July 29, 200816 yr Resources required to conduct a media survey ≠ Resources required to correct the black/white quality-of-life disparity. I didn't say they equalled. I said it would be a better use of those resources to fix the problem instead of the media representation of the problem. It's not an issue of what news is reported, it's how the news is reported. Maybe if TV news got away from the "if it bleeds it leads" mentality we'd all have less prejudice and more social mobility. Never going to happen. These stories are easy to cover and draw viewership. See my point above. If your point is that TV news will change once there's less black-on-black violence to cover, then it's undermined by your assessment that sensationalist news coverage will never go out of fashion. With fewer "good" stories to report, TV news will just report the stories they have far more aggressively.
July 29, 200816 yr It doesn't matter, unless you believe that the news would ramp up the reporting on the remaining black on black violence only (to keep up some sort of quota), and only if you think that people would care enough to watch follow up stories on the details of those crimes. I'm personally not cynical enough to believe the former, and too cynical to believe the latter.
July 29, 200816 yr Part of the problem is the lack of blacks and other people of color in positions of decision in the media.
July 29, 200816 yr Part of the problem is the lack of blacks and other people of color in positions of decision in the media. Certainly. But the heart of the problem is the very real rate at which young black folks are dying at each other's hands, not the media's presentation of this fact or white people's reactions to this fact. A more diverse group of media decision makers might change the tone, but changing this fact is the more important thing.
July 29, 200816 yr Part of the problem is the lack of blacks and other people of color in positions of decision in the media. Certainly. But the heart of the problem is the very real rate at which young black folks are dying at each other's hands, not the media's presentation of this fact or white people's reactions to this fact. A more diverse group of media decision makers might change the tone, but changing this fact is the more important thing. I certainly cannot argue with that and 100% agree
July 29, 200816 yr ^^There's no quota system for stereotype-based reporting; only market demand. ^Excellent point.
July 29, 200816 yr Heavy? It might be your neighborhood's fault Those built before 1950 help keep you skinnier by encouraging walking By Steve Mitchell MSNBC contributor updated 9:57 a.m. ET, Tues., July. 29, 2008 It could be your neighborhood that's making you fat — or keeping you slender. A new study found that the year your neighborhood was built may be just as important as diet and exercise for shedding pounds. Those who live in neighborhoods built before 1950 are trimmer than their counterparts who reside in more modern communities, the study reported. “The older neighborhoods had a reduced level of obesity because they were generally built with the pedestrian in mind and not cars,” said Ken Smith, a co-author of the study and professor in the department of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah. “This means they have trees, sidewalks and offer a pleasant environment in which to walk.” URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25890997/
July 30, 200816 yr Part of the problem is the lack of blacks and other people of color in positions of decision in the media. I've noticed that the Columbus TV news features more positive stories about minorities than Cincinnati's TV news, at least on an unscientific basis. I wonder if the ethnic makeup of the staff is different. Columbus also seems to have more black politicians than Cincinnati.
July 30, 200816 yr A local activist group here in Dayton did a content study of a local news program: A Report on Channel 7 News After completion of the study, the committee concluded that Channel 7 (WHIO) had changed its local news coverage. It appears to have reduced the amount of reporting of crime and no longer centers its crime coverage in west Dayton. We note that shortly before our study began, a key reporter change was made by Channel 7. Channel 45 (rated second to Channel 7 for late night news) advertised that its news was more than crime and violence. For whatever reason, Channel 7 seems to have made a positive change in its news coverage. Although its news coverage is now similar to that reported by the other stations, they all concentrate a large amount of coverage on violence. Conclusions 1. Channel 7 has changed the content of its local news. It has reduced its reporting of West Dayton violent crime by no longer concentrating its violence and crime reporting in the African-American community. Our study found that Channel 7 interviewed a comparable number of whites to blacks as the other stations. 2. All three stations heavily emphasize crime and violence in local news coverage. While Channel 7 made positive steps in providing more balanced reporting, it still concentrates its coverage on crime and violence in the city of Dayton. 30% of its coverage was devoted to crime in Dayton as compared to 18% for Channel 2 and 13% for Channel 22.
August 29, 200816 yr California Moves on Bill to Curb Sprawl and Emissions California, known for its far-ranging suburbs and jam-packed traffic, is close to adopting a law intended to slow the increase in emissions of heat-trapping gases by encouraging housing close to job sites, rail lines and bus stops to shorten the time people spend in their cars. The measure, which the State Assembly passed on Monday and awaits final approval by the Senate, would be the nation’s most comprehensive effort to reduce sprawl. It would loosely tie tens of billions of dollars in state and federal transportation subsidies to cities’ and counties’ compliance with efforts to slow the inexorable increase in driving. The goal is to encourage housing near current development and to reduce commutes to work. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has not said whether he will sign the bill. The number of miles driven in California has increased at a rate 50 percent faster than the rate of population growth for the past two decades. Passenger vehicles, which produce about 30 percent of the state’s heat-trapping gases, are the single greatest source of such emissions. The fragile coalition behind the measure includes some longtime antagonists, in particular homebuilders and leading environmental groups in California. Both called the measure historic. “What California is doing for the first time,” said Ed Manning, a lobbyist who represents the state’s 25 largest homebuilding companies, “is planning for housing needs, transportation needs and climate-change needs all at the same time.” ...snip... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/us/29sprawl.html
August 29, 200816 yr California is actually built-out fairly dense, the newer subdivisions. It isnt as sprawly as Ohio, if you can believe that.
August 29, 200816 yr Calif. is differently sprawled than Ohio - a lot of that is geography, between the mountains and the water issues they simply can't sprawl midwest style. The difference is that the astronomical prices forces people to live much further away from locations of employment than would be acceptable in the midwest.
August 29, 200816 yr Princeton economics professor and NY Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote an analysis of housing prices back during the building boom. Houses in Ohio are priced on the cost of new land at the edges of current development, added to the cost of new construction. Houses in the coastal areas ("Zoned", I think he called it) are houses in an area where there is no further "developable" land due to geographic constraints like water and mountains: they were valued at the cost of whatever someone will pay to live in the community. Hence, prices in East Coast cities shot up to incredible multiples of the original purchase price. Concepts like "flip this house" became viable. People had a guaranteed increase in value built into the house because it would appreciate during the scant months while they owned the house. Houses in Ohio never saw the multiplication of prices like the coasts. Even a locale with a strong economy like Texas was not affected because they had land available. __\|/__\|/__\|/__\|/___ Fifteen years ago, I was visiting a friend in Whitter, a small city close in to Los Angeles (east LA, actually). He remarked how his coworkers would commute for over an hour from a community called Victorville. I recall that some of them actually commuted over a mountain pass that would get snow in the winter. The factory shifted its hours so that the employees did not have to commute during the morning or evening rush hour. The day shift started at 6:00 A.M. The problem was that there were jobs in Los Angeles County and not enough homes for the workers. Development was not planned!
August 30, 200816 yr ^ yeah, Victorville is actually out on the high desert, in the Mojave, I think.... on the other side of the San Gabriel Mnts.
August 30, 200816 yr Houses in the coastal areas ("Zoned", I think he called it) are houses in an area where there is no further "developable" land due to geographic constraints like water and mountains: they were valued at the cost of whatever someone will pay to live in the community. Hence, prices in East Coast cities shot up to incredible multiples of the original purchase price. Concepts like "flip this house" became viable. People had a guaranteed increase in value built into the house because it would appreciate during the scant months while they owned the house. I grew up in Dayton but my first 'career' job was in Silicon Valley so I saw that contrast between plentiful land and bounded land first-hand. The Bay Area is an extreme example of this kind of effect. Great weather, great economy and a reputation as "the place you come to make it" all created a a huge population inflow into the valley. But Silicon Valley itself is physically hemmed in by the bay on the north and mountains on all other sides. Similar for the entire peninsula and the east bay. And the Bay Area had the first instance of housing hyper-inflation in the US, well before other coastal areas.
September 5, 200816 yr www.kentnewsnet.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2008/09/05/Opinion/Our-View.Shaking.Off.The.Sprawl-3416658.shtml]Our view: shaking off the sprawl[/url] Daily Kent Stater editorial board Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: Opinion A standing-room only crowd gathered in Kent's city hall chambers Tuesday night for the Planning Commission's meeting to decide if a new Sheetz was worthy of coming to a prime location downtown. The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.
September 5, 200816 yr If a Sheetz meets all of Kent's building and zoning codes at that location, then the building and zoning codes need to be thrown out and rewritten. Of course, that applies to most cities in Ohio. Most zoning codes were rotten, boilerplate language and impose standards that contradict the way those cities developed. The zoning codes are suburban in nature, and they make dense downtowns illegal. The codes are designed for cars.
September 9, 200816 yr www.kentnewsnet.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2008/09/08/News/Local.Artists.Feel.Brushed.Aside-3419029.shtml]Local artists feel brushed aside[/url] New Sheetz construction threatens residents who live at planned site John Hitch Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: News Artist Bob Wood slides a paper towel across his mylar-encased paintings, pushing the raindrops off his nude figures and smiling families sprawled across his display table at the Black Squirrel Festival. Contact public affairs reporter John Hitch at [email protected].
September 9, 200816 yr Kent State appeals to students who seek small-town charm while still being able to enjoy the benefits of suburban life. We are not the University of Akron. We do not need hints of city-life greeting us at every corner. You want suburban life, buddy, you got it. That's what the new Sheetz gas station is. A suburban sprawling gas station fueling suburban sprawl vehicles. The art gallery was the city-life greeting you at the corner. How do people not realize the difference here?
September 9, 200816 yr ^I hated that comment. I didn't choose Kent State because of its "suburban" atmosphere, I chose it because of its architecture program (which is irrelevant now that I changed my major). I wish that it were more like Akron's campus, at least they have things to do that are within walking distance. I think that the author should have stuck with the small-town charm comment, that is more appealing than the "benefits" of the suburbs.
September 9, 200816 yr I don't think the guy realized that small town charm and city life (especially when that city life is in a city neighborhood other than the CBD) have MUCH more in common than suburban life.
September 9, 200816 yr ^ Very good point. Somebody (X, I think) mentioned that there are articles about how suburbanites and urbanites increasingly have trouble seeing eye-to-eye, while the mindset of this forum shows that urbanites do appreciate truly rural lifestyles and small towns outside of exurbia.
September 12, 200816 yr Unfortunately, some of the neighborhoods being overwhelmed are the historically integrated neighborhoods.
September 12, 200816 yr “They don’t understand that when you pull up to someone’s house, you don’t blow the horn – you get out and knock on the door. You don’t let your dogs roam free in your yard. You don’t have your music blaring at night. You don’t have your car up on blocks,” says Taylor, who himself grew up in a family on Section 8 and who now owns a home in Kennedy Heights. This p*sses me off! You shouldn't live like that in the inner city either! What makes suburbanites think they are so special?
September 19, 200816 yr People still get out and knock on the door? The thing to do now is call the person you are picking up's cell phone. :evil:
October 21, 200816 yr EPA Faulted On Waterway Pollution From Sprawl Web Produced By: Neil Relyea Email: [email protected] Last Update: 10/16 5:21 am http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/localshows/living_green_two/story.aspx?content_id=2a3dfc98-43a0-4be1-a142-89b846a70d81 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Environmental Protection Agency is failing to stem the pollution washing into waterways from cities and suburbs, the National Academy of Sciences reported Wednesday. The report's authors urged "radical changes" in how the federal government regulates stormwater runoff so that all waters are clean enough for fishing and swimming. "The take-home message is the program as it has been implemented in the last 18 to 20 years has largely been a failure," said Xavier Swamikannu, one of the authors and the head of Los Angeles' stormwater program for the California Environmental Protection Agency.
October 21, 200816 yr While urban areas cover only 3 percent of the U.S., it is estimated that their runoff is the primary source of pollution in 13 percent of rivers, 18 percent of lakes and 32 percent of estuaries. Pretty remarkable. I've been saying it for a long time, but it's well past time that cities charge property owners based on the square footage of impervious surfaces on them. I'm sick of subsidizing the storm sewer costs incurred by all those big boxes stores and oversized parking lots. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 23, 200816 yr Sort of related, I will try to post a link if I can find it. When I was down in Baltimore in the spring there was an article in the Sun about how the city was trying to clean up the harbor. They were going after trash runoff (oil, chemicals and silt are another issue) by stringing nets across most of the tributaries and the had a special barge that would go and collect the trash. The barge looked like a shack on pontoons with a conveyor belt that went down into the water to pull the trash inside. It was a neat idea to tackle the problem of what the city considered an eyesore of floating trash after spending all that money on the inner Harbor.
November 15, 200816 yr The Tysons Lunch Bunch More Traffic At Midday Than in Morning By Eric M. Weiss Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, October 24, 2008; B01 So many workers drive to lunch in Tysons Corner that it has created a third rush hour during the middle of the day that actually exceeds the morning rush. Having so many of the approximately 115,000 Tysons workers on the road, often driving less than a mile to grab a sandwich, is complicating construction plans for a Metrorail extension and Capital Beltway toll lanes that will rip up the streets around the area. An analysis of traffic counts shows more than 23,000 vehicles on the major Tysons thoroughfares, routes 7 and 123, between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., surpassing the morning rush by 24 percent. Things are so bad that traffic planners are introducing a lunchtime shuttle to try to get some of the vehicles off the road. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102303483_pf.html
November 15, 200816 yr A true solution can be elusive in a place where almost everything has to be done by car on just a few streets. And for those who would like to leave their vehicles behind, the prospect of trying to dodge the whizzing traffic on foot can be daunting, even dangerous. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102303483_pf.html A true solution might be something like PACKING A DAMN LUNCH!
November 15, 200816 yr Packing a damn lunch is bad for the dining industry. But then, so are insane development patterns that make walking unfeasible. In Tysons Corner, or Polaris, people are likely to measure distances in miles, or half-miles, instead of "blocks" because there are no blocks. If there are no blocks, it's hostile to predestrians. Paid for by the Bipedal Board to Bring Back Blocks.
November 15, 200816 yr Polaris east of Orion (Westerville's slice of the glory) has an interesting development policy whereby developers pay for sidewalks, which results in sidewalks that start and stop every few hundred yards. An exception to this is Gemini parkway, north of Polaris and slightly west of I-71 which I suppose was a compromise for installing an exit primarily to accommodate a single (now defunct) developer. This area has sidewalks more or less from the old Germain Amphitheatre, over the overpass, and all the way to Lyra Drive where a narrow concrete strip sort of leads to the Costco. The strangest thing I've seen out that way was the (one) occasion I saw people actually using the sidewalks; I could figure out neither where they had come from or where they were going. My best guess is that they ran out of gas somewhere. WELCOME TO POLARIS! NOW GET BACK IN YOUR VEHICLE.
November 15, 200816 yr Polaris east of Orion (Westerville's slice of the glory) has an interesting development policy whereby developers pay for sidewalks, which results in sidewalks that start and stop every few hundred yards. An exception to this is Gemini parkway, north of Polaris and slightly west of I-71 which I suppose was a compromise for installing an exit primarily to accommodate a single (now defunct) developer. This area has sidewalks more or less from the old Germain Amphitheatre, over the overpass, and all the way to Lyra Drive where a narrow concrete strip sort of leads to the Costco. The strangest thing I've seen out that way was the (one) occasion I saw people actually using the sidewalks; I could figure out neither where they had come from or where they were going. My best guess is that they ran out of gas somewhere. WELCOME TO POLARIS! NOW GET BACK IN YOUR VEHICLE. That graphic is hilarious. I think Polaris is a prime example of this. It's funny - only a few months ago, gas was 4 dollars a gallon and certainly a lot of people were claiming this would be the end of sprawl. Now, I go outside and see that gas is 1.77 so the ridiculousness still ensues. This isn't just cheaper gas, this is ridiculously cheap gas with a price that reminds me of my childhood! Especially when you factor in inflation. Four months ago we were all assuming that this would finally be the end of sprawl but clearly, it isn't yet. I can't believe what a volatile commodity oil is. I think it's time for the government to take action and at least provide some stability in gas prices. When it's low like this - tax it. When it surges to 4.50 a gallon, subsidize it to provide some relief. Of course the government and citizens wouldn't go for that especially during a financial crisis when we need all the relief we can get. But if you look at historical graphs of gasoline prices, it does go up more than it goes down, even if it is waves. I think bringing stability and a gradual increase in gasoline prices would be an effective way to make that transition into a more urbanized, pedestrian-friendly, public transit-oriented society or at least stimulate growth in alternative energies. I don't know if it would be political suicide or if it could ever get passed in the first place but it's obvious that OPEC has the potential to set us up for a major cultural and economic disaster. I thought the lunch break story was interesting because Americans are dead set on eating out, particularly at lunch. I'm not sure how it is in other countries but in the U.S. there is definitely this assumption that going to Panera, Chipotle, McDonalds etcetera is much more convenient than taking the time to make your own food. But when you think about the amount of time it takes to get to the restaurant and order your food, plus the gas it requires, plus the cost of the food caused by an establishment's own food cost/overhead, is it really worth it? It is such an American tradition to drive to any given restaurant for lunch or dinner, even just to get take-out food.
November 15, 200816 yr This is true for the suburbs, whicy Tyson's Corner is. I know you could think of the Beachwood Chagrin/271 or Richmond & Cedar Roads area's in the same vein. I know my mom, drives to Beachwood or Shaker Square (when she could take the train) for lunch. My cousin lives in Beachwood just north of the Pavillon Strip Mall and works on Commerce. His lazy ass drives to work although he could easily walk. People who work in the city/CBD, typical drive/commute in and walk to lunch venues.
November 17, 200816 yr ^ Here in Daytoon there is a lot of traffic in the Dayton Mall and Fairfield Mall areas (which have quite a bit of office development not just retail) during lunchtime..its actually somewhat congested mid-day. I figure that a lot of this is eating out, and this article sort of confirms this. Not necessarily eating out, but the situation has gotten so bad at the local Chick-fil-ay that cars (SUVs and vans, mostly) are backing up out on to OH 725 (major highway) from their drive through. There is just something lemming-like to wait in what amounts to a store-specific traffic jam just to get drive-through food. Why not just park and walk inside?
November 17, 200816 yr There is just something lemming-like to wait in what amounts to a store-specific traffic jam just to get drive-through food. Why not just park and walk inside? That would be asking entirely too much from the SUV and Minivan crowd.
November 17, 200816 yr There is just something lemming-like to wait in what amounts to a store-specific traffic jam just to get drive-through food. Why not just park and walk inside? That would be asking entirely too much from the SUV and Minivan crowd. I agree. I amazes me that my cousin actually takes his car out of the garage to drive 500/600 yards. When he could walk - in almost a straight line - from his house to his office.
November 17, 200816 yr I'd call your cousin a walking heart attack, but he doesn't walk. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 17, 200816 yr I'd call your cousin a walking heart attack, but he doesn't walk. The irony, he's someone that works out, and is very active. I would venture to say, his walk would be less that the walk from the Tower City to City Hall. The kicker is he drives to lunch! I'm like, "you could just go home for lunch. Do you know how much money you could save?" It's like talking to a brick wall. I sometime don't know how we could be related...then my grandfather pops into my head! First the tacky 70's beachwood house plus the big as yacht of a SUV to drive 500 yrds. They are just a mess! :|
November 17, 200816 yr The other thing I find puzzling about traffic jams at teh Chick-Fil-Ay drive through is that their stuff is so-so. I still prefer KFC original recipe for fast food chicken.
November 17, 200816 yr So my fat, lazy, idiot roommate was watching Tyra or Oprah or one of those stupid shows the other day and the topic was obese teens. I spoke up and said that I hate how fat and lazy Americans are (then I looked directly at her hoping she'd take the hint.) She didn't get it and instead shot back this doozy: "Oh, I know. Americans are so fat. But I think Americans would be less fat if Subways had Drive-Thrus because then American's could choose the healthy option." I asked why people could just get out of their cars and walk inside and she went on about convenience and saving an extra minutes blah, blah blah... The conversation degraded itself quite quickly and I just decided to leave. It drives me insane how stubborn people can be on the dumbest topics.
November 18, 200816 yr "Oh, I know. Americans are so fat. But I think Americans would be less fat if Subways had Drive-Thrus because then American's could choose the healthy option." LMAO. That is some funny stuff. Please tell me that you made it up, that is one scary train of thought.
November 18, 200816 yr Oh nooooo, I'm just being melodramatic when I say I weep for the future! :roll: clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
November 18, 200816 yr "Oh, I know. Americans are so fat. But I think Americans would be less fat if Subways had Drive-Thrus because then American's could choose the healthy option." LMAO. That is some funny stuff. Please tell me that you made it up, that is one scary train of thought. She sounds like a person whose entire existence is shaped almost exclusively by TV.
November 18, 200816 yr Oh nooooo, I'm just being melodramatic when I say I weep for the future! ::) AMEN!! AMEN!!
December 10, 200816 yr David Brooks comes out against sprawl? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/opinion/09brooks.html?em Interesting thoughts about the stimulus plans: will they cement old patterns, or create new ones?
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