Blog Comment Spam – Should I Restrict Comments?

By , May 4, 2010

Because of a flood of spammy comments, I’m considering whether I should change the way I allow comments to be posted on this blog.  Read more »

About Mark Welch

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By , May 1, 2010

I am both a web publisher and an internet marketing consultantRead more »

Mark Welch – Publisher Role

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By , April 30, 2010

As a web publisher, most of my time is spent developing and maintaining “niche” web sites focused on specific audiences, communities, and product categories.  “Relevant and Useful” is my web publishing philosophy.

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The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education

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By , April 28, 2010

After reading some very positive reviews, I was quite disappointed with this book (The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, by Diane Ravitch). While there are many good ideas in the book, it’s excruciatingly repetitive, poorly organized, and fails to persuade. Read more »

101 Theory Drive: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for Memory

By , April 26, 2010

I was intrigued by a brief mention of 101 Theory Drive: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for Memory (by Terry McDermott) in a local bookstore’s newspaper insert, which led me to search out some reviews online. Based mostly on one positive review (by B.T. Shaw, in The Oregonian), I bought the Kindle edition of the book from Amazon on the day it was released.  After finishing the book, I was satisfied because I felt that I’d learned a lot about the biology behind memory; but I was also disappointed because the review had left me with higher expectations. Read more »

Removing Graffiti (Self-Help)

By , March 26, 2010

When I discovered that the City of Hayward simply couldn’t keep up with the hundreds of graffiti reports I have submitted, I decided to try another strategy during my daily walks: I’m trying to clean some graffiti myself.  Here’s my initial report of the products I used, and my results. Read more »

(No More) Fast Response to Graffiti in Hayward

By , March 20, 2010

Updated March 20, 2010: Alas, my submission of hundreds of Hayward graffiti reports has far exceeded the city staff time allocated for graffiti cleanup. The original goal of two-day response has stretched to weeks and now to six months. Read more »

Graffiti on Hayward’s 880 Pedestrian Bridge

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By , March 20, 2010

The pedestrian bridge crossing the 880 freeway (from Peterman Ave. to Eldridge Ave.) presents a persistent graffiti problem for the City of Hayward.  Read more »

Deterring Graffiti: Murals and More

By , March 20, 2010

Over the past two months, I’ve noticed (and reported) hundreds of graffiti tags in my community, and I’ve also had some discussions with city staff about how to deter graffiti vandals. Read more »

IANAL: I Am Not A Lawyer (any more)

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By , February 26, 2010

Update Juy 13, 2012: My resignation from the State Bar was accepted and approved by the Supreme Court of California. (Yes, that’s a Thing.)

Update February 2012: I have just submitted my resignation from the State Bar of California.

February 26, 2010: This week, I finally took a step that I’ve been considering for a decade: I changed my status from “active” to “inactive” with the State Bar of California.  That means that I cannot give legal advice, represent clients in court, or identify myself as an attorney entitled to practice law.

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