The Buzz 12.18.14

WHO’S IN TOWN?

When mathematician Dr. Diego Ayala comes from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor to the Naval Postgraduate School this week, it’s all about the vortex. Not the spiritual variety that folks from Sedona, Arizona, claim exists due to all the energy there, but a carefully calculated vortex. Ayala’s work is so complex it does sound a little like spirituality, with terms like “formation of a singularity in finite time.” He’ll cover 2-D and 3-D modeling of vortexes at this seminar at NPS’ Center for Decision, Risk, Controls & Signals Intelligence, which does research in areas including biomedical, energy weapons and cyber-warfare.

3pm Thursday, Dec. 18. Naval Postgraduate School, Sloat Avenue, Monterey; Hermann Hall west wing. Free. 656-2660, www.nps.edu/Academics/Centers/DRCSI

DID YOU KNOW?

Dr. Julia Platt (1857-1935) was a neurobiology and comparative embryology whiz in the late 1800s but couldn’t get the academic gig she wanted because of her gender. So she returned to Pacific Grove in 1899 and dove into public service instead. She planned and planted Lovers Point, helped establish the P.G. City Council, wrote the city charter and became the first female mayor at age 74. She’s one of dozens of women featured in Against the Odds: Pioneering Women of Monterey County, upstairs at the Monterey Regional Airport.

OVERHEARD

“Actually, I’m walking over there right now to use it.” 
– Carmel Mayor Jason Burnett, strolling toward the city’s new public restroom, designed to evoke the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. The spiffy outhouse took 23 years of planning and cost $750,000.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

Good:

Advocates for medical marijuana scored a major victory last week with the passage of the nation’s $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill, which included an amendment giving greater protections to patients and purveyors of medical pot. Authored by U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, and U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, the amendment prohibits the Department of Justicefrom using federal funds to go after medical marijuana businesses that are legal under state law. Currently, 23 states (including California) have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. According to Americans for Safe Access, the Obama administration has spent about $180,000 a day on enforcement in those states. The bill also prevents the Drug Enforcement Administration from going after growers of industrial hemp in states that allow its cultivation.

Bad:

It’s been rough for Michael Baroni of Green Pedal Couriers since First Night organizer Ellen Martin declined his offer to provide bike valet services for the New Year’s Eve bash in downtown Monterey. Baroni put the dispute on his Facebook page Dec. 11, and Martin says the First Night office got about 20 calls from angry cyclists. Her view: First Night doesn’t advocate biking on New Year’s Eve because drunk drivers could make the streets especially dangerous. People with First Night buttons can ride the MST bus for free, she says, and revelers who do choose to bike don’t need a valet – they can park at any of the city’s bike racks. Biking can be a responsible choice on New Year’s, especially along the Coastal Rec Trail, and Baroni probably meant well in advocating for local cyclists. But his public hissy fit seemed less than professional and may have done him more harm than good.