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POPSBush and Blacks The message—both in words and action—is clear, consistent, and stirring . This year he joined forces with Washington D.C.’s black Democratic mayor, Anthony Williams, to win passage of the first federally funded voucher program, which will provide $7,500 each to poor minority children in the nation’s capital, giving them some of the same educational options that their wealthier neighbors enjoy. The Bush administration has also tried hard to help lift Africa out of its deepening misery. Last year, the president pledged $15 billion—a twenty-fold increase from Clinton-era funding levels—to help stem the AIDS pandemic sweeping the continent, and he has sent troops and diplomatic envoys to try to quell violence in Liberia and Sudan. African-relief activist Bob Geldof recently acknowledged, “The Bush administration is the most radical—in a positive sense—in its approach to Africa since Kennedy.”
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POPSA tale of two cities City council officials initially claimed no mistake had been made and the "generic skyline intended to symbolise an urban area". But a spokesman has now admitted the authority was at fault. "Birmingham is immensely proud of its recycling record and this leaflet has helped to get the recycling message across to thousands of our enthusiastic citizens over the last 15 months," he said. "We accept that the wrong photo was used, but the text and detail contained in the leaflet is wholly correct which is the most important message." He said it had received only one complaint about the error and there were no plans to reprint the leaflet. The mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, Larry P Langford, said he took the mistake as a compliment. He said: "People have a tendency, as you well know, to get all bent out of shape over stuff. "Life is too short. I thought it was flattering. And please continue to use the skyline - it doesn't bother me."
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POPSImage of the Day As the blog Jaunted points out, one of the great reasons to travel is to see something unusual or unexpected. The above image is just one example of quirky public art created by an artist in France. Check out the full gallery here: http://www.filthyluker.deviantart.com/gallery/
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POPSECOCITY Builders An ecocity is a human settlement that enables its residents to live a good quality of life while using minimal natural resources. Its buildings make best use of sun, wind and rainfall to help supply the energy and water needs of occupants. Generally multistory to maximize the land available for greenspace. It is threaded with natural habitat corridors, to foster biodiversity and to give residents access to nature for recreation. Its food and other goods are sourced from within its borders or from nearby, in order to cut down on transport costs. The majority of its residents live within walking or cycling distance of their workplace, to minimise the need for motorised transport. Frequent public transport connects local centres for people who need to travel further. Local car sharing allows people to use a car only when needed. Ecocity Builders PO Box 697 Oakland, CA 94604 Phone/Fax 510-444-4508
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POPSUrban environment not so good for birds 'There are many different strategies that birds deploy to counter the noise of the urban environment. These strategies could lead to us seeing a completely separate urban species of bird which can't breed with its country cousin.'
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POPSTHE Bigot is Dead Jesse Helms was a disgraceful representation of an elected official in our country. He despised blacks, gays, lesbians, hispanics and everyone who did not look like him or believed as he believed. While I never take pleasure in the death of another human being, it is my sincere hope that with his death, another layer of bigotry in the U.S. is buried with him. I have to think that maybe seeing Obama on the brink of the presidency may have been just too much for his aging heart to take.
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POPSWhat Will Happen to Biodiversity When the World Becomes A Giant City? “As a species we have lived in wild nature for hundreds of thousands of years, and now suddenly most of us live in cities—the ultimate escape from nature,” says Kareiva. “If we do not learn to build, expand and design our cities with a respect for nature, we will have no nature left anywhere.” Indeed, biocide is occurring at an alarming rate. Experts project that at least half of the world’s current animal species will be completely gone by the end of the century. Wild plant-life is also disappearing. Most biologists say that we are in the midst of an anthropogenic mass extinction that is at least partially caused by human encroachment on more and more areas of the planet. Numerous scientific studies confirm that this phenomenon needs to be addressed quickly.
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POPShunter-gatherers in the city? well, gatherers at least The biggest challenge I face in this regard is a husband who grew up in NYC and is very, verrrrry suspicious of anything growing anywhere other than a cultivated garden. "You can't eat that! What is it? You don't know what's on it! What if a dog peed on it?" "Honey, it's rosemary, and it's growing four feet above the ground. I doubt any dog is acrobatic enough to reach it."
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POPSLose the lawn altogether I don't know why this should be considered the "extreme" option. Seems to me that lawns -- systems on ***high intensity permanent life support -- should be considered the extreme. *** HIGH INTENSITY PERMANENT LIFE SUPPORT ... What I mean is that in order to survive and thrive, lawns NEED: - regular cutting - regular watering - fertilizing - pest and weed control (usually chemical) How did we ever let lawns become some kind of status symbol??? What were we thinking!? /e
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POPSNo God For Me Thanks! A recently discovered letter written by Albert Einstein, has once and for all ended the debate on whether this wise man of science relied on religion to get him through this life. "No God for Me, Thanks" says it all! To hear another intellectual on the subject follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD0B-X9LJjs
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POPSDownload The Wire Episodes The Wire, an American Television Drama is created and produced by a former police reporter and was aired on HBO network. Series ran for 5 seasons and was premiered on June 2, 2002. Series finale was aired on 3-9-2008. Series is centered in the city of Baltimore and starts with D’Angelo Barksdale when he beats a murder rape. Various characters on the show are detectives Jimmy McNulty, Bunk Moreland, Shakima Greggs, and Cedric Daniels etc. The wire is one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Realistic portrayal of urban life, artistic ambitions and a good detail about sociological themes are what show is recognized of.
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POPSDownload ER Episodes For Free ER is created by novelist Michael Crichton and is based on his own experiences as a medical student. It throws light on the professional difficulties of doctors and represents an urban life style. Series also portrays medical students and their quest to become successful doctors. ER’s each episode is unique and every episode gives a hint about the story of another day. ER is one of the best rated TV series and has won 22 Emmy awards, 115 Emmy nominations, George Foster Peabody Award and also Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series. ER is the most expensive dramatic series in TV history with its 13-million-dollar-per-episode average budget during the 1998-1999 season.
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POPSBelltown: a daylight visit to Seattle's Haven of Hip Okay, nothing to do with affordable housing, but Belltown is the coolest neighborhood in any city I've ever been in. If you're ever in the Emerald City, swing uptown and dine at either Mama's Mexican Kitchen or the Noodle Ranch.
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POPSJane Jacobs - Urban planning hero Jacobs had no professional training in the field of city planning, nor did she hold the title of planner. She instead relied on her observations and common sense to illustrate why certain places work, and what can be done to improve those that do not. Together with William H. Whyte, Jacobs led the way in advocating for a place-based, community-centered approach to urban planning, decades before such approaches were considered sensible.
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POPSJane's Walk (Ottawa, Canada)
Who is Jane Jacobs? Edit Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) was an urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh, community-based approach to understanding, organizing, designing, and building cities. She had no formal training as a planner, and yet her 1961 best-seller, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, and her later books introduced ground-breaking ideas about how cities function, evolve, and succeed or fail that now seem like common sense to today’s architects, planners, politicians, and activists. Jacobs saw cities as ecosystems with their own dynamics that would evolve over time according to how they were used. With a keen eye for detail, she wrote eloquently about sidewalks, parks, retail design, and self-organization. She promoted higher density, short blocks, local economies, and mixed uses. Jacobs helped derail the car-centred approach to urban planning in both New York City and Toronto, invigorating neighbourhood activism by helping stop the expansion of expr
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POPSStreet Art (II) not only walls and murals, many examples and tips how to humanize cold urban environment
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POPSWho is Jane Jacobs? Although almost 90 years old, diminutive in stature, Jane Jacobs was a fervent activist until her death in 2006. She lived for 30 years in the Annex area of the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Jane is an inspiration to all! Certainly one of my personal heroes.
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POPS16 Of The World's Best Squares: Think About The Details From Mexico to Italy to Iran, these remarkable squares can inspire us all. What stands out most is that design is only a small fraction of what goes into making a great square: small details add up to great places. Historically, squares were the center of communities, and they traditionally helped shape the identity of entire cities. Like the tentacles of an octopus extending into the surrounding neighborhood, the influence of a good square (such as Union Square in New York) starts at least a block away. Any great square has a variety of smaller "places" within it to appeal to various people. The use of a square changes during the course of the day, week, and year. The streets and sidewalks around a square greatly affect its accessibility and use, as do the buildings that surround it. Any community where people want to discover the rewards of public life can make a square its centerpiece.
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POPSNew York in the 1920s and 30s
George Wesley Bellows (1882-1925) was an American painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City. Berenice Abbott (1898-1991), was an American photographer best known for her black-and-white photography of New York City architecture and urban design of the 1930s. Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) was an American painter, born in Paris, most notable for his detailed depictions of life in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. John French Sloan (1871-1951) was a American artist who became a member of The Eight group of American artists and became a leading figure in the Ashcan School of realist artists. He was known for his urban paintings and ability to capture the essence of neighbourhood life in New York City, often through his window Ruth Carroll, born 1899, Lancaster, NY. Maurice Kish was born in 1895, Dvinsk, Russia and died 1987, New York, NY. Ben Shahn (1898-1969) was a Russian-Jewish born American artist, best known for his works of Social realism.
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