Author: RonTopofIt

RonTopofIt is a complex personality, as are most of the small breed of modern day renaissance millionaires. He wishes more people were like him and yet believes that it takes all kinds. You've met RonTopofIt many times, you just don't remember him.

Very complex machinations

It is comforting to know that while our country continues to battle over percentages, professional sports press on to keep us entertained distracted. But, of course, since professional sports is comprised of mostly people (a ball is usually involved) there has to be conflict. We learned last week that Major League Baseball agreed to a five-year deal collective bargaining agreement that really ironed out some key issues. Phew.

Other highlights of the deal include:

  • Players will be required to play in the All-Star Game unless injured or excused.
  • Players, managers and coaches may not use smokeless tobacco products during televised interviews and may not carry them in their uniforms.
  • Players arrested for DWI will be required to undergo mandatory evaluation.

Yes, a “highlight” of a labor agreement involved what to do with players arrested for driving under the influence. How about an agreement that players not drive under the influence? I know, I know, crazy talk.

And now we learn that the NBA has confirmed the Players Union and League Owners have come to a tentative deal that will end the lockout with the 2011-12 NBA season beginning on Christmas Day.

Commissioner David Stern says the two sides have reached a “tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations.”

For the love the game, right? Continue reading “Very complex machinations”

Sacramento added to Google Offers

Google Offers comes to Sacramento
How did they get that cool car in the restaurant?

The maybe-late-to-the-game-but-sure-to-dominate-the-market-eventually Google Offers program added Sacramento today along with Detroit, Indianapolis, Ft. Worth, Long Beach, and St. Louis.

The first deal in Sacramento?

Sacramento: $5 for $15 of burgers, sandwiches, salads and more at Hamburger Patties
The days of ’50s diners may be long gone, but you can still get a great burger, fries and shake in Sacramento at Hamburger Patties. With 18 different burger offerings, 16 sandwiches, weekend brunch, a separate menu for vegetarians and mighty meal choices for kids, Hamburger Patties is a go-to spot for River City residents.

I’ll see what kind of offers I receive, but I did enjoy the “Look inside” (360-degree view) feature which is something Google has going for it, I am sure.

An uphill battle

'Fishing' for salmon below the Nimbus Dam
Wouldn’t a net be easier?

Riding home from Folsom yesterday on the American River Parkway, I noticed a lot of fisherman lined up along the Nimbus Dam. I thought this was a bit odd for a Thursday afternoon, so I took a few photos. As I road past the Nimbus Fish Hatchery I noticed a lot of birds congregating in a shallow area of the river. So, I stopped to investigate. I ran into a nice woman who was also interested in what was going on. She informed me that this was the annual salmon run.

Department of Fish and Game opened the gates at the hatchery’s fish ladder Tuesday to begin collection salmon for the fall spawn. Each year, the Nimbus Hatchery raises 4.2 million salmon. In a brilliant display of nature, the salmon flip their powerful fins and lunge from the water as they climb the hatchery’s ladder. At the top, the fish are stunned by an electric jolt and then spawned by hatchery workers.

Yikes. That is some reward for a hard day’s (week’s? month’s?) work. I am curious to check out the fish ladder though (very cool photos).

The Nimbus Hatchery fish ladder on the American River opened for the fall salmon run. Several hundred salmon most of them jumping swam up the fish ladder to the delight of crowd that lined the fences. After about an hour over 700 salmon of the 1,500 needed were in the hatchery.

It is stuff like this that reminds that I need to get out more. We have some pretty cool things going on in this area.

Sacramento in “pageant mode”


Would Sacramento find the U.S. on a map?

In this News10 story about California losing green businesses (nice effect with the scrolling list of businesses leaving California during the piece), we learn that “the number of companies moving out of the state is five times higher than the rate of companies that moved out of California in 2009.” The two main causes of this exodus are said to be regulations and energy costs, but what I found most interesting was the lack of an organized effort by the state to lure/keep businesses to California.

Business owners said California can learn from other states who are working hard to attract business. Krehnke said many cities they toured went into “pageant mode.” “[We were assigned] a dedicated person to call anytime to ask questions,” Krehnke said. “They arranged meetings with the mayor so we got very good exposure to the right people. We were educated on incentives and they went out of their way to put themselves in a good light.”

What would Sacramento look like if it went into “pageant mode”? My guess is it would do well in the swimsuit competition, but really struggle in the question and answer piece. But, seriously, what’s going on here? Continue reading “Sacramento in “pageant mode””

They had us at breakdancers


Popping hasn’t made the same comeback that breakdancing has.
RonTopofIt will change that.

Following up on CoolDMZ’s post, Cars on K Street?, it appears cars will return to K Street tomorrow (Saturday, November 12) for the first time in 42 years.

Mayor Kevin Johnson believes allowing vehicles back on K Street will help businesses that have fallen on hard times. Johnson will be kicking off the celebration at 4 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of 12th and K streets. There will be breakdancers, performers, live music, and a classic car parade led by the mayor.

I was always more of a Beat Street guy.

Many business owners and general managers are eagerly anticipating vehicles coming back to K Street. Trisha Flynn, co-owner of Chops Steakhouse, says it’s been long overdue. “It gives them more of a comfortable view to come through, if they like,” she says. “And just makes it more of a city street, there is still plenty of room for folks to walk and stroll, and the trains will share the street.”

Let us analyze, “It gives them more of a comfortable view to come through,” shall we? Turty Squip, you’ve been quiet lately, you get us started.

Sacramento Ranks (Bee photo gallery)

We love to discuss rankings and lists, so I was please to come across this nice photo gallery compilation of Sacramento’s ranking in 33 categories.

Rankings that caught my eye:

No. 30: Most Generous Tippers: Sacramento at 18.7 percent was slightly below the national average of 19.2 percent in Zagat’s survey of tipping rates in 31 restaurant markets. New Orleans was tops at 19.7 percent.

Heck, we should be dancing in the streets about that one. 1% separates us from the best tipping city in the country?

No. 21: Suburbanization of Poverty. The Brookings Institution ranked Sacramento 21st out of the largest 100 metro areas in the growth of poverty in its suburbs. As its measure, Brookings tracked the migration of low-income people who receive housing choice vouchers (HCV) provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

From wikipedia: “Some have argued that Section 8 enables low-income criminals to reside in suburban communities they would not otherwise be able to afford, and subsequently pursue law-breaking lifestyles in more affluent neighborhoods.”

Ugh. Continue reading “Sacramento Ranks (Bee photo gallery)”

The upside to America

link to golden1.com in a new window
The "Sac Man Had Syringe On Floor" story is pretty awesome, too.

With the Occupy movement gaining (or losing, depending on what you read) momentum every day, I was reminded why America is still the greatest country in the world by an ad campaign from The Golden 1 Credit Union.

Most Golden 1 branches will be open to serve you on Bank Transfer Day, Saturday, November 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.! Unlike many banks, Golden 1 still offers free checking—and we don’t charge a monthly fee to use your debit card!

Take that, Big Banks! You see, in America, when one door closes, another one opens (three commas? is that right?). Not to mention we are a clever nation and our ability to market with the use of puns is uncanny (RonTopofIt!), but I digress. You have the choice in this country to put your money in a bank, or a credit union, or in your mattress. In this particular case, the big bank window is closing a bit while the small bank window (credit unions) is opening.

CUNA estimated that credit unions added $4.5 billion in new savings accounts and that more than four in every five credit unions experienced growth since September. The association attributed the growth not only to the announcement of the proposed bank fees, but the social media/Occupy Wall Street backed Bank Transfer Day.

Now, the question is whether or not the credit unions will grow so large, because of this increase in business, that they will be forced to start charging fees and the “Hide Your Money in your Mattress!” movement will step up and gain momentum. I don’t know, something like “Stay on top of your finances!” maybe?

Hmm, this could present a problem with my Sleep Number bed.

American River Parkway Clean-up on November 5th

A makeshift homeless camp under State Route 160 near Del Paso Blvd.
A makeshift homeless camp under State Route 160 near Del Paso Blvd.

From the American River Parkway Foundation…

The American River Parkway Foundation will stage another volunteer clean-up effort on November 5th to target the lower portion of the Parkway that has been impacted by homeless camps. We invite you to join us for this 1-day event: November 5th from 9am-12pm. Location: Northgate Blvd. at Hwy 160

The recent clean-up effort at William Pond Park received a great turn out. As someone that rides this stretch every day, I am so thankful that folks take time out of their schedule to show up and get their hands dirty. It is such a wonderful benefit of living in Sacramento.

Visit the American River Parkway Foundation on Facebook for more photos and videos of these events. You must be at least 14 years of age to register and be accompanied by an adult if between the ages of 14 and 17 (is that 15 and 16?).

Intel is hiring/has hired/can’t hire again

Job seekers certainly took notice of a headline in the Bee on Saturday announcing that “Intel in Folsom is hiring again.” The story supports this encouraging headline, too, in the first sentence.

After a decade of downsizing at its Folsom campus, Intel Corp. has begun hiring again.

Great, so you *are* hiring folks.

The Santa Clara-based high-tech company, one of the largest private employers in the Sacramento region, said it has added nearly 370 workers to its local operation since January.

Ok, so you *have* hired this year.

Intel spokesman Mark Pettinger noted that the company has recently instituted a hiring freeze. But Pettinger added that Intel could bring on additional hires at the Folsom campus if the economy picks up.

Oh, I see, you *aren’t hiring* right now, but wanted to let us know that you *could* hire again if things get better in this nasty economy?

Am I missing something here, folks?

Pumpkin patch review: Zittel Farms

Hay Rides at Zittel Farms in Folsom
Hay Rides at Zittel Farms in Folsom

It’s October, and that means it is time to start thinking about Halloween and visiting your local pumpkin patch for some autumnal goodness. I know this is normally CoolDMZ’s beat, but I had occasion to visit Zittel Farms yesterday in Folsom and thought I’d write a few words about my experience.

We went with another family and the kids quickly grabbed a wagon (they have a cool collection of old wagons to haul your gourds around) and started shopping. Within a few minutes of arriving, we were asked if we wanted to hop on the next hay ride. Who says no to a hay ride? People with allergies, I quickly found out, but you get the idea.

We were under a time crunch and did not have a chance to enjoy the petting zoo or pony rides, but were otherwise very impressed by the low-key nature of Zittel Farms. Their prices aren’t exactly cheap, but I think it is one of those “support your local farmer” type things. Parking was a bit tight, but manageable. The staff was rather friendly and didn’t seem to mind that we were taking more photos than we were purchasing pumpkins.

At any rate, I know there are more exciting pumpkin patches out there, but if you are in the area and would like a few photo opportunities (RonTopofIt playing with Google+) to celebrate the season, head on over to Zittel Farms at 6781 Oak Avenue in Folsom.