Short Takes Short Takes (July 28, 2004)

How to be a good parent

Concerned about the perils of teenage substance abuse? Atherton Councilman Bill Conwell shared an unusual strategy for keeping teens away from drugs at last week's City Council meeting.

After raising the alarm about the severity of the illegal drug-use problem in San Mateo County, he said the only way to keep children away from drugs is to empty a room in your house, install a mail slot in the door, and lock your kid in it until the age of 18. The mail slot is for sliding meals through, he said.

Did the earth move for you, too?

Telephone callers innocently seeking topographic maps recently might have found themselves listening with consummate interest to the voice on the other end of the line.

Due to a little mix-up with the toll-free prefix, the Almanac recently ran this number on its Web site for the venerable U.S. Geological Survey: 1-800-ASK-USGS. Instead of the USGS, callers reach one of those numbers you need your parents' permission to call.

The correct USGS number is 1-888-ASK-USGS (275-8747).

Hop over to my pad in Atherton

Repairs to a portion of the upper Atherton Channel have been a long time coming, and it looks as though it will be even longer before the project can get started.

A recent survey turned up "a healthy and happy red-legged frog community above Reservoir Road," said Duncan Jones, Atherton's public works director.

The endangered amphibians' presence means the project will be under scrutiny from U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and a herpetologist will have to be on site to make sure the frogs aren't harmed, he told the City Council at the July 21 meeting.

Edited by Andrea Gemmet. Send ideas for items to agemmet@almanacnews.com.

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