Three Strikes and They Should be Out

What once seemed like just a silly branding stunt on Foothill Boulevard in the form of two concrete median islands reading “Welcome to Glendale” has taken a darker turn as the Lowell Avenue site was demolished in a traffic accident.

For the third time.

These sites are inherently dangerous, pony-wall height cement and cobblestone constructions that serve absolutely no traffic purpose – just an obtrusive reminder that the section between Lowell Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue must belong to the City of Glendale.

Glendale officials involved in this project should respect the safety of our streets and do the right thing. Remove and don’t rebuild these potentially deadly barriers.

Three strikes and you’re out on this one, Glendale.

Greg Wilkinson

40-year La Crescenta resident

Nimbys in Full Force

Interesting article regarding the AT&T cell site in the last issue [“AT&T Hot Topic at Council Meeting,” Nov. 22]. I see that the “nimbys” are still in full force. From reading that article it looked to me that the majority of the people were against the site. I wish they would understand that the pole mounts have less radiated power than the full size towers. That is why they are closer together. If these people are as sincere as they put on that they are really concerned for their health and lives, then I have some suggestions that would improve their quality of life.

First, cancel your cellular telephone service and dispose of your cellphones. This will eliminate the possibility of the handset radiating your brain and giving you cancer. After all, if a transmitter on a pole out by the street is going to affect your health, think what one pressed up against your head will do. 

Second, throw away your wireless internet system in your house. Get a internet installer to run Cat5 or 6 cable from your gateway (modem/switch) to your computers. That way you will not be exposed to the high frequency radio radiation (RF) in your house 24 hours a day. One perk is that your internet service will be harder to be intercepted. Now, no going to Starbucks, McDonald’s, etc. and using their internet. RF is RF wherever Wi-Fi exists. And believe me, it is everywhere: markets, shopping centers, hotels, motels, restaurants, airports … and that is just a tiny bit. Every place you go that has internet service (free and you pay) has micro-repeaters in every room. Even the airlines have Wi-Fi service in the aircraft. Wi-Fi is furnished by micro-repeaters in the aircraft’s cabin and you are locked in with no escape.

What these nimby folks are against is a very small fraction of the exposure they receive every day. That pole mount will not make any difference in their health or life span. After all, they are only trying to stop AT&T. How about Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and all the others? If the majority of the folks were to discontinue using cellphones, there would be no need for the providers to install equipment to provide the services. 

Good luck selling that to today’s youth.

Tom Suter

La Crescenta