Short Takes Short Takes (June 08, 2005)

Who took my seat?

Even before being finished, Menlo Park filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman's latest creation drew a sold-out crowd.

Last month, Ms. Fadiman held a "work-in-progress screening event" at Peninsula School, letting fans glimpse an early incarnation of her newest film, "Who Kidnapped My Vote?"

The film tells the tales of Americans who feel their voices -- and votes -- weren't heard in the 2004 Presidential election. These included residents of a racially mixed Ohio neighborhood who ended up leaving the polls without voting because there weren't enough machines and they had been standing in line for hours, Ms. Fadiman said.
Free ride on smoggy days

Spare the air, and you'll be spared the fare. Commuters who opt for public transit on the next five high pollution-risk "Spare the Air" days between now and October 14 will have a free morning ride on Caltrain, SamTrans and 19 other Bay Area transit systems. The program is expected to cost $3.9 million in lost fares, and is covered by federal transportation grants, not cash-strapped local transit agencies. To hear about upcoming "Spare the Air" days, register for an AirAlert at sparetheair.org. Details on using public transit are at www.511.org.
The latest poop from the preserve

So, have things settled down between dog-walkers and neighbors tussling over the use of the Caltrans-owned wildflower preserve in Woodside near Farm Hill Boulevard? They have not, according to an account from a blog posted by recreational users who want the 22-acre site along Interstate 280 reopened to the public.

Rumors that someone threw dog-doo at "an aggressive resident" have been confirmed by the thrower, according to a poster on http://theopenspace.blogspot.com.

Caltrans' legal department, by the way, is still kicking around the issue and hasn't opined publicly on the status of the land yet.

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