Binz.net Weblog

Wow, has it been almost a year since I posted anything. I guess you can tell I am not much of a Blogger. I guess I should try and post more. Even if I just list out some simple scripts and notes and interesting tid bits.  I do need to figure our why the spell check in WP does not work for me.

Cheers

The city of Eugene is home of dumb shits!

The city has made it illegal to have a portable basketball hoop if it touches a street, sidewalk or any other public path way. Sweet - welcome to HELL!

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/03/18/a1.hoops.0318.p1.php?section=cityregion

Hey kids - you know that portable basketball hoop Dad set up in the
street so you can practice your crossovers and layups? Well, it’s
against the law.

That’s right. Eugene City Code prohibits residents from
putting stuff in the public right-of-way, such as streets and
sidewalks.

That may come as a surprise to many Eugene residents,
including homeowners in the Crescent Meadows housing development in
north Eugene.

A quick survey of basketball-hoop placement in the upscale
neighborhood north of Crescent Avenue uncovered 18 illegal basketball
hoops set up on streets, sidewalks and the grassy strips between the
two.

It also surprised some of the hoopsters playing at nearby Cal Young Middle School.

“When we do play in the street, we’re pretty cautious,” said
Dallas Nicholson, 18, who uses the same street hoop his dad played on
while growing up. “It’s not like we’re out there causing trouble.”

That explanation probably won’t wash with Eugene police patrol
officers, who have noticed an increase in the number of forbidden hoops
popping up all over town, and want to stop the (March) Madness.

“Anything placed in the roadway presents a hazard, whether it’s a
parked car or a fixed object,” said Sgt. Derel Schulz, head of the
department’s traffic enforcement unit. “The more obstacles in the
roadway, the greater the hazard.”

Schulz said he had to look into the law about two years ago
when residents of one neighborhood put 3-foot-tall yellow plastic
silhouettes of children in the street to caution drivers against
speeding.

His conclusion at the time: “You can’t put things in the road.”

The popular freestanding hoops, which cost anywhere from $100
to $800, are fine as long as they’re on driveways or other private
property.

But when placed on roads or sidewalks, they impede traffic,
take up valuable on-street parking and can sometimes interfere with
emergency vehicles.

They also can hamper visibility and prevent street sweepers from cleaning the roads.

The illicit hoops also encourage children to play in the street, a violation of pedestrian laws, Schulz said.

“Pedestrian laws specifically state that the only time you can
be in the roadway is when you’re crossing the roadway,” he said.
“People need to understand that the roadways are designed for traffic.”

Basketball players such as Josh Beard, 19, say there simply
aren’t enough public hoops to play on and that street hoops are a safe
alternative.

He says it’s become increasingly difficult to play on public school courts, many of which have been closed to after-hours use.

“I play anywhere I can,” Beard, said. “I don’t see why they’re
cracking down on us. They did it when they were kids and they turned
out all right.”

Police know that kids who play in the streets aren’t reckless
lawbreakers and parents who erect the hoops aren’t uncaring scofflaws.

“Generally the object is placed there with the best of intentions, not knowing the dangers,” Schulz said.

A quick explanation of the hazards and the code usually
convinces the owners that repositioning the device is a good idea, he
said.

Enforcement typically falls to the city Public Works
Department, which can remove anything that poses an immediate safety
hazard, said Tom Larsen, city traffic engineer.

Larsen said he can’t remember the city confiscating a basketball hoop in several years.

Typically the city sends the owner a letter asking them to remove the item.

But even that is rare. City workers don’t have time to drive
around looking for outlaw hoops. They usually respond only when someone
complains about someone else’s hoop.

“We don’t go out and aggressively enforce this,” Larsen said.
“Generally we’d rather work with the homeowners” to solve the problem.

- Register-Guard reporter Lewis Taylor contributed to this report

For anyone who cares - My birthday is this month and if enough of my family members get together they could all share in the joy of getting me this camera!

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse500/

… No, this is the SpiralScouts - the pagan version of learning outdoor skills and earning badges.

… Designed as a nature lore and woodcraft program, SpiralScouts is
intended for families of any minority faith, or no faith at all.

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/12/28/b1.cr.spiralscouts.1228.p1.php?section=cityregion

Now - all of the people out there who scream they want to be part of a scouting program but find that the Boys Scouts is not right for them you have a place to go now. And for the love of Pete, stop screaming at the BSA. You have a program of your own.

These graphics are property of http://www.ucomics.com/pricklycity/ I do not own them, but enjoyed them enough to share the humor. 

Today, Education Week published its 10th annual report card for schools by state. See full details here

One of the things that people here in Oregon, especialy Eugene, will tell you is that the area has some  of the best school in the country. If you speak to the people for more than 3 and 1/2 minutes, you will have to stop and ask, are you sure?  I have looked at the available information on the internet about the schools here in Eugene. I did find 3 schools that got pretty good results, but the majority of the schools have less than acceptable results.

Now, edweek.com has available on its site a state report card for you to review.  Here is a couple of images on the states that interested me. 

Here are some PDF docs that give the full detail on the reports:

Oregon California Texas North C Mass VA Overall 

If you are looking to move to Oregon (Eugene) please look closely at the schools and then go find yourself a private school. 

Christmas is here! The kids spent one tenth the time to rip into the packages as it took to wrap them. But I guess that is the fun part for a kid really. I recall the days of seeing how fast I could rip it open. Then there was the year I tried to open each package in such a way the paper would not rip. It was fun watching the kids this year. They got some nice things and will be spending their gift cards soon I am sure. For all of you we wish you a

MERRY CHRISTMAS