Articolo del Corriere dell'Umbria del 18/11/2009

In questi ultimi mesi, abbiamo assistito ad una serie di iniziative dell’Amministrazione Comunale (vecchia e nuova) che ci lasciano piuttosto perplessi:

1) aumento della Tarsu del 20%, deliberato ad Aprile 2009, ma opportunamente non pubblicizzato durante la campagna elettorale;

2) aumento degli stipendi comunali (ripartizione salario accessorio anno 2008) autorizzato con delibera di Giunta del 05/06/2009. Che tempismo! Il giorno prima delle elezioni!

3) Liberazione dei vincoli delle Aree PEEP e trasformazione del diritto di superficie in diritto di proprietà (la convenzione è iniziata diversi anni fa e dura per almeno 99 anni);

4) Circa 500 avvisi di accertamento inviati a circa 150 proprietari per il pagamento dell’ICI sui terreni edificabili per gli anni 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 e 2008, notificati 62 giorni prima della prescrizione (ci riferiamo alla prescrizione per l’anno 2004).

Ma come? Il Comune di San Gemini non ha bisogno di far cassa! E quindi a cosa servono questi provedimenti? Beh, analizziamoli uno ad uno.

Per quanto riguarda l’aumento della Tarsu, abbiamo già detto che l’incremento della tassa non è giustificato dall’aumento dei costi sostenuti dal Comune per lo smaltimento dei rifiuti. Quindi l’Amministrazione, con ogni probabilità, quest’anno incasserà più di quanto spenderà per lo smaltimento dei rifiuti. Nel 2008, infatti, il costo è stato coperto per il 92% e quindi con un incremento del 20% della tassa, si raggiungerà una copertura di circa il 112% del costo, ben oltre quanto previsto dalla legge, che prevede da un minimo del 50% ad un massimo del 100%. A fronte di nostre specifiche richieste in Consiglio Comunale, il Sindaco non è stato in grado di elencare i costi che sarebbero aumentati nel 2009 rispetto al 2008. Tale incremento della tassa rappresenta maggiori entrate pari a circa 100 mila euro.

Beh, la storia dell’aumento degli stipendi dei dipendenti comunali, con decorrenza dal 01 gennaio 2008 (ripeto 2008), riguarda la ripartizione del salario accessorio previsto per legge. Non entriamo nel merito della correttezza o meno di tale provvedimento, che, fino a prova contraria rispetta le disposizioni di legge, ma entriamo nel merito della data di autorizzazione alla stipula dell’accordo: 05/06/2009. Sì, proprio la vigilia delle elezioni tenutesi il 6 e 7 giugno 2009. Complimenti per il tempismo!

Dalla liberazione dai vincoli delle Aree PEEP, il Comune incasserà circa 280 mila euro, se tutti i proprietari aderissero all’iniziativa. Non scade nulla, i proprietari non hanno nulla da temere da una convenzione così ampia che dura 99 anni. Tra l’altro, tra un’ottantina di anni, quando mediamente scadranno le convenzioni, non è affatto escluso che vengano rinnovate per altri 99 anni. Quindi ci chiediamo: che fretta c’è di chiedere ai sangeminesi altri 280 mila euro?

Concludiamo con la vicenda ICI: 540 mila euro (circa un miliardo delle vecchie lire) che i fortunati proprietari di aree edificabili dovranno pagare al Comune. Certo, un Comune più vicino ai cittadini e più attento alle proprie finanze, forse, non avrebbe atteso 4 anni e 10 mesi prima di chiedere il pagamento ai proprietari. Ma, purtroppo, non è il nostro caso. L’Amministrazione, nonostante la legge lo prevedesse espressamente, non ha inviato nel 2003 una comunicazione che avvisava i proprietari del nuovo obbligo di pagamento dell’ICI sui terreni trasformati dal nuovo Piano Regolatore. Quindi, dopo quasi 5 anni di assopimento, adesso l’Amministrazione chiede, entro e non oltre 60 giorni, il pagamento dell’ICI di 5 anni. Per la cronaca, gli anni sono 6 in quanto i proprietari dovranno pagare anche il 2009. Non possiamo neanche confortarci con il fatto che l’Amministrazione potrà utilizzare tali fondi per nuove ed importanti iniziative: sono già stati impegnati e spesi nel corso di questo anno, nonostante, ma questa non è una novità, non siano stati ancora incassati e, potrebbero essere oggetto di ricorso, quantomeno per la parte relativa alle sanzioni.

Forse, il tempismo di questi 4 avvenimenti sarà solo una coincidenza, ma… non ne siamo molto sicuri.

Qualcuno ci ha chiesto cosa avremmo fatto al posto di quest’Amministrazione per far fronte alle esigenze di bilancio. Beh, prima di mettere le mani in tasca ai sangeminesi, avremmo dedicato, anima e corpo, ogni secondo del nostro tempo per trovare quelle economie, che ci sono, eccome se ci sono, per diminuire la spesa riducendo gli sprechi, senza incrementare le entrate e chiedere, in questo particolare momento storico, ulteriori sacrifici ai cittadini. E’ troppo facile, non siamo abituati a fare così. Ma questo, purtroppo, non lo potremo fare e non sarà facile convincere chi ha la possibilità di farlo.

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I would be fired the next day, but the night before I went out with Gino. I never really had any super Italian friends growing up. One of the more overlooked differences between Boston and New York is their flavor of Catholic. In my phone I had him listed as Ginoooooooo. Gino was an actor with a manic vibe and I’m not sure if we ever had a real conversation, but he was funny.

It was my first Halloween weekend and the real happening in NY is right after the parade in the Village. I followed my still co-workers down into Alphabet City, to a charming little dump called Doc Holladay’s named after my second favorite Val Kilmer role. It was the kind of bar where you spend hours behind a cheap beer excavating 70’s graffiti through the layers of wall grime with your fingernail. There was a thrill of possibly digging up a place where the Ramones had once pissed on a unsuspecting fan.

The costume contest had begun a touch before we arrived and sans costumes we could just sit back with a tub of Pabst and take in the seedy faire. It seemed like an easy formula. Round by round, the intoxicated contestants would stand on the bar so that the intoxicated crowd could cheer on the woman with the least amount of clothes. The frontrunner was a girl who had apparently tailor-made her outfit for just such a contest. She wore a cardboard box extending neck to knees, painted in black and bedazzled. On the front, she had cut herself some swinging door and wrote, in what I assumed was red lipstick, the words, PEEP SHOW 25¢. And just as promised when some forth coming patron would chuck a quarter up at her, she opened the doors revealin just the skin she was in.

It was going to be a landslide.

Her only competition was a girl in what could only be described in the Village as a delicious catsuit, showing off every curve and fold her body provided. Even the whiskers seemed like a detail I would be embarrassed to buy.
The conversation was again not premium but I enjoyed new friendships. Trying to pick out the ones I could hang out with in the future over those who I would just merely be friendly with at work. I really felt like I was settling to New York. Two months in and I was beginning to make friends and I had found a restaurant I could see myself at until I didn’t have to. It was Goodfellas kinda joint and the owner, a scion of another more established Italian icon, loved to keep me late drinking with him at the bar until his wife called. He loved me. He wanted to make t shirts with me out of these ironic lil drawing that I had made and once sold as postcards in Union Square for a buck a piece. He had plans for me. I felt like it was going to work out.

Around my 5th or 6th PBR, the semi finalists were announced and the Peep Girl, drunk with tangible confidence ascended the bar for what would merely be a victory lap. Her opponent, the cat, stood waiting and hissing and prowling the crowd intending to go down fighting. When Miss Peeps finally got her footing and the first quarter was cast, the unthinkable happened. She slipped. Fell straight off the bar into the bartender, the ice bin, a rail of cheap liqour and hopefully a latticed rubber and impossible unclean floor mat below. The crowd let out an audible gasp followed quickly by laughter and then cheer for the cat girl, left standing, who took the opportunity and egged the crowd to show her love for her balance and dexterity. Twenty minutes later, she would crowned with what ever one wins in a bar choking with cigarette smoke and tables piled with Spartan beer cans shrines.

I would call in to find out my schedule the next day, only to discover I had none. My eyes teared with shock.

I was so happy when Madeline decided to be a clown for Halloween this year. I was almost certain she was going to choose to be a princess, or a fairy. Not that those aren’t wonderfully cute and adorable costumes for little girls, but we happen to have a dress-up area stocked full of princess and fairy paraphernalia and I wasn’t very excited about adding to the stash with a new costume. Plus, I like it when Madeline decides to go against her girly tendencies.

So, she and I scoured the Internet looking for the perfect clown costume. I don’t know if you agree with me or not, but I think clowns can be very creepy looking, so we were trying to find something that was cute and fun, not creepy and menacing. We happened to find an adorable costume on clearance and we decided it would be perfect.

Anthony, as you may remember from previous pictures, is a giraffe. He did not have any input into his costume, and I chose it based upon the fact that it was only $7 at Wal-Mart. At 1 year old I could dress him up in a paper sack and he wouldn’t know any different, so I figured going cheap was a good idea. I have to admit, though, that I felt kind of strange carrying him in his giraffe costume while I carried my very own giraffe-print purse. Something about that situation just seemed wrong!

All week long we’ve been preparing for Halloween. It started on Tuesday when Madeline got to wear her Halloween costume to preschool. All of the kids dressed up and they had a special day where they made their own snacks, and partook in other Halloween festivities. Madeline’s costume does not lend itself to long-term wear, so by the time we picked her up she had shed the clown get-up for more comfortable clothes, and most of her clown makeup had been rubbed off.

Madeline has been continually asking if it is trick-or-treat time yet, and I have had to keep telling her that it wasn’t quite time yet. Thankfully, today she had the opportunity for a little trick-or-treat warm up.

Today I ran to Wal-Mart with the kids to make a quick stop and pick a couple of things up, and when we walked into the store the greeters were there with a huge cart full of trick-or-treat pumpkins with maps of the store where the kids could go trick-or-treating. So, our quick stop turned into a longer venture as we followed the map around the store while Madeline picked up candy to fill her new pumpkin.

After we were done at Wal-Mart we headed to David’s office where they had planned a little Halloween time for their employee’s families to come in. It was the first year they had done it, and it was a lot of fun!

Quite a few of the employees had dressed up for the occasion, and they had candy at their desks to pass out to the kids. Madeline and Anthony had a great time trick-or-treating around the office and it was fun to see the other kids too.

Here is Madeline modeling her clown get-up.

David holding the kids, with crazy hair, and he is growing something on his face.

And a very rare picture that actually includes me!

My little giraffe

Madeline making the rounds

Anthony posing with Papa

Anthony has officially decided to walk. He had been preferring to crawl while only occasionally walking, but now he walks everywhere.

Eventually Madeline’s friends joined her. Ethan is a Transformer, Adie is a Peep, and Izzy is a cowgirl. It was very difficult to pose all 5 kids together. I think you can tell from the looks on their faces that they were all kind of bewildered and didn’t know which adult to look at since there was a group of people all trying to get a picture of them.

Here they are running up the steps to get to the next candy station

Descending upon Papa for some treats

Taking a break to enjoy their loot

At this point they were all starting to go deep into a candy coma. You have to enjoy this brief moment before the sugar hits their bloodstream and sends them up the walls.

After the sugar started to kick in the kids decided to go for a drive in the antique truck in the showroom at the office.

After their “drive” it was time to head home since the daddies all needed to get back to work, and the mommies needed to go home and try to salvage some type of nap time.

When we got home the little giraffe decided to raid the fridge.

Somebody needs to teach this boy that if you’re going to go to the trouble of raiding the fridge you should at least pick something a little more exciting than salad!

Madeline didn’t nap, but that is to be expected these days, but I did get Anthony down for a nice long nap. The kids are all practiced up for the big day tomorrow!

New image in the autumn trees photography contest

…
Peep out to Autumn photography picture

Today I stayed home from church, just as many good mothers will this cold and flu season with sick kids (or at least I hope they will!)  Not a big deal, I’ve gotten used to it, but today we made it a little special and had our own Sunday School at home.  I got this idea from a friend and it was SO MUCH fun!  They called me teacher all morning, “Hey mommy, I mean, hey teacher . . .” it was so cute.  We started out with circle time, took turns praying, then read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and how they wouldn’t bow down to the golden statue, we’re thrown into a fiery furnace, and lived to tell about it!  Next we listened to some songs about this Bible story on the computer, LAME, won’t be trying that again.

We all sat down and each colored a page from our story, then made a book about it and read it together.  The kids had a lot of fun with this one.  We had the standard church snack (at least at our church this is what it is every week) of crackers and water.  Then we all headed outdoors for a nature walk and the boys spent most of the time pointing out all the stuff God had made.

Checking out a local worm, yep, God made them too and little boys love them!

“I’m the king of the mountain!”

Knight, Peep and Hero waiting at the bus stop, these boys are getting big!

I was with out my beloved BOB double jogging stroller this morning, I really never though a single piece of kid gear could make life SO much easier but it does!  We improvised.

We had lunch, the two younger boys took naps, and J did a big coloring project on the armour of God and we read all about it and talked about each piece.  It’s so incredible having those in depth discussions on faith with my 6 year old, LOVE it!

“So there I was sleeping as usual. I think I was about 2 hours into my sleep and all of a sudden, I am awaken to bright lights and clicking sounds. Dad, seriously! Must you always photograph me at 2am?! You have all day to shoot me, yet it is always at the crack of dawn. I’ll let you slide this one last time but if it continues, I’ll make sure to wake you up at 5am to the sounds of me sharting! You have been warned!”

There are a lot of PC users that know little about “Spyware”, “Mal-ware”, “hijackers”, “Dialers” & many more. This will help you avoid pop-ups, spammers and all those baddies.

What is spy-ware?
Spy-ware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported software (Ad-ware). It is a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users. There are several large media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way, you don’t have to pay for the software and the developers are still getting paid. If you find the banners annoying, there is usually an option to remove them, by paying the regular licensing fee.

Known spywares
There are thousands out there, new ones are added to the list everyday. But here are a few:
Alexa, Aureate/Radiate, BargainBuddy, ClickTillUWin, Conducent Timesink, Cydoor, Comet Cursor, eZula/KaZaa Toptext, Flashpoint/Flashtrack, Flyswat, Gator, GoHip, Hotbar, ISTbar, Lions Pride Enterprises/Blazing Logic/Trek Blue, Lop (C2Media), Mattel Brodcast, Morpheus, NewDotNet, Realplayer, Songspy, Xupiter, Web3000, WebHancer, Windows Messenger Service.

How to check if a program has spyware?
The is this Little site that keeps a database of programs that are known to install spyware.

Check Here: http://www.spywareguide.com/product_search.php

If you would like to block pop-ups (IE Pop-ups).
There tons of different types out there, but these are the 2 best, i think.

Try: Google Toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com/) This program is Free
Try: AdMuncher (http://www.admuncher.com) This program is Shareware

If you want to remove the “spyware” try these.
Try: Lavasoft Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/) This program is Free
Info: Ad-aware is a multi spyware removal utility, that scans your memory, registry and hard drives for known spyware components and lets you remove them. The included backup-manager lets you reinstall a backup, offers and multi language support.

Try: Spybot-S&D (http://www.safer-networking.org/) This program is Free
Info: Detects and removes spyware of different kinds (dialers, loggers, trojans, user tracks) from your computer. Blocks ActiveX downloads, tracking cookies and other threats. Over 10,000 detection files and entries. Provides detailed information about found problems.

Try: BPS Spyware and Adware Remover (http://www.bulletproofsoft.com/spyware-remover.html) This program is Shareware
Info: Adware, spyware, trackware and big brotherware removal utility with multi-language support. It scans your memory, registry and drives for known spyware and lets you remove them. Displays a list and lets you select the items you’d like to remove.

Try: Spy Sweeper v2.2 (http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/index.php) This program is Shareware
Info: Detects and removes spyware of different kinds (dialers, loggers, trojans, user tracks) from your computer.
The best scanner out there, and updated all the time.

Try: HijackThis 1.97.7 (http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html) This program is Freeware
Info: HijackThis is a tool, that lists all installed browser add-on, buttons, startup items and allows you to inspect them, and optionally remove selected items.
If you would like to prevent “spyware” being install.
Try: SpywareBlaster 2.6.1 (http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareblaster.html) This program is Free
Info: SpywareBlaster doesn`t scan and clean for so-called spyware, but prevents it from being installed in the first place. It achieves this by disabling the CLSIDs of popular spyware ActiveX controls, and also prevents the installation of any of them via a webpage.

Try: SpywareGuard 2.2 (http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html) This program is Free
Info: SpywareGuard provides a real-time protection solution against so-called spyware. It works similar to an anti-virus program, by scanning EXE and CAB files on access and alerting you if known spyware is detected.

Try: XP-AntiSpy (http://www.xp-antispy.org/) This program is Free
Info: XP-AntiSpy is a small utility to quickly disable some built-in update and authentication features in WindowsXP that may rise security or privacy concerns in some people.

Try: SpySites (http://camtech2000.net/Pages/SpySites_Prog…ml#SpySitesFree) This program is Free
Info: SpySites allows you to manage the Internet Explorer Restricted Zone settings and easily add entries from a database of 1500+ sites that are known to use advertising tracking methods or attempt to install third party software.

If you would like more Information about “spyware”.
Check these sites.
http://www.spychecker.com/
http://www.spywareguide.com/
http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm
http://www.theinfomaniac.net/infomaniac/co…rsSpyware.shtml
http://www.thiefware.com/links/
http://simplythebest.net/info/spyware.html

Usefull tools…
Try: Stop Windows Messenger Spam 1.10 (http://www.jester2k.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/j…r2ksoftware.htm) This program is Free
Info: “Stop Windows Messenger Spam” stops this Service from running and halts the spammers ability to send you these messages.

—————————————————————————-
All these softwares will help remove and prevent evil spammers and spywares attacking your PC. I myself recommend getting “spyblaster” “s&d spybot” “spy sweeper” & “admuncher” to protect your PC. A weekly scan is also recommended

Free Virus Scan
Scan for spyware, malware and keyloggers in addition to viruses, worms and trojans. New threats and annoyances are created faster than any individual can keep up with.
http://defender.veloz.com// – 15k
Finding . is a Click Away at 2020Search.com
Having trouble finding what you re looking for on: .? 2020Search will instantly provide you with the result you re looking for by drawing on some of the best search engines the Internet has to offer. Your result is a click away!
http://www.2020search.com// – 43k
Download the BrowserVillage Toolbar.
Customize your Browser! Eliminate Pop-up ads before they start, Quick and easy access to the Web, and much more. Click Here to Install Now!
http://www.browservillage.com/ – 36k

I have sweet memories of marble games, mini golf, and cooking meals with my parent’s and brother growing up.  Family nights are not a new concept,  they have been a popular practice in the Christian culture in the past few generations where families are increasingly falling apart, but they are new to my fam of 5.  I had my desire to start them stirred last year at a women’s retreat workshop taught by my fabulous friend Darcy.  We are 6 weeks in and they have been a smashing success!

Not only are family nights a cute/silly/fun idea, but they have great meaning.  Lifetime memories are built during them, emotional fabric is sewn during them, and young hearts can be deeply impressed with the truths of Christ passed on in very tangable ways.  Just google family nights or family dinners and you’ll find an abundance of great articles, ideas, and studies on all the benefits, which amoung them are better grades, lowered obesity, and believe it or not, in the teen years drug use can be linked to the frequency of meals eaten as a family!

Need more ideas?  Be inspired, shocked, and awed by the family night princess herself, thank you Kara for that one.  One of my favorite blogs has a whole section of real life examples from readers.  Family nights can be as elaborate or simple as you want them to be.  Since we have small kids, small time, and a small budget, we’ve had some very simple and sweetly amazing nights together.  Here’s the first 6, with a lifetime more to come!

Eyeball Night! Sir Daddy made a trip to the eye doctor, and got “special contacts” for his astigmatism.  In honor of him we had apple glasses, pasta retina’s, iris peas, and blueberry jello eyeballs for dinner followed by a hysterical and equally ridiculous game with our stretchy grapefruit and pantyhose eyeballs, it was REALLY funny.  We had a burial service for his glasses, he’s had to wear them for 23 years, R.I.P. spectacles!  We ended with 2 Bible stories about Paul being blinded on the road and later converted and healed, and Jesus healing the blind beggar. 

Bowling Night! Mr. Hero made us beyond proud by winning the PRO (peps respecting others) the first week of Kindergarten.  With his shinny certificate came 4 games of bowling at Strikes, score!!  Peep watched from the stroller while the rest of us bowled one round, very slowly I might add.

Josh’s 30th Night! Since the big day ended up like this:I knew we needed a redo.  We surprised him that day with sleeping in, his favorite breakfast of baked oatmeal, disc golf in the park with the whole fam, lunch at In-N-Out, a movie at nap time, his favorite dinner of homemade chicken strips, ended by a glorious double date to see the Sacramento River Cats play. 

Picnic in the Park! While our Hero was gone on a faraway adventure with his Nana and Papa, me, Sir Daddy, Little Knight and Peep enjoyed some “peanut butter and sammy jamwhiches” at our favorite squirrel park with a little geocaching on the side.  Back at home we read a story about how the kingdom of God is like a burried treasure.

Horton Hears a Who? We had a themed party/family night for Papa’s birthday.  It started with every watching Horton Hears a Who (the new version), and then Who stacks pancakes for dinner, complete with candle and happy Birthday song.  Next we played this really cute Horton came searching for our lost clovers.  The best part was the fact that I found it 75% off elephant hat!  We finished with the story of Noah’s ark and that nobody believed him either.

Sam I am! I LOVED this one!  So did the kids!  Josh read them the story then they all sat down at the table, their faces were priceless. Every time Trace took a bite he’d rehears the lines, “I DO so like green eggs and ham, thank you thank you Sam I Am!”  And let’s just say green food dye looks the same coming out as it does going in . . .

If you’ve seen the Prefuse 73 artwork for Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian or the follow-up EP Forest of Oversensitivity, you’ve seen work by Australian artist Dan McFarlin. I love the mood in those retro super-science exploration pieces. He also does those miniatures of analog synths and gear. You might’ve seen his work on Mr Chop album covers. Saw a great interview on Notcot that you can check out at: http://www.australianedge.net/2009/09/interview-with-dan-mcpharlin/.

Check out his Flickr.

Med Peep kan du hurtigt og nemt udveksle dine kontakter og fotoer med vennerne.

Også selv om de ikke har mms eller email. Når Peep er installeret kan du sende hvilken som helst af dine kontakter fra din iphone til dine venner. Det kræver bare at de også har Peep installeret. Peep er virkelig godt og intuitivt lavet. En smart feature er at man kan sende billedet i høj opløsning. Eller at man kan sende kontakt, hvor modtageren kan redigere oplysningerne inden de bliver gemt. Men for at kunne bruge disse features kræver det at man overtaler vennerne til også at installere Peep før man kan bytte billeder og kontakter og det trækker ned i bedømmelsen.

Læs mere på http://www.jandallc.com/peep.htm

Peep fås dd. for 12 kr i Itunes appstore

Yay, it’s rant time.
Remember that time I posted the rant about being Emo? Well this is going to be similar, but this time I would love it if you guys could comment!
I have no idea what peoples problems are. I was currently online looking at icons and some pretty harsh ones came up about ‘emo’s. WHAT GIVES?
Just because somebody is a little bit weepy, or different, why do people continually chose to poke fun and ‘bash’ these poor kids? I know, I know, they can probably take care of themselves, but it really bothers me. I actually really like Emo styled people, they tend to be more sensitive, and c’mon, you can’t not like that style! I think it’s really cool.
Anyway, I’m just a little worried about our society, and it’s not just about Emo’s, Goths, Scene kids and even Preps get the same treatment. It isnt right for somebody who considers themselves to be Emo to go around and attack somebody on the cheerleader team or a kid who wears a little too much pink.
ITS HIGH SCHOOL. People are bound to have hormones bubbling under their skin and act like they have problems. We ALL have our problems. Everyone.
So, yeah, I would greatly appreciate if this post can get a few comments stating your opinions. Ghah…
Thanks….

If I was dumb and didn’t know they double lights in this pic are from my flash, I’d be freaked out right now!

Erin Andrews bared it all. In her hotel room. And someone was watching. Taping even. Erin walks around the room nude. Dances nude too and enough of us want to watch that there is still searching.

The video was on the web. Her lawyers called it off. Now all that’s left is virus distributors, porn sight come ons and lots and lots of curious folks wondering what exactly a voyeur sees in a celeb’s hotel room.

It’s over, but I don’t think we should forget about it. Erin is an ESPN sports personality. She chose a public life. She is a public figure but does that mean her figure should be made public?

Once, on a crowded Boise, Idaho sidewalk during lunch hour I saw a young girl in a very short, very full skirt hurrying down the street. Her mother pulled her along and with each step the skirt showed…a bit more than leg. As I pondered the fashion statement a middle-aged man hurried past me. He pushed his way through the crowd frantically, eyes glued on the teenage girl. I following them. They went into Macy’s. The man went in behind them.

I warned the woman and her daughter. The man, apparently an experienced stalker, recognized what I was doing and disappeared, leaving three stunned women in his wake. We stood in a cluster, gaping at each other in silence as we came to terms with how much access men like this have to all of us.

Erin is a victim, just as all women are probably victims at times of their lives. Does the fact that she’s a public figure mean she doesn’t deserve the respect of not being victimized a second time? Shouldn’t I, as a woman especially appreciate her right to some dignity?

Truth is, I would have watched the video a few minutes ago if it were available. I could say it would have been “research” for this entry. Or that I like to keep up on current trends. But the truth is that I am curious. Probably like most of us I’d like to see someone, especially somebody famous in a candid moment. It would give me insights into who she is and maybe make me laugh. But Impulse makes poor judgments. Erin Andrews’ dignity is more important than my curiousity.

Even if that much sought video were still out there I wouldn’t watch it now. And I feel good about the decision. I’m glad her attorneys gave me the time I needed to think it through.