Archive for October 18th, 2011
Trickery of years ago undone as speed limit is upped on Old Town street – The Park Record
Trickery of years ago undone as speed limit is upped on Old Town street
Marsac Avenue now posted at 25 mph, as should have been the case for a long time
by Jay Hamburger THE PARK RECORD
State transportation officials recently posted new speed signs along Marsac Avenue designating the road as a 25 mph zone, ending what had apparently been years of having the wrong speed limit posted.
The posted speed limit used to be 20 mph between the Old Town roundabout and the Hillside Avenue intersection. Upward of a half-dozen signs were changed in the last two or three weeks to 25 mph. City Hall workers switched the signs at the request of the Utah Department of Transportation, Park City Engineer Matt Cassel said.
Cassel said the speed limit was long supposed to be 25 mph. The higher speed limit was set at least a decade ago, he said. According to Cassel, 25 mph signs were put up at that time.
Someone, likely a person who lived or still lives in the neighborhood, though, removed the 25 mph signs and replaced them with signs putting the speed limit at 20 mph, Cassel claimed this week. He said the person likely removed the signs and put up the replacement ones in the overnight hours.
via Trickery of years ago undone as speed limit is upped on Old Town street – The Park Record.
U.K. ‘X Factor’ stumbles – Entertainment News, International News, Media – Variety
According to a report in best-selling U.K. tabloid, the Sun, published on Monday, no lesser figure than its creator and erstwhile judge Simon Cowell reckons the latest U.K. version of the reality-talent hybrid needs to up its game.
“Sort it out. This is not good enough,” the Sun quoted Cowell as telling producers.
The reviews and declining audience figures for the new U.K. season of “The X Factor” tell only one story since Cowell quit the show in order to concentrate on the U.S. version.
Since bowing on ITV in 2004, viewing figures have grown year on year — until now.
Last weekend’s show was around 2 million viewers down on a year ago, according to the latest overnight ratings.
This was the second weekend running that ratings for “The X Factor” nose-dived by 2 million following the introduction of a revamped panel of judges, without Cowell.
Saturday’s edition of “The X Factor” averaged 9.6 million viewers, a 38.5% share, between 7.45 p.m. and 9.55 p.m. This rose to 10.05 million when timeshift channel ITV1+1 is factored in.
via U.K. ‘X Factor’ stumbles – Entertainment News, International News, Media – Variety.
Hi. Just wanted to say something about Occupy movement…
You may know me. Well, you are reading my blog of news and interest, so I am assuming you do.
The scene outside the stock Exchange in London is more reminiscent of the way Glastonbury looks at the festival. Tents lay strewn around, their owners standing steadfast in the face of opposition from the authorities.
But this is something more than the riots saw last Summer. This seems, at present, to be a peaceful and motivated movement. The people are quiet, reserved but determined. And there is little in the way of litter or detritus on the pavements or outside St Pauls.
The issue lies, they say, with the ongoing alleged greed of the minority – in this case called ‘the one percent’, who, say the protestors have systematically ruined the economy and – and this is the main point of their protest – gotten away with it.
It’s a strange contrast to the scenes last August, when scarcely had the riots been dealt with than every Minister and representative was jumping on the ‘they are scum’ band wagon. The muted reaction goes someway to demonstrating the careful and precarious lines the politicians in Britain are walking. Condemn and risk a backlash, stay silent and look weak.
The portrayal of the protestors has also been a more palatable set of references. Last Summer barely disguised contempt for people – whether involved in the riots or not – who happen to be unemployed in bad areas was rife. A lack of education. Poor life chances. Organised gangs coercing the vulnerable into criminal acts. All the usual metaphors and hyperbole was there. Now, with the protests outside St Pauls Catherdral, the mantra is different. Different because the people are different. These are people from all walks of life, not just the subjugated. These are accounts people. Doctors. Policemen. These are the middle class whom the Governments – indeed successive Governments have sought to impress and get close to. They are not the disenfranchised, the street gangs. To pigeon hole them would be political suicide, whatever the hue of your politics.
And therefore their points are assumed to have some gravitas. That these people are claiming they are paying the price for the leaders and corporations and banks mistakes, whether they are or not, and are prepared to demonstrate the strength of their feelings by camping out for as one protestor put it ‘as long as it takes’ is a testament to their frustration, be it real or imagined.
But the other problem, and one which is underlined is the subtext of the couple of last sentences. They are the middle class and worth listening to. By implication this is a denial of anyone below that sphere of existence having anything to say at all, let alone someone listen. This was the main cause of the riots. Not listening. And when Governments don’t listen, they don’t have to reply. And that is not democracy.
Personal take
Whether you agree with the demonstrators or not, whether you accept their claims or not, the fact is there are people starving in Britain. There are more homeless people. There are less life chances for less well off children than ever before. The culture of greed which most of us embraced has run out of food and is biting us. We cannot blame the arrogant rich for behaving as we would like the chance to, but what we can expect, and what makes people even angrier, is the absence of fairness.
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