RIP, Jane Jacobs

So this is old news, I realize. But I thought I'd take a minute to say something about Jane Jacobs, who died earlier this week.
Jane Jacobs wrote a slim little book called The Death and Life of Great American Cities. If you haven't read it, I urge you with all possible speed to go out and get it.
One of the little things you may not know about BBD is that among our other skills (bong cleaning, advanced Marsology, political ranting) there's a degree in Urban Studies lying around somewhere. And if you have come even within 100 yards of an Urbanist (which I suppose is what one is when one has the degree, although perhaps just Urbane?) you'll find out that Jane Jacobs is the mother of us all. She is that to which everyone else is reacting.
There are not so many people about whom you can say, "this one person changed the world," but she was one. She changed the way that the environment around us is planned and constructed. What she posessed, as far as I can tell, was the ability to see things that are obvious, and explain them in a way that can be understood. Harder than you think.
What was it that she said? Well, you should really go read for yourself (she's Readable and Witty, btw) but basically, it goes like this:
What makes cities great is people. Specifically, a mix of people. A mix of people interacting and intermingling. It is life on the street and the sidewalk and in public that makes a city a city. Anyting that isolates people, stratifies cities, keeps people apart or sanitized or smoothes out unpredictability is bad. No to empty lawns and yes to hanging out on the stoop.

Oh yeah, and she stopped Robert Moses from building a highway through Greenwich Village.

Scotty McPuffy is Out!

(of his job, that is.)

I would celebrate since I hate hate hate that lying, smirking, puffy sack of shit, but I know they'll find someone just as disgusting and repugnant to replace him.

Turdblossom Rove has also lost one of his positions, but it doesn't really matter. His power is based on his access, not his title.

As a site note, I'm at a new job where I am actually expected to work. This is going to seriously effect my blogging time (which was already being affected by this whole "working" thing). Hopefully in a few weeks once I understand what I am doing here I will get back up to speed. Apologies, however. Believe me that I would rather blog than work.

On this day

in 1865, also a Good Friday, Abraham Lincoln was assisinated by John Wilkes Booth. Yes, the Christ comparisons have been made. But know that if not for this one act, the course of history would have been different. And better.

gruuchhgggaaAAAGGGHHHHKKKKAAA!!!!

That is the sound, as far as I can transcribe it, that your soul makes when it is wrenched out of your body and dangled in front of your bloody, now soul-less husk of a standing corspe, rather like when Dick Casablancas ripped Logan's head off and pulled his spine out and showed it to him (on the Playstation). That is the sound that I made upon coming across this in The Note:

...the President should be awfully glad that Election Day was not conducted last Saturday through Tuesday, which are the precise dates of the new Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll, which shows that if the election were held those days, things might not have turned out so well for Mr. Bush.

According to the poll, Massachusetts Senator John Forbes Kerry(distinguished war hero, former prosecutor, loving husband and father, owner of homes in many nice places, the man who caught Noriega with his bare hands and on his own passed several vital fishery and hatchery laws — that John F. Kerry) would beat George Walker Bush in a rematch by ten points. (emphasis mine, read it here)

Why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why whywhywhywhwhywhywhy?

I invite you to transcribe the sound you made when you read that in the comments.

And this is before he became the "Leaker in Chief"

More falling poll numbers. Read about it here.

The best parts?
"A majority of registered voters, 55 percent, say they plan to vote for the Democratic candidate in their House district, while 40 percent support the Republican candidate. That is the largest share of the electorate favoring Democrats in Post-ABC polls since the mid-1980s."

Or how about this? "Calls to impeach Bush are not resonating beyond Democratic partisans. One-third of Americans, including a majority of Democrats (55 percent), favor impeaching Bush and removing him from office. But more than nine in 10 Republicans and two-thirds of independents oppose impeachment."

Now the WaPo wants that to sound like only crazy moonbats (oh - btw - "moonbats" is apparently what They call us - the same way we call Them "wingnuts.") are talking about impeachment. But, um, 1/3 of ALL Americans favor impeachment? WTF? How is this not news? That's a lot of damn people. Hello?? It's certainly more people than want a constitutional ammendment banning abortion, or any of that ultra evangelical BS but we gotta hear about their shit all day, and pretend that it isn't extreme and crazy time. But you're telling me 1/3 of the entire country wants to impeach this joker and that's only "Democratic partisans"? Puh-leez.

If I get to it later, Italian elections.

Oh look it's 4:20 and a beautiful day. Too bad I'm at work.

April 10 Demos

April 10th is the National Day for Immigrant's Rights. There will be demonstrations in a lot of cities, yours most likely included. More information here.
Be a part of this, guys. Like we already said, this is one of the few areas where public response and taking to the streets is having some kind of effect on policy. Feel your people power, dudes.

Put a fork in Tom DeLay

Because that fucker is done.

In case reading long stuff is too boring, here's the money shot:

DeLay: I'm going to announce tomorrow (Tuesday) that I'm not running for reelection and that I'm going to leave Congress

You may now get up and do your happy dance.