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I'm in the middle of reading this book right now and all the arguments you're making against HSR have a direct analogue from NIMBYs who opposed BART.

"Boondoggle," "train to nowhere," "waste of money," "obsolete," "runaway government spending"...these terms are peppered throughout that book. And yet here we are today, not only benefiting from BART but completely reliant upon it.

I'm very happy we didn't listen to them, and I hope we have the sense to ignore people like you, too.

edit: I'm not a cheerleader for any and every transit project. In fact I think most of the "flagship" transit projects being built in the country right now are wasteful - especially downtown streetcars which are in vogue right now. They're slow, expensive, and offer no benefits compared to bus service except the aesthetic.

I'm glad Oakland didn't build a streetcar, and instead opted for true BRT along International Blvd.

HSR isn't wasteful, though. Expensive, yes, certainly. It's clearly expensive. And it's clearly disruptive. But those are the kinds of costs we need to be willing to bear if we want truly modern infrastructure. HSR is crucial if our state doubles in population over then next ~40 years, which it's predicted to do. Our freeways and airports can't handle that kind of growth. HSR is like BART for the state - it will connect the downtown district of every major city in the entire state and virtually shrink California.

No, they absolutely don't. They *pretend* to care about precedent, but they overturn things all the time based on ideological beliefs and often rule against their own precedent, at least on important, ideologically divisive matters.

And that boils down to, as Eric Segall used for the title of a very good introduction book on the subject (though not the only one), that SCOTUS is not a court. It's a tribe of elders imposing value judgements when the Constitution has, by definition, no actual answers for the problems at hand (see: affirmative action, abortion, gun rights, etc.)

That's why a decision about, for example, if the printed currency of the United States is valid currency can be overruled within a year because one SCOTUS judge changed. Or why Scalia could overrule 200 years of precedent and declare in 2008 that the 2nd amendment is an individual right, even though we had clear, settled law that always declared that it was a collective one.

The way that they justify these decisions comes from different systems of value applications (living constitutionalism, one of the many different kinds of originalism, etc.) but it's all values, even if they like to pretend otherwise.

In fact, that the American public continues to perceive that SCOTUS IS a court and that it does care about precedence in contentious cases is one of the biggest cons of the American education system. And it's what keeps people from believing that the SCOTUS would ever overturn Roe because it's settled law, for instance, but the reality is they will overturn Roe in a heartbeat if Roberts decides it's OK politically.

SCOTUS is politics wherever the answers are not obvious.

Revenue that goes to an ''org'' not a ''.gov''.
No tolls in the United States go into any municipality's ''revenue''.
This is a little known fact.
What exactly is the VTA?
The government can ''appoint'' people? Just like the Federal Reserve, a private bank. How nice.
Where does the money go when tolls are collected? Follow the money.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_Valley_Transportation_Authority
I know. We aren't following the money yet. With no sarcasm involved, I wish you luck in following the money.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special-purpose_district
Who owns the Federal Reserve? That seems to be shrouded.
The VTA's money goes into the ''VTA transit fund''.
Anyone who wants to try and verbally simplify what I am talking about, should read this book about the revolution of ''Transportation Authorities'' in the US. You will never find a book more critically acclaimed.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Broker-Robert-Moses/dp/0394720245
Amazing reading.
A review excerpt: ''As time wore on Moses became less and less the man of the people and more and more the man of the system of his own creation, and that system was the toll-gathering mechanism of New York's bridges and tunnels. He invented that peculiar institution, the "authority" (as in Port "Authority" or Tennessee Valley "Authority") that is neither wholly governmental nor wholly private, and so lacks the restraints of either; Moses' cash cows kept him in power and gave him an antidemocratic arrogance that is truly breathtaking and, one hopes, will never be duplicated.''
A must read, if one wants to know what they are looking at, while enjoying any city's roads or public transportation. Man oh man is the public in the fucking dark about Transportation Authorities.

Pretty sure she can rent it if she has cash and a LARGE deposit.

The other thing you guys could do is buy a beater car off craigslist for cash and then sell it when you get to your destination. Here I found you some beaters.

Also, get this book for your roadtrip, it's the bomb- all local specialties throughout each of the regions of the US and helps you avoid the ever pervasive chain stores.

They also have an interactive website with maps to help you plan your routes.

Have you considered some books instead of in-person classes? Obviously quite different from having an actual human look at and critique your work, but Understanding Exposure and The Photographer's Eye are two of my favorites for learning the fundamentals of how to make good and interesting pictures.

From the Ferry Building, Sausalito is better than Oakland/Alameda for departure view; Sausalito heads north along the waterfront past Fisherman's Wharf, while Oakland/Alameda heads SE under the bay bridge, missing the classic SF downtown.

Or you can take the Sausalito ferry from Fisherman's Wharf, that has a direct view back over the city including the bay bridge in the background, with the golden gate on your right.

Edit: this google map shows the ferry routes well

The Oakland/Alameda is a great ride though, with going under the bay bridge, and views of the oakland docs, especially at night. (Disclaimer: I like watching the cargo ships load and unload, after reading this book on the history of cargo containers and how it affected the shipping industry in the SF & Oakland )

Edited for clarity on where ferries leave from

Thanks for sharing your experience. I highly recommend this book on the subject esp. Fremont's rise. I thought it was very balanced: https://www.amazon.com/American-Babylon-Struggle-Postwar-Politics/dp/0691124868

You might be interested in Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner. It’s a little old but he does an amazing job of laying out the issues with California’s water system.

It is: Boost Oxygen Natural Energy new medium size 100 inhalations https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005SUEVHU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hjf8Bb116J3YW

Agreed. Prop 13 is like a curse to most Californians.

Speaking of taxes, I like Richard Florida’s idea: tax land based on a a formula that benefits dense housing. His book:
New Urban Crisis

One of my favorite books was about a shipping container of rubber ducks who fell off a boat, opened up and floated all over various oceans via currents- it's a really good read! Moby Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Who Went in Search of Them

I didn't realize anc was not a good option. Do you have a recommendation on which firearms/industrial one to wear? Are those the ones that will block out noise above a certain threshold but let things like voice come through?

EDIT: How about this one?

Or this one?

What about this?

Are you talking about something like this or this?

Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Sport Sound Amplification Electronic Shooting Earmuff, Classic Green (R-01526) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001T7QJ9O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_SZiWzbHMCHAQ8 They have a headphones input as well.

Check out the reviews on this author's book on Amazon:

http://smile.amazon.com/The-Golden-Road-Notes-Gentrification/dp/014311297X

I read this book once.

Afaik the Ohlone didn't raise any domesticated animals. Source: The Ohlone Way https://www.amazon.com/Ohlone-Way-Indian-Life-Francisco-Monterey/dp/0930588010

Off Brand but still works.

https://www.amazon.com/Boost-Oxygen-Natural-Energy-inhalations/dp/B005SUEVHU

If you haven't read the book 'Cadillac Desert' or seen the film, you absolutely should.

Do you know why PG&E exists at all? What's the historical reasoning behind the quasi public/private monopoly? We wanted efficiency of larger power plants and no rat's nest of power lines across the city from competing power companies. If the city owns and maintains the power lines, there's no rats nest. And we're at a point now where power generation through means of solar and wind allows individuals to set up solar and wind farms however big or small as they can afford. The need to consolidate power generation into the hands of one giant is unnecessary, and all we need is for a public entity to facilitate the infrastructure and transaction between the sellers and buyers.

Each city builds and maintains their own power lines and facilitates the marketplace between buyers and sellers. Then people can build solar and wind farms wherever, sell their power to cities who then sell it to buyers at whatever markup keeps the power lines maintained and pays for regulation of the sellers.

Try reading: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Switch-Rewiring-Edison-Google/dp/039334522X

basic economics

I doubt any Bay area politician has any grasp on the matter.

https://crimeresearch.org/2015/06/comparing-death-rates-from-mass-public-shootings-in-the-us-and-europe/

A book and this and other aspects of gun control from an economist/statistician perspective
https://www.amazon.com/More-Guns-Less-Crime-Understanding/dp/0226493660

> Essentially originally trains received speed signals every time they reached a signal point and were expected to continue at that speed indefinitely; but, if the next signal point was broken, that meant they would continue forever.

The speed control for the original ATC design actually relied on the power systems for the third rail. They were deigned such that only one train could draw power from a block of track at a time. If there was a train in the segment of track in front of you drawing power, you'd have your power cut, so there is always a "buffer" block in between two trains.

You seem like you'd be interested in this book, have you checked it out yet? It's about more than just BART but more broadly it goes over the general history of subway construction in London and New York, followed by the history of how the "second wave" of urban subways in the United States came to pass with BART leading the way as the first new system in decades. BART took a lot of risks on unproven technology. Most of it paid off immensely and acted as the blueprint for WMATA in DC, MARTA in Atlanta, and Metro in LA (i.e. aluminum rolling stock, full grade separation for high speeds, etc...) but some of those risky moves have handcuffed the system today (i.e. the Indian gauge, flat wheel profiles, etc...)

>The US has a minority rule in the sense that the constitution protect the minority from the decision of the majority. Context? Give some examples.

Where in the Constitution supports your argument? Cause if you did know you would have posted that section of the Constitution rather than link to Amazon.

What is your argument again and what section is it? https://constitutionus.com/

>We have an example of limited government. It’s ours. You and people like you have and are changing that by confiscating lawful property to give to others whom you deem more worthy of it.

Your answering an argument I didn't make. Changing zoning laws isn't taking away any ones property. Having affordable housing that allows all San Franciscans to raised and die isn't some fantasy, like ending slavery, protection of indigenous Americans, women's right to vote, civil rights, disabled rights, and rights of gays. The right to affordable housing is civil right considering the importance of ones home.

>Throwing out feel good platitudes doesn’t change 1. The constitution. 2. Basic laws of economics and 3. Human nature.

• The Constitution has 27 Amendments the Constitution changes over time.
  
• There is no such thing as "Economic laws" there is no courts, no legislation, no enforcement. But there are "Economic theories,
  
  
• Libertarians have no clue on human behavior, they are isolationists, loners, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-fair-society/201108/what-s-the-matter-libertarianism
  
  Thomas Sowell the Libertarian, would rather read "Economics for Dummies,

Wrong! Yes, it absolutely did.

Why would people live in a warehouse? Because the cheaper alternatives don't exist when you have to pay Bay Area real estate and rent far more than what any artist can make.

It's different thing to work in a warehouse but people were living in it. And then, because you entertain where you live, they had a party. Stupid? Yes. But that's a normal expectation and behavior in places where you live.

Unless simply banning art in the Bay Area is the goal. Because art isn't ever a money-maker pretty much by definition. See also: "The Gift" by Lewis Hyde.

The fire was very much a symptom and had its proximate cause in the housing crisis.

Now I'd expect the "landed gentry" and NIMBYs generally to deny this - that's exactly why people are denying it - 99% have Reddit histories of NIMBY-like behaviors and that includes lying about reality to suit their own biases, benefit and needs.

NIMBYs need to acknowledge they are the problem. If we want no diversity, no art, no service economy, then continue the status quo! But understand that's NOT how the Bay Area became a nice place to live! That's NOT how you assure you have nice things!