I suppose a 100 percent privately-funded fireworks display that pays for all costs including the full clean-up and the full police and fire department overtime might be ok, but I kind of doubt that is what is going to happen. Do we really need to stage our own atmospheric-warming spectacle here on the Coastside? What does this accomplish besides burning up resources?
I’ve always been a strong supporter of the fireworks.
We’re not going to be able to reverse consumption of fossil fuels or the warming of the planet by doing away with our little fireworks display. But if we’re going to make it as a community in the next century, we’re going to have to learn a lot about keeping things local and making our own entertainment.
Since the second world war, Americans have gradually lost the ability to amuse ourselves without the assistance of major corporations and their sponsors. Our little Main Street events, film nights, concerts, art walks, cioppino dinners, farmers markets, parades, and fireworks displays are part of what make the Coastside special and are the seeds of a better future for all of us.
“...We’re not going to be able to reverse consumption of fossil fuels or the warming of the planet by doing away with our little fireworks display…”
That statement is true of just about any single action that any single person or any single community might take. So if everybody uses that justification, then nothing is going to change.
I’m uncomfortable with justifying small-scale actions with the rationale of global warming.
HMB used global warming to justify permitting concrete crushing near people’s homes last year. Yeah, sure. I can’t tell you if the effect of shutting down the fireworks would outweigh the extra vehicle miles incurred by trips over the hill. I have no idea what the greenhouse impact of fireworks is. And I can’t install enough compact fluorescents or inflate my tires enough to save the polar bears.
Only big federal actions, perhaps spurred by states like California, give me any hope at all.
But I do believe that if we learn to be a real community and do the things that communities do together now, we’ll drive a lot less and this will be a better place to live when gas costs $24 a gallon.
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Everyone is invited to a night of poetry at Half Moon Bay Library on Friday, September 10th at 7:00PM. Join us as we celebrate the participants in our 13th annual Teen Poetry Contest.
Read more...What insanity is this? Raise the sales tax by 1% and drive even more shoppers over the hill. I think that this will kill Main Street shopping for good. Rather than save Half Moon Bay from bankruptcy, I expect it will create a ghost town. Just my opinion.
Read more...I want to start by saying that I think DUI checkpoints are great. They remove dangerous elements from our roadways. What I didn’t like today was being asked to show my drivers license at one tonight.
Under normal circumstances if I commit an infraction and get pulled over I fully understand why I would have to show my papers to an officer in the course of being ticketed. Tonight I was asked to show my papers just because I was on the road. It irked me. I wanted to know if this was legal and
Read more...
In the past month my housecat has been severely sliced up twice. I wondered if a bobcat and he now had overlapping territories. Then yesterday afternoon I found this hybrid cat, (I believe it is a Savannah cat which is a hybrid between a Serval and a housecat) just outside my front door.
The cat has a blue collar with a bell attached. No normal cat could stand a chance against him. Triple check your chicken enclosures and do not leave windows open. I read in Coastsider someone in
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Today: Sunny, with a high near 69. West wind between 3 and 5 mph.
Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 54. West wind at 5 mph becoming south.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph.
Friday Night: Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. West wind between 3 and 8 mph.
Saturday: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 62. West wind between 5 and 9 mph.
Saturday Night: Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Sunday: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 63.
Sunday Night: Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Labor Day: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 63.
Monday Night: Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Tuesday: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 61.
Tuesday Night: Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Wednesday: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 60.
PFC: 9:40am; AFD: 9:10am
Miramar area DSL problems, Sep 2 8:58am, Kevin Barron — >>more likely to cause AT&T to make the necessary investment Frankly, you are asking AT&T to sink a ton of money in a subscriber base that is very small, and require a very expensive infrastructure investment w/ predictably inverse ...
Miramar area DSL problems, Sep 1 7:12pm, Benjamin Grant — Michael, I had AT&T copper in my previous place but it was close to the CO and we had really good DSL throughput via DSLExtreme. I was also told the copper was fairly new-ish. Apart from the condition of the wires and the CO distance itself I ...
Miramar area DSL problems, Sep 1 10:38am, Steve Portigal — Do you have a thread going on the relevant forum on broadbandreports.com? It may catch the attention of someone who does care and wants to fix this. Hope you can get some resolution! ...
A ballot measure to increase HMB sales tax?, Aug 31 6:49pm, Bob Poole — Thanks for the heads up about San Mateo ...
A ballot measure to increase HMB sales tax?, Aug 31 5:21pm, Barry Parr — Sales taxes in San Mateo County communities: 9.25% Atherton 9.25% Belmont 9.25% Brisbane 9.25% Burlingame 9.25% Colma 9.25% Daly City 9.25% East Palo Alto 9.25% El Granada 9.25% Emerald Hills (Redwood City) 9.25% ...
A ballot measure to increase HMB sales tax?, Aug 31 5:14pm, Bob Poole — At least to San Mateo, as we do so often now, and it wouldn’t be just $1.00 on groceries. ...
A ballot measure to increase HMB sales tax?, Aug 31 4:22pm, Barry Parr — How far would you drive to save $1.00 on a $100 grocery bill, or $.03 on a latte? ...