Mayors Conference: 2015

      The National Conference of Mayors held their meeting in San Francisco this week.  None other than President Barack Obama gave a keynote speech yesterday.  The Mayor was in the City most of today.  He was not in attendance at the meeting.  It is reserved for mayors of large cities of at least 200,000 population.  In other words, party operatives positioning themselves for a move up.
     Due to the tragedy in Charleston, the President spoke of the ongoing problem in America as he sees it: racism is still a factor; it must continually be acknowledged; and attitudes can be changed.  No one can argue against this position.  And he mentioned gun ownership.  And he reminded those in attendance that few countries in the modern world compare to the USA in gun violence.  Amen.

Timofey Mozgov: Cavs Player

        What do St. Petersburg, Russya and Cleveland, Ohio have in common?  Cold winters, hot summers, shoreline on a large body of water, urban sophistication, historical sites a plenty, and a sports-crazed population?  Yes, to all of the former.   But perhaps, now, after Cleveland's defeat at the hands of the nimble Golden State(California) WARRIORS,  the locals in each city can agree  on one more thing/person: they like Timofey Mozgov.
      Is he of the calibre of LeBron James?  No, but he plays well in his shadow.  The 2.2 meters tall forward is a very strong, all-around support player.   Otherwise, he wouldn't be in the NBA.  Maybe his folks would like to see him in medical school as they planned, but, hey, having a kid playing with the CAVS isn't too bad, after all.
      Now here in the states, we've heard rumors that when he was a little Russkie growing up in St. Pete's, he played on a local team that features some Soviet apparatchiks and future oligarchs.   Hmmm.  Could one of those sportsmen have been none other than the current sitting president of the Federation?  Yes, Vova Putin to put a name out there.  Did he teach Timofey how to drive the lane and put up a fade away jump shot from the top of the key?  It's possible.  The Mayor will have to search out some source material to get the facts on this developing story.  It's important for fans to have facts about their faves, even if he's a former St. Pete's citizen, and possible mentee of Vova hisself.
More later. 

Donald Trump: Candidate

       If one wanted to create a farce, Donald Trump has out done himself.  He declared himself a candidate for President of the USA.  Nobody is surprised at "The Donald's" announcement.  He has a knack for seizing headlines.  This seizure is no exception.  It also indicates some desperation on his part.   But, it also indicates the sense that Hillary/Billary is vulnerable, even at this point.  The Republicans own Congress and Dems are not gaining voters with Obama running the White House.  With a failure of TPP, Obama needs a win to bolster Hillary and Co.
  Good luck, Mr. Trump.

Sewer Treatment Station at McKinney Shores

     The Tahoe City Utility District announced plans for a water treatment plant on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe.  This facility would treat water from several locations, primarily the Homewood Resort area both on mountain and at base.  Tahoe cedars Water Co. would also have this as a backup facility.  The Chambers Landing plant would be decommissioned.
      Several sites are being considered as are different designs for the building.  The building would be approx. 350 sq. meters/3500 sq. ft. with a shed roof or gable style.   A TCPUD site near Lagoon road is a possible location.   Property owners were only recently notified of plans.  Funds for the project would come for a variety of sources including property taxes and various use taxes.
     More to come here.

Warriors Win Again

     The Blue and Gold won game 5 and now need 1 more victory to become champions of the NBA.  It's only been 40 years since the last championship.  LeBron James scored 40 points-not too B A D.  Steph Curry logged 37 of his team's 105.   So the matchup went as expected: lead changes in double digits; dramatic turns as long shots found the net.  Mr. Curry added key 3-pointers late to place the contest beyond the reach of Cleveland's Cavaliers.   Coach Kerr was contained during a postgame interview, but one didn't require patience to detect a smile.
     The next game, or two will be played in Cleveland.  Can Mr. James beat the odds at this point?   The Cavs have a chance, actually a big chance to tie the series: it's called home court advantage.   It will be fun to watch.

Ukraine President Updates Status

      No, not a Facebook status update, a political situation update.  His long letter published nationally in the USA, gave many reasons to be hopeful of Ukraine's future, politically.  Many departments have been wiped clean of former bureaucrats, often with corruption charges following.  The judges in many courts were also replaced, especially those with ties to former officials.
     Yes, the rebels in the Donbass region in the east along the border with the Russyan Bear have continued to abuse the Minsk Accord.  But they have not been able to expand their reach, facing a stiffening of government troops in the Donetsk area.  Now Vlad has to be aware that the take down of FIFA by the FBI could spell doom for the next World Cup in the form of a worldwide boycott.  Hmmm.  Will this sway Vova away from his aggressive behavior against the West?  Doubt it. Pirates rarely listen to reason- that's why they are called Pirates. 
      The international community may have varied foci at this time(see Syria, Mynmarr, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Moldova, and Greece.   In 2 weeks the Greek situation will be settled, one way or the other.  The Iraq nuclear talks will reach a finality, one way or the other.  And NATO will move a few mocked up pieces of armor along the Latvian border to make a statement: "See, we know what's happening".
      Then NASA will order a few more rocket motors and the price of oil will go down again and the recession in Russya will get worse.
   Ahhhhh, summer.  Love those long days and short nights.

Pope Meets Pirate

     Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church,  met with Vladimir V. "Vova" Putin, head of the Russyan Federation, the largest country /governed space in the world.  Vlad, as he is known around the Kremlin, wanted to discuss the foremost topic on his mind: the price of oil.  Ha.  He needed a little publicity with a respected prelate.  He didn't want to be seen with Bashar Assad.  No.  Too much negative baggage.   Not President Xi-too austere/rigid/Communist,etc.
     So, Il Papa(as he is known in Italia).  Papa asked  Vlad to respect the Minsk Accords.  Putin said, "What accords?" Oh, yes, those.  They spent 50 minutes in their meeting, about twice as much as the usual head of state receives.  They exchanged gifts: Pope gave a  medallion with the angel of peace.  Vlad gave a jeweled cross set with diamonds mined in Russya.  No.  Not really.  The gift from Putin was not mentioned.  Hmmm.  Maybe it was Robert Kraft's Super Bowl diamond ring Putin lifted from his guest last year.