Comments by UCCU
1 of 1 people thought this was a good comment.
Posted on May 9 at 10:36 p.m.
I think BartSimms' question is a good one. I've also always wanted to know how they figure the percent containment. I know it probably has to do with perimeter or area, but how do you figure that for a perimeter or area that is still changing?
It might be cool if the Indy did a story on how fire terminology, calculations, and logistics.
Posted on May 7 at 5:08 p.m.
Why aren't Boy Scouts allowed in schools? I'd never known they weren't allowed, so I'm really curious about why.
9 of 12 people thought this was a good comment.
Posted on May 7 at 1 a.m.
I have no problem with the CEF's setting up a Good News Club after school as long as the Taliban is allowed to set up an after-school madrassa in the classroom next door.
Posted on May 4 at 9:55 p.m.
Aftermath of the April 4 Floatopia:
Posted on May 3 at 3:09 p.m.
The primary issue with all of these Floatopia "events" is that public land, such are parks, beaches, or wilderness areas, is not a venue where anyone who posts something on Facebook can have an "event." There are already laws in place saying that any special event, such as Floatopia 2, requires securing a permit from the city or county at least 60 days prior to the event, and proof of provision for sanitation facilities, security, and trash clean up.
What I haven't understood about any of these discussions about Floatopia 1 and 2 is why all the rest of us have to go through a permitting process if we want to organize an event, but then it's treated as somehow different if it happens with IV residents, or if it is posted on Facebook. A Facebook event page is an advertisement for an event in the same way that a newspaper ad, flyer, or any other form of advertisement is. As such the people who posted the Floatopia 2 event on Facebook are breaking the law by having an event without a permit and should be held financially and legally liable for the event's costs.
San Luis Obispo County has already gone this route with the called-off "Slotopia" event, and Santa Barbara County needs to follow their lead if they don't want to deal with "events" like this every few weekends. SLO County has told the students who posted a "Slotopia" event on Facebook that they will be legally and financially liable for any injuries and all costs the county incurred. And in order to discourage those who would post an "event" and then evade responsibility by canceling it, or by saying it's not actually a party (see the current Floatopia Two posting on Facebook) SLO even said that the "organizers" will be held liable for anyone who shows up for the "canceled" party. (http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=1......).
Now that events like the first Floatopia have gotten posted to Youtube, people from all over the state (and beyond) are already starting to get the message that it is OK to have huge "beach parties" in this city, and that anyone can get them started just by going online and posting where and when to bring the beer. The county could potentially bankrupt itself if it doesn't start enforcing its event permitting laws for the next Floatopia "event." Santa Barbara county needs to end this viral "event" marketing trend before it becomes an even bigger, messier, and more expensive problem.
Posted on May 2 at 3:43 p.m.
The primary issue with all of these Floatopia "events" is that public land, such are parks, beaches, or wilderness areas, is not a venue where anyone who posts something on Facebook can have an "event." There are already laws in place saying that any special event, such as Floatopia 2, requires securing a permit from the city or county at least 60 days prior to the event, and proof of provision for sanitation facilities, security, and trash clean up.
What I haven't understood about any of these discussions about Floatopia 1 and 2 is why all the rest of us have to go through a permitting process if we want to organize an event, but then it's treated as somehow different if it happens with IV residents, or if it is posted on Facebook. A Facebook event page is an advertisement for an event in the same way that a newspaper ad, flyer, or any other form of advertisement is. As such the people who posted the Floatopia 2 event on Facebook are breaking the law by having an event without a permit and should be held financially and legally liable for the event's costs.
San Luis Obispo County has already gone this route with the called-off "Slotopia" event, and Santa Barbara County needs to follow their lead if they don't want to deal with "events" like this every few weekends. SLO County has told the students who posted a "Slotopia" event on Facebook that they will be legally and financially liable for any injuries and all costs the county incurred. And in order to discourage those who would post an "event" and then evade responsibility by canceling it, or by saying it's not actually a party (see the current Floatopia Two posting on Facebook) SLO even said that the "organizers" will be held liable for anyone who shows up for the "canceled" party. (http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=1...).
Now that events like the first Floatopia have gotten posted to Youtube, people from all over the state (and beyond) are already starting to get the message that it is OK to have huge "beach parties" in this city, and that anyone can get them started just by going online and posting where and when to bring the beer. The county could potentially bankrupt itself if it doesn't start enforcing its event permitting laws for the next Floatopia "event." Santa Barbara county needs to end this viral "event" marketing trend before it becomes an even bigger, messier, and more expensive problem.
Posted on April 24 at 5 p.m.
I think Dorothy D has a great idea. Why not levy an additional property tax on all IV residences to help pay for the additional trash clean up and safety/police services IV residents seem to require? If IV residents are going to insist on posting "events" on facebook, making no effort to provide sanitation services, and then hide behind the anonymity of the internet and say, "well, nobody really organized it, so nobody is responsible," then the county should just charge IV residents for the expenses they incur. This would have multiple benefits of providing needed environmental and social services, taking the burden of payment for these services off of other citizens in Santa Barbara and Goleta, and also helping keep the citizens' concerns at bay so that the students can continue to lead the lifestyle they feel entitled to.
Posted on April 24 at 12:48 p.m.
When I was 34 I dated a guy who was 26, but I don't know if that's quite "cougar" territory. Nevertheless, there were a few nice things. First of all, we could both just have fun together and not have as much pressure about "where the relationship was going." Obviously that's not something most of us want all the time or long term, but it can still be fun sometimes.
Also, as a woman who's completing a PhD and is athletic and outspoken, I found that some men my age can be competitive or easily intimidated. This wasn't a factor with the younger guy, partially due to his personality. But I think that when the guy is younger, he's more likely to be OK with a strong woman if he's dating someone older. Plus, we both knew that of course he doesn't have a lot of money, a house, or an established career yet, because he wasn't at that place in his life yet. Women my age are more likely to be OK with a less wealthy or established guy if we're dating someone younger, and from what I've heard in Santa Barbara women like us can be hard to find. Anyway, I think younger guys in general are more comfortable with strong women because they were more likely to be raised by single mothers or by mothers who work. Sometimes I think the whole "women's lib" thing messed up the guys who are now 30-somethings the most, because they grew up with traditional ideas about masculinity but also grew up in a time when those weren't really working or acceptable anymore. This might have made women like me more amenable to dating outside of our age range.
So while this isn't something I have repeated, it's not something I regret either. People date for a variety of reasons, and dating someone who is a different age can be more challenging or even more limiting in some ways, but there also might be times when it works for some people.
Posted on April 24 at 11:38 a.m.
I think this is definitely worth exploring. The Goleta and Santa Barbara area needs more high-density and middle/working class housing, and fewer large lots with McMansions. If they're going to allow new development, they should encourage development like this and discourage sprawl like Naples.
Previous Month
1 of 1 people thought this was a good comment.
Posted on May 14 at 12:16 a.m.
I was amazed when I looked over the propositions on the special election ballot. The state essentially wants to borrow/steal funds from schools (via borrowing against lottery funds), First Five (which provides pre-Kindergarten education and services), and Mental Health Funding, to balance the budget. While the state budget is in a crisis, our representatives need to find a way of balancing it that isn't at the expense of children and the mentally unwell.
For my mail-in vote I ended up voting Yes on 1A and 1B, which extend sales taxes (I think) and no on all the others.
When I tried to find the Indy story that ran about a month ago to help me decipher the ballot, I couldn't find it. Can the Indy make this available online again?
On Robbing Mental Health Funding a Costly Proposition