By Mary MacElveen
January 26, 2010
Have you ever read a newspaper article that left you tearing your hair out, banging your head as you read it and screaming into the atmosphere? Well, last week, one article left me doing just that. It did not deal with larger national and international issues, but a local issue that I have been screaming about for such a long time and that issue is mass transportation. Seriously, I do not know how many key-strokes I have hit in support of better mass transportation here in Suffolk County, NY. My fingers ache at this time.
After reading: Architect urges Long Island build 'walkable places' which was published in last week’s Newsday, all I wanted to do was scream into the atmosphere.
At this point due to the recession and yes foreclosures: Who is fiscally safe to purchase a newly built home, even with the amenities of mass transportation? Given our high tax bracket, high utility rates, high property taxes and such: Who can afford to purchase one of these newly proposed homes? The answer is NO ONE! Within my own community, I have seen home-after-home fall to foreclosure and this architect proposes building more? I am still scratching my head at that notion and idea.
As reported by Newsday in this article: “Nancy Douzinas, president of the Rauch Foundation, which publishes the index. To stimulate ideas, she announced a design contest, "Build a Better Burb," that will offer prizes to professionals, the public and children. The grand prize will be $10,000. Details are to come in March.” Huh? Seriously, I do not understand this prize giveaway. Oh wait! Get children involved who do not understand the complexities of our current real estate market. Give them some crayons and paper and wish them the best. This is the best they can do?
Back in the fifties, many suburbs were created, but what was left out was how to connect each with the other. Yes, we built roadways so that people could drive from one to another. Feel free to Google Robert Moses. But we were short sighted and did not foresee the future where mass transportation would be key within the suburbs. Even now, mass transportation is on the cutting block due to the deficit being felt by each New Yorker. To build new communities and to enhance them with mass transportation is backwards thinking. In my not so humble opinion, enhance mass transportation first.
Due to budget cuts coming from Albany, the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) will suspend transportation between Ronkonkoma and Greenport during the winter months and bring it back online during the summer season. Last Friday: Newsday’s front cover screamed out: “LI’s unemployment rate up again, to 7%” and these bozos want to build new communities? With what money? If 7% are not working, just how can they afford to purchase these new high-density communties?
There are many ‘walkable communities’ already in existence, but without a way of getting people from point A to point B who do not own a car here in Suffolk County and I have been screaming about that for years-upon-years. You see, due a medical condition, I do not drive and must rely on a pathetic mass transportation system here in Suffolk County. Our existing mass transportation system does not operate at night or on Sundays where people do work and shop. We who are at the mercy of this pathetic mass transportation system must take cabs which cost an arm and a leg. If you wish to take a cab from Sound Beach, NY where I live to Miller Place, NY where I work it will cost you $8 bucks as opposed to a bus that costs you a buck fifty each way.
In reading: "Tahchieva said "retrofitting or repairing" suburban sprawl involved "enhancing and revitalizing downtowns." It means making areas that once catered to cars pedestrian friendly: adding sidewalks, landscaping and transforming dangerous intersections, for example, into a town square." Many communities have sidewalks on busy thoroughfares such as Miller Place and Rocky Point, NY. No, they do not need landscaping. What they need are buses in order to get to those communities in order to shop and work. The dangerous intersections are mainly attributed to automobile accidents and not buses. In fact, I work near the intersection of Miller Place road and Route 25A in Miller Place, NY and I can tell you MOST accidents are due to automobile collisions and not buses.
When Tachieva stated: "So much depends on design. You can achieve very high densities with buildings that don't look scary." I feel this is putting the cart before the horse. We first need mass transportation instead of entire communities being built which at this time do not have the fiscal dollars to support them.
Those who are proponents of these high density communities must ask themselves: If we build them, will they come?
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
This is copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of it, please email the author for permission.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Those without healthcare should make it a point to die on the Capitol Steps
By Mary MacElveen
January 22, 2010
As I sat staring at this image of corpses from Haiti which have horrified and have captivated us so, many thoughts came to mind seeing how any healthcare reform has died in our country. While I do not wish to politicize the deaths in Haiti, it will not hold me back from politicizing deaths that occur here in the United States due to a person’s lack of health insurance.
Let’s face it, health care for ONE and ALL is dead in this country. We will never-ever have universal healthcare. The politicians failed we the people. Not that that phrase “we the people” means anything anymore given the fact that the Supreme Court gave unbridled powers to the corporations of this country in their most recent decision.
We are no longer “we the people” but merely customers of this new country if one can call it that with corporations calling the shots from now on. They with their deep-deep pockets will decide for you and me who will represent us in any seat clear across this country. Oops, did I say represent us? No, I mean represent them. We are from now on are drones of the state.
Will these corporations care who dies from a lack of healthcare? No, they will not. They will only care of their bottom line. The all-might dollar: And that is if it survives into the future given the fact that other economies around the globe have surpassed ours. They have a lot of catching up to do.
The latest estimates have been that 40,000 or so have been buried in mass graves in Haiti due to this earthquake and I find that figure interesting given the fact that it is estimated that the same number dies each year due a lack of health insurance in this country.
Do politicians and celebrities have to see the pictures of the uninsured to finally get it? Do these uninsured people have to die in the open for anyone to give a damn?!
Given the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court gave these unbridled powers to the corporations without any protest coming from the American people, those without health insurance should make it a point to die on the Capitol Steps right at the politician’s feet. That to me would be the ultimate protest. Make sure you can die when both houses are in session.
You may be thinking, she has finally lost it meaning me, but I am serious in my suggestion that ALL who know they are going to die and cannot be cured due to a lack of insurance stipulate in their wills (if they can afford them) their remains be placed on the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It may be illegal, but think of all the illegality that has gone on within that city throughout the decades.
Maybe, just maybe several mass graves have to be dug right here in the United States of America to drive home the point to the American people and especially our newly bought politicians. Hmm, who is the Senator for Aetna? Ah, yes, Senator Joe Lieberman. As for Lieberman: You are no longer a person held in great regard where your vote is of any importance. Senator-elect Scott Brown is. Take that.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
January 22, 2010
As I sat staring at this image of corpses from Haiti which have horrified and have captivated us so, many thoughts came to mind seeing how any healthcare reform has died in our country. While I do not wish to politicize the deaths in Haiti, it will not hold me back from politicizing deaths that occur here in the United States due to a person’s lack of health insurance.
Let’s face it, health care for ONE and ALL is dead in this country. We will never-ever have universal healthcare. The politicians failed we the people. Not that that phrase “we the people” means anything anymore given the fact that the Supreme Court gave unbridled powers to the corporations of this country in their most recent decision.
We are no longer “we the people” but merely customers of this new country if one can call it that with corporations calling the shots from now on. They with their deep-deep pockets will decide for you and me who will represent us in any seat clear across this country. Oops, did I say represent us? No, I mean represent them. We are from now on are drones of the state.
Will these corporations care who dies from a lack of healthcare? No, they will not. They will only care of their bottom line. The all-might dollar: And that is if it survives into the future given the fact that other economies around the globe have surpassed ours. They have a lot of catching up to do.
The latest estimates have been that 40,000 or so have been buried in mass graves in Haiti due to this earthquake and I find that figure interesting given the fact that it is estimated that the same number dies each year due a lack of health insurance in this country.
Do politicians and celebrities have to see the pictures of the uninsured to finally get it? Do these uninsured people have to die in the open for anyone to give a damn?!
Given the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court gave these unbridled powers to the corporations without any protest coming from the American people, those without health insurance should make it a point to die on the Capitol Steps right at the politician’s feet. That to me would be the ultimate protest. Make sure you can die when both houses are in session.
You may be thinking, she has finally lost it meaning me, but I am serious in my suggestion that ALL who know they are going to die and cannot be cured due to a lack of insurance stipulate in their wills (if they can afford them) their remains be placed on the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It may be illegal, but think of all the illegality that has gone on within that city throughout the decades.
Maybe, just maybe several mass graves have to be dug right here in the United States of America to drive home the point to the American people and especially our newly bought politicians. Hmm, who is the Senator for Aetna? Ah, yes, Senator Joe Lieberman. As for Lieberman: You are no longer a person held in great regard where your vote is of any importance. Senator-elect Scott Brown is. Take that.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Help Haiti’s earthquake survivors by donating to the Red Cross
By Mary MacElveen
January 13, 2010
As a writer who follows earthquakes and at times refers to myself as an arm-chair seismologist, I was devastated to hear of the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday afternoon. What amazed me was that it was followed by fifteen aftershocks: One measuring a 5.9 on the Richter Scale. That measurement alone is the size and scope of most earthquakes.
This lone earthquake was the most powerful one to hit this region in over 200 years. As I have been looking at the U.S.G.S. page for a year now, the region has been active with seismic activity. Puerto Rico has succumbed to tremors throughout this past year. In essence, I was not totally surprised this earthquake hit.
As we in the United States think of our growing poor, Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere where 80 percent of their population live below poverty and where they have a 57 percent illiteracy rate. In 2008 it suffered multiple hurricanes and it begs the question: Now this?
In my prior piece where I discussed earthquakes being a scientific event and nothing more, I brought up the recent earthquake to hit California. Thankfully the damage was not as severe as many think the Haitian one will turn out to be. One of the main reasons is the structures where people live and work. In California they have code requirements where buildings have a high probability rate to withstand powerful quakes and protect the people. Many Haitians live in buildings that are less-superior and are decimated when earthquakes and hurricanes occur. Many Haitians live in shanty-towns where no such codes exist. You would think so, given the fact this country sits on top of a fault line. But, they are a poor nation and cannot afford such building materials. They must use their rainforest in order to heat and build their homes.
Many here in the United States visit our White House where our president lives and in Haiti, their presidential palace lay crumbled to the ground. In watching CNN and seeing that photo, it spoke volumes to me.
As I was flipping around the channels, the only station to cover this event in the 10 PM time-slot was CNN with Anderson Cooper at the helm. Then again, Cooper did so when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and Mississippi. After signing off of his show, he was headed to Haiti to cover the aftermath of this devastating earthquake. Folks, to me that is journalism at its finest.
Anderson Cooper and CNN could have chosen to cover the book “Game Change” a book of gossip, but they did not in this hour. They chose to do the news and the news is for connecting we as a people. The news is supposed to be to help us understand the plight and suffering of others when we think we have nothing. Given Haiti’s poverty rate, they are a suffering people.
As the day light breaks in the morning, we do not know how many died in this quake or how many more will be recorded in the days and weeks after. This is where we as Americans can come to their aid by digging into our pockets, coin-jars, wallets, or what have you and help the people of Haiti by donating to the Red Cross. Their number is: 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575.
You can reach the author at this email address, xmjmac@optonline.net
January 13, 2010
As a writer who follows earthquakes and at times refers to myself as an arm-chair seismologist, I was devastated to hear of the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday afternoon. What amazed me was that it was followed by fifteen aftershocks: One measuring a 5.9 on the Richter Scale. That measurement alone is the size and scope of most earthquakes.
This lone earthquake was the most powerful one to hit this region in over 200 years. As I have been looking at the U.S.G.S. page for a year now, the region has been active with seismic activity. Puerto Rico has succumbed to tremors throughout this past year. In essence, I was not totally surprised this earthquake hit.
As we in the United States think of our growing poor, Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere where 80 percent of their population live below poverty and where they have a 57 percent illiteracy rate. In 2008 it suffered multiple hurricanes and it begs the question: Now this?
In my prior piece where I discussed earthquakes being a scientific event and nothing more, I brought up the recent earthquake to hit California. Thankfully the damage was not as severe as many think the Haitian one will turn out to be. One of the main reasons is the structures where people live and work. In California they have code requirements where buildings have a high probability rate to withstand powerful quakes and protect the people. Many Haitians live in buildings that are less-superior and are decimated when earthquakes and hurricanes occur. Many Haitians live in shanty-towns where no such codes exist. You would think so, given the fact this country sits on top of a fault line. But, they are a poor nation and cannot afford such building materials. They must use their rainforest in order to heat and build their homes.
Many here in the United States visit our White House where our president lives and in Haiti, their presidential palace lay crumbled to the ground. In watching CNN and seeing that photo, it spoke volumes to me.
As I was flipping around the channels, the only station to cover this event in the 10 PM time-slot was CNN with Anderson Cooper at the helm. Then again, Cooper did so when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and Mississippi. After signing off of his show, he was headed to Haiti to cover the aftermath of this devastating earthquake. Folks, to me that is journalism at its finest.
Anderson Cooper and CNN could have chosen to cover the book “Game Change” a book of gossip, but they did not in this hour. They chose to do the news and the news is for connecting we as a people. The news is supposed to be to help us understand the plight and suffering of others when we think we have nothing. Given Haiti’s poverty rate, they are a suffering people.
As the day light breaks in the morning, we do not know how many died in this quake or how many more will be recorded in the days and weeks after. This is where we as Americans can come to their aid by digging into our pockets, coin-jars, wallets, or what have you and help the people of Haiti by donating to the Red Cross. Their number is: 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575.
You can reach the author at this email address, xmjmac@optonline.net
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Earthquakes are a scientific event and nothing more
By Mary MacElveen
January 10, 2010
Today, an earthquake registering a 6.5 on the Richter scale, hit Northern California where little damage occurred. Why I write of this event is that it blared out at me as I logged onto my AOL account. The fonts were oh so big. Yet, yet, I have not seen similar headlines calling anyone’s attention to the myriad of earthquakes that have hit lately in the South Pacific. The seismic scales of those earthquakes were similar and even bigger. Yes, I do follow the seismic events that occur around the planet through the U.S.G.S. Just call me your arm-chair seismologist since the earth’s movements fascinate me so.
When it comes to the South Pacific region, earthquakes there as compared to the ones that hit us here in the United States; it is as if the ones in the S. Pacific region do not exist when the media reports of them. The plate tectonics in that area are as volatile as the ones in Northern California. Can anyone spell Krakatoa or Anak Krakatoa?
As a writer who hones in on what commenter’s post to any story, my curiosity got the better of me to read what was being commented on this one scientific event.
Not surprisingly, the prophesy angle came into play where some mentioned December 21, 2012 (the supposed end of the world according to the Mayan Calendar) and where others just had to get in their political jabs. This is why I adore letters to the editors of different newspapers so we do not have to hear of who is to blame or what prophesy to adhere to. This earthquake was a scientific event as all earthquakes are.
While the eye-witness testimonies to this one particular earthquake are unsettling to the nerves where one’s china is fractured, let us remember that a few years ago, the real China was hit by a far larger earthquake. That lone earthquake hit that region and according to Wikipedia: “69,197 are confirmed dead, including 68,636 in Sichuan province, and 374,176 injured, with 18,222 listed as missing.[7] The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless,[15] though the number could be as high as 11 million.[16] Approximately 15 million people lived in the affected area. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake,” Those statistics are something to ponder on in the wake of this earthquake. It could have been worse.
One reason why so much loss of life is that the structures those Chinese citizens lived/live in do not measure up to present day earthquake codes as demanded in Northern California. The same thing can be said for the earthquake that hit in Italy last year. The buildings they lived/live in crumble to the ground as ours pretty much stay in place due to code requirements. So, if one gripes of politicians and the codes they implement, they should thank their lucky stars that the buildings they live and work in survive as opposed to the buildings in other regions of the world.
So, please leave out the prophesy angle and the political comments to these stories as people are left wandering around trying to figure out how they will survive earthquakes wherever they live. As some of you busily type on your keyboards commenting to these differing stories proposing prophesies and political jabs, scores can and have been killed, screaming from underneath the rubble and frankly wondering how they will make it into the future.
Earthquakes are only doing what the earth does naturally. It reshapes itself through constant movement and nothing more. It is up to us as to how to deal with earthquakes, prepare for them in hopes of saving human lives.
Author’s email address is xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author for permission.
January 10, 2010
Today, an earthquake registering a 6.5 on the Richter scale, hit Northern California where little damage occurred. Why I write of this event is that it blared out at me as I logged onto my AOL account. The fonts were oh so big. Yet, yet, I have not seen similar headlines calling anyone’s attention to the myriad of earthquakes that have hit lately in the South Pacific. The seismic scales of those earthquakes were similar and even bigger. Yes, I do follow the seismic events that occur around the planet through the U.S.G.S. Just call me your arm-chair seismologist since the earth’s movements fascinate me so.
When it comes to the South Pacific region, earthquakes there as compared to the ones that hit us here in the United States; it is as if the ones in the S. Pacific region do not exist when the media reports of them. The plate tectonics in that area are as volatile as the ones in Northern California. Can anyone spell Krakatoa or Anak Krakatoa?
As a writer who hones in on what commenter’s post to any story, my curiosity got the better of me to read what was being commented on this one scientific event.
Not surprisingly, the prophesy angle came into play where some mentioned December 21, 2012 (the supposed end of the world according to the Mayan Calendar) and where others just had to get in their political jabs. This is why I adore letters to the editors of different newspapers so we do not have to hear of who is to blame or what prophesy to adhere to. This earthquake was a scientific event as all earthquakes are.
While the eye-witness testimonies to this one particular earthquake are unsettling to the nerves where one’s china is fractured, let us remember that a few years ago, the real China was hit by a far larger earthquake. That lone earthquake hit that region and according to Wikipedia: “69,197 are confirmed dead, including 68,636 in Sichuan province, and 374,176 injured, with 18,222 listed as missing.[7] The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless,[15] though the number could be as high as 11 million.[16] Approximately 15 million people lived in the affected area. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake,” Those statistics are something to ponder on in the wake of this earthquake. It could have been worse.
One reason why so much loss of life is that the structures those Chinese citizens lived/live in do not measure up to present day earthquake codes as demanded in Northern California. The same thing can be said for the earthquake that hit in Italy last year. The buildings they lived/live in crumble to the ground as ours pretty much stay in place due to code requirements. So, if one gripes of politicians and the codes they implement, they should thank their lucky stars that the buildings they live and work in survive as opposed to the buildings in other regions of the world.
So, please leave out the prophesy angle and the political comments to these stories as people are left wandering around trying to figure out how they will survive earthquakes wherever they live. As some of you busily type on your keyboards commenting to these differing stories proposing prophesies and political jabs, scores can and have been killed, screaming from underneath the rubble and frankly wondering how they will make it into the future.
Earthquakes are only doing what the earth does naturally. It reshapes itself through constant movement and nothing more. It is up to us as to how to deal with earthquakes, prepare for them in hopes of saving human lives.
Author’s email address is xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author for permission.
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