Why does the National Zoo ignore the one true name of its new panda cub? Washington-China, Peacefull Mountain? What the hell is that?
The party leaders in Beijing must be behind it all. Apparently a name like Butterstick would only remind poor, overworked Chinese sweatshop workers of what they don't have.
We can't let such a cutie-wootie cause riots in the streets.
As far as I'm concerned, though, he'll always be Butterstick to me. Even when he weighs enough to eat a million of them in one sitting.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Is it safe to come out?
Barring any new calamities, the reconstruction of New Orleans will now begin in earnest. Like most bloggers, my opinion is, of course, invaluable:
Never been there, but I understand it was a fairly pedestrian-friendly place. That's great. To build on that, the city and the region should follow new urban policies to encourage just that kind of development, only strong enough to withstand a Cat 5.
This is a great opportunity for the city to not only rebuild its quaint streetcar system, but also to create a comprehensive rapid-rail system to move people in, out and about the city quickly and efficiently -- and with an eye toward evacuation, should it be necessary once more.
I think at this point, we can all agree that the 9th Ward is in a hell of a spot. Twice flooded in the space of a month, I doubt many people would want to return. The government should buy out the folks there and turn the neighborhood into an urban wetland to absorb future floodwaters without risking lives or property.
The massive housing projects should be bulldozed. Concentration of poverty might make the white folks on the rich side of town feel good because they can't see the poor brown people anymore, but it doesn't fix the problem. Concentrate on building mixed-use nieghborhoods that include people of many income levels and prevent the concentration of poverty. That can be the first step toward breaking the cycle of poverty.
And for god's sake, build the levees right! Otherwise it won't matter how pretty the city is.
Never been there, but I understand it was a fairly pedestrian-friendly place. That's great. To build on that, the city and the region should follow new urban policies to encourage just that kind of development, only strong enough to withstand a Cat 5.
This is a great opportunity for the city to not only rebuild its quaint streetcar system, but also to create a comprehensive rapid-rail system to move people in, out and about the city quickly and efficiently -- and with an eye toward evacuation, should it be necessary once more.
I think at this point, we can all agree that the 9th Ward is in a hell of a spot. Twice flooded in the space of a month, I doubt many people would want to return. The government should buy out the folks there and turn the neighborhood into an urban wetland to absorb future floodwaters without risking lives or property.
The massive housing projects should be bulldozed. Concentration of poverty might make the white folks on the rich side of town feel good because they can't see the poor brown people anymore, but it doesn't fix the problem. Concentrate on building mixed-use nieghborhoods that include people of many income levels and prevent the concentration of poverty. That can be the first step toward breaking the cycle of poverty.
And for god's sake, build the levees right! Otherwise it won't matter how pretty the city is.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Worst of Baltimore
I can't blame the folks in Baltimore for voting the One World Cafe as the Best Vegetarian Restaurant in Charm City. Baltimore's never been known for good food, and people round these parts still act like vegetarians are something they heard about on the Discovery Channel, but never expected to see in person. The fact that One World even is vegetarian is something of a minor miracle.
With all that against them, Balti-Mos can't be expected to know good vegetarian food. They're lucky to find something that wasn't made with crab guts. These poor souls have been deprived for too long.
That's why I'd like to accept donations for a fund to bring these suffering fools to Asheville, where they can feast on delicious dishes from the Laughing Seed, Salsa's, Lucky Otter and all the other fantastic veggie and veggie-friendly restaurants in that mountain utopia. While we're at it, let's help their carnivorous friends and family discover Asheville's excellent non-veggie cuisine. Even they will finally know what real food tastes like.
We can't stand by while another Baltimorean suffers through a bland, tasteless entree at One World. Or the humiliation of eating a weak-ass salad while everyone around them enjoys a hearty, deep-fried crab-cake lasagna stuffed with hamburger and soaked in bacon grease.
Can't you please give a call?
With all that against them, Balti-Mos can't be expected to know good vegetarian food. They're lucky to find something that wasn't made with crab guts. These poor souls have been deprived for too long.
That's why I'd like to accept donations for a fund to bring these suffering fools to Asheville, where they can feast on delicious dishes from the Laughing Seed, Salsa's, Lucky Otter and all the other fantastic veggie and veggie-friendly restaurants in that mountain utopia. While we're at it, let's help their carnivorous friends and family discover Asheville's excellent non-veggie cuisine. Even they will finally know what real food tastes like.
We can't stand by while another Baltimorean suffers through a bland, tasteless entree at One World. Or the humiliation of eating a weak-ass salad while everyone around them enjoys a hearty, deep-fried crab-cake lasagna stuffed with hamburger and soaked in bacon grease.
Can't you please give a call?
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Brave New World
Move over Rand McNalley.
For BD, Google Scholar was a big hit, but I have to admit that I'm hooked on Google Earth.
Man, this is something. I can fly around the Grand Canyon, Manhattan, Antacrtica, you name it. Not every city has 3D buildings yet, but the natural features, like the mountains around Asheville, are awesome.
I know it's weird, but hear me out.
Dad travelled for a living, so maps were a big part of growing up. Not just because of the ever-growing collection of maps left over from from his travels, but also from wondering about all those exotic places he went to, like El Salvador, Israel, Little Rock.
On family trips, my sister and I were the navigators. I'm sure our directions were useless at first; we were probably given maps just to keep us busy. But we learned, and as we did so, our fascination grew. They tell stories, they fire the imagination.
What can I say?
For BD, Google Scholar was a big hit, but I have to admit that I'm hooked on Google Earth.
Man, this is something. I can fly around the Grand Canyon, Manhattan, Antacrtica, you name it. Not every city has 3D buildings yet, but the natural features, like the mountains around Asheville, are awesome.
I know it's weird, but hear me out.
Dad travelled for a living, so maps were a big part of growing up. Not just because of the ever-growing collection of maps left over from from his travels, but also from wondering about all those exotic places he went to, like El Salvador, Israel, Little Rock.
On family trips, my sister and I were the navigators. I'm sure our directions were useless at first; we were probably given maps just to keep us busy. But we learned, and as we did so, our fascination grew. They tell stories, they fire the imagination.
What can I say?
Vertebrates
It was nice to see the media actually doing its job during the Katrina disaster. Questioning officials, disputing bad information, expressing outrage and righteous anger. This was real J-School stuff, what all those fresh-faced kids back at UNCA are all about before The Man wears them down.
Time Magazine even decided to investigate Michael Brown's resume to see if he really had all the emergency-response experience he claimed to have (he didn't). Time patted itself on the back for that one, but as Kendra pointed out: Where were they when this clown was hired? Why didn't they investigate his resume before thousands of Americans died of hunger and exposure in the Gulf Coast? Could it be possible that other public officials, or even private officals, have lied to us? I'm sure this new guy thay have running the FEMA knows his stuff, but already NPR is saying "according to his resume ..."
Jesus.
I'll forgive the media for trading real reportage for access and free doughnuts at the press briefings if they'll just do their jobs from now on: Question, repudiate, investigate. The bloggers are too full of themselves and have the journalistic ethics of, well, folks who work in their pajamas. What we need are some old-fashioned, Perry White, cigar-chewing, alcoholic reporters with little press cards in their hat bands to badger the powers that be.
Although, from the looks of the cliched post-catastrophe reporting, it don't look good.
Time Magazine even decided to investigate Michael Brown's resume to see if he really had all the emergency-response experience he claimed to have (he didn't). Time patted itself on the back for that one, but as Kendra pointed out: Where were they when this clown was hired? Why didn't they investigate his resume before thousands of Americans died of hunger and exposure in the Gulf Coast? Could it be possible that other public officials, or even private officals, have lied to us? I'm sure this new guy thay have running the FEMA knows his stuff, but already NPR is saying "according to his resume ..."
Jesus.
I'll forgive the media for trading real reportage for access and free doughnuts at the press briefings if they'll just do their jobs from now on: Question, repudiate, investigate. The bloggers are too full of themselves and have the journalistic ethics of, well, folks who work in their pajamas. What we need are some old-fashioned, Perry White, cigar-chewing, alcoholic reporters with little press cards in their hat bands to badger the powers that be.
Although, from the looks of the cliched post-catastrophe reporting, it don't look good.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
The Rescuers
Donate now to help the Humane Society rescue pets left behind in the Gulf Coast
Hey, I just learned how to turn an image into an external link!
The Wheels on the Bus
The folks in Charlotte got the idea. Even in a region so addicted to driving and physically dependent on car travel, by dint of its sprawling landscape, people are leaving the car at home.
One man-in-the-seat they talked to figures it would cost him nearly $200 in gas and parking fees to commute each month, but it only costs him $44 a month (with senior discount) to take the bus, and would cost non-seniors $88.
High gas prices alone didn't increase ridership in Charlotte. The city made a concerted effort to improve and expand transit service. In the short term that meant nearly doubling the number of buses. In the long term, they've already broken ground on a long-awaited and much-needed light-rail system that should be done by 2020.
If it can happen in Charlotte, it can happen anywhere.
One man-in-the-seat they talked to figures it would cost him nearly $200 in gas and parking fees to commute each month, but it only costs him $44 a month (with senior discount) to take the bus, and would cost non-seniors $88.
High gas prices alone didn't increase ridership in Charlotte. The city made a concerted effort to improve and expand transit service. In the short term that meant nearly doubling the number of buses. In the long term, they've already broken ground on a long-awaited and much-needed light-rail system that should be done by 2020.
If it can happen in Charlotte, it can happen anywhere.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Get on the Bus
Options.
That's what it's all about. I'd just like some options, a choice. That's all.
It would be nice, as gas prices shoot for moon, to have the option of taking a bus or train to work. Unfortunately, like many Americans, I don't have that option. This country's love affair with cars is taking its toll this week in the wake of Katrina, and our governments, from the federal level on down, have done nothing to prepare us for the current problem.
Officials who have done absolutely nothing to build up our public transit infrastructure in the last 50 years -- Officials who built freeways instead of subways, who let developers sprawl all over the landscape in a confusing mess of strip malls and parking lots -- are now telling us to conserve gas and drive less.
Damn. Wish I could. Even with a hybrid this $3.699+ gas is too much. I can't walk, because nothing is built anywhere near anything anymore. Forget about getting to work. There isn't so much as a bus from Baltimore to Columbia. Oh sure, they plan on building a light-rail line out this way ... and if I'm still here in 2040, I'll buy a ticket.
Let's get it together folks. Want to save money on gas? Tell your politicians to start building transit.
Oh, and I hear the car dealers in Charlotte have all sold out of hybrids.
That's what it's all about. I'd just like some options, a choice. That's all.
It would be nice, as gas prices shoot for moon, to have the option of taking a bus or train to work. Unfortunately, like many Americans, I don't have that option. This country's love affair with cars is taking its toll this week in the wake of Katrina, and our governments, from the federal level on down, have done nothing to prepare us for the current problem.
Officials who have done absolutely nothing to build up our public transit infrastructure in the last 50 years -- Officials who built freeways instead of subways, who let developers sprawl all over the landscape in a confusing mess of strip malls and parking lots -- are now telling us to conserve gas and drive less.
Damn. Wish I could. Even with a hybrid this $3.699+ gas is too much. I can't walk, because nothing is built anywhere near anything anymore. Forget about getting to work. There isn't so much as a bus from Baltimore to Columbia. Oh sure, they plan on building a light-rail line out this way ... and if I'm still here in 2040, I'll buy a ticket.
Let's get it together folks. Want to save money on gas? Tell your politicians to start building transit.
Oh, and I hear the car dealers in Charlotte have all sold out of hybrids.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?
They played this today on KCRW.org. If there was any doubt that the city should be rebuilt, they are layed to rest.
I hope Dennis Hastert was listening.
Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
And miss it each night and day
I know I’m not wrong... this feeling’s gettin’ stronger
The longer, I stay away
Miss them moss covered vines...the tall sugar pines
Where mockin’ birds used to sing
And I’d like to see that lazy mississippi...hurryin’ into spring
The moonlight on the bayou.......a creole tune.... that fills the air
I dream... about magnolias in bloom......and I’m wishin’ I was there
Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
When that’s where you left your heart
And there’s one thing more...i miss the one I care for
More than I miss new orleans
(instrumental break)
The moonlight on the bayou.......a creole tune.... that fills the air
I dream... about magnolias in bloom......and I’m wishin’ I was there
Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
When that’s where you left your heart
And there’s one thing more...i miss the one I care for
More.....more than I miss.......new orleans
Lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Louis Alter
I hope Dennis Hastert was listening.
Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
And miss it each night and day
I know I’m not wrong... this feeling’s gettin’ stronger
The longer, I stay away
Miss them moss covered vines...the tall sugar pines
Where mockin’ birds used to sing
And I’d like to see that lazy mississippi...hurryin’ into spring
The moonlight on the bayou.......a creole tune.... that fills the air
I dream... about magnolias in bloom......and I’m wishin’ I was there
Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
When that’s where you left your heart
And there’s one thing more...i miss the one I care for
More than I miss new orleans
(instrumental break)
The moonlight on the bayou.......a creole tune.... that fills the air
I dream... about magnolias in bloom......and I’m wishin’ I was there
Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
When that’s where you left your heart
And there’s one thing more...i miss the one I care for
More.....more than I miss.......new orleans
Lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Louis Alter
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