I had received tons of emails regarding Measure P. Still filtering them, please be patient when your email hasn't been posted or replied. Here are some email excerpts that I had received a while ago. Enjoy!
One email:
I have been searching for where the money from Measure P has been used, so thank you for the information. Unfortunately the information is more than 1.5 years old. How typical of SSD to withold information. The office can use the funds to upgrade the wireless communications for 11 campuses but doesn't have the know-how to update its own information? Maybe Picard does not want people to know and question what he is up to.
One email:
Oh My God! Columbia's "multi-purpose room, locker room and food court facility" will cost over $8.6 million! How big is that f-thing? Has anyone done the math? Is it $860 per squarefoot? $430 per sf? $215 per sf?
One email:
I am a parent at Cherry Chase and I can testify that the good old "multi-use facility" or gym that was torn down was neither aging nor broken! There are only two reasons I can see why it was replaced. #1. Mrs Diane Hemmes is incompetent, and #2. Lets use up the money before other schools use it up.
#1. Mrs Hemmes is incompetent. The gym was deemed too small for the growing student population, both during lunch and when Mrs H felt she needed to talk in front of the parents. Many schools have these same problems and they have managed to solve them using creative management and organization skills. Here are a few:
- stagger the lunch hours. CC does it to a limited extend. But Mrs H never considers letting the students play first before going to lunch. So she is essentially wasting half of the multiplexing time just because she lacks imagination!
- parents overflowed the gym when Mrs H tried to talk and when they couldn't see Mrs H's slide projection they lost interest and either left or chatted among themselves. Was the gym too small? At a meeting a year ago (many years since Mrs H was no longer a rookie), she spent half the time blocking the projector until someone told her to please move her body! Some schools solve the problems by having the parents come in two batches. Some schools have live feeds to outside the building. When Andy Murray plays at Centre Court Wimbledon and it was sold out, fans can still watch on the big screen TV on Henman Hill. I am saddened that our principal continue to think inside the box.
#2. Lets use up the money before other schools use it up. From the list of "improvements" funded by Measure P, it seems the money is quickly used up by many wasteful and over-priced projects. So why don't we have our share?!
Many parents I talked with didn't want a new building. The new building sits on 1/4 of the black top. When it is all done up, it will reduce the exercise area even more! What a waste! What a shame!
One parent:
New "media center" for Lakewood? Elementary schools should emphasis a solid foundation of reasoning and problem solving skills, not surfing the web with some new-fangled machines. Books allow children to slow down and think it through. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking math quizzes and comprehension tests on paper. Computers can only check answers in a very limited fashion. Why do you think computer quizzes are almost always multiple choice?
Why do school district offices always try to force technology on students? Do they think technology can replace good teachers?
We are promoting ADHD and carpal tunnel syndrome!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
SSD spending money like there is no tomorrow!
$120 million is a lot of money.
$120 million is a lot of money for a school district.
$120 million is an insane amount of money for a school district with mere 6000+ active students at a given year, no matter where the money is supposed to go.
Somebody has to pay for the $120 million of General Obligation Bond. Guess who?
http://www.sesd.org/education/dept/deptinfo.php?sectiondetailid=857
MeasureP_ProjectUpdate
$120 million is a lot of money for a school district.
$120 million is an insane amount of money for a school district with mere 6000+ active students at a given year, no matter where the money is supposed to go.
Somebody has to pay for the $120 million of General Obligation Bond. Guess who?
http://www.sesd.org/education/dept/deptinfo.php?sectiondetailid=857
MeasureP_ProjectUpdate
Who is Bruce Selzler?
Profile of B. Selzler from SSD
Profile of B. Selzler from Apple Forum
B. Selzler's Dream Classroom
Well, if it makes you feel better, B.S. is not the only one of his kind.
BS_DreamClassroom
Profile of B. Selzler from Apple Forum
B. Selzler's Dream Classroom
Well, if it makes you feel better, B.S. is not the only one of his kind.
BS_DreamClassroom
Money from Measure P wasted!
Besides money wasted, SSD has just introduced more RF signals into the everyday life of the students.
This wireless technology upgrade is total waste of public funds. Computers in classrooms is the same as televisions in bedrooms. Computer use in classrooms should be minimized and limited to special cases. Good teachers and ability to motivate students create curious minds and lifelong learners.
Not the so-called latest and fastest technology, especially not in the K-8 levels!
Money from Measure P being used for wireless networks at SSD schools (2010):
- From PRNewsWire
- From Trapeze Network (cached below)
Excerpt from PRNewsWire:
In the heart of California's Silicon Valley, Sunnyvale School District implemented high-performing Trapeze Networks 802.11n Wi-Fi equipment in 11 school campuses. Now more than 6,000 students, 520 teachers and staff, as well as visitors can have mobile access to the Internet and PowerSchool, the student information system. PowerSchool is hosted at the Sunnyvale district location and manages supplies and student enrollment, attendance, and demographic information for other third party software for such things as county and state reporting.
Notes&Questions: Why are students and teachers allowed to access private and sensitive information?
Sunnyvale School District's wireless network had to be centrally manageable, fully secure, high performing and completely dependable in both our old and new buildings. And, we needed to have the network up and running flawlessly within a couple weeks, in time for the 2010 school year," said Bruce Selzler, manager of student information technology, Sunnyvale School District.
With the new Trapeze wireless network, teachers are now able to roam the classroom working with students one-on-one using devices such as laptops and smartphones to access curricula; students can work on projects using laptops in the classroom and visitors can make presentations securely in conference facilities across the district.
Notes&Questions: How big is a classroom? Roam?
Notes&Questions: Visitors making presentations securely to students? Are our kids working on things that require NDAs?
Selzler said, "I am happy with Trapeze Networks because of the strong management and security capabilities as well as the reliability and performance of the wireless network. One of the things that sold me on Trapeze was RingMaster's management and control capabilities I needed for easily managing and configuring the 11 school sites. When it came to management, the other options available weren't even in the same ballpark with Trapeze."
Sunnyvale School District deployed more than 200 Trapeze Mobility Point® MP-432 802.11n access points requiring maximum coverage in all 11 schools in the district. Also in use is the Mobility Exchange® MX-200R Intelligent WLAN Controller and RingMaster® 7.0 WLAN management software for planning, configuration, deployment, monitoring and optimization.
Sunnyvale School District utilized the Trapeze Professional Services group to coordinate the project, which included installation and configuration of the entire wireless network, the purchase of Belden cabling and connectors, and managing a Belden-recommended California Municipal Award Service (CMAS) certified cabling contractor for the wiring, something required for municipal installations in the state of California.
"The deployment was seamless, unobtrusive and shockingly quick -- with the help of Trapeze Networks Professional Services," said Selzler. "I think I can speak for everyone in the district when I say we're happy with the decision we made."
Notes&Questions: How much did it all cost with this "shockingly quick professional service"? And who is this Bruce Selzler who talks like a salesman?
Cached from Trapeze Network:
CS_Sunnyvale_100610
This wireless technology upgrade is total waste of public funds. Computers in classrooms is the same as televisions in bedrooms. Computer use in classrooms should be minimized and limited to special cases. Good teachers and ability to motivate students create curious minds and lifelong learners.
Not the so-called latest and fastest technology, especially not in the K-8 levels!
Money from Measure P being used for wireless networks at SSD schools (2010):
- From PRNewsWire
- From Trapeze Network (cached below)
Excerpt from PRNewsWire:
In the heart of California's Silicon Valley, Sunnyvale School District implemented high-performing Trapeze Networks 802.11n Wi-Fi equipment in 11 school campuses. Now more than 6,000 students, 520 teachers and staff, as well as visitors can have mobile access to the Internet and PowerSchool, the student information system. PowerSchool is hosted at the Sunnyvale district location and manages supplies and student enrollment, attendance, and demographic information for other third party software for such things as county and state reporting.
Notes&Questions: Why are students and teachers allowed to access private and sensitive information?
Sunnyvale School District's wireless network had to be centrally manageable, fully secure, high performing and completely dependable in both our old and new buildings. And, we needed to have the network up and running flawlessly within a couple weeks, in time for the 2010 school year," said Bruce Selzler, manager of student information technology, Sunnyvale School District.
With the new Trapeze wireless network, teachers are now able to roam the classroom working with students one-on-one using devices such as laptops and smartphones to access curricula; students can work on projects using laptops in the classroom and visitors can make presentations securely in conference facilities across the district.
Notes&Questions: How big is a classroom? Roam?
Notes&Questions: Visitors making presentations securely to students? Are our kids working on things that require NDAs?
Selzler said, "I am happy with Trapeze Networks because of the strong management and security capabilities as well as the reliability and performance of the wireless network. One of the things that sold me on Trapeze was RingMaster's management and control capabilities I needed for easily managing and configuring the 11 school sites. When it came to management, the other options available weren't even in the same ballpark with Trapeze."
Sunnyvale School District deployed more than 200 Trapeze Mobility Point® MP-432 802.11n access points requiring maximum coverage in all 11 schools in the district. Also in use is the Mobility Exchange® MX-200R Intelligent WLAN Controller and RingMaster® 7.0 WLAN management software for planning, configuration, deployment, monitoring and optimization.
Sunnyvale School District utilized the Trapeze Professional Services group to coordinate the project, which included installation and configuration of the entire wireless network, the purchase of Belden cabling and connectors, and managing a Belden-recommended California Municipal Award Service (CMAS) certified cabling contractor for the wiring, something required for municipal installations in the state of California.
"The deployment was seamless, unobtrusive and shockingly quick -- with the help of Trapeze Networks Professional Services," said Selzler. "I think I can speak for everyone in the district when I say we're happy with the decision we made."
Notes&Questions: How much did it all cost with this "shockingly quick professional service"? And who is this Bruce Selzler who talks like a salesman?
Cached from Trapeze Network:
CS_Sunnyvale_100610
About Measure P
Measure P Information (from SSD)
In November 2004, voters in the Sunnyvale School District approved Measure P, a $120 million General Obligation Bond measure, to maintain a safe learning environment at Sunnyvale's elementary and middle schools by:
Upgrading infrastructure;
Improving and expanding school libraries;
Repairing, replacing and rehabilitating aging facilities;
And, constructing and equipping classroom buildings and student support facilities.
Facilities improvements to be funded by Measure P were identified by Sunnyvale School District faculty, staff, students, independent facilities professionals, and community residents. The result of their work is a comprehensive Facilities Standards and Master Plan to be implemented over the next ten years. The Facilities Standards and Master Plan provides a cost-effective "road map" to achieve high quality instructional facilities required to accommodate future educational programming needs of our students.
Laws governing passage of Measure P require strict accountability for the spending of funds received as a result of voter-approved bonds. These include annual independent audits and public oversight. An independent Citizens Oversight Committee (COC), comprised of local senior citizens, homeowners, taxpayers, and parents, among others, has been appointed to monitor expenditure of all Measure P funds and to keep the public informed of the progress of the Measure P.
This web site will provide the community with information about the status of the bond funding and the work of the Citizens' Oversight Committee.
More about Measure P can be found HERE
Money from Measure P being used for wireless networks at SSD schools (2010):
- From PRNewsWire
- From Trapeze Network (cached below)
Excerpt from PRNewsWire:
In the heart of California's Silicon Valley, Sunnyvale School District implemented high-performing Trapeze Networks 802.11n Wi-Fi equipment in 11 school campuses. Now more than 6,000 students, 520 teachers and staff, as well as visitors can have mobile access to the Internet and PowerSchool, the student information system. PowerSchool is hosted at the Sunnyvale district location and manages supplies and student enrollment, attendance, and demographic information for other third party software for such things as county and state reporting.
Notes&Questions: Why are students and teachers allowed to access private and sensitive information?
Sunnyvale School District's wireless network had to be centrally manageable, fully secure, high performing and completely dependable in both our old and new buildings. And, we needed to have the network up and running flawlessly within a couple weeks, in time for the 2010 school year," said Bruce Selzler, manager of student information technology, Sunnyvale School District.
With the new Trapeze wireless network, teachers are now able to roam the classroom working with students one-on-one using devices such as laptops and smartphones to access curricula; students can work on projects using laptops in the classroom and visitors can make presentations securely in conference facilities across the district.
Notes&Questions: How big is a classroom? Roam?
Notes&Questions: Visitors making presentations securely to students? Are our kids working on things that require NDAs?
Selzler said, "I am happy with Trapeze Networks because of the strong management and security capabilities as well as the reliability and performance of the wireless network. One of the things that sold me on Trapeze was RingMaster's management and control capabilities I needed for easily managing and configuring the 11 school sites. When it came to management, the other options available weren't even in the same ballpark with Trapeze."
Sunnyvale School District deployed more than 200 Trapeze Mobility Point® MP-432 802.11n access points requiring maximum coverage in all 11 schools in the district. Also in use is the Mobility Exchange® MX-200R Intelligent WLAN Controller and RingMaster® 7.0 WLAN management software for planning, configuration, deployment, monitoring and optimization.
Sunnyvale School District utilized the Trapeze Professional Services group to coordinate the project, which included installation and configuration of the entire wireless network, the purchase of Belden cabling and connectors, and managing a Belden-recommended California Municipal Award Service (CMAS) certified cabling contractor for the wiring, something required for municipal installations in the state of California.
"The deployment was seamless, unobtrusive and shockingly quick -- with the help of Trapeze Networks Professional Services," said Selzler. "I think I can speak for everyone in the district when I say we're happy with the decision we made."
Cached from Trapeze Network:
CS_Sunnyvale_100610
In November 2004, voters in the Sunnyvale School District approved Measure P, a $120 million General Obligation Bond measure, to maintain a safe learning environment at Sunnyvale's elementary and middle schools by:
Upgrading infrastructure;
Improving and expanding school libraries;
Repairing, replacing and rehabilitating aging facilities;
And, constructing and equipping classroom buildings and student support facilities.
Facilities improvements to be funded by Measure P were identified by Sunnyvale School District faculty, staff, students, independent facilities professionals, and community residents. The result of their work is a comprehensive Facilities Standards and Master Plan to be implemented over the next ten years. The Facilities Standards and Master Plan provides a cost-effective "road map" to achieve high quality instructional facilities required to accommodate future educational programming needs of our students.
Laws governing passage of Measure P require strict accountability for the spending of funds received as a result of voter-approved bonds. These include annual independent audits and public oversight. An independent Citizens Oversight Committee (COC), comprised of local senior citizens, homeowners, taxpayers, and parents, among others, has been appointed to monitor expenditure of all Measure P funds and to keep the public informed of the progress of the Measure P.
This web site will provide the community with information about the status of the bond funding and the work of the Citizens' Oversight Committee.
More about Measure P can be found HERE
Where has the money from Measure P gone?
Money from Measure P being used for wireless networks at SSD schools (2010):
- From PRNewsWire
- From Trapeze Network (cached below)
Excerpt from PRNewsWire:
In the heart of California's Silicon Valley, Sunnyvale School District implemented high-performing Trapeze Networks 802.11n Wi-Fi equipment in 11 school campuses. Now more than 6,000 students, 520 teachers and staff, as well as visitors can have mobile access to the Internet and PowerSchool, the student information system. PowerSchool is hosted at the Sunnyvale district location and manages supplies and student enrollment, attendance, and demographic information for other third party software for such things as county and state reporting.
Notes&Questions: Why are students and teachers allowed to access private and sensitive information?
Sunnyvale School District's wireless network had to be centrally manageable, fully secure, high performing and completely dependable in both our old and new buildings. And, we needed to have the network up and running flawlessly within a couple weeks, in time for the 2010 school year," said Bruce Selzler, manager of student information technology, Sunnyvale School District.
With the new Trapeze wireless network, teachers are now able to roam the classroom working with students one-on-one using devices such as laptops and smartphones to access curricula; students can work on projects using laptops in the classroom and visitors can make presentations securely in conference facilities across the district.
Notes&Questions: How big is a classroom? Roam?
Notes&Questions: Visitors making presentations securely to students? Are our kids working on things that require NDAs?
Selzler said, "I am happy with Trapeze Networks because of the strong management and security capabilities as well as the reliability and performance of the wireless network. One of the things that sold me on Trapeze was RingMaster's management and control capabilities I needed for easily managing and configuring the 11 school sites. When it came to management, the other options available weren't even in the same ballpark with Trapeze."
Sunnyvale School District deployed more than 200 Trapeze Mobility Point® MP-432 802.11n access points requiring maximum coverage in all 11 schools in the district. Also in use is the Mobility Exchange® MX-200R Intelligent WLAN Controller and RingMaster® 7.0 WLAN management software for planning, configuration, deployment, monitoring and optimization.
Sunnyvale School District utilized the Trapeze Professional Services group to coordinate the project, which included installation and configuration of the entire wireless network, the purchase of Belden cabling and connectors, and managing a Belden-recommended California Municipal Award Service (CMAS) certified cabling contractor for the wiring, something required for municipal installations in the state of California.
"The deployment was seamless, unobtrusive and shockingly quick -- with the help of Trapeze Networks Professional Services," said Selzler. "I think I can speak for everyone in the district when I say we're happy with the decision we made."
Cached from Trapeze Network:
CS_Sunnyvale_100610
SMS losing another .5 acres of open space
The following was brought to my attention by a reader:
Sunnyvale Middle School Measure P Bond Project:
Sunnyvale Middle School Measure P Bond Project:
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Salt Intake and RF Exposure
Salt is perhaps the oldest known food preservative and flavor enhancer (strictly speaking it is not a spice). Salt has been in used for many thousands of years. (Wiki Salt) Salt is basically sodium chloride.
CDC recently revised its recommendation on sodium intake for adults. (http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Sodium/) CNN.com also featured that as news (Dr Gupta)
Excerpts:
Current dietary guidelines recommend that adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. However, if you are in the following population groups, you should consume no more than 1,500 mg per day.
• You are 40 years of age or older.
• You are African American.
• You have high blood pressure.
Excerpts from http://www.annecollins.com/sodium-rda-diet.htm:
The US sodium RDA of less than 2,400 mg is higher than the UK Recommended Nutritional Intake (RNI) whose upper limit for sodium is 1,600 mg.
The American Heart Association recommends that for every 1,000 Calories of food consumed, the sodium intake should be 1,000 mg and should not exceed the 3,000 mg limit.
The average intake in the United States is between 4,000 and 5,000 mg of sodium per day.
Recommended limit of sodium intake is hard to find for infants, children and adolescents.
According to diet.com (this website was chosen because it covers all age categories and it is easy to view): (also see IOM)
Article in (IOM) showing rise in blood pressure of children ages 81-17:
Yet,when CDC puts out the advisory to reduce sodium intake, nothing was mentioned about children.
Now, if the adult RDA or DRI for sodium has been reduced by about 40%, does it make sense to also reduce the children's RDA or DRI by the same amount? Especially in view that children's blood pressure levels are elevated compared to previous years?
Perhaps nobody would go that route because food is big business and packaged food industry is powerful?
Lets see what a 1-3 year old child can eat with a 600mg sodium "allowance". Or for 4-8 year olds with a 720mg sodium "allowance". Here is a sample of what children like to eat or what parents give children:
700mg - 1 Noah's egg bagel (1 bagel is 120g)
404mg - 2 oz or 64g McDonald Chic McNuggets
286mg - 1/4 Jack in the Box Big Cheeseburger (1/4 of the burger is 53g)
280mg - 1 cup cheerios
260mg - 1 slice cheese pizza (3 oz or 85g)
250mg - 1 eggo waffle
190mg - 1 Tablespoon Heinz Ketchup
187mg - 1/4 cup mac & cheese prepared with milk and margerine
180mg - 1 oz Kraft extra sharp cheddar cheese
169mg - 1 hardboiled egg of 136g
160mg - 1 slice whole grain bread
125mg - about 30mL or 2 tablespoons Prego spaghetti sauce
104mg - 3.5 oz roasted chicken breast (low sodium)
100mg - 8 oz milk
30mg - 38 pieces Lyndon Farms French Fries
22mg - 1 oz raw carrots
10mg - 8 oz orange juice
10mg - 1 oz raw broccoli
2mg - 1 orange
2mg - 1 apple
2mg - strawberries
Clearly, parents will have trouble getting toddlers to eat within 300mg of sodium every day after consuming the pediatricians recommended 24 oz of milk (for calcium and protein). And it will be impossible to tell the 4-8 year-olds to stay within 520mg of sodium every day after 16 oz of milk.
Will the packaged food industry voluntarily or actively advertise that children should have reduced sodium intake? No! All the companies will gladly show the percentage of sodium in each serving based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Now, what does DRI of sodium have anything to do with RF exposure from cell phone towers?
Actually quite a lot:
1. Safe levels for children are not established for both.
2. Effects are cumulative.
3. Excess intakes/exposures are harmful.
4. Multiple sources at once. (e.g., many meals. e.g., wi-fi at school/home, smart-meters courtesy of PacBell)
5. Long term studies not available.
Why do we instinctively know that children should not consume as much sodium as adults?
Why are we in denial that children's RF exposure limit levels should be much lower than adults?
Why do we accept results from short term studies of adult subjects as equally applicable to long term effects of children of all ages?
These are all multi-billion dollar questions!
CDC recently revised its recommendation on sodium intake for adults. (http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Sodium/) CNN.com also featured that as news (Dr Gupta)
Excerpts:
Current dietary guidelines recommend that adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. However, if you are in the following population groups, you should consume no more than 1,500 mg per day.
• You are 40 years of age or older.
• You are African American.
• You have high blood pressure.
Excerpts from http://www.annecollins.com/sodium-rda-diet.htm:
The US sodium RDA of less than 2,400 mg is higher than the UK Recommended Nutritional Intake (RNI) whose upper limit for sodium is 1,600 mg.
The American Heart Association recommends that for every 1,000 Calories of food consumed, the sodium intake should be 1,000 mg and should not exceed the 3,000 mg limit.
The average intake in the United States is between 4,000 and 5,000 mg of sodium per day.
Recommended limit of sodium intake is hard to find for infants, children and adolescents.
According to diet.com (this website was chosen because it covers all age categories and it is easy to view): (also see IOM)
Article in (IOM) showing rise in blood pressure of children ages 81-17:
Yet,when CDC puts out the advisory to reduce sodium intake, nothing was mentioned about children.
Now, if the adult RDA or DRI for sodium has been reduced by about 40%, does it make sense to also reduce the children's RDA or DRI by the same amount? Especially in view that children's blood pressure levels are elevated compared to previous years?
Perhaps nobody would go that route because food is big business and packaged food industry is powerful?
Lets see what a 1-3 year old child can eat with a 600mg sodium "allowance". Or for 4-8 year olds with a 720mg sodium "allowance". Here is a sample of what children like to eat or what parents give children:
700mg - 1 Noah's egg bagel (1 bagel is 120g)
404mg - 2 oz or 64g McDonald Chic McNuggets
286mg - 1/4 Jack in the Box Big Cheeseburger (1/4 of the burger is 53g)
280mg - 1 cup cheerios
260mg - 1 slice cheese pizza (3 oz or 85g)
250mg - 1 eggo waffle
190mg - 1 Tablespoon Heinz Ketchup
187mg - 1/4 cup mac & cheese prepared with milk and margerine
180mg - 1 oz Kraft extra sharp cheddar cheese
169mg - 1 hardboiled egg of 136g
160mg - 1 slice whole grain bread
125mg - about 30mL or 2 tablespoons Prego spaghetti sauce
104mg - 3.5 oz roasted chicken breast (low sodium)
100mg - 8 oz milk
30mg - 38 pieces Lyndon Farms French Fries
22mg - 1 oz raw carrots
10mg - 8 oz orange juice
10mg - 1 oz raw broccoli
2mg - 1 orange
2mg - 1 apple
2mg - strawberries
Clearly, parents will have trouble getting toddlers to eat within 300mg of sodium every day after consuming the pediatricians recommended 24 oz of milk (for calcium and protein). And it will be impossible to tell the 4-8 year-olds to stay within 520mg of sodium every day after 16 oz of milk.
Will the packaged food industry voluntarily or actively advertise that children should have reduced sodium intake? No! All the companies will gladly show the percentage of sodium in each serving based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Now, what does DRI of sodium have anything to do with RF exposure from cell phone towers?
Actually quite a lot:
1. Safe levels for children are not established for both.
2. Effects are cumulative.
3. Excess intakes/exposures are harmful.
4. Multiple sources at once. (e.g., many meals. e.g., wi-fi at school/home, smart-meters courtesy of PacBell)
5. Long term studies not available.
Why do we instinctively know that children should not consume as much sodium as adults?
Why are we in denial that children's RF exposure limit levels should be much lower than adults?
Why do we accept results from short term studies of adult subjects as equally applicable to long term effects of children of all ages?
These are all multi-billion dollar questions!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Double Standards - "better safe than sorry"
All electronic devices must be turned off during take off and landing as precaution ("why take the risk") against potential interference with communication and navigation systems of the aircrafts. This ban came from FCC and FAA.
Why does FCC allow CPTs on school grounds and in densely populated residential areas? "Why take the risk" where children are concerned?
This article was on cnn.com today:
Is it really dangerous to use a cell phone on a plane?
Excerpts:
A U.S. ban on airborne use of cell phones has been in place for 20 years because of concerns transmissions would interfere with cellular networks on the ground. While many airlines now offer Wi-Fi access via portable electronic devices from laptops to smartphones, cellular voice and data services on domestic airlines fall under that Federal Communications Commission ban.
The Federal Aviation Administration supports the ban, citing potential interference with aircraft communication and navigation systems. The FAA also advises airlines to make sure passengers turn off almost all portable electronic devices during critical phases of flight, below 10,000 feet. Airlines require electronics be turned off and stowed during takeoff and landing.
But airline passengers who have routinely neglected -- or forgotten -- to turn off their mobile phones without devastating consequences have to wonder, how dangerous can it be?
That turns out to be a tough question to answer, but those who've studied the rules sum it up as better safe than sorry.
The risk is small, "but why take that risk?" asked David Carson, a Boeing engineer who headed up a committee of aviation and electronics experts years ago to advise the FAA on the safety of Wi-Fi and cellular devices on planes.
Why does FCC allow CPTs on school grounds and in densely populated residential areas? "Why take the risk" where children are concerned?
This article was on cnn.com today:
Is it really dangerous to use a cell phone on a plane?
Excerpts:
A U.S. ban on airborne use of cell phones has been in place for 20 years because of concerns transmissions would interfere with cellular networks on the ground. While many airlines now offer Wi-Fi access via portable electronic devices from laptops to smartphones, cellular voice and data services on domestic airlines fall under that Federal Communications Commission ban.
The Federal Aviation Administration supports the ban, citing potential interference with aircraft communication and navigation systems. The FAA also advises airlines to make sure passengers turn off almost all portable electronic devices during critical phases of flight, below 10,000 feet. Airlines require electronics be turned off and stowed during takeoff and landing.
But airline passengers who have routinely neglected -- or forgotten -- to turn off their mobile phones without devastating consequences have to wonder, how dangerous can it be?
That turns out to be a tough question to answer, but those who've studied the rules sum it up as better safe than sorry.
The risk is small, "but why take that risk?" asked David Carson, a Boeing engineer who headed up a committee of aviation and electronics experts years ago to advise the FAA on the safety of Wi-Fi and cellular devices on planes.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Another research topic resulting in split opinions?
Yesterday's health news on BBC reported that it may not be good for babies to be breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months.
Weaning before six months 'may help breastfed babies'
Excerpts:
In the British Medical Journal, the team said breastfed babies may benefit from being given solid food earlier.
Ten years ago, the World Health Organization published global advice advocating babies be exclusively breastfed for six months.
The WHO recommendation "rested largely" on a review of 16 studies, including seven from developing countries.
But another review of 33 studies found "no compelling evidence" not to introduce solids at four to six months, the experts said.
"I believe that this is a retrograde step and plays into the hands of the baby-food industry which has failed to support the six-month exclusive breastfeeding policy in the UK.
"There is evidence that some babies do die in developed countries from inappropriate young child feeding, such as the introduction of solid foods earlier before their swallowing mechanism is mature enough or they have fully developed the capability to cope with solid foods."
Well, there you have it. If they can't get breastfeeding, (which exists since oh, when?) right, how do you expect the policy makers to get cell phones and towers right?
As usual, there is the name calling, accusations and 3rd party benefiting from all these policy changes...
Weaning before six months 'may help breastfed babies'
Excerpts:
In the British Medical Journal, the team said breastfed babies may benefit from being given solid food earlier.
Ten years ago, the World Health Organization published global advice advocating babies be exclusively breastfed for six months.
The WHO recommendation "rested largely" on a review of 16 studies, including seven from developing countries.
But another review of 33 studies found "no compelling evidence" not to introduce solids at four to six months, the experts said.
"I believe that this is a retrograde step and plays into the hands of the baby-food industry which has failed to support the six-month exclusive breastfeeding policy in the UK.
"There is evidence that some babies do die in developed countries from inappropriate young child feeding, such as the introduction of solid foods earlier before their swallowing mechanism is mature enough or they have fully developed the capability to cope with solid foods."
Well, there you have it. If they can't get breastfeeding, (which exists since oh, when?) right, how do you expect the policy makers to get cell phones and towers right?
As usual, there is the name calling, accusations and 3rd party benefiting from all these policy changes...
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Letter to the Planning Commision
Here is my open letter to the Planning Commision and also City Council Members of the City of Sunnyvale. I didn't bother with the school district office and board people since they seemed to have already given their approval.
To the Planning Commision and City Council Members of the City of Sunnyvale,
We, the residents of the City of Sunnyvale in the Sunnyvale Middle School Community attest that we are in opposition to the construction of the AT&T cell phone tower at 1080 Mango Ave, around coordinates 37.359778, -122.052556 (+37° 21' 35.20", -122° 3' 9.20").
Our objections are based on the following:
We understand that the federal courts have already ruled repeatedly that a municipality has no obligation to allow intrusive cell tower installations anywhere within its borders when other providers cover the area without such intrusive installations. Our research has shown that at least one other provider (Verizon) has demonstrated excellent customer service and coverage using existing towers.
We believe AT&T and other cellular service providers should be required to provide clear and non-convoluted written information to the parents of the students and all residents within a 300 meter radius, on all the following before proposing that any new cell towers be built, especially in single-family residential areas and K-12 schools:
We call upon the Sunnyvale City Planner and City Council to preserve the character and non-commercial setting of our schools for our children, to determine the legitimate need for this cell phone tower, to preserve the beauty and serenity of the park-like grass field and wooded area, and to preserve the property values of our homes by denying the construction of the AT&T cell phone tower at 1080 Mango Ave.
We also urge the City Planner and City Council Members to require that AT&T and other wireless service provider help the residents determine that the cell towers are indeed safe as those companies claim. This can be done by paying for a 20-year study by a group of independent psychologists to track the test scores and physical and psychological well-being of the students while they attend schools where cell towers or antennas are installed and to monitor the health of the teachers in the schools. We would also like the wireless service providers to switch off the towers temporarily if the study requires such actions.
We also ask that the City of Sunnyvale does not enter into long term contracts with AT&T and other wireless service providers. We urge a yearly lease or bi-yearly lease to have better control over the appropriate maintenance of the cell phone tower and site, and also the rights to decline renewal of lease should the employees or contractors of these wireless service providers display inappropriate conducts and/or evidence of harm or hazard surfaces in the future.
To the Planning Commision and City Council Members of the City of Sunnyvale,
We, the residents of the City of Sunnyvale in the Sunnyvale Middle School Community attest that we are in opposition to the construction of the AT&T cell phone tower at 1080 Mango Ave, around coordinates 37.359778, -122.052556 (+37° 21' 35.20", -122° 3' 9.20").
Our objections are based on the following:
- - It is wrong to allow the commercialization of school grounds. A school and its grounds are provided for the education and physical well-being of our children.
- - The tower provides no necessary service. When questioned, AT&T failed to explain the need for this tower. They said there have been no complaints of coverage in the area and indeed their online coverage map shows good coverage throughout the region.
- - A safety perimeter is required in the right field of the baseball diamond. A 10-foot tall perimeter fence is being planned to keep children away and it will be adorned with warning signs, which seems inappropriate for something located in a middle school playground and will radically change the character of the park-like setting around the big redwood trees.
- - The monopole faux pine tree is easily recognizable as man-made (as documented by a non-resident blogger passing by Bishop Elementary School) even from afar.
- - The support structures, safety perimeter fence and faux pine tree will reduce the property values of homes nearby, as documented by researches in the US and internationally and supported by letters from realtors in various cities. There will also be reduction in rent income in the two apartment buildings across from the cell tower site.
- - No long term studies. Due to the recent wide scale deployment of cell phone and its towers, there are no long term (40+ year) studies documenting their safety and there are no studies on children.
We understand that the federal courts have already ruled repeatedly that a municipality has no obligation to allow intrusive cell tower installations anywhere within its borders when other providers cover the area without such intrusive installations. Our research has shown that at least one other provider (Verizon) has demonstrated excellent customer service and coverage using existing towers.
We believe AT&T and other cellular service providers should be required to provide clear and non-convoluted written information to the parents of the students and all residents within a 300 meter radius, on all the following before proposing that any new cell towers be built, especially in single-family residential areas and K-12 schools:
- - be required to disclose all their existing and newly proposed cell towers.
- - be required to prove their current coverage gap.
- - be required to prove co-locating at an existing tower (even if of another company's) does not serve its purpose.
- - be required to find more appropriate locations in nearby commercial and industrial area, away from residential areas and schools.
- - be required to prove that all alternate locations have been exhausted and are inadequate.
We call upon the Sunnyvale City Planner and City Council to preserve the character and non-commercial setting of our schools for our children, to determine the legitimate need for this cell phone tower, to preserve the beauty and serenity of the park-like grass field and wooded area, and to preserve the property values of our homes by denying the construction of the AT&T cell phone tower at 1080 Mango Ave.
We also urge the City Planner and City Council Members to require that AT&T and other wireless service provider help the residents determine that the cell towers are indeed safe as those companies claim. This can be done by paying for a 20-year study by a group of independent psychologists to track the test scores and physical and psychological well-being of the students while they attend schools where cell towers or antennas are installed and to monitor the health of the teachers in the schools. We would also like the wireless service providers to switch off the towers temporarily if the study requires such actions.
We also ask that the City of Sunnyvale does not enter into long term contracts with AT&T and other wireless service providers. We urge a yearly lease or bi-yearly lease to have better control over the appropriate maintenance of the cell phone tower and site, and also the rights to decline renewal of lease should the employees or contractors of these wireless service providers display inappropriate conducts and/or evidence of harm or hazard surfaces in the future.
Monday, January 10, 2011
AT&T lowers price of iPhone 3GS
iPhone at $49 (isource.com) - Jan 10, 2011
excerpt:
Which brings me to the point of AT&T. Like, I’ve said in previous posts, AT&T is doing this as a competitive edge agains Verizon. Want an iPhone but don’t want to spend a lot of money up front? Then AT&T is your only option.
If AT&T can hook you with a $50 iPhone, then they’ve got you signed to their service for two years, and that’s two years that Verizon can’t get your business.
Older post on rumors of AT&T's price drop (cultofmac.com) - Feb 24, 2009
excerpt:
On Monday, Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu said the price of carrier data plans, not iPhone hardware, has caused a slowdown in iPhone sales, opening the door for Sprint and T-Mobile to gain a foothold in the smartphone market.
In our daily lives, AT&T's 'behavior' is called poor sportsmanship. In certain industries it is called dumping because it was done by companies of a certain foreign country.
excerpt:
Which brings me to the point of AT&T. Like, I’ve said in previous posts, AT&T is doing this as a competitive edge agains Verizon. Want an iPhone but don’t want to spend a lot of money up front? Then AT&T is your only option.
If AT&T can hook you with a $50 iPhone, then they’ve got you signed to their service for two years, and that’s two years that Verizon can’t get your business.
Older post on rumors of AT&T's price drop (cultofmac.com) - Feb 24, 2009
excerpt:
On Monday, Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu said the price of carrier data plans, not iPhone hardware, has caused a slowdown in iPhone sales, opening the door for Sprint and T-Mobile to gain a foothold in the smartphone market.
In our daily lives, AT&T's 'behavior' is called poor sportsmanship. In certain industries it is called dumping because it was done by companies of a certain foreign country.
CPTs decrease property values (Part 2)
Recall from Part 1 of this post that I was comparing two papers written by Dr Sandy Bond on the effects of CPTs on property values:
Note: 650 feet ~= 200 meters
Note: 985 feet ~= 300 meters
Note: 1310 feet ~= 400 meters
Both papers state that negative media and, perceptions and sentiments of residents and buyers may play a more important role than what the governments say ("inconclusive"). The both state that property prices decreased after CPTs were built around the neighborhood.
The papers diverge on how much property values decrease by and the distance from CPTs. In summary:
In NZ - Average 15% decrease until about 300 meters.
In FL - Average 2% decrease until about 200 meters.
How to apply this to the neighborhood of 1080 Mango Ave?
I think this Sunnyvale community more closely resembles NZ than FL, mostly because of taxation levels and property values. FL has no state income tax (except dividends and interests income) while CA's state income tax routinely puts most people in the AMT category, lets just say 10% for simplicity. Orange County FL's sales tax is 6.5% while Sunnyvale's is 9.25%.
According to the census report for Orange County, FL:
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 = $107,500
Median household income, 2008 = $50,674
Ratio of median value to median income is 2:1.
According to the censes report for Santa Clara County, CA:
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 = $446,400
Median household income, 2008 = $88,525
Ration of median value to median income is 5:1.
According to Florida Department of Revenue, a $400,000 property will pay about $1,250 in property tax.
Property tax rate in Santa Clara County is 0.8%, so a $400,000 property will pay about $4,000 in property tax.
It will take a family much longer pay off its house in Santa Clara County compared to in Orange County.
In NZ, income tax is around 36% but General Sales Tax is around 15%. Average property tax in NZ is $1000 to $2000. (see article)
So in short, people in NZ bears similar tax burden as the people in California and it will take a family just as long to pay off its property. Therefore, property values in Sunnyvale should decrease by the same percentage and using the same distance as the NZ case study.
In NZ - Average 15% decrease until about 300 meters.
Here is a map of the neighborhood around the SMS CPT:
What do we know about this area?
There are about 100 houses within the radius of 300 meters from the SMS CPT as shown in the map.
Average house price is $700K. (This is a low estimation since there are some pretty nice houses along W. Knickerbocker and Rockefeller area.)
The City of Sunnyvale will lose not only income from property taxes, but also taxes on the rental income of the two apartment buildings right across from the CPT.
But are we sure the property values will decrease because of the SMS CPT?
Dr Sandy Bond's papers clearly state that.
Also, here are some letters from realtors from Danville's fight against the siting of a CPT in their neighborhood:
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#Norm_Stanley_Expert_Opinion - disclosure issue and detrimental effect on value
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#pisenti - decrease by 6-10%
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#Nicole_Tucker_Agent_Letter - could decrease in excess of 10%
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#Ron_Gatti_Letter - negative impact on value
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#BJ_Diehl - disclosure and appraisal issues
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#Letter_from_Dana_Weiler - hurt value, disclosure issue
Residents in Glendale, California had letters from realtors citing almost 25% decrease. But letters could not be found online.
So, let us ask ourselves again, is the $25K offerred by AT&T going to add to the City of Sunnyvale's overall income?
I think the answer is a resounding NO! Again, when you look at the big picture, things just don't look so rosy afterall.
This is something the City Planner and City Council should think about very carefully about before signing over a multi-year lease to AT&T.
Note: 650 feet ~= 200 meters
Note: 985 feet ~= 300 meters
Note: 1310 feet ~= 400 meters
Both papers state that negative media and, perceptions and sentiments of residents and buyers may play a more important role than what the governments say ("inconclusive"). The both state that property prices decreased after CPTs were built around the neighborhood.
The papers diverge on how much property values decrease by and the distance from CPTs. In summary:
In NZ - Average 15% decrease until about 300 meters.
In FL - Average 2% decrease until about 200 meters.
How to apply this to the neighborhood of 1080 Mango Ave?
I think this Sunnyvale community more closely resembles NZ than FL, mostly because of taxation levels and property values. FL has no state income tax (except dividends and interests income) while CA's state income tax routinely puts most people in the AMT category, lets just say 10% for simplicity. Orange County FL's sales tax is 6.5% while Sunnyvale's is 9.25%.
According to the census report for Orange County, FL:
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 = $107,500
Median household income, 2008 = $50,674
Ratio of median value to median income is 2:1.
According to the censes report for Santa Clara County, CA:
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 = $446,400
Median household income, 2008 = $88,525
Ration of median value to median income is 5:1.
According to Florida Department of Revenue, a $400,000 property will pay about $1,250 in property tax.
Property tax rate in Santa Clara County is 0.8%, so a $400,000 property will pay about $4,000 in property tax.
It will take a family much longer pay off its house in Santa Clara County compared to in Orange County.
In NZ, income tax is around 36% but General Sales Tax is around 15%. Average property tax in NZ is $1000 to $2000. (see article)
So in short, people in NZ bears similar tax burden as the people in California and it will take a family just as long to pay off its property. Therefore, property values in Sunnyvale should decrease by the same percentage and using the same distance as the NZ case study.
In NZ - Average 15% decrease until about 300 meters.
Here is a map of the neighborhood around the SMS CPT:
What do we know about this area?
There are about 100 houses within the radius of 300 meters from the SMS CPT as shown in the map.
Average house price is $700K. (This is a low estimation since there are some pretty nice houses along W. Knickerbocker and Rockefeller area.)
The City of Sunnyvale will lose not only income from property taxes, but also taxes on the rental income of the two apartment buildings right across from the CPT.
But are we sure the property values will decrease because of the SMS CPT?
Dr Sandy Bond's papers clearly state that.
Also, here are some letters from realtors from Danville's fight against the siting of a CPT in their neighborhood:
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#Norm_Stanley_Expert_Opinion - disclosure issue and detrimental effect on value
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#pisenti - decrease by 6-10%
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#Nicole_Tucker_Agent_Letter - could decrease in excess of 10%
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#Ron_Gatti_Letter - negative impact on value
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#BJ_Diehl - disclosure and appraisal issues
http://nocelltower.info/info.php#Letter_from_Dana_Weiler - hurt value, disclosure issue
Residents in Glendale, California had letters from realtors citing almost 25% decrease. But letters could not be found online.
So, let us ask ourselves again, is the $25K offerred by AT&T going to add to the City of Sunnyvale's overall income?
I think the answer is a resounding NO! Again, when you look at the big picture, things just don't look so rosy afterall.
This is something the City Planner and City Council should think about very carefully about before signing over a multi-year lease to AT&T.
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