Comments for Kirkland Views http://www.kirklandviews.com Kirkland's blog for hyperlocal news and events in the City of Kirkland, Washington Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:00:01 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 Comment on PSE Substation controversy continues with claims of unsafe EMF radiation by Alan B http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/14092#comment-62476 Alan B Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:00:01 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=14092#comment-62476 Amateur radio operators know that EMF can be harmful. We have rules from the FCC to try to protect ourselves and others from it. A responsible ham always uses the lowest power for the desired communication. Keeping antennas away from yourself and neighbors becomes second nature. Amateur radio operators know that EMF can be harmful. We have rules from the FCC
to try to protect ourselves and others from it. A responsible ham always uses the lowest
power for the desired communication. Keeping antennas away from yourself and neighbors becomes second nature.

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]]> Comment on The Future of Kirkland’s Neighborhoods – Annexation Brings Many Questions by Steve http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/14008#comment-62474 Steve Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:01:22 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=14008#comment-62474 How does the the city of Kirkland determine who to give the money to? What if there are multiple groups, each claiming that they represent the neighborhood? BTW: "This elevated roll of neighborhoods" should be "This elevated ROLE of neighborhoods"/ How does the the city of Kirkland determine who to give the money to? What if there are multiple groups, each claiming that they represent the neighborhood?

BTW: “This elevated roll of neighborhoods” should be “This elevated ROLE of neighborhoods”/

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]]> Comment on High School bullying once ignored by officials, now gets attention by PJ http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/13890#comment-62468 PJ Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:18:21 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=13890#comment-62468 Amen - and like that iceberg, it's magnitude and devistation is subtle but very damaging... Amen – and like that iceberg, it’s magnitude and devistation is subtle but very damaging…

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]]> Comment on High School bullying once ignored by officials, now gets attention by PJ http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/13890#comment-62467 PJ Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:16:58 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=13890#comment-62467 Oh please - trust me kids do NOT feel safer and kids don't need to be" taught" right or wrong - and by the time they get to junior high or high school if they don't... shame on us all... they know it is wrong which is why most forms of bullying are subtle and under the radar. The bullies are usually quite bright and often the leaders of a group statistically. By the way they are not necessarliy the grunge or goth kids. Most often they are on sports teams, members of NHS etc. They are the one that know how to cut a kid out of the crowd and nobody will dare challange them for fear of it happening to them. Girl bullying is very subtle - read my earlier comment... and get a copy of Odd Girl Out... Many times the bullies are products of inaction by parents and by this I don't mean no discipline - what I mean is the parents are just not there - they are off doing their own thing - and in spite of what they say, kids really do want limits... Oh please – trust me kids do NOT feel safer and kids don’t need to be” taught” right or wrong – and by the time they get to junior high or high school if they don’t… shame on us all… they know it is wrong which is why most forms of bullying are subtle and under the radar. The bullies are usually quite bright and often the leaders of a group statistically. By the way they are not necessarliy the grunge or goth kids. Most often they are on sports teams, members of NHS etc. They are the one that know how to cut a kid out of the crowd and nobody will dare challange them for fear of it happening to them. Girl bullying is very subtle – read my earlier comment… and get a copy of Odd Girl Out…
Many times the bullies are products of inaction by parents and by this I don’t mean no discipline – what I mean is the parents are just not there – they are off doing their own thing – and in spite of what they say, kids really do want limits…

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]]> Comment on Juanita neighbors of PSE Substation want compensation for damages by Bill Henkens http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/11690#comment-62464 Bill Henkens Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:26:50 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=11690#comment-62464 I am so sorry at what the city, council and PSE have done to your family and you’re your neighborhood. That sub-station should have never been built at that location. The council should do the right thing and purchase those houses that have been affected by their poor management.

I am so sorry at what the city, council and PSE have done to your family and you’re your neighborhood. That sub-station should have never been built at that location. The council should do the right thing and purchase those houses that have been affected by their poor management.

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]]> Comment on Just how “Googley” is Kirkland? by Jim Hitter http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/14037#comment-62463 Jim Hitter Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:52:01 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=14037#comment-62463 Kim, Well, wouldn't it be nice if Microsoft offered some great benefits to Kirkland just because you and other "softies" live here? Maybe a super-fast network, or cheaper software. Just because the name on the system is Google doesn't make it a bad thing for me (or does it?). Do you ever choose a more expensive or obscure routing because it's an Airbus versus Boeing choice? How about those Ipods, Iphones and Macs in your neighborhood? Kim,

Well, wouldn’t it be nice if Microsoft offered some great benefits to Kirkland just because you and other “softies” live here? Maybe a super-fast network, or cheaper software. Just because the name on the system is Google doesn’t make it a bad thing for me (or does it?). Do you ever choose a more expensive or obscure routing because it’s an Airbus versus Boeing choice? How about those Ipods, Iphones and Macs in your neighborhood?

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]]> Comment on Just how “Googley” is Kirkland? by Per-Ola http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/14037#comment-62459 Per-Ola Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:23:48 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=14037#comment-62459 Did not say it is "worse" having Google log our traffic, but they have more made it into a business to truly use that information. In general, I think on-line privacy is truly a thing of the past, and we can partially decide how to be charged fo our connectivey services; pay for the connection, or have parts of it subsized by target ads and "profiling". I am pretty sure that a 1 Gbit connection from Google will not be "cheap". Looking at the recurring cost, I am more interested in getting "good" service at a low price, than a "super fast" service at a higher price. A little bit like a car, it can be fun with 400 hp, but we can get around just as well with 200 hp. Both provide the service we need/require. Still use my DOCSIS 1.0 modem from 2001 and though it is limited to 6 Mbit downstream, it has been "rock solid", never failed, and provide bandwidth good enough for Netflix, Vonage, browsing, e-mail, etc , etc. Assuming we stay with Comcast (always a price issue) next step will be a DOCSIS 3.0 modem. The service has turned in to a commodity, but the number of players are to few, and hence competition is far from where it could be. In any case, Google will be welcomed - if they decide that we have what they are looking for! Did not say it is “worse” having Google log our traffic, but they have more made it into a business to truly use that information. In general, I think on-line privacy is truly a thing of the past, and we can partially decide how to be charged fo our connectivey services; pay for the connection, or have parts of it subsized by target ads and “profiling”.

I am pretty sure that a 1 Gbit connection from Google will not be “cheap”. Looking at the recurring cost, I am more interested in getting “good” service at a low price, than a “super fast” service at a higher price. A little bit like a car, it can be fun with 400 hp, but we can get around just as well with 200 hp. Both provide the service we need/require.

Still use my DOCSIS 1.0 modem from 2001 and though it is limited to 6 Mbit downstream, it has been “rock solid”, never failed, and provide bandwidth good enough for Netflix, Vonage, browsing, e-mail, etc , etc. Assuming we stay with Comcast (always a price issue) next step will be a DOCSIS 3.0 modem. The service has turned in to a commodity, but the number of players are to few, and hence competition is far from where it could be.

In any case, Google will be welcomed – if they decide that we have what they are looking for!

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]]> Comment on The Future of Kirkland’s Neighborhoods – Annexation Brings Many Questions by Johanna Palmer http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/14008#comment-62457 Johanna Palmer Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:23:47 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=14008#comment-62457 Thanks for the article Rob. We do need to look at our neighborhoods and make thoughtful decisions. I would like to see some neighborhood boundaries cross NE 132nd to integrate the old and new. The Totem Lake neighborhood is not really a neighborhood, it is a commercial center. Most of the members that attend the TLNA (Totem Lake Neighborhood Association) meetings are from the newly annexed area. Additionally, almost all the current Kirkland residents in the TL neighborhood are up on the hill with the Kingsgate area. The TLNA never spent the grant money allocated to it by the city (about $50,000) because there are no Kirkland parks or other city property within the boundary of the "neighborhood". Thanks for the article Rob. We do need to look at our neighborhoods and make thoughtful decisions. I would like to see some neighborhood boundaries cross NE 132nd to integrate the old and new. The Totem Lake neighborhood is not really a neighborhood, it is a commercial center. Most of the members that attend the TLNA (Totem Lake Neighborhood Association) meetings are from the newly annexed area. Additionally, almost all the current Kirkland residents in the TL neighborhood are up on the hill with the Kingsgate area. The TLNA never spent the grant money allocated to it by the city (about $50,000) because there are no Kirkland parks or other city property within the boundary of the “neighborhood”.

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]]> Comment on Just how “Googley” is Kirkland? by Rob Butcher http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/14037#comment-62456 Rob Butcher Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:18:50 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=14037#comment-62456 Hi Kim, You make a good point. My guess is that there are many more citizens of Kirkland who rely on Microsoft for a living than there are relying on Google. Yes, Microsoft is in our backyard (mostly in Redmond and Bellevue) but Google is in our front yard. One possible reason for the Google-centric stance from City Hall is that Google pays a healthy head tax per employee (as does every business in Kirkland). Every dollar paid in taxes by Google is one less dollar homeowners will pay in taxes. I strongly support any company who locates in Kirkland, and I hope Microsoft will further expand in Kirkland too. Thanks for your comments.

Hi Kim,
You make a good point. My guess is that there are many more citizens of Kirkland who rely on Microsoft for a living than there are relying on Google. Yes, Microsoft is in our backyard (mostly in Redmond and Bellevue) but Google is in our front yard. One possible reason for the Google-centric stance from City Hall is that Google pays a healthy head tax per employee (as does every business in Kirkland). Every dollar paid in taxes by Google is one less dollar homeowners will pay in taxes. I strongly support any company who locates in Kirkland, and I hope Microsoft will further expand in Kirkland too.
Thanks for your comments.

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]]> Comment on Just how “Googley” is Kirkland? by Kim http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/14037#comment-62455 Kim Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:58:46 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=14037#comment-62455 I just have to ask: How many people living in Kirkland work at Microsoft? I do, and my guess is a lot of others do, too. It kinda pisses me off to see how much the Kirkland City Council seems to worship Google. Change the city's name to Google? Are you kidding me? Yes, it's a joke, but really it's not so funny right in Microsoft's backyard. I just have to ask: How many people living in Kirkland work at Microsoft? I do, and my guess is a lot of others do, too. It kinda pisses me off to see how much the Kirkland City Council seems to worship Google. Change the city’s name to Google? Are you kidding me? Yes, it’s a joke, but really it’s not so funny right in Microsoft’s backyard.

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