Around Town Around Town (October 26, 2005)

DANIELLE AND THE BELL ... Earlier this month, the Metro -- a Weekly alternative newspaper -- wrote that Palo Alto City Council candidate Danielle Martell's voice has a "soft tone." Voters who attended last Thursday night's candidate forum in the Mitchell Park Community Center would probably dispute that fact. The forum, held by south Palo Alto neighborhoods, was notable for two unique features: red cards that candidates could use for 30 seconds of additional time and a cowbell that rung whenever candidates stepped over their time limits. Most candidates had moments where they triggered the bell momentarily but then immediately stopped speaking in deference. But Martell -- a police department critic -- triggered the bell repeatedly and often continued speaking over its ringing. During her closing statement, Martell exceeded her one-minute allotment by 13 seconds. "I have a voice that will not be quieted," she cried over the ringing. When she finally stopped speaking, someone in the audience could be heard muttering, "Amen."

STUDY HALL ... Need a quiet place to study? Palo Alto's Downtown Library offers a new hot-spot. The city recently opened "The Carnegie Study Room," where up to four people can enjoy free wireless Internet access, a white board and a small table. The room is named after Andrew Carnegie, whose foundation provided grants that established Palo Alto's first permanent library in 1904, according to a press release. Room reservations can be made the same day by calling (650) 329-2641. Careful, though, the library is only open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except on Thursday, when its open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.).

THE STANFORD PODCAST ... Tired of getting lost? Are the housewives sounding a bit too desperate? Popular TV shows aren't the only thing unveiled this month on iTunes. More than 400 audio programs from Stanford University are now available for downloaded from Apple's popular music store. Faculty lectures, book readings and even football games are on the site, for free. One of the goodies available is Apple CEO Steve Job's commencement speech, where he discussed battling cancer and noted, "death is the destination we all share." More information and a link to the collection can be found at itunes.stanford.edu.

THE AUDITOR GETS AUDITED ... The tables recently turned on Palo Alto City Auditor Sharon Erickson, whose office got -- you guessed it -- audited. Two outside auditors, from Atlanta and Toronto, found that her reports "are consistently well written and informative for multiple audiences," contain "in-depth understanding" of the issues and are "publicly available and easily accessible." The auditors offered a few technical-sounding suggestions, including increased "cross-indexing" and more "views of responsible officials." The City Council's Finance Committee is scheduled to review the audit of the auditor next Tuesday night.

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