TownSquare on PaloAltoOnline.com

Walt Hays

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:57:29 PDT

As a 10-year-old boy, Walt Hays chased butterflies with the children of Theodore Hoover — brother of President Herbert Hoover — at Rancho del Oso, the Hoovers' private family retreat.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=8020 posted Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 2:22 PM

Feature story: Lifetimes of achievement

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:32:59 PDT

Walter Hays, Janet Owens, David and Lynn Mitchell and James and Becky Morgan are the recipients of the 19th annual Lifetimes of Achievement Awards.

Profiles:

Walt Hays

Lynn and David Mitchell

James and Becky Morgan

Janet Owens

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=8015 posted Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 2:23 PM

Heat wave expected to blast Bay Area this week

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:11:17 PDT

The National Weather Service is advising elderly Bay Area residents to stay in air-conditioned areas beginning Wednesday as a heat wave is expected to bring record-high temperatures, according to a forecaster.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=8008 posted Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 10:02 AM

Public interest law firm?

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:05:15 PDT

I am looking for a lead on a public interest organization or law firm that would be interested in this issue and be willing to pursue it legally.

The federal health care contract appears to be illegal, and leaves patients open to being defrauded simply for trying to comply with the terms of the contract. The federal government has the largest contracts with private insurers in the country, so this is a big deal.

Also, the Democratic candidates for President have been holding up federal coverage as some kind of model for health care reform, when federal workers have in recent years been subject to even greater abuses by private insurers than the rest of the insured public. But again, because of the health care reform issue, makes it relevant to everyone.

Basically, the federal contract contains a provision that makes the financial responsibility of the employee/patient depend on what's in the contract between the provider and the insurance company. But that contract is kept secret from the employee/patient. What's more, the federal government and the insurer know in advance that the contract (which controls financial responsibility) will be kept secret from the patient, even though the federal contract makes it seem as if information is readily available (it's not).

What's more, the federal contract is written in such a way that employees are likely to be tricked into making themselves subject to this provision simply by signing the assignment of benefits for insurance documents they are required to sign in order to get care and have insurance billed by a preferred provider.

So basically what happens is that you can carefully choose a preferred provider, carefully study your plan to be sure your care isn't excluded, get the care, comply with all of your responsibilities, and - surprise! - after you get the care, you are stuck with the huge cost. Insurers can't drop people from federal plans, but this tricky clause allows them to essentially do the same thing as post-claims underwriting, but without all those unpleasant state insurance laws to contend with. Federal employees have no advocate or independent protection in this case. The only recourse is with the federal Office of Personnel Management, which negotiates the contract in the first place, so there is a huge conflict there. The OPM doesn't even have any established avenues to solicit or address complaints or problems like this.

Please post serious leads here, or email to temporary address: truthjusticetaw@aol.com
(stands for "truth, justice, and the American way"...)

New Palo Alto buildings 'must be greener'

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:57:47 PDT

Palo Alto became the first city in San Mateo or Santa Clara counties Monday to adopt mandatory green-building requirements for both residential and commercial development.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=8007 posted Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 7:47 AM

Charleston 'safer, better' after lane changes

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:49:17 PDT

Charleston Road's slim-down "diet" was a success, the Palo Alto City Council agreed Monday night – giving a green light to a slew of other improvements designed to make the road safer, more attractive and more functional for bikers, pedestrians and drivers.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=8006 posted Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 7:39 AM

Summer fire season declared for Santa Clara County

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:46:38 PDT

The summer fire season has been declared open for Santa Clara County and two other Bay Area counties (Alameda and Contra Costa) by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fire season triggers burning restrictions in agricultural and open space lands, requiring special permits.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=8000 posted Monday, May 12, 2008, 10:10 AM

When the environment can kill you

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:37:41 PDT

For years patients such as Beth Bradach were greeted with skepticism in the medical community, and many people today dismiss the disease as being in patients' heads, said Gail Kansky, president of the National CFIDS (chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction) Foundation in Needham, Mass.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=7982 posted Friday, May 9, 2008, 10:12 AM

Stanford and Blue Shield of California Can't Agree on Price -- Patients Lose

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:13:48 PDT

Perhaps other "Blue Shield" members received the same letter this weekend:

"For many years, Blue Shield of California has contracted with Lucile Packard Children's Medical Group, Menlo Park Medical Group and Stanford Health Clinics. However the contracts ... have been terminated."

Our patient-doctor relationship has "ended" because they can't agree on a price. Perhaps it is trivial for them, but this is scary, expensive and tedious to have to deal with these fallouts. What fun it is to talk to an insurer and learn your options.

There is no tone of remorse in the letter from Blue Shield, and no statement from Stanford at all. In classic insurance speak, they inform us in a letter dated May 7th, that the insurance ended April 26th -- a lucky patient that uses the services after the insurance ends.

The recourse is disappointing. We are advised that we can use the "out of network rate". When one looks at out of network rates, the medical center can gouge the patient that is not paying through an insurance carrier. I have observed that Stanford might bill $1,000 for a procedure, only to accept $200 from the insurer. I anticipate the true fee is somewhere between, but as a patient out of network we are obliged to pay whatever the clinics desire.

Oh....if I could wave my magic wand... I would ask that the insurers and Stanford remember their "falling out" has people in the mix. I would ask them to remember that these falling outs damage patient doctor relationships. I would ask them to remember that consumers of medicine have fewer choices, and that they should strive to find the middle ground.

I share this because Palo Alto is bending over backwards as a community to allow Stanford's expansion of medical services. Their failure to see some duty to the community when they "buck" a deal with a major insurer is unfortunate. The free market certainly is not looking out for us. The patients, and perhaps the community are the losers here.

Workers ready to roll on Bike to Work Day this Thursday

Mon, 12 May 2008 10:58:15 PDT

The 14th annual Bay Area Bike to Work Day will be held this Thursday, May 15, and will include energizer stations throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. The City of Palo Alto will have energizer stations at four locations: King Plaza in front of City Hall, Alma Street and El Camino Real, near the Caltrain station at California Avenue and Park Boulevard and at the Wilke Way bike bridge over Adobe Creek.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=8001 posted Monday, May 12, 2008, 10:31 AM

Marching for Measure A

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:59:25 PDT

About 60 peopple of all ages — described as "moms, dads, neighbors and friends" — joined in a Mother's Day march Sunday in support of the Measure A school-bond measure in Palo Alto on the June 3 ballot. Photo by David Kandasamy.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=7999 posted Monday, May 12, 2008, 9:30 AM

FOX 5 News Inserts Subliminal Images in Logo

Sun, 11 May 2008 18:59:53 PDT

Look who FOX News inserts into their Intro Sequence subliminally.

The first thing the next administration should do is reinstate "the fairness doctrine."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSAOQuLxSdY

Cafe Sophia's is a Quiet, uncrowded Mother's Day gem

Sun, 11 May 2008 17:06:40 PDT

Sophia's Restaurant on Middlefield in Mid-town, next to Papa Murphy's Pizza, to my shock, was quiet, calm and uncrowded when I went to lunch with my family today. It has expanded its menu to include the ever kid-friendly burgers and fries, as well as some simpler sandwiches, in addition to its delicious Afghan food.

Had planned a picnic in the park, but that didn't work out. I was sure we weren't going to find a place to enjoy our meal, but driving by saw that it wasn't crowded, so we grabbed the opportunity.

VERY happy we did. Kabobs and Chef's plates and burgers and Veggie Chef's plate were superb, as well as her usual good coffee that she roasts herself to a smooth finish. She also has hummus and baba ganoush and the like on her menu.

Just thought I would pass this on if there are other Moms' families who blew their planning today!

No, I have no financial interest, just an interest in making sure Sophia's doesn't disappear from lack of business.

Invasion Burma

Sun, 11 May 2008 16:36:25 PDT

Time Magazine has an article entitled "Is it time to invade Burma?" In it, they argue that "with as many as 1 million people at risk" from the leaders of this Chinese-allied country, "it's time to consider a more serious option: invading Burma." In a very clever phrase the author says, "we still haven't figured out when to give war a chance".http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2008/05/invasion-burma.html

Wait Listed for College--A Growing Phenomenon

Sun, 11 May 2008 08:15:15 PDT

My daughter Adrienne will be attending a very fine college starting next fall. As of now, I don't know which one, due to the wait list situation she is in. Hers is a case study in something that appears to be an increasingly significant layer of the challenging college application process.

Students learn not later than the end of March which schools offered them admission and which did not. By the start of May, after effort that ranges from going to college visitation weekends, campus tours, on line research, blogs, parents, relatives and friends opining to varying degrees (within and not earshot of the student) to in some case doing very little, the student sends a commitment letter with a check to the college of his/her choice.

At least, that's how it used to be...

Several high school seniors with whom I have spoken at events in recent days are wait listed and still hoping to hear from some of these schools before they actually decide their plans for this fall. My own child got word on Friday that a school she had a great deal of interest in has taken her off the wait list and offered her admission, and she is now torn about how it feels to perhaps turn down a perfectly good school that is really interested in her and to which she "committed." I also have heard some students comment that they turned down offers from schools where they were wait listed, they did not want to protract their plans, and, I pereceive, the anxiety.

There is nothing new mechanically about what is occurring, but the churn rate appears to have gone up by one or two orders of magnitude. The Common App, the ability to "customize" applications thanks to slick computer programs that require just minutes to edit and tailor content to appear "custom" to a specific school, the perception that it is better to apply to a bunch of schools, since it is just a numbers game and a crap shoot who gets in where (a little bit of strategy and a little bit if cynicism here)--all this and more has led to many students and families still with plans in a somewhat suspended state, and an unfortunate and helpless feeling that maybe, just maybe, the student will get into XXX place after all, instead of celebrating accepting at a college and beginning the planning around heading there come fall.

I have had dicussions with many parents about how our parents and we chose colleges to apply to and how we decided where to go. I really am glad that the process we have used with our two kids was much more thoughtful and thorough in supporting our kids compared to what we experienced at that age. Most parents with whom I spoke generally share the same point of view, even though we all largely had good experiences in college, despite the way we went about ending up there.

Still, this "new improved" process that kids are going through in this day and age seems to have had at least one largely unexpected and unpleasant consequence for many students and families. As one college President said in an admiited student function we attended in April--the whole thing is overblown, and the anxiety of choosing between several appropriate options does not really lead to the student's ultimate college choice and experience being improved, except on the margins, in some cases.

It is hard to put this in persepctive as one goes through it, but until this past several weeks, I did not appreciate the way it affects the thinking of the students who are making an important life choice, and the way it protracts the emotional roller coaster ride that Palo Alto and students elsewhere now experience. Unfortunately, I don't think the ride is going to revert back to an earlier, simple time, and many students and families going forward must be prepared for a couple more twists and turns before they finally arrive at the terminus.

Cops out in force on Univ. east of Middlefield

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:38:20 PDT

Check it out, folks...

The Palo Alto Police Department was out in force today along University, east of Middlefield, looking for speeders. Both motorcycle cops and cops in cruisers. Certainly they will be there tomorrow (Sunday), too.

It's about time people stopped speeding along there, the speed limit is 25mph, not 40, not 50.

Slow.Down.

McCain's public relations officer has ties to Myanmar military junta

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:38:38 PDT

The public relations executive whom Senator John McCain�s campaign had chosen to run the Republican National Convention this summer resigned his post on Saturday after a magazine reported that his firm had lobbied for the military junta that runs Myanmar.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/us/politics/11mccain.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Well, well. Georgie's possie exposed bit, by bit...that is all the anti-Gore, anti-global warming, War trigger happy, Fox News worshiping folks. W's grandfather had ties to the Nazi's too. I always said McCain was more of the same of Bush.

Local water polo standouts return for NCAAs

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:32:26 PDT

Megan Burmeister remembers crying after her first ever water polo workout at Avery Aquatic Center with the Stanford club team. These days, Burmeister is smiling a lot. The UCLA freshman returns to Stanford in glory. The top-ranked Bruins are undefeated and going for a fourth straight national title.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=7993 posted Saturday, May 10, 2008, 5:32 PM

'Reasonable' accommodations?

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:37:34 PDT

Palo Alto woman, housing corporation battle over disability, responsibility

A disabled woman is being evicted from her apartment by the Palo Alto Housing Corporation after 15 years of battling over what constitutes "reasonable accommodation" for her disability.

Related stories:

When the environment can kill you

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=7981 posted Friday, May 9, 2008, 10:10 AM

Al Gore Blames Burma Tragedy on Global Warming

Fri, 09 May 2008 20:03:06 PDT

"Al Gore blames the Burma tragedy on global warming despite growing evidence to the contrary. Could the hype be related to his financial interests?"

http://ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=295139326448571

But exploiting the death and suffering of the desperately poor for his personal gain is not even Al's main talent--he's even better at promoting plans that would bring the Burmese standard of living to the US.

Postage going up a penny Monday

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:35:48 PDT

The price of a first-class postage stamp will rise by one cent Monday, bringing the cost of mailing a one-ounce letter up to 42 cents. Postal customers have through this weekend to use their remaining 41-cent stamps without needing another penny's worth of postage, as well as to purchase "Forever" stamps at the current 41-cent price.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=7988 posted Friday, May 9, 2008, 4:38 PM

The Uneven Playing Field

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:29:56 PDT

The A.C.L. is a small, rubber-band-like fiber, no bigger than a little finger, that attaches to the femur in the upper leg and the tibia in the lower leg and stabilizes the knee. When it ruptures, the reconstructive surgery is complicated and the rehabilitation painful and long.

Some researchers believe that in sports that both sexes play, and with similar rules � soccer, basketball, volleyball � female athletes rupture their A.C.L.�s at rates as high as five times that of males.

Example--She had undergone, by her count, five operations on her right knee. Her mother counted eight, and believed that Amy did not put certain minor cuttings in the category of actual operations. She was done playing.

She had been told she would need a knee replacement, maybe by the time she turned 30.

Amy told me about her final operation, recalling that when she came out of anesthesia, the surgeon seemed as if he was going to cry. He looked at her in silence for what seemed like a long time, trying to compose himself. Finally, he told her, �Amy, there was nothing in there left to fix.�http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/magazine/11Girls-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=health

French teacher fights cancellation of AP exam

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:25:36 PDT

Last month the College Board, the education company that administers the college-credit-conferring Advanced Placement (AP) exams, announced it is canceling the AP French Literature exam after spring 2009. Teacher Anne Jensen and students said cutting the test could be a death knell for the study of French literature.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=7983 posted Friday, May 9, 2008, 10:21 AM

Balanced budget projected for Palo Alto next year

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:27:30 PDT

Even with a slowing economy, the City of Palo Alto should finish the 2008-09 fiscal year with a $380,000 surplus, City Manager Frank Benest announced this week.

Read the full story here http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=7980 posted Friday, May 9, 2008, 10:02 AM

Truth or Fiction from Fox News

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:40:30 PDT

The Myanmar cyclone. The earthquake off the coast of Japan. The Chilean volcano. Has Earth gone bonkers?

Not at all. This level of natural activity is normal for Earth, scientists say.

"Mother Nature is just reminding us that she is in charge," Bill Patzert, a climatologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told LiveScience.

The full article is here. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354692,00.html

You know my take on this....I think it's global warming related. At the last the article did admit that the number of recorded natural disasters is increasing, just like how they say the number of recorded autistic children is increasing...but that ofcourse is simply because we know how to diagnose autism better...not because of the rising number of shots kids have to take, or the rising amount of pollution in the environment. Ya, ahum.