The Future of Cable

(Courtesy of W. Boca BLOGGER, Alan Kellock)
Imagine every home in your HOA community connected by a fiber optic network that offers a choice of many hundreds, if not thousands, of “channels” from all over the world, with a picture quality superior to anything available now. It would provide access to the Internet with blazing speed compared to Comcast cable or AT&T’s DSL. This same infrastructure could also support provide land phone services.

Your TVs, computers and land phones wouldn’t need all that cable and wire that snakes through your attic and perhaps even along your baseboards. All you have to do is plug in your device to an electrical outlet to get connected anywhere in your home.

A fantasy? Not really. This is where the future of home media is heading. It’s commonly called bundling. The technology to support this vision already exists, and more is on the way.

Newer companies with fresh strategies are mixing it up with aging media conglomerates like Comcast, AT&T and Time Warner. The challengers lean toward the Internet model, enabling consumers to select their own content from unlimited choices a la Google or You Tube. The other side is steeped in a tradition of pre-selecting the content we can access in our homes and is struggling to redefine its mission in response to the challenge posed by these upstart enablers.

The cost? I don’t know. But if you add up what you would pay on your own for cable or satellite TV, broadband Internet and land phone service come 2009, the available evidence indicates that a community-wide bundling alternative will cost less per month and the quality will be superior. Communities with a viable home media program that appeals to a growing number of prospective buyers who value such services will also enhance the property values within such communities.

It may prove necessary to invest in the startup of the new infrastructure. This is the pioneering path that Boca Isles South took a couple of years ago when their then-Adelphia contract expired. They installed their own fiber optic network. In effect, they cut out the middleman and became their own Cable TV and broadband Internet company, buying content directly from content providers or the growing number of resellers who represent them.

A number of other communities in are looking into similar alternatives to Comcast as their contracts also near expiration.
What direction do you think home media should take in your community?

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On Sunday, March 9th, at 2:00 P.M., the South Florida Veterans Administration
National Cemetery's new 313-acre site will be opened to the public.

South Florida VA National Cemetery will serve veterans' needs for the next 50 years.
The cemetery is located in Palm Beach County in Lake Worth on U.S. 441,
just south of Lantana Road and north of Boynton Beach Blvd.,
6501 South State Road 7, Lake Worth, FL. 33467.

All veterans and their families are invited.
There will be parking on the west side of U.S. 441 (state road 7) at the
Pro-Source Company or on the east side of U.S. 441 at the Whitworth
Farms, just north of Eternal Light Cemetery.

Shuttle buses will be provided from these parking areas to the VA Cemetery.
For more information call Barry Tutin at 865-0271 or Cemetery Staff at
(561) 649-6489

This article courtesy of Mort Mazor, Del Ray Beach Sun-Sentinel Blog.

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Do you have old, broken, or unused cell phones in your home? Why not donate them
to the Cell Phone Recycling Center?

You can donate your cell phone to members of the armed services serving outside
the United States. Simply put your cell phones into a large envelope and address
it to:
Cell Phone Recycling Center
2555 Bishop Circle West
Dexter, MI 48130-9828.

Locally: Two area Quiznos Sub Sandwich Shop locations: 6346 Lantana Road,
Lake Worth and 507 Ridge Road, Lantana.

for more information:
www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com OR 1-800-426-1031.
This site will allow you to print a mailing label. There is a "no postage" permit
available, however, applying postage helps our troops, so donate the postage.

The Cell Phones for Soldiers program was started in April 2004 by 13-year-old
Brittany Bergquist and her 12-year-old brother Robbie of Norwell, Massachusetts.
Robbie and Brittany's goal is to help our soldiers serving overseas call home.
They hope to provide as many soldiers as possible with prepaid calling cards.
Through generous donations and the recycling of used cell phones, Robbie
and Brittany have already distributed thousands of calling cards to soldiers around the globe.

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The West Boynton Park and Recreation Center is located at 6000 Northtree
Boulevard, Lake Worth - directly behind the Park Vista High School.

Ground Hog Day Celebration 2008 - will be held on Saturday,
February 2nd from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. for pre-school aged children. Program
is free. No pre-registration is required. Parents are invited to bring their children
to enjoy an educational morning with ground hog tales, dancing with their mascot
ground hog and outdoor games and music. Bring your camera!

Spring "Egg"stravaganza 2008 will be held on Friday,
March 21st from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. Bring your children and your
camera to record photos with the bunny. Children will enjoy a great egg hunt!
Program is appropriate for children under 11. Rain or shine.

For more programs and information, log on to www.pbcparks.com

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Does your name appear on a "sucker list?" These lists contain information about people who have
provided valuable personal information to previous telemarketing solicitations. The lists are bought, sold and traded by scam artists who want your information and your money!

Seniors are especially targeted by unscrupulous sales marketers for products and services.
They want your valuable information, especially your credit card, birth date,
social security number, and address. Older women living alone are especially
targeted by scam artists. They play upon an older person's trust and politeness.
Often, callers inform the listener that he/she has won
a foreign lottery or that Social Security needs bank account information for their files.
Social Security employees NEVER call individuals for information.

You can protect yourself:
1) Do NOT give your credit card, checking account or Social Security number
to anyone who calls you. Call 1-800-772-1213 if you need direct Social Security information.
2) Don't pay for something to receive a "free" gift or sweepstakes.
3) Do not pay anyone to recover money for you for a "fee."
4) Call the Better Business Bureau, local consumer protection agency, or the State Attorney General's Office, before you agree to send money. Another source of information is the
OIG (Office of Inspector General). Their Hotline number is 1-800-269-0271. A Public
Fraud Reporting form is available online at OIG's Web site: www.socialsecurity.lgov/oig.

PUT YOUR NAME ON THE DO NOT CALL REGISTRY, too! It is free.
www.donotcall.gov
or 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you wish you register.
Do it for your cell phone, too!

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Do you want to have a say in who the candidates are in the next Presidential Election?
The January 29th Primary election is your opportunity to make your vote count, if you
are a Republican or Democrat.

The homestead exemption referendum is also on the ballot. You do NOT
have to be a registered Democrat or Republican to vote on this referendum. The homestead
exemption is now $25,000. Passage of this referendum would double the
exemption to $50,000 on everything except school taxes. An important issue in
this referendum is the Property Tax Referendum, also known as
"portability." This would allow new homeowners
to transfer Save Our Homes tax savings when they move.
60% majority vote is needed to have this become law.

Palm Beach has about 781,000 registered voters. Early voting begins January 14th
and absentee voters have until January 23rd to request mail ballots.

Need more information? Here are some sources:

www.pbcelections.org - Download a voter registration form.
Elections Office - 561 656-6200

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It is winter time and few people think about mosquitoes at this time of year, but planning
for their spring and summer invasions requires forethought. Being retired affords me
the luxury of reading books and magazines and Google searches that pique my interest.
Here's what I have been learning about mosquitoes:

DDT was a popular chemical widely used in the U.S., until three decades ago,
when it was banned. DDT was sprayed on lawns and shrubs in home gardens
and on farms and orchards, to eradicate harmful insects. Rachel Carson,
(Silent Spring, 1962), documented the evils of DDT and other insecticides
that were commonly used at that time, and helped influence the
U.S. government to ban its widespread use.

Recently, scientists have been revisiting the use of DDT to combat malaria in
South Africa. In Mexico, they are successfully dealing with mosquito-breeding
by spraying safer pesticides called "permethrins."

The wettest summer on record in Dallas, Texas produced a huge community
of long-jawed orb weaver spiders. The population of these spiders, together with
other varieties, produced a gigantic web that trapped millions of mosquitoes.
Perhaps introducing spiders and other helpful insects
into our environment might help balance nature in our favor.

Want to learn more?

www.mods.org is the web site for Museum of Discovery & Science
"Better Planet," Discover Magazine, November, 2007, page 34-36.

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Modified Phase 2 Water Restrictions from South Florida Water Management District now in place are limited to landscape irrigation to two days per week. Beginning January 15, 2008, Modified Phase III Water-Use Restrictions will go into effect.

The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board declared an extreme District-wide water shortage and adopted a Modified Phase III water shortage order, instituting a one-day-a-week watering schedule for residential landscape irrigation.
Additional restrictions regarding multi-family complexes and new landscaping can be
found by visiting: www.sfwmd.gov, or call SFWMD at (561) 686-8800 or (800) 432-2045.
City of Boynton Beach Utilities, (561) 742-6400, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.
For additional information: Sun-Sentinel.com/waterrestrictions
(Watch how the levels of Lake Okeechobee change in an interactive graphic.


Information furnished by the South Water Florida Water Management District.

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West Boynton Library has many interesting free programs for
residents of our community:

On the Second Tuesday of every month, from 2:00 to 3:30 P.M.,
there is an adult book discussion group called "Sense of Place,"
led by Nora Natke. Sign up at the reference desk to receive a copy of the book
to check out.
Don't forget to pre-register. This group began in October and will continue
each Tuesday afternoon through March 11, 2008.

The Hearing Loss Association of America (Boynton/DelRay branch)
President, Oscar Segal, will hold a seminar for hearing loss people at the
Boynton Beach Public Library, Friday January 18th at 1:30.

Beginning February 4th and continuing through March 21st, Winter Story times
is accepting registrations. Call 561 734-5556 for information about the hours
and programs.

Chess classes are offered by volunteers on Tuesday afternoons at 3:30 P.M.
Registration must be done in person. Class is limited to the number of chess
sets available. Free to ages 8-12. Call 561 734-5556 for more information.l

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First Sunday Concerts are held on the first Sunday of the month at the Boynton
Woman's Club at 1010 S. Federal Hwy Boynton Beach , FL
Time: 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.
For more information and to RSVP, call
RoseMarie 731-5882
Cost: $ 15 w/RSVP; $ 20 at the door

Description: An hour of world-class grand piano; Reception to follow at 3:00 P.M.

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The South Florida Fair will be held January 19th through February 3rd at the South Florida Fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Boulevard.

Advanced discount and ride tickets will be sold at Publix supermarkets, Arby's, Wachovia, Washington Mutual, National City, Bud's and the fairgrounds.
Box office open 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

You can use your advance discount admission ticket opening day of the fair and receive one free admission ticket to return another day.

For information, call 561-798-3247. Tickets can also be purchased online at:
www.southfloridafair.com

General admission, purchased in advance, is $10 for adults (reg. $15.); $5 for children
(reg.$8) and $7 for seniors (reg. $9). Ride vouchers are $20 ($25 at gate).

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Guest Blog by Mitchell Goldberg - dated 10/18/07

Dear Governor Christ:

I am very disappointed that the PIP requirement was reinstated by the legislature and I know that alternate proposals failed to gain support. It was a shame that our Legislature gave in to pressure from the Hospital Lobby, attorneys, and others, instead of reshaping our auto laws to make more sense for those of us who carry liability, collision, uninsured motorist coverage and have health insurance. Responsible auto drivers and citizens must now continue to pay for the irresponsible behavior of others--that is certainly not the way these matters should be structured but that fight is now history.

I am curious about your position on the Property tax changes. I was definitely against the original ballot issue because it did not guarantee keeping the save our homes cap in addition to tax savings. It also did not fully address portability. I am for property tax changes that make sense. We all pay too much in taxes, period. Cutting property taxes is a great idea, but how will that revenue be made up??? The local municipalities are irresponsible with money as they have used the large surpluses in taxes that went along with the real estate boom instead of investing them for the future well being of their communities. Schools, police, fire departmentts, etc., must all continue to operate, so it makes sense to do this, in a rational well-thought out way instead of rushing some half-baked compromise onto a ballot.

I read the synopsis of the new Democratic proposal in the paper, and I must say that this seems to be the best of all approaches that I have seen. I do wonder how the municipalities would make up the lost revenue??? Especially in areas where there are a lot of low income seniors who won't be paying property taxes. How would any raise in state sales tax (not sure if I am for that) get filtered down to the municipalities?? Could municipalities be forced to keep their budgets to a certain percent increase by state mandate??---- tax cuts are great, but they must also be met with finding ways to lower the $$$ spent--- as families do in crunch time.

Thanks for your time and effort in these issues. Please work hard to lower the tax burden for working families and keep everyone focused on the future well being of our communities. The wrong decisions here could spell disaster in decades to come. Good decisions here could restart the housing market and give a big boost to the economy. I have faith that the Legislature will give thoughtful consideration to all facts and proposals regardless of party affiliation and work for the betterment of the entire state.

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