| Smoke causes evacuation at Clinton headquarters
A malfunctioning air conditioning unit on the roof of Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters caused an evacuation tonight before firefighters arrived and found no fire. Firefighters were called just before 8:20 p.m. after the malfunction sent smoke into the building at 701 E. Ben White Blvd., Austin Fire Department Capt. Rob Bredahl said. "There was never actually any fire or any real danger," he said. Bredahl said such malfunctions are common with air conditions on roofs. Between 50 to 60 volunteers and staff were in the building when they smelled smoke and someone called the fire department, campaign spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod said. After firefighters cleared the building, everyone went back inside and got back to work. "The only thing we're suffering from is a bad stench," Elrod said.
Garden Calendar
FEB 16/17 Wight's Home and Garden: 5026 196th St. S.W. Lynnwood. 425-775-3636; wights.com. Feb. 16, 10:30 a.m., Feb. 17, 11 a.m. -- Plants with Winter Interest: Learn how to add color and fragrance to your winter garden through plants with colored bark, variegated foliage and evergreen perennials. Free. SAT Windmill Gardens: 5823 160th Ave. E., Sumner. Register: 253-863-5843; windmillgarden.com. 10 a.m. -- Basic Landscaping Part 1: Miki Wade, landscape designer from Olympic Landscape, teaches how to choose plants well adapted to each garden situation, to save time and money, reduce maintenance and help prevent pests and diseases. Free. 11 a.m. -- Kids Thyme, Plant an Ivy Heart Topiary in a Red Bucket: Plant an Heart Shaped Ivy Topiary for someone special for Valentine's Day.
Urban Ecology: Taking Measure Of The Coming Megacity's Impact
Ecologist Nancy Grimm of Arizona State University and her colleagues are addressing these questions. "When we think of global change, images of melting ice caps and pasture replacing tropic rainforest come to mind," Grimm says. "What drives these changes" In fact, much of the current environmental impact originates in cities, and with demographic transition to city life the urban footprint is likely to continue to grow." Urban challenges face communities worldwide, with solutions lagging behind. Grimm and her colleagues promote a global perspective of urban development. Their analyses capture some of the commonalities that will face future city planners and societies, viewing cities as both drivers of and responders to environmental change. The authors chart the socio-ecological challenges and changes ahead for all cities, but particularly those in rapidly developing regions, like China and India.
PS3: Glass half full or empty?
I don't believe titles like Haze or Metal Gear Solid 4 will shift that many more PS3s. But I do think Blu-ray's impact will begin to bite Microsoft. Few observers believe that HD-DVD will ever be anything more than the second placed finisher in a two horse race. And the growing library of Blu-ray titles, coupled with the PS3's capability to take on new features, makes the console an ever more practical choice as a next-gen disc player. Throw in the console's ability to connect to a PSP remotely - and remember sales forecasts for PSPs are positive - plus the growing media hub functionality, and PS3 may not be the lame duck some thought it was 12 months ago. Sony boss Howard Stringer believes PS3 is now "out of the woods". But let's not forget the R&D costs associated with the PlayStation 3 - Sony are many, many years away from recouping the costs of that development effort into the Cell processor and Blu-ray technology.
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