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A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Can Palo Alto Afford the Vanity of its Ruling Elite? Part 1 of an infinite series: Intro and Fiber-to-the-Premises"Ruling elite" in the title is meant to provoke thought about how far the priorities of the decision-makers diverge from those of the typical resident. One of the...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Oct. 31, 2013Last comment by Douglas Moran, on Nov 6, 2013 at 5:56 pm | 37 comments | 52937 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Pet Hair for the Birds (Nests)The increased chirping of birds signals that nest-building is close at hand. Birds can have problems finding suitable materials in a too-manicured suburban environment....
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Feb. 16, 2016Last comment by Flying Fur, on Feb 22, 2016 at 11:53 pm | 1 comment | 50501 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
The Palo Alto Bicycle Lobby: Impeding more and safer bicycling?I did a lot of around-town bicycling from the late 1980s through the early 2000s (foot#4) and became involved in the City's bike planning. I found myself often in...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Mar. 16, 2014Last comment by pat, on Mar 31, 2014 at 11:47 pm | 52 comments | 45373 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Shills and Charlatans of "Smart Growth""For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." (foot#1) Any decent manager approaching a new project asks about...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Jun. 16, 2014Last comment by Douglas Moran, on Jul 3, 2014 at 4:12 pm | 36 comments | 39254 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Listen for Yourself: An index into "A Conversation on the Future of the City"At the December 2nd City Council meeting, there was over 3.5 hours on zoning, planning, traffic, parking,... (f1) The general themes and specific items have presented...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Dec. 13, 2013Last comment by Douglas Moran, on Dec 17, 2013 at 1:04 pm | 5 comments | 38772 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Yet another "Questionable" Staff Report/SurveyAt Monday's Council meeting (12/9), the City Manager will present an Informational Report on a...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Dec. 7, 2013Last comment by Margaret Fruth, on Dec 11, 2013 at 10:49 pm | 3 comments | 35265 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Why the City doesn't hear residents' perspectives? It doesn't want to (part 1 of 3)"Watch what we do, not what we say" was famously said by John Mitchell, as then-President Nixon's Attorney General and political strategist. I was...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Dec. 3, 2013Last comment by Joan Larrabee, on Dec 5, 2013 at 8:13 am | 6 comments | 35193 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Non-Player Character: Can you be mistaken for an IRL-NPC?An NPC is a character in a computer game whose actions are determined by an automated script or set of rules, as opposed to being a character controlled by a player....
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Oct. 15, 2018Last comment by Tim Buck II, on Oct 17, 2018 at 6:33 pm | 6 comments | 29260 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Neighborhood Associations: Why they are still importantThe recent news coverage of the difficulties facing one of Palo Alto's premier neighborhood association (College Terrace) brought forth comments that such associations...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Mar. 10, 2015Last comment by pat, on Mar 16, 2015 at 8:58 pm | 17 comments | 26537 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Palo Alto's Culture War: Analytics vs. AspirationalsMany assessments of why the debate on Measure D was so bitter and divisive incorrectly cast it as a series of individual, isolated mistakes. Instead much of it was...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Nov. 10, 2013Last comment by stephen levy, on Nov 17, 2013 at 12:27 pm | 37 comments | 26301 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
The "You're despicable" style of politicsNo I am not talking about the presidential campaign. Nor about Congress. Rather about local politics, as practiced by certain elected and appointed officials, and...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Sep. 22, 2016Last comment by Ken Underwood, on Jan 9, 2017 at 3:48 pm | 42 comments | 21318 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Public Transit FolliesTwo false assumptions about public transit underlie "Smart Growth" as it is practiced here. The first is that trips other than commutes can be (largely)...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Jul. 1, 2014Last comment by Greenacres, on Jul 20, 2014 at 11:27 am | 26 comments | 20172 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Stupid Growth: So-called "Smart Growth" is a cancer on the communityRule of thumb: Anything that needs to be labeled "smart" isn't. Classic Brainteaser: "Why aren't there ants that are the size of elephants?" The...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Jun. 7, 2014Last comment by CrescentParkAnon., on Jun 14, 2014 at 11:07 am | 27 comments | 20133 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Mocking Nazis is a crime in Britain: Free Speech #1Public awareness of ongoing attacks against Freedom of Speech is very low, judging from discussions with friends and from poor coverage in the mainstream media (MSM)...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on May. 1, 2018Last comment by Resident, on May 31, 2018 at 3:52 am | 8 comments | 18466 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
How history should be taught: Connections to the presentThe admonition "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat it" (many variations) is ignored in the traditional teaching...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Jan. 16, 2016Last comment by Noel82, on Jan 28, 2016 at 7:39 pm | 16 comments | 18245 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Humpty Dumpty's Theory of Meaning + 1984 + Overton WindowRespect for language is essential for a meaningful, productive discussion. Developing a sensitivity to misuse and manipulation of language is a foundation of critical...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Mar. 17, 2018Last comment by Douglas Moran, on Mar 21, 2018 at 3:21 pm | 20 comments | 17835 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Rethinking High School Curriculum: ChemistryQ: For cleaning and disinfecting, what are the differences between soap, household ammonia, alcohol and chlorine bleach? Explain in terms of how they work. I...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on May. 22, 2016Last comment by Isabella Cohen, on Jun 8, 2016 at 6:17 am | 11 comments | 17405 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Should Palo Alto really aspire to be more like a Chinese factory city?The concept of "community" is much diminished in "Smart Growth". The Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) process in the...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Jun. 22, 2014Last comment by cw, on Jul 1, 2014 at 2:13 am | 13 comments | 17264 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
The Right to Listen: Free Speech #2Speech is different from talking. It necessarily involves the communication of thoughts from a speaker to an audience (^
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Jun. 14, 2018Last comment by Douglas Moran, on Jul 9, 2018 at 2:09 pm | 17 comments | 17247 Views
A PRAGMATIST'S TAKE
Winning the battle but losing the war? Thinking strategically and recent eventsIn the time and place I grew up, we received repeated lessons about not sacrificing the ultimate victory by insisting on winning all the small battles. Sometimes...
Original post made by Douglas Moran on Aug. 18, 2017Last comment by resident, on Aug 28, 2017 at 12:39 pm | 30 comments | 16672 Views
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