Comments on: Library, police, parks, everyone tightens belts in Vancouver

By: Chris Keam

Chris Keam — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:50:29 +0000

Believe it or not, there’s at least one good reason to mix up the siren options.

“In the early 1970s, manufacturers introduced sirens with different patterns and frequencies, to address a growing problem: Officers in different police cars using the same frequency often could not hear each other when approaching the same intersection, a dreaded phenomenon known as the wash-out effect that is a recipe for a crash. The yelp, the wail, the fast and the hi-lo sirens were born.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/15/nyregion/15sirens.html

By: gmgw

gmgw — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:52:24 +0000

Spartikus, I just got a “Warning, it has been determined that the site you are attempting to go to has been infected by Malware” when I tried to access the discussion thread under the “Paris bike-system vandalism” post of November 1st.

Is this what you were referring to ? Maybe it’s my smug attitude as a longtime Mac loyalist, but I never know how seriously– if seriously at all– to take alleged “alerts” such as these. Anyone could plant such a warning, for their own nefarious purposes.
gmgw

By: spartikus

spartikus — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:34:19 +0000

Is anyone else getting a Reported Attack Site! alert when attempting to view some of the blog entries here?

By: spartikus

spartikus — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:22:02 +0000

Can’t change the contract now, so they might cut your job. It’s just a little ironic. People are losing their jobs in a lot of places, public and private sector. But you negotiate with the information you have at hand, not a crystal ball or augury. For example.

By: rf

rf — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:47:15 +0000

Nope, didn’t forsee it.

Didn’t need to forsee anything to know that the city can’t run a deficit. That was known.

I’m just pointing out that you were the one bragging about the sanctity of your contract. Can’t change the contract now, so they might cut your job. It’s just a little ironic. That’s all.

By: spartikus

spartikus — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:31:56 +0000

I think Spartikus and his gang should have been careful what they wished for with their new contract. Did you at the time foresee that the global economy was built on a deregulatory house of cards, rf, or were you one of those espousing BC as the best place on Earth? Other governments in this little old world of ours are allowed to deficit spend in such crises - which even you have admitted is based on sound economics, even if you don't subscribe to it and think Herbert Hoover was on to something. Vancouver, as we know, is not allowed to deficit spend. But it doesn't diminish the point that the actual problem is not a result of an explosion of spending, but a precipitous crash in revenue. For perspective, a 5% tax increase would be approx. $250 on a home valued at $1 million.

By: Mr Peanut

Mr Peanut — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:02:35 +0000

I would like to nominate M. Cox for deputy police chief….

By: rf

rf — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:32:18 +0000

I think Spartikus and his gang should have been careful what they wished for with their new contract.
They got a little more money, and now they are taking it out of his budget.

By: Wally Epuc

Wally Epuc — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:15:54 +0000

further to David Eby, only in Vancovuer do we still seem to think that having more police reduces crime. But then we have a City Manager who who came from our health “care” system where the evidence of what makes us healthy has been ignored over and over when it comes to investments of tax revenues. No long term thinking going on here.

By: David Eby

David Eby — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:45:10 +0000

Only in Vancouver could the police get an extra $6m per year and 61 officers over a 24 month period and warn that service levels will be impacted by the drastic cutbacks.