Albuquerque, I have some good news on the Darwin front. It seems we are not alone in proving our collective unevolved stupidity. I'm talking about the firing guns at midnight thing for New Year's Eve. A quick page or two of Googling shows the practice in Chicago, Fresno, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Los Angeles and, as Dave Barry points out (thanks to whichever ABQ Journal blog entry pointed out that Dave has a blog, yeah!) South Florida. And that's just in this gun crazy country.
Still, this sure sign that Intelligent Design may not be quite intelligent enough isn't made any easier by the sheer fact that there are incredibly stupid people elsewhere on Earth. Come to the South Valley of Albuquerque around 11:50 P.M. tonight and you'll leave (dead or alive) with the sure aural knowledge that the SV has more than its share of drunks with a poor grasp of physics and fully automatic weapons.
Some folks advise, as Dave Barry points out, that the Science-deprived direct the guns downward instead of up when firing. My personal suggestion is to speed up the Darwinian process. Point them at each other and at the shooters themselves. This takes care of the problem on many levels, and besides the revelers were probably out of Old Milwaukee anyway.
Celebrate well tonight, have fun, dance between the falling bullets. See you in 2006....only 301 days until Heather v. Patsy...I can hardly wait.
Breaking/Developing Time-Wasting Web Surf Update: I've been spending far too much time this early afternoon checking out NPOVs (Neutral Point-of-View Violations) at Wikipedia, and trying to find the most absurdly controversial 'pedia entry subject. So far my favorite is "Pooh's Hunny Hunt", a ride at a Disneyland, Tokyo. I have no idea why this is considered controversial, but I did get motion sickness reading the ride description. My 2nd choice so far is the entry for the "Association for Renaissance Martial Arts" which includes the hyper-sensitive mega-contentious phrase "Director John Clements has been called the 'most controversial person in the Western Martial Arts community'". Now that's saying something. I don't know what the hell it is, but it is saying something. Something evidently very important to bearded British guys considered too geeky for membership in the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Again, the site is Wikipedia's NPOV page...hours of free 'pedia infotainment (and possibly misinfotainment) there. Maybe we could invent a new form of Fictionary/Balderdash for New Year's Eve where instead of a big-ass word in the dictionary you could pick a Wikipedia NPOV entry and either guess just what the hell the organization/person/thing does, or what the organization/person/things terribly important controversy is. Just an idea for those NYE parties tonight before the drinks kick in and things are a bit slow.
Okay, off to Kurosawa's Seven Samurai at the Guild. My butt is hurting just thinking of 3 hours and 26 minutes of Guild seating time, but it's gonna hurt so cinematically good!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
A Meditation Upon Cell Phones
The New Mexican reports that SF police have written 1,898 citations for drivers using cell phones. Unfortunately the penalty is not death, merely $101. I'm telling you, if SF just took one or two of these violators to the plaza for a public be-handing (that's cutting off the hands...what do they call it in Saudi Arabia?) the only violators would be the cocaine level addicts like those two off-duty police officers in Espanola. And yes we all know cocaine level cell phone addicts. I propose that NM spend some of the supposed gas/oil windfall on a set of regional cell phone recovery centers, 12 steps and all...or a series of public be-handings, either one works for me.
Cell phones. I'm trying to think of a technological advance in the last 100 years I despise more, but I'm drawing a blank. Drum machines...okay, drum machines are right up there. Muzak, now that I think about it. Speaking of muzak...why is it considered perfectly acceptable for all offices and restaurants to play absolutely crappy music (Christmas especially) all the time? Terrible music, grandmas getting run over by reindeer and worse. Yet, if one, say me for instance, asks the waitress to either change the station or turn it down I am looked upon as a social aural leper ruining the good times of all the patrons who really, really, really want to hear "Baby I'm a Want You" by Bread.
Okay, cell phones have some competition, but if I were in charge....
Since we haven't been using our civil liberties anyway, the Bush Administration has made it an easy leap to living in Nepal for me. What's this got to do with cell phones? Well, back in March King Gyanendra (he's the Bush with better monarchial robes and an Atari Pong-based NSA) , cutoff all the cell phones in the country. Seems they were being used to set up protests against his government. No mention if they were being used while turning left at intersections without using turn signals driving Chevy Surburbans down Nepal's many ten lane intervillage highways.
I, for one, am all for public protests of civil liberty depriving monarchs (e.g. George W. Bush), but have to applaud King Gyanendra for his action regarding cell phones. Somebody had to do something, and engineers don't seem to be working on alternative ideas such as my "Get Smart Cone of Silence" for use with cell phones in public places like the 53 Isleta bus, where in our technologically-deprived non-"Cone of Silence" society I am forced to listen to one-sided conversations like (actual paraphrased overheard spiel of 12/27/05):
"You've lied to me, and now I don't believe you and I'm not coming home. (pause) No, I'm sleeping at my Mother's. (pause) No, you've lied to me again and again, and I don't believe you anymore, no listen to me, the kids aren't coming home, too. (pause) I'm on the bus. (voice rising to levels literally audible by Echelon satellites circling the Earth above Isleta Blvd and Barcelona) You never stop lying to me."
Alright, I just tried to find the official term for the public cutting off of one's hands, and found this quote at Amnesty International from a Saudi Islamic Sharia law enforcement executioner.
"...for me it is more difficult to cut off a hand than to carry out an execution, because executions are done momentarily by the sword and the person leaves this life. By contrast, severing a hand demands more courage, especially because you are cutting off the hand of someone who will remain alive afterwards, and also you have to cut it off at a specific joint and use your skill to make sure that cutting implement stays in position. As I said, it is much more difficult for me to cut off someone's hand than to execute them, both in terms of carrying out the penalty itself and in terms of my own feelings."
I also found out that amputations like this are violations of Article 5 of the United Declaration of Human Rights. Okay, I've calmed down now and kinda see the point of this "human rights" thing. No public be-handings.
But I've looked pretty hard and the Universal Declaration doesn't say anything about this:
Not exactly anyway. Even better, we put a cell phone in their hand while they are in the stocks. Or is that the pillory? You get the point. Good times, medieval 'bro, good times.
Cell phones. I'm trying to think of a technological advance in the last 100 years I despise more, but I'm drawing a blank. Drum machines...okay, drum machines are right up there. Muzak, now that I think about it. Speaking of muzak...why is it considered perfectly acceptable for all offices and restaurants to play absolutely crappy music (Christmas especially) all the time? Terrible music, grandmas getting run over by reindeer and worse. Yet, if one, say me for instance, asks the waitress to either change the station or turn it down I am looked upon as a social aural leper ruining the good times of all the patrons who really, really, really want to hear "Baby I'm a Want You" by Bread.
Okay, cell phones have some competition, but if I were in charge....
Since we haven't been using our civil liberties anyway, the Bush Administration has made it an easy leap to living in Nepal for me. What's this got to do with cell phones? Well, back in March King Gyanendra (he's the Bush with better monarchial robes and an Atari Pong-based NSA) , cutoff all the cell phones in the country. Seems they were being used to set up protests against his government. No mention if they were being used while turning left at intersections without using turn signals driving Chevy Surburbans down Nepal's many ten lane intervillage highways.
I, for one, am all for public protests of civil liberty depriving monarchs (e.g. George W. Bush), but have to applaud King Gyanendra for his action regarding cell phones. Somebody had to do something, and engineers don't seem to be working on alternative ideas such as my "Get Smart Cone of Silence" for use with cell phones in public places like the 53 Isleta bus, where in our technologically-deprived non-"Cone of Silence" society I am forced to listen to one-sided conversations like (actual paraphrased overheard spiel of 12/27/05):
"You've lied to me, and now I don't believe you and I'm not coming home. (pause) No, I'm sleeping at my Mother's. (pause) No, you've lied to me again and again, and I don't believe you anymore, no listen to me, the kids aren't coming home, too. (pause) I'm on the bus. (voice rising to levels literally audible by Echelon satellites circling the Earth above Isleta Blvd and Barcelona) You never stop lying to me."
Alright, I just tried to find the official term for the public cutting off of one's hands, and found this quote at Amnesty International from a Saudi Islamic Sharia law enforcement executioner.
"...for me it is more difficult to cut off a hand than to carry out an execution, because executions are done momentarily by the sword and the person leaves this life. By contrast, severing a hand demands more courage, especially because you are cutting off the hand of someone who will remain alive afterwards, and also you have to cut it off at a specific joint and use your skill to make sure that cutting implement stays in position. As I said, it is much more difficult for me to cut off someone's hand than to execute them, both in terms of carrying out the penalty itself and in terms of my own feelings."
I also found out that amputations like this are violations of Article 5 of the United Declaration of Human Rights. Okay, I've calmed down now and kinda see the point of this "human rights" thing. No public be-handings.
But I've looked pretty hard and the Universal Declaration doesn't say anything about this:
Not exactly anyway. Even better, we put a cell phone in their hand while they are in the stocks. Or is that the pillory? You get the point. Good times, medieval 'bro, good times.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Demonic Children and Other Political Realities
As avid readers of this blog know, and yes I am laughing while typing "avid readers", I am still figuring out who I'm likely to support in the 2008 Presidential race. I can, however, tell you my least favorite candidate this go round. Least favorite to the point that prolonged staring at the creepy photo above from his web page irrevocably convinces me that the demonically smiling kid in red is in fact Damian from The Omen.You can find out more of Sam Brownback's delusional view of himself, and/or find out what a scumbag he is at Anybody But Brownback. Gotta love the photo of that dog. You might remember Brownback was discussed at some length in Thomas Frank's What's the Matter With Kansas, a book worth a re-read these days.
And to respond to an earlier comment, yes I am meditatively chanting the word "Feingold" whenever possible. No nirvanic bliss yet, but I've noticed I'm listening to a ton of Wagner these days. No idea why.
Meanwhile, in more relevantly proximate electoral news, can one of my many "avid readers" convince me to get excited about Patricia Madrid? And no, saying "she can win" isn't what I'm looking for. What's her actual position on getting out of Iraq, for instance? I see that Madrid is scheduled to have a Q&A at the January 5th Democracy for New Mexico monthly meeting. Despite my strong hermitical (new word?) proclivity, I think I'll actually leave the endless web surf to attend. I'll be the scraggly dopey looking guy covering his ears when the stupid questions start.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
A Resolution to Losing Blog Weight
Going on a blog posting diet, featuring dramatic verbiage portion control and 75% fewer adjectives/adverbs.
To wit:
Rode the 53 Isleta bus last night for the first time in months. It was fine, but we gotta lose those cell phones on public transportation. Must lose cell phones. Funniest non-cell phone line of the night:
"Yeah I thought I was over my cold so I went ahead and drank last night, Black Velvet and Coke...man did I get sick, throwing up and shit. Didn't even get drunk, uh, didn't get buzzed, just threw up like crazy, man. Black Velvet and coke. I guess I still have this cold."
And speaking of the word "shit", I am so proud of our local paper of record (yeah, you probably gotta pay for this shit). It's got the "s" word in it, man! Something about those Mobile Home Aryan Nation bomb-storehouse bandit suspects "'doing some crazy shit'" according to an informant. No shit. Okay, I'm being infantile, but this is the first time I remember the Journal rolling that way. Okay, now I'm being infantile and using faux hip lingo. And using excessive adjectives.
But hey, a blog entry in under 750 words. I feel good, I tell ya! I gotta go weigh myself right this second.
To wit:
Rode the 53 Isleta bus last night for the first time in months. It was fine, but we gotta lose those cell phones on public transportation. Must lose cell phones. Funniest non-cell phone line of the night:
"Yeah I thought I was over my cold so I went ahead and drank last night, Black Velvet and Coke...man did I get sick, throwing up and shit. Didn't even get drunk, uh, didn't get buzzed, just threw up like crazy, man. Black Velvet and coke. I guess I still have this cold."
And speaking of the word "shit", I am so proud of our local paper of record (yeah, you probably gotta pay for this shit). It's got the "s" word in it, man! Something about those Mobile Home Aryan Nation bomb-storehouse bandit suspects "'doing some crazy shit'" according to an informant. No shit. Okay, I'm being infantile, but this is the first time I remember the Journal rolling that way. Okay, now I'm being infantile and using faux hip lingo. And using excessive adjectives.
But hey, a blog entry in under 750 words. I feel good, I tell ya! I gotta go weigh myself right this second.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Big Bill in BlogLand
Okay, I admit it, I'm really picky when it comes to politicians. On the subject of New Mexico Governors who might go on to the Presidency, sure...I'd rather that Paul Wellstone was resurrected, moved to an efficiency apartment in Taylor Ranch to meet residency requirements and went from there. And yes, I realize that my Wellstone fantasy has both metaphysical and political hindrances, including recent polls indicating that Big Bill Richardson has a 64% approval rating in New Mexico with 77% approval by those who actually define themself as "Liberal". Still, fantasy or no, there is something about Big Bill that makes me think I'll like him much more when he is much farther away from New Mexico. No, not President, but some high post involving diplomacy in the Kucinich Administration (hey, at least Kucinich isn't literally dead!)
So as a Big Bill Ambivalent at best, I ride in the same garishly outfitted boat with many Republicans and other Blue Meanies. A sickening ride that. I need some Billotivation, some Richmentum, some...something. I figured the best way to better digest the Richardson Kool-Aid was to find some partisan blogs and find out why the Average Jennas and Joes of the world are just so wacky about the guy.
America for Richardson: Started by some Non-New Mexicans (all "facts" taken from the sites involved...caveat blogtor), including someone from my previous residence of Olympia, Washington. Subtitled "Growing the Netroots for Bill Richardson, President 2008", the site is as boring as that title. The site is so boring it could be the school lunch menu page from APS or the Tyra Banks Show. Has the usual stories: old baseball scout writes email saying Big Bill was draftable pitcher, Diane Denish really isn't bothered that much by the touching, reviews of the obligatory "I'm Running for President" book, Between Worlds. The site has user blog and forums capability, but there are very few of either. Rating: This site makes me want to vote for Adlai Stevenson...very milquetoast.
Will the Wolf Survive?: This moribund page was started by one of the guys (the Olympia one) at American for Richardson. It very obviously was started simply because of the cool Los Lobos reference...but the blogmaster has decided to just do stuff over at America for Richardson. It does paint the picture that instead of that stupid Fleetwood Mac song the Clintons used, at least a Richardson Inaguration could have a fairly cool song..but one we will all get sick of quickly. Rating: The Wolf Did Not Survive.
BillRichardsonBlog: Two folks named Ian and Andrea started this blog, which at least has some nice photo art on the banner top. They also are better than the two aforementioned blogs in that they find stuff beyond the "Big Bill Touches Alot" and "Big Bill Pitched Real Good" pablum put out in the mainstream press (although they have that, too). Naturally, everything they find is totally pro-Big Bill, including some anti-Hillary stuff, which is always in good taste. It's a pretty good summation of Big Bill's positions, and I even like some of them (the positions...now where's my 6% teacher pay raise, Big Bill...hand it over!). Rating: still not exciting, but at least puts the idea of reaching for the Kool-Aid into the mind.
Bill Richardson for President 2008 Yahoo Group: A small group of the same hard-cores who started the Richardson for America blog...or was that America for Richardson? The Yahoo Group has 67 members, proving that ANY Yahoo Group could have 67 members, a Howie Mandel "Deal or No Deal" Yahoo Group could have 67 members, easy. Hell, a Yahoo Group dedicated to Howie saying "Open the Case" could get 67. But back to Big Bill. This group is mind-numbingly boring...a condition I am finding rampant in this investigation. Messages from Michiganders trying to get Big Bill to visit because it sucks in Michigan. Like this is a new condition. Like Big Bill could do anything to fix the condition. Rating: Wuh? What...oh, I must have fallen asleep, sorry I drooled on your keyboard...that's alot of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> symbols, ain't it?
Okay, let's face it, all these blogs/groups are so boring as to hardly be worth mentioning. In them I learned basically nothing, except that a very few folks are taking the trouble to start and participate in blogs about Bill Richardson. Perhaps rightly so, it is about 25 months to the 2008 New Hampshire Primary. Still, it's striking that Howard Dean's old web infrastructure, hosted locally by DemocracyforNewMexico is still going strong. Checking around for Wesley Clark, Russ Feingold, Hillary Clinton, etc. shows far more blogging (not that it's interesting in any way) than with Big Bill, and there are plenty of little guy sites (may I interest you in a DraftKucinich2008?) getting traffic. Perhaps this is because the others ran in 2004 and a skeletal blog structure has stayed in place. Maybe it's because Big Bill hasn't announced quite yet, as he has that pesky 2006 Governor's race to get through.
Regardless, I just spent the morning finding out all I could about Big Bill and I'm just as ambivalent about him as ever. For now, when it comes to 2008 I'm sticking with ritual chanting at Paul Wellstone seances. It seems the wisest political choice for me right now.
So as a Big Bill Ambivalent at best, I ride in the same garishly outfitted boat with many Republicans and other Blue Meanies. A sickening ride that. I need some Billotivation, some Richmentum, some...something. I figured the best way to better digest the Richardson Kool-Aid was to find some partisan blogs and find out why the Average Jennas and Joes of the world are just so wacky about the guy.
America for Richardson: Started by some Non-New Mexicans (all "facts" taken from the sites involved...caveat blogtor), including someone from my previous residence of Olympia, Washington. Subtitled "Growing the Netroots for Bill Richardson, President 2008", the site is as boring as that title. The site is so boring it could be the school lunch menu page from APS or the Tyra Banks Show. Has the usual stories: old baseball scout writes email saying Big Bill was draftable pitcher, Diane Denish really isn't bothered that much by the touching, reviews of the obligatory "I'm Running for President" book, Between Worlds. The site has user blog and forums capability, but there are very few of either. Rating: This site makes me want to vote for Adlai Stevenson...very milquetoast.
Will the Wolf Survive?: This moribund page was started by one of the guys (the Olympia one) at American for Richardson. It very obviously was started simply because of the cool Los Lobos reference...but the blogmaster has decided to just do stuff over at America for Richardson. It does paint the picture that instead of that stupid Fleetwood Mac song the Clintons used, at least a Richardson Inaguration could have a fairly cool song..but one we will all get sick of quickly. Rating: The Wolf Did Not Survive.
BillRichardsonBlog: Two folks named Ian and Andrea started this blog, which at least has some nice photo art on the banner top. They also are better than the two aforementioned blogs in that they find stuff beyond the "Big Bill Touches Alot" and "Big Bill Pitched Real Good" pablum put out in the mainstream press (although they have that, too). Naturally, everything they find is totally pro-Big Bill, including some anti-Hillary stuff, which is always in good taste. It's a pretty good summation of Big Bill's positions, and I even like some of them (the positions...now where's my 6% teacher pay raise, Big Bill...hand it over!). Rating: still not exciting, but at least puts the idea of reaching for the Kool-Aid into the mind.
Bill Richardson for President 2008 Yahoo Group: A small group of the same hard-cores who started the Richardson for America blog...or was that America for Richardson? The Yahoo Group has 67 members, proving that ANY Yahoo Group could have 67 members, a Howie Mandel "Deal or No Deal" Yahoo Group could have 67 members, easy. Hell, a Yahoo Group dedicated to Howie saying "Open the Case" could get 67. But back to Big Bill. This group is mind-numbingly boring...a condition I am finding rampant in this investigation. Messages from Michiganders trying to get Big Bill to visit because it sucks in Michigan. Like this is a new condition. Like Big Bill could do anything to fix the condition. Rating: Wuh? What...oh, I must have fallen asleep, sorry I drooled on your keyboard...that's alot of >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> symbols, ain't it?
Okay, let's face it, all these blogs/groups are so boring as to hardly be worth mentioning. In them I learned basically nothing, except that a very few folks are taking the trouble to start and participate in blogs about Bill Richardson. Perhaps rightly so, it is about 25 months to the 2008 New Hampshire Primary. Still, it's striking that Howard Dean's old web infrastructure, hosted locally by DemocracyforNewMexico is still going strong. Checking around for Wesley Clark, Russ Feingold, Hillary Clinton, etc. shows far more blogging (not that it's interesting in any way) than with Big Bill, and there are plenty of little guy sites (may I interest you in a DraftKucinich2008?) getting traffic. Perhaps this is because the others ran in 2004 and a skeletal blog structure has stayed in place. Maybe it's because Big Bill hasn't announced quite yet, as he has that pesky 2006 Governor's race to get through.
Regardless, I just spent the morning finding out all I could about Big Bill and I'm just as ambivalent about him as ever. For now, when it comes to 2008 I'm sticking with ritual chanting at Paul Wellstone seances. It seems the wisest political choice for me right now.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Bill O'Reilly's Terrorist Attack on My Water Heater
Note to self: In the future, don't have your water heater explode on Christmas Eve at 3:00 A.M.
Cost of new water heater: $400.00
Cost of Emergency Installation of Water Heater on a Saturday Christmas Eve: $7,400,000,000.00
Other notes:
Towels used to sop up old water heater flood waters: 7
Paper towels used: 7.4 billion
Name of City Employee who came out at 3:00 A.M. on Christmas Eve to turn my water off (thanks!): Lawrence Rodriguez
Percentage of remaining emergency water storage used to make coffee this morning: 75%
Percentage of remaining emergency water storage used for toilet matters: hey, we live in the South Valley.
Reasons to put Bill O'Reilly in the "headline" of this blog entry:
And lastly, merry holidays from 'Burque Babble, and Bill...Bill O'Reilly? If you agree to pay the installation charge for my new water heater, I'll be happy to change "merry holidays" to "Merry Christmas". More than happy.
Cost of new water heater: $400.00
Cost of Emergency Installation of Water Heater on a Saturday Christmas Eve: $7,400,000,000.00
Other notes:
Towels used to sop up old water heater flood waters: 7
Paper towels used: 7.4 billion
Name of City Employee who came out at 3:00 A.M. on Christmas Eve to turn my water off (thanks!): Lawrence Rodriguez
Percentage of remaining emergency water storage used to make coffee this morning: 75%
Percentage of remaining emergency water storage used for toilet matters: hey, we live in the South Valley.
Reasons to put Bill O'Reilly in the "headline" of this blog entry:
- War/Terror/Christmas...get it? Oh, whatever.
- I've noticed that whenever I put celebrities in my blog entries I get fascinatingly high numbers of strange visitors to my site even weeks/months afterwards. And who doesn't like strange visitors?
And lastly, merry holidays from 'Burque Babble, and Bill...Bill O'Reilly? If you agree to pay the installation charge for my new water heater, I'll be happy to change "merry holidays" to "Merry Christmas". More than happy.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
With a Heave and a Ho: Rail Runner, Final Chapter
Yesterday I mentioned that today I would be writing the definitive word on both commuter rail ("Rail Runner") and light rail in ABQ ("Rapid Transit Project"). Since I tend toward "Das Kapital" length combined with Mad Magazine depth, I'll try to corral the loquaciousness and let loose a few actual facts at least.
Rail Runner and Devilish Details
The relatively easy to implement Phase I of Rail Runner is supposed to start service in March, 2006 or so. Basically, all this took was spending $75 million on some underutilized, already existing BNSF rail lines and $35 million for five locomotives and rail cars. Given the perceived flush condition of New Mexico finances, dropping $110 milion on a Holiday present like this doesn't seem totally out of line.
Oh, but the devil is in the details. Above is an ornithographic photo of the proposed "Rio Bravo/Airport"station from the Mid-Region Council of Governments. For those familiar with the area, the proposed station is north of Rio Bravo on 2nd Street, basically across from the Giant gas station.
I spoke with a very nice guy named Tony Sylvester from the MRCOG the other day and asked about this station. He said there were some delays in obtaining the land from the developer and that the station was on hold until this snag was unsnagged. We talked about other options, such as putting the station across on the South side of Rio Bravo (where the designated bike path runs) and he said that had been investigated but wouldn't work. So to sum things up I asked him what this all meant. He said that if the parcel wasn't sold to the project, the station just wouldn't be built. A "Rio Bravo/Airport" Station wouldn't exist.
To use the blog/internet parlance: WTF? Yes, I realize that the "Rio Bravo/Airport" Station is just a minor part of a Belen to Bernalillo train run. Still, take a gander at the many stations scheduled to be built along Phase I. What is the status of these stations? What's the point of having a train if you don't have completed stations with park-n-rides in place? ABQ and environs may be one of the least pedestrian-friendly areas in the entire world...are we suggesting that folks walk to these nascent stations/platforms located along railroad tracks?
I was directed by MRCOG staff to a December 11th ABQ Journal story (sorry, $ required) about station/platform construction. Frankly, reading this story is more like reading a press release from the MRCOG office. What missing is a simple table with the following:
What Do the Details Mean?
One might rightly ask at this point: "Scot, what's with the ranting/raving? Any new service has unknowns! Any new service has bugs! What's the big deal?"
Well, the big deal is this. As someone very interested in living in an ABQ and environs with a real full-fledged, rail-inclusive mass transit system, the kick-off of Rail Runner is absolutely vital. Public perception of how this thing gets off the ground is essential if we are then to take the much more expensive steps of Phase II commuter rail to Santa Fe (which we all know is going to cost much more than the initial outlays made during this oil/gas windfall spending frenzy) and light rail in ABQ proper. If we can't do this very first thing right, there won't be a chance in hell of getting the next things at all.
Right now, in the political haste to just get the damn thing started, Rail Runner is getting us off on a very wrong foot. Missteps have already happened with the repeatedly delayed start of operations. Now promises of stations and service are being made that will have to be further delayed, in cases like South Valley service delayed indefinitely.
The upshot is that this hurriedness leads to perception of Rail Runner as some half-assed political ploy dreamed up by Big Bill as he loads his suitcase for Washington. When glorious pictures and stories of Rail Runner's gala inaugural ride are soon replaced with stories about continued station construction delays, critics will not only paint Big Bill and other politicos as inefficient, overzealous losers...they will be able to paint rail-inclusive mass transit with the same brush.
In the final analysis, it's hard not to disagree with Big Bill, who was quoted in an ABQ Journal story as saying Rail Runner "will change the face of transportation in New Mexico forever." Frankly, Rail Runner in itself doesn't really matter that much. Without connecting East-West rail services in ABQ, the $390 million and rising Rail Runner service is just a few choo-choos delivering a few folks to and from Belen and Santa Fe. Without integration into a large regional bus/rail transportation authority (cost...as the narrator says about Citizen Kane's Xanadu "no man can say"), Rail Runner service to Santa Fe might as well be the steam train from Chama to Antonito, Santa Fe tourist style.
What Rail Runner serves as is a calling card, a sales pitch to the larger mass transit system the area will need by 2025. Right now the underlying sales tools for making a huge investment in mass transit aren't there: our traffic isn't bad enough, our air not quite smoggy enough, the cost of gas not quite high enough. As such, Rail Runner's public relations sales job as an efficient, well-organized legitimate service is even more important. Given the delays and station uncertainty (as well as pricing and other nagging details), Rail Runner certainly isn't getting off to an impeccable start. And an impeccable start and continued operation is vital if Rail Runner is every going to be more than just a few choo-choos running a sparse set of commuters and tourists around at a ridiculous cost per passenger mile.
As to predicting what is going to happen, using my "Das Kapital" reference as an excuse, I believe Marx himself was loathe to guess the future. And I'm no Karl Marx. I'm also not one of those people who just thinks mass transit is stupid, trains outdated, and improved roads terribly important. Hell, I WANT gas to be $5.50 a gallon. I also know that I live in an area where my sentiment is in the minority. As such, and having looked at Rail Runner and other transit ideas, I'm gonna guess the following:
Rail Runner and Devilish Details
The relatively easy to implement Phase I of Rail Runner is supposed to start service in March, 2006 or so. Basically, all this took was spending $75 million on some underutilized, already existing BNSF rail lines and $35 million for five locomotives and rail cars. Given the perceived flush condition of New Mexico finances, dropping $110 milion on a Holiday present like this doesn't seem totally out of line.
Oh, but the devil is in the details. Above is an ornithographic photo of the proposed "Rio Bravo/Airport"station from the Mid-Region Council of Governments. For those familiar with the area, the proposed station is north of Rio Bravo on 2nd Street, basically across from the Giant gas station.
I spoke with a very nice guy named Tony Sylvester from the MRCOG the other day and asked about this station. He said there were some delays in obtaining the land from the developer and that the station was on hold until this snag was unsnagged. We talked about other options, such as putting the station across on the South side of Rio Bravo (where the designated bike path runs) and he said that had been investigated but wouldn't work. So to sum things up I asked him what this all meant. He said that if the parcel wasn't sold to the project, the station just wouldn't be built. A "Rio Bravo/Airport" Station wouldn't exist.
To use the blog/internet parlance: WTF? Yes, I realize that the "Rio Bravo/Airport" Station is just a minor part of a Belen to Bernalillo train run. Still, take a gander at the many stations scheduled to be built along Phase I. What is the status of these stations? What's the point of having a train if you don't have completed stations with park-n-rides in place? ABQ and environs may be one of the least pedestrian-friendly areas in the entire world...are we suggesting that folks walk to these nascent stations/platforms located along railroad tracks?
I was directed by MRCOG staff to a December 11th ABQ Journal story (sorry, $ required) about station/platform construction. Frankly, reading this story is more like reading a press release from the MRCOG office. What missing is a simple table with the following:
- Station
- Station Date Opening
- ParknRide Upon Opening (yes/no)
- ParknRide spaces available
What Do the Details Mean?
One might rightly ask at this point: "Scot, what's with the ranting/raving? Any new service has unknowns! Any new service has bugs! What's the big deal?"
Well, the big deal is this. As someone very interested in living in an ABQ and environs with a real full-fledged, rail-inclusive mass transit system, the kick-off of Rail Runner is absolutely vital. Public perception of how this thing gets off the ground is essential if we are then to take the much more expensive steps of Phase II commuter rail to Santa Fe (which we all know is going to cost much more than the initial outlays made during this oil/gas windfall spending frenzy) and light rail in ABQ proper. If we can't do this very first thing right, there won't be a chance in hell of getting the next things at all.
Right now, in the political haste to just get the damn thing started, Rail Runner is getting us off on a very wrong foot. Missteps have already happened with the repeatedly delayed start of operations. Now promises of stations and service are being made that will have to be further delayed, in cases like South Valley service delayed indefinitely.
The upshot is that this hurriedness leads to perception of Rail Runner as some half-assed political ploy dreamed up by Big Bill as he loads his suitcase for Washington. When glorious pictures and stories of Rail Runner's gala inaugural ride are soon replaced with stories about continued station construction delays, critics will not only paint Big Bill and other politicos as inefficient, overzealous losers...they will be able to paint rail-inclusive mass transit with the same brush.
In the final analysis, it's hard not to disagree with Big Bill, who was quoted in an ABQ Journal story as saying Rail Runner "will change the face of transportation in New Mexico forever." Frankly, Rail Runner in itself doesn't really matter that much. Without connecting East-West rail services in ABQ, the $390 million and rising Rail Runner service is just a few choo-choos delivering a few folks to and from Belen and Santa Fe. Without integration into a large regional bus/rail transportation authority (cost...as the narrator says about Citizen Kane's Xanadu "no man can say"), Rail Runner service to Santa Fe might as well be the steam train from Chama to Antonito, Santa Fe tourist style.
What Rail Runner serves as is a calling card, a sales pitch to the larger mass transit system the area will need by 2025. Right now the underlying sales tools for making a huge investment in mass transit aren't there: our traffic isn't bad enough, our air not quite smoggy enough, the cost of gas not quite high enough. As such, Rail Runner's public relations sales job as an efficient, well-organized legitimate service is even more important. Given the delays and station uncertainty (as well as pricing and other nagging details), Rail Runner certainly isn't getting off to an impeccable start. And an impeccable start and continued operation is vital if Rail Runner is every going to be more than just a few choo-choos running a sparse set of commuters and tourists around at a ridiculous cost per passenger mile.
As to predicting what is going to happen, using my "Das Kapital" reference as an excuse, I believe Marx himself was loathe to guess the future. And I'm no Karl Marx. I'm also not one of those people who just thinks mass transit is stupid, trains outdated, and improved roads terribly important. Hell, I WANT gas to be $5.50 a gallon. I also know that I live in an area where my sentiment is in the minority. As such, and having looked at Rail Runner and other transit ideas, I'm gonna guess the following:
- Spring 2006: Rail Runner starts off and is generally lauded in that Downtown Action Team sort of way with lots of rah-rah.
- Summer 2006: Ridership healthy; life good.
- Fall 2006: Some of the stations get finished and there is much rejoicing, but news get out that some stations will have much longer delays or will have to be scrapped altogether.
- Winter/Spring 2006/2007: Ridership flattens, and then starts decreasing.
- Spring/Summer 2007: Phase II encounters a few more snags; Big Bill spending more time in Manchester and Des Moines than Santa Fe.
- Fall 2007: Plans for Phase II are "temporarily" scrapped due to delays and cost increases.
- 2002: Continued publication date of the Rapid Transit Project webpage at the city's ABQ Ride website. Site is never updated due to lack of interest and the bad-taste left in the collective public mouth by Rail Runner.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Son Of Daughter Of Rail Runner Ranting: Part III
This morning I am doing my civic duty and have stopped reading Jean Teasdale in The Onion mid-pathos. I have instead joined a group! I have instead joined the heretofore unknown "AlbuquerqueBusRiders" group on Yahoo! The civic pride is shimmering off of my sweatshirt this morning like brightly colored Gatorade TV-ad sweat!
Say what you will about something as over, as blandly pre-2006, as Google, but it's still pretty cool. Not only did a search for something "light rail Albuquerque" turn up the 5, now 6, member AlbuquerqueBusRiders Yahoo Group, but also an unsigned screed against Light Rail in ABQ. Not just a screed, but a pretty darn funny one. Seriously, I have no idea as to the veracity of the arguments made by this page, but any web page whose very title says there should be a "moritorium (sic) on the Nob Hill Sector Plan" has got my confidence immediately.
My wife, who, when forced at gun point, actually looks at this blog, keeps reminding me that nobody ever clicks on blog links. That's a pity, because it you click on the "moritorium" screed (linked for your convenience above) you not only get some possibly very compelling (or possibly not) reasons why light rail is bad, you also get scathing(and pretty darn funny) criticisms of the consultant's pictures done for the circa-2002 "plan" for an ABQ light rail system AND gruesomely cool actual photos of wickedly smashed cars that have been creamed by light rail trains. Unfortunately, there are no photos of cars being smashed by buses, as buses evidently emit some sort of friendly force field making accidents impossible.
Just to be "fair and balanced", my swelling civic duty has also led me to join another Yahoo group! This one is Light Rail Now! (the name of which continues the liberal tradition of using imperatives in groups/causes, e.g. Move On! Democracy Now! Support the Troops! ...oh wait) This group has more members (272 as of my joining), and is national in scope. A quick glean of the messages for this group illustrate a regrettable lack of misspelled words, and a strong predilection toward words like "modal" and "exurban". Albuquerque gets mentioned at the Light Rail Now! News website for the Rail Runner stuff, and includes a little teaser:
"In addition to regional passenger rail, a light rail transit system for Albuquerque has been moved up as a possibility with the re-election of Mayor Martin Chavez, who made installing such a system a major campaign priority."
I am LOVING the use of the word "major" in that sentence. Okay, tomorrow will officially be "Grand Unification Analysis Day" here at 'Burque Babble, a day in which I will succinctly and profoundly distill and permeate the various plans, boondoggles and visions to achieve a pithy, yet all-encompassing summation of what ABQ and NM should do regarding mass transportation for the rest of recordable time. A lofty goal, but after all I have done almost THREE DAYS of research on the subject (at great psychic costs, I mean I could have instead focused my energies on Big Bill touching Diane Denish's leg or this woman getting a restraining order against David Letterman, et. al., for sending her secret signals via her television).
But that's tomorrow. First, I have to mentally prepare for such a definite, seminal analysis by getting back to that Jean Teasdale article, putzing around the house and watching the Blake's Lotaburger Chile Bowl from Deming. Go, Northwestern Iowa Tech - Ottumwa, Go!
Say what you will about something as over, as blandly pre-2006, as Google, but it's still pretty cool. Not only did a search for something "light rail Albuquerque" turn up the 5, now 6, member AlbuquerqueBusRiders Yahoo Group, but also an unsigned screed against Light Rail in ABQ. Not just a screed, but a pretty darn funny one. Seriously, I have no idea as to the veracity of the arguments made by this page, but any web page whose very title says there should be a "moritorium (sic) on the Nob Hill Sector Plan" has got my confidence immediately.
My wife, who, when forced at gun point, actually looks at this blog, keeps reminding me that nobody ever clicks on blog links. That's a pity, because it you click on the "moritorium" screed (linked for your convenience above) you not only get some possibly very compelling (or possibly not) reasons why light rail is bad, you also get scathing(and pretty darn funny) criticisms of the consultant's pictures done for the circa-2002 "plan" for an ABQ light rail system AND gruesomely cool actual photos of wickedly smashed cars that have been creamed by light rail trains. Unfortunately, there are no photos of cars being smashed by buses, as buses evidently emit some sort of friendly force field making accidents impossible.
Just to be "fair and balanced", my swelling civic duty has also led me to join another Yahoo group! This one is Light Rail Now! (the name of which continues the liberal tradition of using imperatives in groups/causes, e.g. Move On! Democracy Now! Support the Troops! ...oh wait) This group has more members (272 as of my joining), and is national in scope. A quick glean of the messages for this group illustrate a regrettable lack of misspelled words, and a strong predilection toward words like "modal" and "exurban". Albuquerque gets mentioned at the Light Rail Now! News website for the Rail Runner stuff, and includes a little teaser:
"In addition to regional passenger rail, a light rail transit system for Albuquerque has been moved up as a possibility with the re-election of Mayor Martin Chavez, who made installing such a system a major campaign priority."
I am LOVING the use of the word "major" in that sentence. Okay, tomorrow will officially be "Grand Unification Analysis Day" here at 'Burque Babble, a day in which I will succinctly and profoundly distill and permeate the various plans, boondoggles and visions to achieve a pithy, yet all-encompassing summation of what ABQ and NM should do regarding mass transportation for the rest of recordable time. A lofty goal, but after all I have done almost THREE DAYS of research on the subject (at great psychic costs, I mean I could have instead focused my energies on Big Bill touching Diane Denish's leg or this woman getting a restraining order against David Letterman, et. al., for sending her secret signals via her television).
But that's tomorrow. First, I have to mentally prepare for such a definite, seminal analysis by getting back to that Jean Teasdale article, putzing around the house and watching the Blake's Lotaburger Chile Bowl from Deming. Go, Northwestern Iowa Tech - Ottumwa, Go!
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