Ten "unique" moments from 2004 Ten "unique" moments from 2004 (December 29, 2004)

THE FOUNTAIN OR THE EGG?. . . And you thought the chicken versus egg debate was sizzling. It was a chirp in comparison to the noisy clucking about whether the city should place an Italian fountain or a7-foot-tall egg-shaped sculpture called "Digital DNA" made of recycled computer parts in Lytton Plaza. The sky has yet to fall on this issue.

WAILING WALL . . . They came in masses. They gathered around it and lit candles. They even hauled away pieces of it as mementos. And they shed a few tears. All the drama was over the removal of seven traffic barriers temporarily placed in Downtown North as part of a "calming" trial. Just imagine what would happen if Library Director Paula Simpson succeeded in shutting down a library.

HUE-BRIS . . . How much do you love Palo Alto? Enough to paint your house in the city's most popular shade? Samuel Yates may be able to help you out. You may have noticed the stilted-glass structure that serves as Yates office in front of City Hall. You may have also noticed him hanging out in front of your house with a camera. Yates is snapping shots of all 20,000 houses in Palo Alto to determine the Color of Palo Alto. He'll then average all the colors to determine the city's favorite hue. In two years, check out your local hardware store for the color. Who says there aren't any "bright" ideas these days?

BUSTED . . . The Friday Night Art Walks, which were launched earlier this year, became a crime scene when state officials busted up the soiree's at three local galleries for illegally pouring booze during the event. Not exactly a bust worthy of Elliot Ness.

BANK FLUBBERY . . . This is the stuff that drives jokes on late night TV. The Private Bank of the Peninsula reported a robbery when employees gave a bag of money to a person they thought was a thief disguised as a courier. It was such a convincing and unbelievably creative heist that the Daily News ran a front-page story on the robbery. Turns out that the crook was really a courier who mistakenly took the bag of money. The next day a new headline ran across the Daily News, "Courier not imposter." Whoops.

BRAVEHEART . . . After police officers shot and killed a mountain lion found in a residential neighborhood, a group of six residents held a vigil in Rinconada Park for the puma. They huddled around a photo of the mountain lion and named him Braveheart. There was no word on whether Mel Gibson considered that copyright infringement.

BAT GIRL . . . A girls' softball team got a sponsor with dogged spirit this year. Literally. The team was sponsored by a 2-year-old French Bulldog named, Brie. Part ingenious marketing, the canine -- who is more diva than dog -- came to most games with her toenails painted and a pearl necklace.

UNCLE BERN'S BAND . . . Mark your calendars. Mayor Bern Beecham, whose not anyone's idea of a Deadhead, declared Oct. 30 "Jerry Garcia Day" after certifying the legendary guitarist did, indeed, hail from this area. Garcia lived and taught music lessons in the city in 1965 and was raised by his grandmother in Menlo Park. As the Dead's immortal hit "Shakedown Street" declared, "Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart."

YANKED . . . The city showed support for the seamier side of the First Amendment this year when it argued that the adult-oriented publication, Yank, was legally permitted for sale in boxes around town. The magazine came into question when a Stanford graduate student, Sam Peterson, alleged that the City of Palo Alto was ducking its duty by allowing an illicit and naughty newspaper be distributed in news racks. Peterson believed the city violated a state law that blocks "Obscene, indecent or immoral" materials from public view. Apparently, the U.S. Constitution disagreed.

A MAGNIFICENT TREE? . . . The environmental group, Acterra, known as an organization bent on preservation, killed a eucalyptus tree in the Arastradero Preserve this year. The act tore the heart out of hiker Bonnie Berg who often meditated under the tree and named it "Magnifique." Apparently, the tree was considered a fire hazard and is a non-native plant in an area that Acterra is attempting to restore to its pre-Gold Rush state.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.