Crosscurrents

In the past six weeks, five people have died on Caltrain tracks, hit by trains that could not stop in time to avoid them. Every year, an average of 12 people die on Caltrain tracks, and most are suicides. This is a small percentage of suicide deaths each year – only about one percent of suicides in the U.S. are by train.

Caltrain has built 10-foot fences along much of the route, commissioned studies about location and prevention, put up signs with suicide hotline numbers along its tracks, and partnered with mental health agencies. But it is a tragic problem that persists.

Campuses have played host to several protests throughout the year, with students outraged over steep rising costs. University officials approved tuition increases of eight to sixteen percent per year for four years. It’s a continuing trend – tuition has risen by more than 300 percent over the last decade, largely the consequence of drops in state funding.

Great Jazz musicians have their own distinct tone. “Sweet” Sue Terry has developed a wonderful open tone with her own style. Terry, who plays saxophone, flute, and clarinet, says that developing your own tone is a work in progress. Most musicians start by listening to someone they really admire and try to recreate that tone. It’s a little like imitating a foreign accent. You listen to someone from another country speaking English, and then try to imitate that with your own voice. She explains:

((SF Chronicle)) // George Hearst Jr., the grandson of William Randolph Hearst, died at a hospital in Palo Alto on Monday. He directed Hearst Corp. for 50 years, overseeing 36 weekly newspapers and approximately 300 magazines and 29 television stations. He became chairman of the board of the international conglomerate in 1996.  His son, George R. Hearst, called his father a “silent giant.” Mr. Hearst was 84…