49ers Focus
By Robert Haugh
Having transformed a losing 6-10 team into a 13-3 Super Bowl-contending team, the 49ers’ staggering Cinderella season woefully came to an end, suffering a gut wrenching 20-17 overtime loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, January 22 at Candlestick Park.
Despite many fans and media pointing the 49ers’ heartbreaking loss to two major gaffs by wide receiver and punt return man Kyle Williams, the 49ers simply didn’t perform well enough for the win on Sunday.
The offense had many opportunities to score touchdowns, including the drive to tie the game with minutes remaining. However, after reaching deep into the red zone, they only came up with a field goal. The 49ers’ offense also had two possessions in overtime, both ending in punts.
Going 1-for-13 on third downs was a major downfall as well. Though the offensive line played well, the 49ers’ receivers could not find ways to get open – a testament to the Giants’ secondary playing exceptionally well.
Alex Smith, likely the league’s most improved player, didn’t do anything extraordinary, but did keep the 49ers in the game on a few bootleg scrambles, and also connected on two long touchdown passes to tight end Vernon Davis. Smith, unfortunately, missed his marks on a few passes, but the majority of in incompletions were actually keen throwaways.
New Child Development Center Preschool Opens at Mission College
By Cynthia Cheng
Upon stepping into Mission College’s new Child Development Center preschool, visitors can walk or hop onto a bunch of round colored circles, fashioned like lily pads sitting on a river stream.
"The first time the children walked through this lobby, they used the facility exactly
Part V in a Series on Homelessness in Santa Clara
By Diane Andrews
"I want somebody to listen to me. Are you somebody I can talk to?" asks Rudy Munoz outside the Community Ministry office at St. Justin's Catholic Church on Homestead Road in Santa Clara.
Santa Clara First Baptist Church
By Suzy Paluzzi
Most people think of Santa Clara First Baptist Church as the site of the Bethlehem program, the live Christmas pageant that has been offered for the last 14 years.
Santa Clara Shows its Talent is Booming
By Giovanni Albanese Jr.
Inside the Community Recreation Center’s auditorium, thirteen acts competed in the third annual Santa Clara’s Got Talent show on January 21.
Sue (Sorich) Lasher:
Oct. 24, 1930 – Nov. 24, 2011
By Carolyn Schuk
The next time you enjoy a thrill ride or an entertaining show at Great America, take a moment to thank the late Sue Lasher, who, during her time on the Santa Clara City Council was a passionate
History Repeated
By Larry Sacks
Since the dawn of time, mankind has told and passed along stories. Even today, stories are repeated - whether in movies or science fiction television programs, stories continue to be handed down.
This Week's Letters
Santa Clara vs. Medical Marijuana: Part 3
By Robert Haugh
While the City of Santa Clara continues fining Angel’s Care Collective for zoning violations, and a preliminary injunction hearing is slated for January 24 (after press time), Angel’s Care has filed an initiative petition to regulate and allow medical marijuana dispensaries in the City.
Angel’s Care Files an Initiative to Adopt an Ordinance Permitting Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Santa Clara
Angel’s Care recently filed an initiative that would add Chapter 5.46, entitled ‘Medical Marijuana,’ to the City Code of the City of Santa Clara. It "would allow medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in the commercial, agricultural and light industrial zoning districts of the City without permit and would allow dispensaries in all other non-residential district[s] within 1,000 feet of an existing retail use." The initiative’s purpose is "implementing the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 and the Medical marijuana Program Act."
The initiative states that the "City of Santa Clara should implement a plan to provide for and regulate the safe distribution of marijuana to all patients
Sister Cities Association Hosts Second Annual Tea
By Cynthia Cheng
Lively conversation filled the Santa Clara Senior Center on the afternoon of January 21. Trays of sandwiches and scones sat on top of round tables covered with white tablecloths. The Mission City Symphonic String Quartet performed soothing music up on stage. Ladies dropped their raffle tickets in dishes next to the prize baskets they hoped to win. Such was the swanky atmosphere of the Santa Clara Sister Cities Association’s second annual fundraiser tea.
"This event is nice and wonderful," says Elizabeth Barron, an attendee of the tea. "The food is delicious, and it’s a wonderful turnout for the Sister Cities fundraiser."
About 200 people attended the tea to support the Santa Clara Sister Cities Association and the activities this group oversees. The city of Santa Clara has sister city ties with Coimbra, Portugal and Izumo, Japan. Currently, the Sister Cities Association is working to establish a third sister city relationship with Yeongcheon, Korea.
Stopping Online Piracy or Online Privacy?
By Carolyn Schuk
Remember the Clipper Chip? Let me refresh your memory.
Formally known as the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), the Clipper Chip was the NSA's 1994 attempt to "protect" telephone communications with a special, new encryption method. The only catch was that the government had a back door key to every telephone. But supposedly it would only listen in when "legally authorized."
Today's equivalent of the Clipper Chip – and also a product of some of the world's least technical minds – is SOPA and PIPA, the Stop Online Piracy and Protect IP Acts, respectively. While there are laws protecting copyrighted material on the Internet, the proposed Internet-policing attempts takes aim at websites hosting pirated content.
These include link sites – sites that don't serve content themselves but link to those that do – user-generated content (UGC) sites – for example, YouTube – Peer-to-Peer (P2P) sites – sites that share content among individual users' computers – and file sharing, or direct download (DDL), sites that store subscriber content and make it available to other subscribers.
