Re: How about Paris?
 

Yeah, unfortunately Its not looking like france will have a team anytime soon just because of the way their school is structured. French High Schools have almost no extracurricular activities.

Also, how the heck would teams understand how to get around? We can't really give all kids going to nationals a crash course in french.

----------------------------------------------------
Yes, they don't include 9-11 but NYC is NOT that bad...
Here is a NY Times article-

"Killings Increase in Many Big Cities

By FOX BUTTERFIELD NY Times 12/21/01

Homicides have increased sharply this year in many large cities, a development that troubles law enforcement officials and experts who fear it may signal a return to rising crime rates after a large decline in the 1990's.

The rise in homicides was led by Boston and Phoenix, which had increases of more than 60 percent through Dec. 18, compared with the same period last year, according to police figures in a survey of 18 major cities.

Homicides jumped 22 percent in St. Louis, 17.5 percent in Houston, 15 percent in San Antonio, 11.6 percent in Atlanta, 9.2 percent in Los Angeles and 5.2 percent in Chicago, the police departments in those cities said.

However, even the sharp increases this year leave the big cities far below the peak in homicide in 1991. The rise in Chicago, which has had 644 homicides this year, compared with 612 in the same period last year, means that it will probably pass New York for the first time as the city with the most homicides, though Chicago has 2.9 million people and New York has 8 million.

New York is an exception to the big cities with rising homicides, with 617 through Dec. 16, compared with 651 in the same period last year — a drop of 5.2 percent.

Several other cities also had small decreases, including Washington, with a decline of 6 percent. But in most cities with fewer homicides, the decrease was so slight that experts said it was not statistically significant.

Homicide has long been considered the bellwether crime, the one that most worries the public and therefore the one that police chiefs watch most carefully.

A jump in homicides in the big cities led the crime wave of the late 1980's, and a homicide decrease in the big cities started an eight-year decline in overall crime beginning in 1992.

Charles H. Ramsey, Washington's police chief, pointed to two possible explanations for the increases this year: the downturn in the economy and an increase in family killings after years of declines driven by greater attention to domestic violence.

The economy is the best indicator of whether crime will continue to increase, Chief Ramsey said. (Ed Note: There's a third explanation: Chief Ramsey can't manage a police organization . Why is crime down in other cities?)

"More pink slips mean more crimes," he said. "It doesn't take long before you start seeing that impact at street level."

Chief Ramsey said he was especially concerned about the impact that a prolonged recession would have on poorer neighborhoods and low-income workers. "It reaches everyone; it just reaches them first," he said. "If this becomes long term, believe me, you will see the difference." (Ed Note: If you can't handle the job, chief, quit now and let someone who knows how policing is done take over.)"


OR go to http: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/region.htm

The transportation system in Paris is good but its so much nicer (way cleaner and less smelly) in London. No new language either...too bad its so so crowded there! Well I'm sure Dean could find a big castle or something in the country side...how cool would that be?!

And while I highly doubt we would have NATIONALS in a different country, my bid would go to Australia. Its absolutely beautiful there, they have great public transportion left from the 2000 olympics, its spacious, and you have to love the guys (and girls for you boys) with their cute australian accents.

Re: How about Paris?
 

I must dissagree after being there for a day I would not want to go to Paris again!! The subway stunk like sewage, the stations were hard to find, the language barrier is tough to cope with, there were a lot of beggars asking for money, etc. Whereas in London it was the exact opposite, not to many beggar/homeless people, no language barrier, nice, clean, not smelly subways(Mind The Gap) and when I went last year it wasn't to crowded and you could find your way around pretty easily, SO I am game for London, England.

Championship in Paris? -
 

If that many Americans showed up in France at one time they'd probably surrender! Again :D

Yea I know this my not be P.C. but it's probably the truth.

Haha...the boys on the robotics team always made so many of the the French-"I surrender" jokes, especially to me because I was prez of the French Club and my last name is French (I'm not french though, or if I am its wayyyy back there on the family tree).

...and we wonder why they french hate americans, JK!

Oh Bah! Bag the nationals!
How about every non-rookie team mentor/recruit some school outside the U.S. and go for a world cup FIRST event! Then FIRST will have the whole world to choose from! Whoopie!

In a very theoretical way we've talked about trying to get RIT to host one in Rochester sometime after they complete our new field house (it should be done summer 2004). About all we've done so far is talk about it however. There has been some interest in hosting a regional here before but that's about it.

Matt

This is an unlikely scenario for several reasons:
1. The listing for the championship has been changed from date TBD at WDW Epcot, to blank location, date TBD, then to location TBD, date TBD. What would have been the point of removing Epcot from the location if it wasn't in question?

2. With registration now active, FIRST is very aware that the championship is still listed as TBD. If it was simply a missed entry, it would be quickly corrected.

3. The event list is not a static page, as the new version with the registration counts shows. It is tied directly into the TIMS registration system, as well as the internal database system that FIRST uses.

Does all of this mean we are definitely not going to be at WDW? No. Does it pose the possibility that it will change? Yes.

i likeit. just a hop across town

Nate, I think you're right on the button, I'm sure FIRST is working at securing a site for the Nationals but where it will be is up in the air. If its stays at Epcot there is the Easter/Spring Break issues (its one of the busiest times for Disney already) either you go before or after.

May is getting late for the schools, finals, proms and the such, school here (AZ) get out around the 22nd.

In April that leaves one week open, the one after the last regional.

If its not at Disney that week, my guess is there will be a new location. But I'm sure we will all know by the end of October - you know October Surpises, this is a election year right? With registrations for the second regional starting Nov. 3 it makes sense for FIRST to announce it before then.

This is a huge event - sometimes I think we forget, myself included, there aren't many places that could provide for the 10,000 plus that attend. Plus all the logistics needed to support such an event. Venues like that are booked sometimes years in advance so you just can't call up and say "Suprise" here we come.

Interesting. Was he riding a Segway?

Yup, he was. the lil P-Model with the breafcase holder

Re: Re: How about Paris?
 

My experience in Paris (in 1999) was that the subway was easy to use, though it was a bit odiferous in some locations. For the most part, I found the people to be surprisingly accomodating of people like myself who know very little French.

That said, London would also be a very fun and interesting place to have an event, for many of the same reasons as Paris, and as you say, communication would be easier in London. There are even a few UK teams, aren't there?