Above is the supposed contact list for the DRB and Planning Commission. If these links fail to work, blame the board members for participating in the super-secret government run my Manross and Dolan.

If you have any questions concerning any planned projects, don't hesitate to contact the ones above who make the decisions.

 ~ Support the Candidate of Your Choice!

All petitions for all elected positions must be turned in by the candidates on or before June 4th. If you have petitions, want to help collect signatures, or want to donate campaign money to your candidate, Please do so soon!!

Remember the Challenge to Nan Nesvig last election. Let's not allow the candidate you support to get into that position by not having enough verified signatures because of legal technicalities.

After the Hanover Referendum fiasco, we all know about those now don't we?

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Political campaign endorsements can be evil, Plain and simple. It fits so comfortably into that whole "political science/mind manipulation" mode.

We are all supposed to be awed because a CEO or board chairman or a distinguished figure in service to the community says that they will vote for a particular candidate. This is not to knock the individual accomplishments or service to community. Those are genuine.

Some of us have been asked to endorse candidates over the years and have chosen not to do so. Organizations have been asked and chosen not to do so.

It is called influence peddling and if you endorse or ask for an endorsement today, how will you be asked to pay back that favor later?

It is a given, endorsements mean, at some point, you will be asked to bend your judgment, your integrity, your vote to accommodate those who have endorsed you.

As this election year for Scottsdale plays out through the hot months of summer watch who is endorsing the candidates you are being asked to vote for. Then make sure you know what those individuals, corporations and special interest groups are going to be asking from elected officials.

The past interests, and current and future plans and intentions of those providing endorsements is as important as the goals and objectives of the individual candidates; may be more so.

Nancy Cantor
Chair, Scottsdale Coalition

I’ve known Henry for a few years and had found him to actually be quite a nice and generous guy, a nice guy that is until you ask him to put just a pittance of his hard earned money where it will do the most good (or where his mouth is).

Henry came to some of us a few years back and wanted to "clean up" Scottsdale and its politics and we heartily agreed with his position. We explained that the only way to beat the monied that apparently controlled the city was to use money to beat them legally in court with which he seemed to agree.

A few of us devised a plan and set up a process where Henry, and possibly others who could afford it, could donate money to an interest bearing fund [Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund (SLDF)] to facilitate, through a highly trained team of retained lawyers, the ability to file law suits against the city, organizations, or persons who we all determined to not be acting in the best interest of the city or it’s citizens. All monies would be returned to the donors with interest if not needed or used, less actual costs after the actions necessary were resolved or eliminated.

We have it set up with an attorney as the trustee and a board of three, including Henry or other major donor if they so desired, who would determine the validity and viability of winning the law suits the SLDF would file against those we felt were offending or illegally bypassing the city processes, etc.

After everything was set up and in place, Henry Becker declined to participate.

Henry Becker literally had the best of both worlds in the palm of his hand:

Based on the outcome of the last few years without the ability to sue due to lack of adequate funding,

There are many other incidents which could have possibly been mitigated and probably eliminated if Henry Becker had put his hard earned money where his mouth was.

Was this being presumptive on our part? We think not. We would have been doing the footwork, paperwork, and all other work while Henry sat back and watched the fireworks enjoying a most probable state of euphoria seeing his money do something worthwhile for the city he supposedly loves.

That, ladies and gentlemen is what could have been but isn’t to date.

The offer is still open Henry, …and to anyone else who feels the need to get involved.

It takes money to beat city hall.

George Knowlton, Editor
editor@scottsdaleactivist.com
480-326-2475

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Since Mayor Herb Drinkwater stepped down the mature neighborhoods, especially in the southern part of Scottsdale have not had a real advocate in the Mayor’s office.

This last week both daily newspapers in Scottsdale have asked the same question of the current Mayor. What is your vision for Scottsdale? What do you think is important to preserve and how do we do that job?

There has been no response to date from the sitting Mayor, or from the opposing candidates, for that matter.

A glimmer of hope and understanding showed up Thursday, May 8, 2008, at the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale meeting held at the Granite Reef Senior Center. Newly appointed Interim City Manager John Little took the floor to explain how he sees his job and how he intends to conduct business.

He talked, he listened, he heard and he understood where the community was coming from. He heard how tired they are of being always cast in the adversarial roll because of poor or no communication coming from City Hall. It astounded all in attendance that he has touched base with close to 1000 employees of the City and intends to get to all 2000+ including working with field teams on alley maintenance and code enforcement even if it is the middle of July.

John took a lot of information away with him and so did the community. Most important was the belief that he and other staffers can, and will, do a better job of communicating with the citizens.

If he applies the same efforts and concepts that he has used to connect with the businesses in the Downtown area, then we could get back to a better relationship between the neighborhoods, City Hall and revitalization efforts and create that long absent vision for the southern neighborhoods.

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WATERVIEW/SRP RELOCATION UPDATE: At the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale meeting last night, acting City Manager, John Little, shared that this situation has changed.  He stated that he had received a telephone call 45 minutes prior to the COGS meeting and that WaterView applicants had withdrawn their agenda item for the May 15th Development Review Board. Mr. Little stated that they have been "directed" to meet with the Arcadia area residents.  Stay tuned for updates. (Pat Lamer was at the meeting and will share details with his community as they become available.)

COGS MEETING LAST NIGHT (5/8): Another successful COGS meeting was held last night with a full room of citizens, business owners, mayoral and city council candidates.  Updates and discussions on community issues were dynamic. Guest Speaker, acting City Manager, John Little, shared his Connect-with-the-Community policy. He has already personally met with more than 1,000 of his 2,000 member city staff in just 3 weeks on the job!  Mr. Little also has more than 1,000 requests to speak at neighborhood groups, civic groups, and HOAs which he will try to schedule within the next months.  We appreciate that he placed our COGS members high on his list. 

There are no applications pending for Major General Plan Amendments this year, therefore the following scheduled activities for Major General Plan Amendments will not be held:

The City received the following requests for Major Amendments this year:

1-GP-2008, Cahoon project, request for an amendment from Suburban Residential to Office on property located along the north side of Indian School Road between 82nd Street and Granite Reef Road (all except 2 of the single-family residential parcels).  The applicant withdrew this request.
 

104-PA-2008, Cactus & 101, request for an amendment from Rural Residential to Commercial on property located along the south side of Cactus Road between 85th Place and the on ramp for the Loop 101.  The applicant withdrew this request.

The 2008 submittal deadline is past, and any inquiries for a Major General Plan Amendment will be placed on the 2009 timeline.

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If you want to make yourself really sick read Scottsdale’s General Plan. Better yet, ask our current Mayor to explain it to you, how it functions and fits into her vision for Scottsdale.

Then ask her to show you the different Character Areas in Scottsdale and how many were created since she took office.

Taken directly from the Scottsdale General Plan, which is a policy document that the Mayor and Council are sworn to uphold, is the following statement:

Let’s take a look at the first of the six chapters of the General Plan that we all voted on, Character and Design.

The Introduction includes these words and remember this statement from the General Plan, too when thinking about what you would find acceptable on your block or next door:

Valuing our physical diversity created the drive to re-evaluate our community's General Plan in a new light. Today we approach general planning at three levels: the overarching whole community, the character of specific areas, and the individual neighborhoods.

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Want to know what’s going on in the condo market in Scottsdale? Simply click on the following link. It will open your eyes to the reasons why we DON’T need anymore high rises which bring more density and infrastructure problems to an already glutted Scottsdale condo market and the downtown areas.

http://www.condomaniacentral.com/blog/the-condo-foreclosure-market-caution-must-still-prevail/

Last week, we asked the following:

We’d love to have the supporters of Mayor Mary Manross itemize her significant accomplishments during her tenure as mayor.

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OMG!!! Scottsdale tax collections are shrinking!

That couldn’t be because the city council, Scottsdale Area Chamber and others within the "establishment" have zero "vision" for the future of Scottsdale? Could it also be that none of them have a clue as to what would be good for the city other than by increasing height and density?

The average citizen who pays no more than the slightest attention was aware of this problem festering for more than a few years while the city fiddled with adding still more people to the city at costs which they hadn’t taken into account at all.

Rick Kidder of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce would have us believe that the sagging motor vehicle sales are an expected reflection of a sagging economy. Oh really???

If Rick Kidder and his "visionaries" at the Chamber even had a clue, they would have been working on a solution to this mess years ago instead of trying to buy the dealers off with taxpayers money.

Let’s face it; the current city administration and the Scottsdale Area Chamber brass haven’t had a clue, don’t have a clue, and never will have a clue, let alone a "future vision" for the city of Scottsdale.

Thank God there is an election coming soon. I just pray it’s soon enough.

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~Shame on City Hall

OK Readers, Which city is being discussed in this piece?

Laguna Nigel, CA

Paradise Valley, AZ

Palm Beach, FL

Scottsdale AZ

Beverly Hills, CA Yep!! It's Beverly Hills, CA

Charleston, SC

Send your guesses to editor@scottsdaleactivist.com Answer next week.

 To read more on the Beverly Hills Situation,  click on the link below:

http://www.beverlyhillscitizen.org/news/density.htm

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Mark Scarp’s column in the Friday, May 9^th edition of the Scottsdale Tribune is a great piece on what the mayor knows, and why she doesn’t understand any of it at all; never has and never will. Read both article and see for yourself.

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It would seem that the developer of the Main Street Plaza Condo project including the Western Museum property "wants to negotiate". With the number of bank "short sales" and the glut of vacant condos on the Scottsdale market, this sounds and smells like something shady and underhanded we have probably seen and heard about before.

Well Oh Golly Gee, what do you suppose they want?

• It couldn’t be a subsidy could it?

• Or, how about some kind of a tax rebate or discount?

• A possible land swap?

Unless it’s a straight forward deal to finish what was started without any of the above, the council and especially those who are running for re-election or election to a different elected City Office had better beware.

The election is coming and we are ALL paying critical attention to what you say and do with taxpayer monies.

Prove us wrong ladies and gentlemen of the Scottsdale City Council…………….

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Once every decade all schools in Arizona MUST go through the spasms of chaos caused by inadequate school funding thanks to a Legislature that is more than a brick shy of a load when it comes to education (and anything that deals with kids and senior citizens).

Scottsdale Unified School District even forms committees to intensify the fear and anger effects of the trauma.

In 2000 we had the TCP (Total Community Process committee), brought together with a consultant to study school district growth and base recommendations on figures that were totally wrong (that consultant went out of business and the district did not want to pay them for their fine work) and produce a recommendations that the Governing Board could totally ignore.

This year we see the BRAC (Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee) refining the process to deal with "School Facility Utilization." Sound familiar??? Sixteen people including 5 parents, one assistant city manager from the City of Scottsdale, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, an employee representing Scottsdale Healthcare, one from the Charros, one person from the community who also volunteers at the district Education Center, four educators and two other people from a non-profit organization and an education foundation.

Taken as a whole a very good group with the top qualities to create chaos and inflict fear into the hearts of every parent and property owner connected to an elementary school campus.

Realizing that many who read the Activist might not have kids in school we thought you might be interested to read that several schools are under consideration for closure.

You, Southern Choraliers! Enough with the old Scottsdale High School Fight Song. And, no, we do not need to hear another chapter in "SUSD Does Real Estate Poorly!"

…… And you all thought infill development couldn’t come to your neighborhoods!

Beware afraid, be very, very afraid.

Anyone who thinks this will all be settled by the start of school next August……….. quit smoking the funny stuff. The ride is just beginning.

Nancy Cantor
Scottsdale

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The Coalition of Pinnacle Peak has asked the city to purchase a portion of State Land near Jomax and Alma School Roads for needed parking and overflow parking at Pinnacle Peak Park.

We agree totally with Bob Vairo on this one because we know how the parks in the southern portion of the city don’t have anywhere near the parking necessary to handle the increased density already in place with more to come thanks to an out-of-touch city council, planning commission and DRB..

In the minds of many, this is simply a "no brainer" for the city, its residents, and the community as a whole.

But, just watch the "3 Monkeys" and the mayor totally screw this one up too.

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~Letters to the Editor  

Word on the street is that the political insiders who plotted and executed the plan that challenged Nan Nesvig's signatures during the last election are at it again!  These shameless vermin, who are already planning the next challenge upon her campaign, seriously DO NOT WANT NAN ELECTED for obvious reasons!  But, we do! 

So all hands on deck!  Even though Nan had easily reached the required number of signatures, she needs a ton of extra signatures to withstand the worst of challenges (these low-life vermin will challenge everything!!!!).

Please step up, during these last three weeks before June 4th, and help to get Nan on the ballot with a huge buffer.  If you can take one signature sheet, walk your neighborhood, and get it filled, that will help a lot!  Please email nannesvig@aol.com if you can help.   

Nan has always been a voice for the citizens and businesses of Scottsdale - let's make sure that she is elected to Council to help protect the interests of Scottsdale residents in the future. 

I know that many of us are still carrying petition boards for Nan with completed signature sheets. Nan has asked us to get those in to her ASAP so they can be verified as qualified and verifiable signatures. So please contact Nan at nannesvig@aol.com and she or one of her people will personally pick them up. 

Adrian Collea
Scottsdale

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Now I am not going to beat up on old Snidely Whiplash as of yet. So, before I start hearing from the whiners that I should give him a chance, I will repeat again the fact that I like John personally. The problem I have with him at the moment was his push to make the city decide the Downtown Plan with the Council that we have sitting now. It makes me wonder, Why?

I am sure that John knows darned well that none of the 4 horse’s patoots currently on the council are in any kind of good graces with the community, especially the Southern residents. John made the mistake of making the comment that this was initiated by the current council but he is wrong on that count.

It was initiated by Buckaroo Betty Drake and did not have the support of some people, like Ron the Weasel of Oz. Fact is, it was really initiated by the residents of the South and some merchants as they were not happy with what the city had started and the lack of any real vision or discussion.

John went on to make another fatal comment in my book, when he claimed "this is their issue." The fact, again, is it is not "their issue" it is the community and taxpayers issue and whether we agree with what the city brings forward.

Now, I am not sure whether Snidely made this comment as it was not marked in quotation marks. It very well could have come from none other than Lesley Wright and her unique way of "wordsmithing".

It was noted in the article that the decisions should be made "before a new council is seated," and this leads me to speculate that some are getting nervous about the elections outcome and are trying, again, to hammer something down our throats before they get their butts tossed out of office.

The reality is Snidely, that residents are not wanting any of these people to make this decision, and we prefer to wait until we get a council with a clue to make this decision. The sitting council has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have no clue about what the residents want; and that they are the ones in the developers pockets.

I found this comment funny as it shows that "some councilmember’s" and "developers" are as clueless as they appear. Some council members and developers have said that "greater height and density should be allowed on the borders of downtown!!!!"

The reality is that this is what got all of them in hot water with the residents of the South. We do not want the city approving these out of control density and height projects on the boundaries of downtown.

That is where we live in our low density single story and two story homes.

I for one cannot believe that the city would not understand by now that what they have already approved bordering mature communities is the exact reason why the South will not vote for any of them to be returned to the council. Nor will any person running get the South’s support come election day if they only listen to the developers.

Snidely’s final comment, and he had better figure a way out of this comment or he is going to be wearing a Dolan crown when we have a new council that boots his tail out of office. Little said that "some groups that appeared to be "intractable" over the issue of height allowances may be more flexible in the long run."

What this really means is that where ever they decide that they are going to put higher buildings and higher density is where people are just going to have to get used to it and either move or fight, and John should know darn well that the South is ready to fight.

They do not understand that when you place higher buildings and densities along the borders of mature low density communities you are going to have a fight as we do not want people towering over our properties and invading our privacy and quality of life, just like the North does not want high density and tall buildings that would ruin their views and quality of life, as well as people peering into your back yard.

Development can be done to acceptable standards of height and density, but the problem is that this Council and this Planning Commission along, with the Planning Department, and those hacks in the DRB do not have any clue how it works or is done.

The Urban Land Institute’s recent conference at the Kierland Westin on land use showed how mixed use can be done successfully with 4 or 5 stories. Some of the Planning staff was there, but no Planning Commissioners or DRB or Council members that we could see.

On second thought, maybe we should let this council bring this forward right before the election so we can see yet again, who is listening, who is in the developers pockets like Ron the Oz Weasel, and if they have gotten any clue about how they got themselves into this mess by their past decisions. Then we have even more reasons to vote them out of office.

After we vote them out of office we can also refer the approval of the plan to the voters to kill, depending on what they put in there. It will be a legislative action that qualifies it for referral to the ballot.

Maybe Snidely is actually doing us a favor by pushing this hot button issue forward with an election right around the corner.

Thanks John, the residents of Oz may actually owe you one this time.

One issue in the first public meeting on the City Budget that took place this week, (and that meeting was mostly hum drum until this point) had to do with the issue of overtime for the police department.

It was calculated that the amount of overtime by the police department worked out to roughly having to hire 72 officers or aides, or whoever they may have been that were collecting the thousands of hours of overtime.

The question that was posed by Airport Bob to those who were questioning this overtime issue was "would you prefer to hire 72 more people full time, with all the overhead or have the police department be flexible with their management of overtime?"

Well, Bob, if the truth needs to be told and as someone mentioned, there is a large voice in the community that says that we do not feel as safe as those statistics say we are. Then there is the issue that we have little or no way of tracking community policing, other than by noting that we rarely ever see them in the community accept when they are called.

I think if you asked the residents they would tell you that they would be more receptive to having, maybe half of that number in new "sworn officers" with all of the overhead, instead of all the overtime and fewer police officers for the street.

We don’t want any more police aides. They are great to have, but are not sworn officers and are limited in what they can do. It would be nice to see the ones we have hired spending more time in the community on patrols. It would be nice to see more traffic officers in our communities handing out tickets and making a dent or sending a message that speeding in our neighborhoods will no longer be tolerated.

Maybe during the remaining budget sessions our elected leaders should actually decide whether it is more appropriate to hire half of the 72 officers that they referred to and they should be sworn officers.

Just my thoughts there Airport Bob, but I am sure the same thoughts are shared by many of the residents.

Michael Merrill
The Brutal Critic
F8713@aol.com

 ~We need an uninspiring guy like Barney Fife in the Oval Office

 By Craig J. Cantoni
May 8, 2008 

Amazing.  Scary.  Discouraging. 

I’m referring to an email from a smart guy with strong libertarian leanings.  In it, he said that he was supporting Barack Obama this year because Obama “understands that the most effective leadership is built on inspiration.” 

The guy went on to make this equally amazing, scary and discouraging comment:  “From what I know of him [Obama], he may well understand what it’s going to take to straighten out the economy.” 

In the early 1930s, millions of Germans, including many intellectuals, said the same thing about Hitler, seeing him as inspirational and believing that his socialism would fix the economy, which it did in the short term but couldn’t last without the use of ever-increasing coercion and central planning.  Of course, Obama isn’t going to suspend civil liberties, end liberal democracy, commit genocide, burn down Congress, and attack Poland and France (although McCain might). 

As an aside, it’s too bad about Obama’s unwillingness to burn down Congress.  Just kidding.  No I’m not…yes I am…no I’m not.  

Seriously, ever since sixth grade, when my school showed newsreels of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, I’ve been trying to understand the human propensity to suspend reason, succumb to emotion, and follow a charismatic leader to the gates of hell.  Hundreds of books later, I still don’t understand it and remain frightened by it. 

It’s not over the top to say that the looks of adoration on the faces of Obama’s fans are similar to the looks of adoration on the faces of the throngs cheering Hitler in Leni Riefenstahl’s “Triumph of the Will.”  In both cases, reason and substance have been pushed aside by emotion and style. 

All inspirational leaders are not demagogues, but all demagogues are inspirational leaders.   Rather than take the risk of an inspirational leader turning into a demagogue, I’d prefer to have an uninspiring person at the head of government.   Calvin Coolidge comes to mind.  So does Harry Truman. 

Some would say that in times of trouble or danger, an inspirational leader is necessary to motivate the masses.  That’s nonsense.  When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Barney Fife could have been president and the nation still would have done what was necessary.  Besides, a compelling case can be made that inspirational American leaders had precipitated Japan’s attack through years of meddling in the Pacific. 

If a homicidal maniac is breaking down my door, I don’t need to look to someone else for inspiration to protect my family and shoot him between the eyes.  If the federal government is breaking my piggy bank with its out-of-control spending, taxing and printing of money, I don’t need to look to someone else for inspiration to know that I have to get my money offshore until I can vote the bastards out of office.  People who need inspiration to get off their asses should be pitied and feared, especially those who are infatuated with a guy like Obama, who is going increase spending, taxing and printing of money. 

Obama is so inspiring that his cooing fans on campuses haven’t noticed that he has said nothing about the $800,000 in unfunded liabilities that is being bequeathed to each American under the age of 18.  Of course he hasn’t:  His economic policies will screw the very same young people who are cooing him.   

George W. Bush proves the point that a leader doesn’t have to be inspirational to motivate the masses.  There isn’t a more uninspiring guy (although many Republicans were inspired enough by him to anoint him as their candidate).  Yet the masses fell into lockstep and supported his invasion of Iraq.  Just think of what might have happened if he were inspirational:  We might have also invaded Iran, Syria and N. Korea.  

I’d be a lot more optimistic about the nation’s future if Barney Fife were our next president.

An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.

The May meeting of the Community Council of Scottsdale will feature a Candidate Forum for the mayor’s position.

When:             Thursday, May 15^th

Where:            Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Citizens Center at 1700 N Granite Reef Rd
                         (at McDowell) at 7:00pm. 

Jerry Lennemann, President
jerrylenne@yahoo.com

Recently, the Scottsdale Republic painted me as a candidate who opposes growth in Scottsdale. That’s blatantly untrue. In my candidate information sheets, on my website (www.nannesvig.com), and in every speech that I make at a public forum, I explicitly state that I am in favor of growth in Scottsdale, so long as it conforms with our General Plan guidelines, policies and procedures in Scottsdale, and does not upstage the two years worth of work that we have done to revise our Downtown Development Plan. Haphazard upzoning and rezoning key parcels of land, assemblage of same and the creation of height and density in heavily congested areas will not solve our existent traffic related issues, nor will it contribute to our current quality of life.

The debate surrounding height and density in this election is much more complicated than whether or not you are in favor of tall buildings in Downtown or at the Airpark. The current council leadership perpetually states that we either move forward with massive height and density or we will forever be relegated to a 1950’s way of thinking and be doomed economically. Some of the significant points the Council leadership avoids during public discussion include:

We lack our own central vision of what Scottsdale should "be" in the future. City Staff and their highly paid aptly chosen consultants, routinely determine what we, as a city, want the Downtown and the Airpark to look like in years to come. We have no concrete data to support that upzoning in either of these areas will contribute to our economical success. Available data from other like projects does indicate that such upzoning and development will heavily tax our infrastructure, increase already horrendous traffic woes and maximize loss of our precious mountain views. Even with this quantifiable post build out knowledge, our City Council still approves these development projects.

In my opinion, we have to stop this constant Council policy of rubber stamped ad hoc upzoning. Taking a step back from this knee-jerk approval process by the Council will not stall growth in Scottsdale. It will, however, force the Council to set policy standards and limitations, in accordance with the area plans, to utilize good judgment, ethics and reasonableness to make decisions for our city in terms of development. Adherence to consistent standards implementation would, in turn, level the playing field and make it fairer for business persons and developers to get things done in Scottsdale. Developers can and should make money doing projects in Scottsdale, just not at the expense of our citizen or business communities.

While I don’ t have a crystal ball to predict Scottsdale’s future, I do know that what we’ve been doing in terms of growth and development for the past four to eight years just isn’t working for our city. Why would I want those same persons leading the city for another four years? It seems that reasonableness, good judgment and ethical fortitude have all taken a backseat to special interests, ad hoc development decisions and a steady stream of missteps and miscues.

Am I in favor of a moratorium on growth and development in Scottsdale? Absolutely not. Scottsdale has an opportunity to remain a world-class place to live, work and to visit, but maintaining that position will require approaching our development issues with a much-needed different point of view. This is a point of view, which does not allow special interest or developer favoritism to drive what Scottsdale looks in the future. This new point of view is what I bring to the table as a Scottsdale City Council candidate.

Nan Nesvig
Candidate for Scottsdale City Council
nnesvig4scc@aol.com

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 ~Tom Giller Posts Platform and Bio

Tom Giller has posted his Platform and Biography in the Activist so make sure his positions are clear and to make sure voters understand that he is not a 'one issue" Candidate. Click here or go to the Candidate section to see both.

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  ~The Old Phone a truly lovely story
 
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighbourhood.  I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall.  The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box.  I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person.  Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.  Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbour.  Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway.  The telephone!  Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing.  Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear.  "Information, please" I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.  A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

"Information."

"I hurt my finger...." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.

"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.

"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.

"No," I replied.  "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."

"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.

I said I could.

"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything.  I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was.  She helped me with my math.  She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died.  I called, Information Please," and told her the sad story.  She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child.  But I was not consoled.  I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Wayne always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please."

"Information," said in the now familiar voice.

"How do I spell fix?" I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.  When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston.  I missed my friend very much.  "Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall.  As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then.  I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle.  I had about a half-hour or so between planes.  I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now.  Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialled my hometown Operator and said, "Information Please."

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.  "Information."

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause.  Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."

I laughed, "So it's really you," I said.  "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me.  I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally."

Three months later I was back in Seattle.  A different voice answered "Information."

I asked for Sally.

"Are you a friend?" she said.

"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said.  "Sally had been working part-time the last few years because she was sick.  She died five weeks ago."

Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne?"

"Yes" I answered.

"Well, Sally left a message for you.  She wrote it down in case you called.  Let me read it to you."

The note said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in.  He'll know what I mean."

I thanked her and hung up.  I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

Whose life have you touched today?

Why not pass this on?  I just did....

Lifting you on eagle's wings.  May you find the joy and peace you long for.

Life is a journey....  NOT a guided tour.  So don't miss the ride and have a great time going around, you don't get a second shot at it.

I loved this story and just had to pass it on.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

~ Information You Can Use

Just click on the logos below to go to these websites.

Send our Brave Troops "Something from Home", Click on  Links below.

Gathering of  Eagles Website was launched 2/9/07. Click on the Logo above for more information on how they are protecting America's Memorials.

~ UPDATE!! A "Must See" for All Americans

Every American should check out all of these websites to learn more about what the American population is about to have to deal with.

This is NOT for Children.

I don't normally allow anything but Scottsdale information in the Scottsdale Activist but after receiving many emails about this and viewing it, I think that it's imperative that every adult at least look at what's offered here if for  nothing more than their own education and to have everyone stop and think about the future of our country. Click on the link below,

 www.obsessionthemovie.com

If you don't have Adobe Flash, install it from the bottom of the page that comes up after you click on the link above. You should be able to view all available links within the main page.

The website below is of great interest as seen from a Lebanese point of view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8fa9yKQeTY

The website below gives some history of Terrorist attacks:

http://patriotfiles.org/civilizationcalls.htm

This website tell you what REALLY happened:

http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened

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~ Arizona Tax Revolt

~ Prop 13 Arizona

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~ View Past City Council Meetings

We can now access the city council meetings by clicking on the following link:

If you have any problems, check your firewall and other safety features which could block access to the city site.

~Continuing Light Rail Information

The Scottsdale Citizens Transportation Study Committee invites you to view their website for more questions and answers at  www.norailforscottsdale.com .

================================================================

Simply click on the links below to get all the information you'll ever need concerning Light Rail.

     Goldwater Institute Report

     American Dream Coalition

    The Public Purpose

If you have any questions about light rail, send them to editor@scottsdaleactivist.com and we'll get the answers to you as soon as we can.

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~ For Continuing Information on Photo Radar,
Click on the Logo below.

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 ~Are Red-Light Cameras Fair to Drivers?

These modern-day robocops make ticketing easier and can be huge moneymakers for local governments. But critics question their accuracy and fret over privacy issues.

Click on the link below , then scroll down to read the article:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/AreRedLightCamerasFairToDrivers.aspx

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The Scottsdale Activist is very pleased to announce an effort on the behalf of the residents and taxpayers of the city of Scottsdale to promote open, honest and accountable city government. The Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) has been created to take legal action to hold the City accountable when its actions are contrary to state law, the City Charter, City ordinances or the public interest.

The most necessary ingredient to make the SLDF work will be confidential contributions from concerned Scottsdale citizens who are willing to help their community.  By contributing, we can change the way City Hall does business and insure that our tax dollars will be spent wisely.

No funds from the SLDF will or can be used for any political purpose.

Contributions shall be kept confidential as permissible by law and can be made in any Washington Mutual Bank to account number 3114165786 for the Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund. Branch locations are listed below. Contributions are not tax deductible.

The SLDF has retained the law firm of Miller LaSota & Peters, PLC, in connection with the patently illegal action taken by the Mayor and Council appointing the most recent Scottsdale City Attorney, while ignoring the residency requirement of the Scottsdale City Charter even though the new City Attorney’s contract (according to Scottsdale Republic reporter Laurie Roberts) requires that she reside in Scottsdale.  The City Council action was based on a legal opinion which was reportedly rendered during a closed door Executive Session of the City Council by a subordinate to the then acting City Attorney, who was subsequently appointed to the City Attorney position by a vote during a public City Council meeting. The opinion has been requested as a public document under state law, but the City has not yet provided it. The SLDF will take other appropriate legal actions based on the conduct of the Mayor and Council.

Washington Mutual Bank Locations at which contributions to the SLDF can be made are:

72^nd & Shea                    7337 E. Shea Blvd #120                480-609-8524
Hayden & Chaparral     7908 E. Chaparral # C-113            480-949-0069
Horizon                            14854 N Frank Lloyd Wright         480-614-6660
Scottsdale Ranch          10155 E. Via Linda Blvd #131       480-767-2060
Kierland Village              6501 E. Greenway Pkwy #133     480-315-2905

There are many other branches throughout the Valley.