The race for Google's high-falutin', faster-than-light Internet is heating up. And it's not even summer yet.
While Modesto, like a hungry harlot, flung a banner across downtown practically begging the Silicon Valley powerhouse for its goodies, Merced has fired a much smaller shot across the technological bow.
The city of Merced, perhaps in a nod to the search engine giant's own sphere of influence, has put up a virtual banner.
It's no banner across downtown, but the little box on the bottom of the city's Web site is trying for Google's Fiber for Community Project nonetheless.
Merced for Google's Fiber Project is asking people in town to sign a petition so that Google can see how many people in Merced -- from the homeless camp to the country club -- want to be able to find out the circumference of the moon or the population of, say, Modesto, from anywhere in town, in an instant.
Lets hope Google isn't choosing the town for its service, based on whoever collected the most signatures. If that's the case, Modesto, with a much larger population, will probably win.
Passing the buck
Merced's homeless committee, already a buck-passer in itself -- some say it was set up as a stalling tactic rather than a solution -- is now passing the buck again.
Yes, it's redundant but true.
In an effort to get their minds around the number of community groups who might be able to help the city with a campground, the committee is polling residents for help.
If the city gets lucky, maybe the groups that respond (and are already serving the homeless) will just take over the whole operation and the city won't have to deal with it at all.
No passing of the buck necessary.
Cardoza's cash
Mike "Bombs Away" Berryhill is at it again. This time the Republican opponent of Congressman Dennis Cardoza may have a point.
On March 3 -- the same day scandal-troubled Congressman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. stepped down as the House Ways and Means Committee chair -- Berryhill called on Cardoza to give the money he'd received from Rangel to charity.
Rangel's fall came after the House Ethics Committee ruled last week that he violated congressional gift rules by taking corporate-funded trips to the Caribbean.
The first Democrat to give back some of Rangel's money -- Michael Arcuri, D-N.Y. -- did it Tuesday.
Cardoza's spokesman, Mike Jensen, said that Berryhill's assertions are ridiculous. Cardoza, like others in Congress who received money from Rangel since they've been in office -- Cardoza got $7,000 -- is giving the money to charity.
Jensen didn't say what day Cardoza decided to give back the money -- just that it was earlier in the week.
Jensen said Cardoza is splitting the money between the League of Women Voters and the Court Appointed Special Advocate program (CASA).
