Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels August 6, 2004 Millions wasted in buying wrong technology Technology, as the saying goes, has a shelf-life of an open jar of mayonnaise. Chase Manhattan Bank knows that well, as they have a very lucrative loan to our city for the construction of our fiber network, with the proceeds of our utility department as collateral. This technology has already spoiled. It was with precious little public input that tens of millions of dollars of debt was incurred by our fair village, to construct this network. The absolute irony of all of this debt is that we already had the backbone in place for Internet connectivity with speeds of 20 times that which we currently get piped into our homes and businesses. As reported by Business Wire (July 14) there are three towns in Texas that are enjoying broadband connections into their homes over wires already there: power lines. Yes, we spent 30 to 40 million dollars duplicating what we already had. The three towns are Blanco, Burnet and Weimar. Through the use of a Wi-Fi adapter that is plugged into any wall socket, you and your computer can surf the net at speeds of around 50 mpbs versus our current 3 to 9 mbps. The city of Menlo Park is currently beta testing such a system. Again, this is all through existing wires. This is acutely ironic in view of the fact the our city owns our utility service and the very wires our electricity is sent to our homes on. This technology will be able to reach virtually all of the U.S. population, with the exception of that estimated 3 percent that are off the "grid." The existing wires used for power delivery have such excess capacity that such added use will not hinder power delivery. One can expect to see broadband connections drop in price as the number of providers that are poised to offer Internet service increase. With the backbone already in place, overhead will be a fraction of standard cable or DSL based services. When that cost is compared to what we have spent on our fiber network ring, the word "infinitesimal" comes to mind. When I think of the impact that this decision made by a select few (read "prior mayor and city administrator") will have upon our taxes, budget and electricity cost, other words come to mind. None of them are fit to print. Geoff McPherson Ashland Tourist vows to boycott Ashland over nudity Yesterday, I took my family to Ashland shopping and to have lunch on the Plaza. On the Plaza was a topless woman walking and sunning herself in the plaza by the fountain. I and my family were shocked by this display and I complained to a police officer on the sidewalk in front of the shops. He stated nothing could be done, that they are free to behave this way. As we walked in shock down the sidewalk, we watched families with little children trying to keep eyes averted. I contacted City Hall to ask to file a complaint and was told they were free to do this and that it is allowed throughout the county. I contacted the Medford Police Department and said that when it was attempted here they were cited with disorderly conduct. Jacksonville said it would not be tolerated. So, Ashland, you have allowed your tourists to be shocked and embarrassed by such behavior, in total disregard to tourism and the community's children. As in the "Emperor has no clothes" you are totally blind to the consequences of your in actions. Regularly we visit Ashland and watch Shakespeare, shop, eat and enjoy the park and skating rink. No longer will I take my family, out of town visitors and friends to Ashland to be shocked and exposed to this behavior that the city council is allowing to occur, while disregarding the people who visit your community. To the city leaders, the old saying is certainly true. "If you can't stand for something, you will fall for anything." We will spend our time shopping Jacksonville, Britt, Shady Cove and all the other wonderful communities in Southern Oregon that care about decency. Consider this a firewall to your community. Mary Anne Hutson Hirsch not funny, nor welcome Doyle Hirsch, your amateur weatherman and aspiring humorist, has apparently been granted a license in your newspaper to sound off daily on what-have-you. But his sounding off in telling a bigotted joke about Islam - while attempting to hide his bigotry behind a phony, folksy mask - is an utter failure, both as humor and as weather forecasting. If this weatherman knew which way the wind is blowing, he wouldn't be trivializing one of the world's major religions, especially at this time. Though to some people such jokes may still be great sport - in a locker-room setting, perhaps, or in a meteorologists' lounge - on op-ed pages, as in other public settings, they are taboo, and for very good reason. I wonder how Mr. Hirsch would react upon finding one of the more unsavory, underground anti-Jewish jokes displayed on the Tidings' op-ed page? And just how did such a tasteless, biased attack on Islam get on this op-ed page in the first place? Isaac Walker Ashland DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams