusive. The thought of half a decade became a dividing line: the patient and the rooted dug in, while the overwhelmed, the anxious, and the helpless surrendered to the fact that their migration was permanent.

As it turns out, five years hasn’t been enough time for recovery, except in places where it has. In certain parts of the city — some rich, some poor — life resumed its usual pace within a few months. In other areas — some poor, some rich — people still check the mail with crossed fingers, hoping for insurance settlements so they can rebuild what the floodwaters spared. But for a tragedy this broad, this pervasive, this everywhereyoulook, there is no normal, only “normal”. It is the same as before, but different: a life made special because we’ve come through it with scars of varying size and shape.

Some would like to go back, to inhabit that pre-Katrina world that was always a gamble anyway, but most of those people live elsewhere now — theoretically safer places like Atlantadallasnashville. Many others, myself included, refuse to budge. Us, we look to our unofficial patron saint, Lafcadio Hearn, who crafted our unofficial novena 130+ years ago:

Times are not good here. The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under a lava flood of taxes and frauds and maladministrations so that it has become only a study for archaeologists. …But it is better to live here in sackcloth and ashes, than to own the whole state of Ohio. (1879)

With all due respect to the good people of Ohio, of course.

We have learned so much in these five years, so much that we can share with others affected by calamity, so much that those from other places — Kobe, Istanbul, Amsterdam — once tried to share with us, only we couldn’t hear them. We can’t be guaranteed that anyone will listen to us either, but we’re obligated to write.

And so: some not-so-simple rules for surviving disaster.

1. EXPECT THE WORST

This is the easy one. Anyone can see superficial havoc after it’s been wreaked by earth, wind, air, or fire. Anyone can grasp the complicated baby steps of rebuilding infrastructure. Roads, homes, doorways: all means of communication are fragile, and there’s no guarantee that you and your neighbors will be at the top of the government’s priority list. Your electricity and drinking water could be restored in three weeks or maybe four, but don’t bank on it.

And it gets worse: the warrens of bureaucracy. Permits, grants, insurance claims, and lawsuits all take time and paperwork. You will be told five different things by six different people. There will be a surge of information and a void of it, all at once. If you’ve ever been to the DMV, you’ve seen the tip of the iceberg (which is itself another potent symbol of things gone terribly, terribly wrong).

Your response: patience and more patience. And watch what you eat. Lots of us still carry ten extra pounds thanks to stress-snacking.

2. EXPECT WORSE THAN THE WORST

After the obvious problems come things you hadn’t expected. Depending on the tragedy, you may have already lost loved ones. But beyond that — yes, there is a beyond that — you will lose even more. You will lose friends and family who cannot be there, cannot walk the same streets, the same hallways, the same gardens they did before, because they don’t have the time, will, energy, or means. They will leave, and you will have to navigate a new, unfamiliar landscape with fewer shoulders at arm’s reach.

As they shuffle off, other tragedies will befall you. Bills, unseen physical damage, crime: the world will be a closet of boogeymen, and some will escape, even in broad daylight.

Your response: grief and slow acceptance. And a lot more patience.

3. EXPECT LITTLE FROM YOUR LEADERS

There will be many, many people vying for a turn at the podium. Far more will stand behind them, one eye on their fearless leader, the other checking the TV monitor to gauge how much screen real estate they’re getting. There will be a lot of talk and some action.

There are exceptions to this rule, but they aren’t common. Rudolph Guiliani comes to mind. He wasn’t perfect, but he did what leaders must do, what they are meant to do, especially in the face of disaster: he was compelling. He was a figurehead. He was a champion, around which the people of New York — the nation, the world — rallied. Maybe the extraordinary circumstances of September 11, 2001 made Mr. Guiliani stand out, excel. But then, every disaster is extraordinary to the people who live through it.

Your response: organize, communicate with neighbors, and make yourself be heard. Shout, but shout in chorus.

4. EXPECT CRITICISM AND INTERLOPERS


Some — mostly those living far away, mostly those who go to sleep with full stomachs in warm beds, who have never known another life — some of those people will attack you. They will accuse you of expecting handouts and of expecting others to come to your rescue. They will ridicule you for being lazy, for not being prepared, for playing with fire. This is especially true in America, where Calvin and his work ethic still work hard, except on the Sabbath.

They will blame the victim: “You live on a fault line, what did you expect?” Which is, in fact, the same as asking, “Your skirt was too short, what did you expect?” But humans aren’t always prudent or rational, and that’s partly what makes us human. What’s more, and what these people forget, is that no place is truly safe apart from a presidential army bunker. And would even the president want to live there?

There will also be interlopers, people who come to help. Most will have their heart in exactly the right spot, but some will tell you that you’ve been doing it wrong all along and their way is better. Which is one letter away from bitter.

Your response: hold your head high, ignore the critics as long as you can. Accept help from those who offer it. Listen to those who offer advice. Then put your head down and do the work you have to do.

5. EXPECT THE BEST OF YOUR NEIGHBORS

Or maybe don’t “expect”. But don’t be surprised when it happens. Those next door will step up to the plate and organize. Those across the country will offer comfort and support. They will fill the gap left by the boutonniered politicians at the podium and mend the wounds caused by detractors.

Some of you may not believe me. And that’s fine, be pessimistic if you like. But here’s the thing, the Very Big Thing: humans are social, and when there’s a rip in the social fabric, we tend to get out the needle and thread. Laugh all you want at that terrible metaphor, but what’s underneath it is true.

Your response: live up to your end of the bargain.

RECENT POSTS:
--Happy Hurricane High-Point, Y’all
--Five Years After Katrina, Five Lessons Learned
--A Guest Post From The CitizenGlobal Outreach Team
--Guest Post from ProPublica About The BP Claims Process
--This Month In New Orleans Culture: Theater, Vetiver, And The World Air Sex Championship

_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

No Sleep in Helena [Alabama] (lifestyle and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: No Sleep in Helena, by Hewy Nosleep

WEB ADDRESS: http://helena-alabama.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: News and events from the little town of Helena, Alabama. Located next to the Cahaba river in Shelby County.

MY REVIEW: The author of this blog is a guy after my own heart. His posts cover everything that happens in his little town, from store closings, to sporting events from elementary to high school, to this and that.

It's a fun read. Every post covers something different about the town. It's also illustrated profusely.

If you like reading about small-town America - and finding out just how much happens in these small towns, this blog is for you.

Sample post:

Champion Plant Winn Postal Zone in Helena
Division Championship
Teresa emailed some exciting news! Two Helena Wildcat football teams will be playing in league championships this Saturday (11/21). Helena’s 80 lb football team (made up of 1st & 2nd graders) will be playing at 9:00 am in their division’s Championship game, and the 120 lb Wildcats (mostly 5th graders) will be playing in theirs at 3:00 pm. This is the first time EVER that Helena has had 2 teams make it to the football Championships! The Championships are being held at Pelham City Park all day on Saturday. Let’s encourage all the Helena fans to come out and support our teams!

Little Italy Fundraiser
From 4pm-9pm the Cahaba Bend Student Ministry will be the servers at Little Italy 2693 Highway 58 in Helena. All tips along with 10% of sales go to help the ministry for all dine-ins and take-outs (no deliveries). So if you dont have dinner plans then give them some help. Here's their menu if you havent been before: 1, 2, and 3

Plant Sale
JP wrote in to say that there is a half off plant sale at Helena Landscape on Hwy 52. It was this weekend but hopefully they will keep it going all week.

What to do about Winn Dixie
First off, I'm sad that we were not able to convince Winn Dixie's Corporate office to keep our store open. I'm also a little miffed that the close-out company, that is selling off Winn Dixie's goods, had raised all the prices before offering the "big" discounts. So 50% is more like 5% off their prices from a couple of months ago. They also are keep a minimum staff. So when I went this weekend, everything was still more expensive than walmart except for a small cooler which I had to wait in line 10 minutes to buy. When I got home, it leaked.... no returns.

Ok, enough belly-aching. How about a cool idea! An official from Shelby County told us about what some ingenious towns in the Carolinas did with their grocery stores closed down. They leased them to the United States Postal Service!

Ding! Our post office is in desperate need of additional space and parking. Why can't we do that here? All the developer would have to do is sub-divide the space and there would never be a parking problem. The other stores would also benefit from the additional traffic that the post office always bring. Maybe they could even expand their operation and provide more jobs for the city! I heard that at the PZ meeting.

Planning the Future
There are a lot of bodies in the Helena government but recently I have been able to sit in with the Helena Planning and Zoning Commission. They are in the middle of creating a long term plan for Helena and the details are fascinating. Since it is still in the planning stage, it would be inappropriate for me to tell everything, since none the plans have been finalized. I will tell more in the future but here are the top 7 interesting things from the last meeting:

1. The planning and zoning board has to make long term strategic plans for the future locations of Fire stations, schools, parks, community centers and roads based on population trends. They also write regulations about signs, parking lots, roads, sidewalks and more. They really involved in every aspect of the city.

2. . Helena's property tax (millage) is smaller than the cities around us. Our rate is "5" whereas Alabaster & Calera is "10" and Pelham is "14".

3. Helena is limited by the ADEM air monitor located off Hwy 261. This monitor has an impact on the entire county so Helena has an obligation to recruit clean air industry.

4. Septic lines cant cross the Cahaba River so all the homes to the west of it use their own septic systems instead of the City's.

5. The Helena Cemetery by City Hall is one of the most affordable cemetery in the area and still has openings.

5. Helena used to have a racetrack for cars over by Roy Drive which had racing every Sunday.

6. Helena has a swamp called the Ruffin Swamp and has several creeks named "Hurricane, Beaverdam, Prairie Brook, Lee Brook and Black Creek. Some of these wetlands could qualify for Federal funds.

7. One map had the 261 Bypass connecting at Hwy-52 at the Hillsboro bypass and shows the walking trail from HMS connecting to Helena Intermediate and Cahaba Lily Park.

Weekend
You can scroll down to see some photos from the weekend or "friend" me on facebook (I met three friends from facebook this weekend at the Market). If you had a chance to stop by the Helena Farmer's Market then here are the recipes that Jon Gower was using:


Watermelon Pina Colada
Smoked Wings
Congrats to all the people who participated in the Smoke & Gun Poker run. There were also over 150 people at the HMS 5k Panther Prowl.
[Video he filmed of race not included]

RECENT POSTS:
--Champion Plant Winn Postal Zone in Helena
--Saturday Events
--Smoke & Gun, Run & Fun, Prowl & Bake, Beads & Cake
--Retro Look
--Myth, Ice and Grads in Helena
_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Napa Guerilla Gay Bar (lifestyle and culture, gay)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Napa Guerilla Gay Bar, by Rick Turko

WEB ADDRESS: http://napagaybar.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Napa Guerilla Gay Bar is a not-for-profit social and philanthropic organization. There are no “gay” bars in the Napa Valley. Our mission is to turn selected bars, restaurants, pubs and other facilities “gay for a day”. We seek to create safe and entertaining social opportunities for LGBT folks, their friends and their allies. This is done by developing and promoting social activities that build a sense of community and support Napa Valley businesses and organizations.

MY REVIEW: The purpose of this blog is to alert people in the LGBT community when social functions are going to occur, and to support Napa Valley businesses and organizations at the same time. Sounds like a bunch of worthy causes to me!

The only problem with this blog is that for some reason the font is about 3 points to big. Not sure why. So you might find it better to read on the web, for this particular blog. But check it out for yourself.

Sample post

Sushi With A Purpose!

After a brief post-Pride hiatus it's time to get back into the swing of things. This is a mission with a purpose . . . and we're going to do it RAW with a side of soy sauce and wasabi!

Join the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar on Friday, July 9 for "Sushi With A Purpose" at Sushi Mambo (1202 First Street) in downtown Napa. 20% of the check will be donated to Cope Family Center - a group who's mission is to "empower families to create happy, healthy lives for their children through child abuse prevention, parent education and self-sufficiency services."

Not into raw fish and seaweed? No worries - Sushi Mambo has lots of yummy hot options like:

Chicken, beef or salmon teriyaki
Beef or chicken sukiyaki
Pork, chicken, beef, red snapper or shrimp katsu
Shrimp Tempura, beef or chicken udon soup
Troops will begin arriving around 6:30 p.m. Reservations are STRONGLY encouraged and can be made on-line at http://www.opentable.com/sushi-mambo-reservations-napa?rid=30148&restref=30148

RECENT POSTS:
--Opening Day at the Napa Town & Country Fair
--This Is Going To Be CHO Good!
--The Show Must Go On!
--Get Wet for Equality!
--Sushi With A Purpose!

_______________________
Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

Hawaii 24/7 (Local news, travel)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Hawaii 24/7 , by

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.hawaii247.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Hawaii 24/7 is a news website focusing on the Big Island of Hawaii with local coverage of events, news and sports. The site is updated throughout the day as the news happens.

MY REVIEW: When people think about Hawaii, they think about Honolulu, the beaches of Maui and so on. The "Big Island" also called Hawaii, is not visited by tourists as much. This is an excellent blog for those individuals who live on the Big Island, as well as those planning to visit, because you see it all - all the news, updated throughout the day.

There's crime news, political news, weather news, entertainment news....all the news that's fit to print.

Highly recommended.

RECENT POSTS:
--Police renew request for public’s help in dorm room theft case
--Man shot in hunting accident now in federal detention
--Police warrants list for Thursday (July 15)
--See what’s brewing in ‘Hurricane Alleys’ live online, on iPad and iPhone via GOES satellite
--Duke Aiona files papers for governor

_______________________
Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

Seattlest (local Seattle travel, life and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Seattlest, by Gothamist

WEB ADDRESS: http://seattlest.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Seattlest is a website about Seattle and everything that happens in it. That means news and events, restaurants and bars, happenings and goings-on.

MY REVIEW: If you live in Seattle, this is a blog you should subscribe to. Simple as that. If you're planning on moving to or just visiting Seattle, ditto.

It's well-written for an audience in their 20s-30s, I think, but there's not an egregious amount of swearing, just a little bit more than you'd see in a mainstream publication. Multiple authors contribute to the blog.

Sample post:

This is your last chance to see the final works from this year’s crop of MFA students at UW. Their Thesis Exhibition closes Sunday. In spite of some recent criticism of Seattle’s art schools, this collection showcases some serious new talent.
Henry Art Gallery // 4100 15th Ave. NE // 11-4 Sat.-Sun.

Humor and music take center stage at the Northwest African American Museum this weekend. First, on Saturday, Mishna Wolff - former model, humorist and author - is on hand to present her memoir: I’m Down. This funny look back at her Seattle childhood is ultimately about identity, but it is also further proof that we all have crazy parents. While you are at the museum, make sure to check out their current exhibit After Hours, which dives into the bustling Northwest Jazz Scene that thrived from 1930-60.
Book Reading: 2-3 on Saturday, June 26 // After Hours through Dec. 31 // Northwest African American Museum // 2300 S. Massachusetts St. // $6

Like your art with a little morbidity thrown in? An impressive lineup of artists and architects take turns putting their creative spin on an item inextricably linked with death in The Architect and the Urn. This show takes place at Lundgren Monuments, a company that thrives on “new models of memorialization.” So, if you are inspired by the urns, perhaps you can design your own headstone while you are there.
Lundgren Monuments // 1011 Boren Ave. // Closes July 18 // Free // Saturday

It’s the 30-year anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption. In celebration, head on over to Blow Up: the group show commemorating the event. No word on whether or not any artists used scalding liquid magma as their media of choice. G. Gibson Gallery // 300 S. Washington St. // Free // Closes July 3 // Saturday 11-5

RECENT POSTS:
--The Weekend Art Roundup
--Can't Miss It: The Weekend
--City Charity Joins the Fight against Breast Cancer with 5k Walk
--Seattlest Pix 25June10
--Extra, Extra

_______________________
Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

Travel Deals, News and Tips

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: NO

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Travel Deals, News and Tips, by Grab2Travel.com

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.grab2travel.com/blog/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Travel blog on vacation packages, destination guide, travel advice & travel news to make reader's vacation experience easy.

MY REVIEW: This blog is part of Grab2Travel's website, and what I *think* Grab2Travel is is some entrepreneur who is an affiliate of various tourist and airline providers. Buy something from their website, and they get a commission from the business in question.

Nothing wrong with that, if they provide a good service. Frankly, I wasn't impressed with the blog. They list specials...but there are so many other blogs that give you that type of information and so much more.

Check it out to see if you agree or disagree.

RECENT POSTS:
--$5 off Secret Coupon Code for Hotel Booking - Making Our Subscribers Feel Special
--Cheap Hotels in Orlando - Family Vacation on Cheap
--$479 - 7 Nights cheap cruise vacations to Mexico on Royal Caribbean
--Go San Francisco Card - Save Up to 40% on Admission to Over 50 Attractions
--Plan Cheap Vacations to Caribbean with Discount Caribbean Vacation Packages

_______________________
Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

Road Warrior (travel, local, Kitsap, Washington)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Road Warrior, by Travis Baker

WEB ADDRESS: http://pugetsoundblogs.com/roadwarrior/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Travis Baker blogs about the problems and idiosyncrasies of Kitsap highways and byways.

MY REVIEW: Kitsap, Washington locals will love this blog, as will individuals planning a visit to that locality. Indeed, anyone who lives in Washington state should check this out, because he does discuss, on occasion, road laws that will affect the entire state.

Baker writes well, and is a personality. So check it out.

Sample post:

State ‘Move Over’ law to get tougher
April 19th, 2010 by travis baker

The in basket: Linda Wilson sent along an e-mail she recently received that contends that California has just passed a “Move Over” law that can bring a $754 ticket for not moving to the left to give room to police or other emergency vehicles on the roadside with their flashing lights working.

If you can’t move left, you have to slow to 20 miles per hour, the e-mail said. It claims that “a friend’s son” got such a ticket recently.

He slowed down to pass two patrol cars on the shoulder “but did not move into the other lane,” went the story. “The second police car immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket.”

The infraction supposedly counts three points against your driving record and requires a mandatory court appearance, it said.

Finally, it listed a Web site that supposedly confirmed it all as true. That is www.moveoveramerica.com.

The out basket: It is not a true story, and makes the urban legend Web sites as a hoax.

But it’s a timely one for those of us in Washington state, which also has a Move Over law. The Legislature has just upped the ante substantially for not making an effort to give emergency vehicles on the shoulder a wide berth. In some circumstances, the penalty could be a lot more than $754.

First, about the e-mail. California has had a Move Over law since 2007, and this year just added state highway department vehicles to those that require other drivers to move over or slow down when they see the emergency lights in use.

The fine is $50 or less. Though local add-ons can increase that, it wouldn’t come to anything near $754.

The California law merely requires a reasonable speed for conditions. The one in Texas may include the 20 mph requirement to stay in the closest lane to the emergency.

The site www.moveoveramerica.com merely confirms the existence of Move Over laws in most states, not the spurious claims about California.

As for the changes in Washington state, which become effective next Jan. 1, they specify that the emergency zone where the law is effective is within 200 feet on either side of a stationery emergency vehicle on the shoulder with lights flashing. That wasn’t defined in the original law.

There is no 20 mph requirement, but it doubles the fine for exceeding the speed limit past such a vehicle in any lane. My state patrol contact, Trooper Krista Hedstrom, isn’t sure what the fine or fines to be doubled will be. It probably will vary with how far over the speed limit the driver is traveling.

But if the driver is found to actually endanger emergency personnel on the roadside, it can be cited as the gross misdemeanor of reckless endangerment, with the potential for a year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine, plus a 60-day license suspension. Even without hiring a lawyer to fight it, such a citation could cost into the thousands.

“The bill also requires the state (within existing resources) to do education regarding the new law in the 90 days after the bill becomes effective,” Krista said.

“WSP Government and Media Relations will be working the next few months on a plan to get this message out come January, which will probably include some sort of statewide press event and a media plan.”

RECENT POSTS:
--Pavement losing its color at Burley-Olalla
--Of right/left turn conflicts & speed limit signs
--Luoto/Highway 3 on-ramp said site of turning conflicts
--State ‘Move Over’ law to get tougher
--Should bicyclists have to be licensed?

___________________
Ms. Cairo writes two blogs of her own:
Winged Victory: Women in Aviation
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters

California Traveler (Local travel)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Maybe

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: California Traveler, by Suz

WEB ADDRESS: http://californiatraveler.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Pictures and Posts about my travels to and around California. Tips on things to do and places to see mostly from the Central Coast and up. As well us other places I've been between here and there.

MY REVIEW: Well, California Traveler would be a good blog, except for the fact that its author only updates it twice a month. Still, since the blog is only 99 cents a month, it makes sense to subscribe to it so that you don't have to keep checking it. The posts themselves are interesting.

Still...two times a month is pretty slow going. So make your own decision about this.

RECENT POSTS:
--Artichokes Are In Season!
--Marine Protected Areas
--In the Pink with the Monterey Bay Aquarium
--"Big Sur: Wild California," National Geographic Channel

___________________
Ms. Cairo writes two blogs of her own:
Winged Victory: Women in Aviation
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters

Arizona Reporter (local info, travel)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Arizona Reporter

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.azreporter.com/news/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Since 1998 - Quality Arts, Entertainment Culture and... Arizona

Featuring Award Winning Columnists:

Harvey Karten, Ph.D. "Harvey Critic"
Founder, New York Film Critics Online

Susan Granger - "Granger Reviews"
Member, New York Film Critics Online

Quality Interviews, Local Flair, Local Music from Symphony to Rock Editorials, Television, Public Media, Events, Blogs... and oh yea, did we mention movies!

MY REVIEW: This is an excellent blog to keep up on what's happening in Arizona. In addition, the author is four-square with the Governor in her efforts to stop illegal immigration, so that makes this blog okay in my book. [It is frightening how many people dont seem to realize there's a difference between legal and illegal immigration. Moreover, it seems that illegal immigrants don't see themselves as illegals, but as people moving back into a country that Mexico used to own - 400 years ago - and they're just taking it back. And if the gringos are stupid enough to pay them welfare and free heatlhcare on top of everything else, why not?]

The blog doesn't dwell much on this issue, of the 20 articles which fed into my Kindle after I subscribed, only one reports on the issue, and one talks about it obliquely (Gulf Disaster Ramifications). The others are about local films and events.

Recommended.

Sample post:

Could Arizona Export Clean Energy?

TUCSON, Ariz. - A pair of Tucson-based scientists has developed a plan for Arizona’s energy future that proposes a dramatic increase in the use of solar and wind energy.
They say the plan, if pursued aggressively, would have Arizona generating all its electricity using 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2040 and exporting excess electricity to other states.

Richard C. Powell is a professor emeritus in optical sciences and former vice president for research at the University of Arizona; he works with the solar energy initiative for Science Foundation Arizona. Richard Wiener is a program officer for Tucson-based Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), a private foundation that has funded basic research in the physical sciences for nearly a century. Both men are physicists by training.

The full plan, entitled "Arizona Clean Energy Vision - 100% by 2040," is available on the web HERE (PDF) and HERE (PDF).

The two cite independent studies predicting Arizona must develop its peak load electricity generating capacity from about 19 gigawatts (GW) today to roughly 38 GW to accommodate growth in demand. A gigawatt is one billion watts; the peak output of Hoover Dam is just over 2 GW) "Currently there is no clear vision for the future of energy in Arizona similar to those developed by other states such as Texas, New Mexico and California," Powell says.

Wiener says the problem with fossil fuels, aside from pollution issues, is that while coal, oil and natural gas are relatively cheap today, they may not remain so as demand for these fuels continues to rise in a prospering global economy. What’s more, if a global "peak oil," scenario were to occur - global oil production begins to decline in an era of increasing demand - oil prices would likely become even more volatile and the cost of all fossil fuels would rise. Also, the negative consequences of over reliance on fossil fuels could be amplified by federal controls or additional taxes on CO2 emissions, he warns.

"In our view," Powell says, "Arizona should consider an energy future counting primarily on its renewable resources, and exporting our energy surplus, because our resource base provides a competitive economic advantage in projected pricing stability of electricity."

The report notes that 40 percent of all U.S. energy goes to produce electricity, and that the technology to generate electricity cleanly, from non-fossil fuel sources, "is well developed and quickly improving. Arizona has more than sufficient resources to produce 100 percent of its electricity with minimal use of fossil fuels."

RECENT POSTS:
--Gulf Disaster Ramifications Far Outweigh Arizona Immigration
--Achieving the "New Normal"
--Could Arizona Export Clean Energy?
--Yea, For Off Shore Oil Rig Drilling?
--DOGTOOTH (Kyno∆onta∑)


___________________
Ms. Cairo writes three blogs of her own:
Topical Murder and Dated Death
Winged Victory: Women in Aviation
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters