staubio speaks

"Disastrous" Streetcar

2011-08-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

While excitement for the two-mile streetcar circulator through Downtown KC is almost universal, Cordish, owner of the Power and Light District, is decidedly less excited. Proponents argue that the streetcar will be the critical first win to build a transit culture in Kansas City, and it will perform a critical role in moving people throughout Downtown, leveraging the city's most critical investments.

Cordish thinks it would be.... DISASTROUS.

I think it is time for someone to take their concerns seriously.

When one thinks of disgusting urban disaster, what always comes to mind? Portland. And since our project is so similar to Portland's famous streetcar, I thought it might be useful to highlight what a disaster it has been, lest we are destined to make the same mistakes and leave our city looking more like Portland.

Pedestrian Nightmare

Cordish (and the Sprint Center) are very concerned that the streetcar would make the downtown environment uncomfortable for pedestrians. In the picture above, you can see how disastrously inhospitable the streetcar makes the city streets. While the streetcar will come along ever few minutes, consistently, on a fixed path, and utilize the latest safety technologies, it will surely be more threatening to pedestrians than a constant stream of cars and trucks. Even worse, the streetcar could mean even fewer pedestrian-friendly cars on the road. Instead of people driving home from bars and events, people could start using a streetcar. At least when drivers are drunk and careening toward pedestrians, one can tell by their erratic driving and swerving. On rails, the streetcar won't swerve, providing no warning, and will surely plow everyone down. The level of destruction can't even be imagined.

Vibrant Streets and Economic Development

This stark scene is NW 23rd St in Portland, along the northern end of the streetcar route. Don't be fooled by these adorable boutiques. They are stealing money from residents and tourists by providing products and services they want and then taking their money in exchange. This is fundamentally un-American and economic development in downtown would be... catastrophic. Giving people more reasons to come downtown and more reasons to support Cordish properties would be very damaging to the company.

Besides, as long as there is nowhere worth going in areas of downtown, we won't have to worry about getting there, streetcar or otherwise. What a relief.

Infill Development

Along the streetcar line, parking lots have been replaced by tax-producing buildings. That means the local government has to cash even more property tax checks when they already had a ton, and local budgets are more able to fund maintenance and improvements. Disaster. And those parkings lots are no longer vital because the streetcar provides a transportation alternative, meaning perfectly respectable parking lot owners from other cities no longer get to reap big money charging parking fees, or giving you the adventure of paying to get your car out of the tow lot. Catastrophe.

Is there a right way to help Joplin?

2011-05-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

In the days since the devastation in Joplin, I've seen a wide variety of calls to help the recovery efforts. Employers and organizations are promoting food or supply drives. Individuals are promoting their favorite charities in social media and sponsoring individual fundraising efforts.

Faced with all of these options, it is hard not to step back and consider how you can ensure your efforts to help are most effective. It is a harsh reality the charities, and charitable efforts, live in the same world of capitalism as everything else in our world, and they are bound by the same economic considerations. They compete for our limited supply of time, money and resources, so it pays to approach them with some economic ideas.

So, what do we consider when we want to help? For each $50 we decide to give to a specific charity, we also decide implicitly not to give that same $50 to another charity. If we spend that same $50 on supplies, we don't give it to a charity. Thus, we have a responsibility as "consumers" of charity to direct our limited resources in the most efficient ways possible.

Consider the situation in Joplin. The needs are massive and ever-changing, and it all has to be coordinated on the ground, in a community that is in chaos. Truckloads of donations will be pouring in, creating a supply chain challenge that would set spinning the heads of even the most sophisticated logistics professionals. Each of those trucks will contain a mysterious assortment of supplies that will need to be sorted through and deployed. Some will be based on what was urgently needed at the time of donation (though they may not be days later when they arrive), while others may be even less directed than that.

All of the donors who contributed those items spent their own time, fuel (and by association, money) and effort to acquire these items, and then the expense and coordination to ship is coordinated for each of these drives.

Alternatively, a charity like the Red Cross, with their expertise in disaster relief and the power of millions of donations, can coordinate those efforts in direct response to real-time needs. They can acquire truckloads of needed supplies more quickly than we can respond, all while making each dollar go further with the economies of scale of their purchasing power and consolidation. Instead of 30 U-Hauls full of random supplies, they'll get semi-loads of the specific supplies that are needed, where they can be anticipated and deployed quickly.

All of this is facilitated, interestingly enough, with no need to make a trip to go shopping, drive to a drop-off site, sort items, arrange shipping, etc. Making a serious impact in disaster-stricken areas is as simple as sending a text message, and all of those resources spent here at home can be sent right to the point of need instead.

Text REDCROSS to 90999 to Give $10

Ironically, that ease of donation might actually discourage the most efficient way to help out in an emergency. That's because providing disaster relief isn't the only utility provided by charity. It also serves to make people feel good, to feel invested, like they are making a difference -- and it should. Firing off a donation in seconds feels impersonal, disconnected and even lazy. Contrast that with the experience of actually buying bottled water to donate or helping load a truck full of supplies, where you have the assurance of a tangible impact. People want to feel like they've done something, and a text just isn't that difficult. It's the same reason there are food drives that require networks of trucks to coordinate pickups of buckets of food all over cities, all when food banks could ship that food right to their warehouses at a much lower cost per unit.

If that experiential giving can drive that much more donation, such that it overwhelmingly outweighs anything we lost in not being as efficient as we could be, then it is all worth it. In this case, though, unless you can actually be on the ground where there is a direct need for help, the seemingly lazy option may be the most effective one.

Personally, I think every effort can appeal to a different person in a different way, and that they all have the potential to help. In no way would I want to discourage anyone's well-meaning attempts to help. In a free market of ideas, each idea stands on its own.

In the face of a flurry of supply donations, charities are beginning to warn that they aren't even sure they'll get used in Joplin at all, per the Facebook page dedicated to the recovery effort. For me, donating to the Red Cross seems like the best way for me to help, and I'll stay invested in the progress. Maximizing our impact can be the warmest fuzzy.

2010: My Year In Cities

2011-01-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

Stealing an idea from Eric's Dangerblog, here are cities where I spent at least one overnight this year.

Denver, CO
Baltimore, MD
Washington, DC
New York, NY (x2)
San Mateo, CA
Seattle, WA
Chicago, IL (x2)
Orlando, FL
Las Vegas, NV
San Francisco, CA
Omaha, NE
Tulsa, OK
Fort Worth, TX

Why "Glee" Pisses Me Off

2010-06-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me knows that I'm not much for television. I recently got cable for the World Cup, but I still spend most weeks without ever turning it on. Every so often, though, a show comes around that is such a cultural phenomenon and that commands so much chatter from my friends and associates that I'm forced to take notice. This year's un-ignorable show? Glee.

Glee is the new apple pie. To not love it is sacrilege. As my Twitter and Facebook streams finally stopped buzzing about Lost, they lit up even brighter for Glee, as if there was some sort of subliminal messaging in the show that creates an overwhelming urge to post "OMG I <3 GLEE SO MUCH" everywhere one can. People love this show.

There are plenty of reasons to love it, too. The concept is a refreshing spin on the classic high school drama and manages to ensure that all of your stereotypes are represented, giving everyone a character they can identify with. The cast is diverse and interesting, from the hilariously villainous Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) to the hunky director, and favorite of the ladies, Will Schuster (Matthew Morrison).

Morrison's last gig was playing Link Larkin in Hairspray, on Broadway. In fact, show creator Ryan Murphy spent three months cruising Broadway looking for talent for the show. The sheer amount of talent that Morrison and the rest of the cast brings to the table is exactly what makes my gripe about the show so tragic.

If ever a show should appeal to me, it would be one that plays heavily on creating and celebrating music and using it to amplify the emotional impact of the plot. Glee could do that, but I just don't believe it. You can tell a great deal of money and effort is spent on making everything sound "radio ready" (and iTunes ready -- there have been over 7 million digital sales), but this destroys the show. While supposedly featuring a glee club just finding their feet and sometimes rehearsing new material for the first time, every time a character opens their mouth to let out a note, it unleashes a flurry of gratuitous overproduction, embellishment and unbelievable polish. You see none of the group's development of their material, nor any of the awkward process that culminates in that grand emotional performance. The accompaniment is excessive from the get-go, too, yet we're to believe it just comes out that way when they practice.

As a result of this overproduction, the audience is robbed of the ability to invest in the journey to the final result.

So why do they do this? Maybe every episode needs a shiny downloadable new song to sell. More likely, though, is that the producers have so little confidence in their audience that they think we will only stand for it if it sounds like our Top 40 station. As a group of outcasts with tremendous ability finding their place, wouldn't the vulnerability of developing a song, making mistakes and journeying through them be more compelling than listening to what could just as well be some pop group with heavy doses of AutoTune?

That's the worst part: this is a waste of a talented cast that could have (and has) performed this material live. Musicians of this talent would be more compelling if every moment of their performance wasn't sanitized in the studio and lip-synced over. Wouldn't we be privileged to hear them?

Each episode reportedly costs over $3 million to produce, yet I'd find it so much more appealing if they just set up a camera and let these artists do their thing. The cast has the chops, but the curse of overproduction leaves the whole thing coming off like a Britney Spears album. With the show increasingly relying on celebrity appearances and gimmicks, it seems it is quickly losing its way, but it failed to reach its potential from the beginning.

Still, the show continues to gain popularity. Maybe the producers were right about us as a viewing public. Maybe we should be offended by how unsophisticated they think we are. In any case, I'm sitting this one out.

Oh, and I promise to never blog about TV again!

Modern Archeology: The Kansas City, Clay County and St. Joseph Interurban

2010-05-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

In the heart of the railroad age, even regional improved roads were rare. Travelers making the journey between Kansas City and St. Joseph relied upon the Kansas City, Clay County and St. Joseph Interurban Railroad. At its peak, this route offered hourly rides on electric rail cars between the cities and points between. Technically a light rail train, the Interurban was the longest in the KC area and was considered one of the finest in the country.

As a lover of transportation, cities and days gone by, I love finding relics the remind us of how we've changed -- and what we have lost. It also reminds us of the importance of protecting these historical structures so they can continue to tell their stories about how residents of our region once lived.

There are few of the iconic arched "Luten design" bridges left in the Kansas City area. These were among the first concrete bridges built, showcasing how innovative and modern the Internurban was when it was built in 1911.

Here is what I could find:

This bridge sits where the railroad crossed Line Creek in Riverside, Missouri. Once hidden in the dense forest around the creek, the path to this bridge is now being cleared for use as a recreational trail, a fantastic adaptive reuse for this impressive structure.

This single arch sits on private property near the center of tiny Avondale, Missouri. The bridge is covered with vegetation but remains in remarkably good shape despite years of neglect.

This double arch sits conspicuously next to Interurban Road, the auto route resulting in the closure of the Interurban and the paving of its right of way. Interurban remains a popular route for cyclists because of its calm, meandering route. This bridge carried auto traffic over its single-lane width until it was replaced last year by a modern bridge. In a beautiful location, I'm hopeful this bridge can be preserved as the centerpiece of a public space. It is located just north of KCI.

Beyond Interurban Road, there are still areas where you can identify the railroad's path. It followed Waukomis Drive's current route through the Northland and where Waukomis meets 68th Street, you can still see the path on the undeveloped land to the north. This right-of-way has been included in recent light rail proposals as a path connecting KCI to the city.

For more information on the KC-Clay County-St. Joe Interurban, check out this excellent site dedicated to it.

I hope to continue to discover these modern relics and share them in the future. If you have ideas on things you'd like to see me explore, please let me know!

social.staubio

2010-04-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

As some of you might know, I recently made social media and various Internetish things my full time job. As I delved deeper into social media tools, case studies, conferences and the like, I wanted to have a place to document and share my findings. I also wanted to keep this blog around for my hopefully more frequent random commentary on whatever-the-heck-it-is that I post about.

The solution? http://social.staubio.com! Check it out if you are interested!

Concerts Delivered to You!

2010-03-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

In light of my experience at tonight's David Gray show at Uptown Theater, I realize that there is a huge untapped market that I'm about to fill. We know you love the experience, but isn't it a hassle to come out to the theater? Let me bring it to you.

For the same price as a front row seat, I'll make your experience real!

-I will play music loudly so you have to yell at each other over it. I'll bring two friends to sit on each side of you and look annoyed. In the middle of the evening, I'll play the one song you actually know from the artist so you can scream, pay attention for a few minutes, sing the chorus and then go back to yelling! I'll be sure to play music I really enjoy so you can keep me distracted, and I'll pay lots of quiet songs for you to yell inappropriately during. Don't miss your chance to clap along to quiet, thoughtful songs!

-I will stand on the other side of your back yard with a guitar. That way, you can replicate all of those dark blurry photos that you can't make out and you'll never look at again. You can claim the aberration in the photo is anyone you want! You can even turn on your point and shoot flash to try to illuminate me from hundreds of feet away. Just keep shooting, it might work someday! Hold that camera high over your head!

-I will bring a universal phone charger so you never have to stop texting your friends. Be sure to yell over the music to tell each other about your texts!

-I will sell you warm, watered-down Bud Light for as much as you want to pay, then crowd you so you can spill it on me.

-Best of all, I'll give you a high five after two hours and agree with you when you say it was the "best concert ever!"

Open Letter to Ed Ford RE: Tomahawke Ridge

2010-01-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

As Kansas City plans to annex still more land into our sprawling metro, proponents of a progressive policy toward KC development need to let the City Council know we are paying attention. Contact your Councilperson and let them know how you feel.

Click here more information on the ordinance to annex this area north of the airport. Of special note is the staff report that waves red flags right and left.

Ed,

I’m writing to express my vehement disappointment in your sponsorship of the annexation of still more far-flung land into our flailing, over-extended city. Our metro has long held dubious rankings on sprawl and the ill-effects associated with it, with KCMO leading the line. Surely you know that providing services to this area will cost far more than the revenue the area will generate, all while jeopardizing the quality of those services to people in existing, established neighborhoods that have made a long-standing commitment to Kansas City.

We’re the 21^st largest city in America by land area but the 35^th largest by population. Is it any wonder we have a budget problem, and yet we are working our way further up the land area list? With so much land awaiting development in a way that could leverage existing investments, why do you insist on overextending us still further?

You owe it to those of us in the second district that already exists to be a good steward of our limited resources. Leap-frogging sprawl is not a revenue solution, it is a cost problem. You’ve often displayed an ambition to move this city forward by making decisions based on new ideas, not tired, disproven ones. Surely you realize the folly of supporting a development that our own city staff summarily rejected.

My neighborhood alone, in your district, houses hundreds of Kansas Citians in a few blocks. We are using existing infrastructure at a vastly lower cost per resident. Why should we subsidize a new development so far from our existing investments as a city?

Please have the courage to stand up for your existing constituents, not hypothetical ones and the developers that will profit from them.

Sincerely,

Matthew Staub

2009: My Year in Cities

2010-01-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

Cities where I spent at least one overnight:

Boulder, CO
Denver, CO
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Archbold, OH
St. Louis, MO
Ozark National Scenic Riverway (Current River), MO
Ann Arbor, MI
Detroit, MI
Hannibal, MO
Minneapolis, MN
Omaha, NE
Norfolk, NE
Hoskins, NE

What Am I About?

2008-12-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

I recently got word of a video production contest hosted by local credit union Mazuma and decided I'd create an entry. It was a good excuse to start playing with video editing, as I've always wanted to do.

Yesterday, finalists for the contest were announced and I was excited to be among them. The winners are determined by a vote of the registered users of the site and from the looks of things, the voting will be fiercely competitive.

In light of that, I would appreciate all of the support I can get. The site is a bit cumbersome but all you have to do to cast a vote is to register as a user, confirm and then go back to the homepage and vote in the poll in the bottom right of the page. My video is called "Community Around Every Corner" and can be viewed here.

The site is www.whatareyouabout.org

I have less than two weeks to get as many votes as possible. Thanks!

The Ethics of Campaign Finance

2008-03-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hillary Clinton's campaign proudly announced today that her successes in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island have led to a windfall of cash, to the tune of $4 million in the two days since the polls closed. Not to be outdone, the Obama campaign announced that it had raised $55 million during February alone, breaking the record for a single month's take previously held by John Kerry.

...and they need it. These campaigns are burning through cash at a blistering pace in an attempt to knock each other out of the race, snatching up ads, paying pollsters and strategists and spamming whole states with direct mail. Mitt Romney burned through almost $100 million before giving up the ship. Obama and Clinton haven't even begun to fight in a general election and the end to the spending isn't in sight.

All told, the 2004 elections for congress and the presidency were estimated to have cost $3.9 billion.

I realize that there is an important role of campaign messages in communicating to the electorate. I'm also very familiar with the tired but valid argument that money is simply too vital and thus has too much influence in politics.

The question I haven't heard asked, however, is whether or not there are ethical implications to the amount of cash that is essentially being thrown away in the effort to garner votes. If a candidate or donor rationalizes the expenditure as a support for the implementation of better policies, how can they not realize the opportunity cost? How many uninsured Americans could we cover with the money we spend on campaigns? How much could be done to fight poverty with the piles of cash that are pouring into political campaigns? In an age where charities are struggling with fundraising, campaigns are breaking records.

With no end in sight to the growth of the costs of campaigns, at what point is this spending viewed as not only questionable but immoral and irresponsible?

Of course these costs pale in comparison to the cost of the war in Iraq. We've got priority issues everywhere you look in this country.

On Being That Guy

2008-02-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

As I was going about some chores, I flipped on the Super Bowl mostly out of obligation. As the game intensified and began to appeal to my underdog boosterism, I took a time out to pay attention.

Like a great deal of people who claim to "watch it for the commercials," I took great interest in the ads, mostly from an academic perspective. These promotions are always trying to push the envelope, using the big stage of the Super Bowl to attempt to make a splash. Sometimes the result is a big, impressive production. Sometimes, the concept is so bizarre that the agency hopes we'll remember it.

Sometimes, like the ads I've lamented about in the past regarding the commodification of "macho, " they are just plain insulting. The Helzburg Ad I saw upped the ante.

It starts with a dimly lit scene and romantic music. A guy sits at a desk, meticulously preparing a greeting card for his love. Eventually, he presents her the card and tells her that he couldn't find a card to communicate how he really felt, so he made one for her, by hand.

Then, like the needle being pulled from the record, the romantic music stops and gives way to music more akin to a carnival than a romantic scene. A sarcastic voice says "because you're not that guy" and then goes on to say how easy it is to show someone you care: buy a diamond.

I verbally berated the television.

Instead of communicating thoroughly and thoughtfully how you feel, one should simply spend some money on a diamond and lob that her direction instead? The ad is actively derisive to the man many women claim to want, offering a simplified consumer solution to the complicated task of expressing your emotions. Have we really sunk to the point that our outward symbols are more important than our real feelings and the words we use to express them?

Is it any wonder that relationships fail so readily when the most critical part of them, open communication and emotional healthfulness, is ridiculed during the Super Bowl? Are relationships just a symbol for different patterns of massive consumption?

Don't be a pansy, dude, just get a diamond and get back to watching the game! High five!

If this is how relationships are measured in our era, are they really worth anything more than the contribution they have to the economy?

Trash the Holidays

2007-12-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

The city has just released a press release outlining the changes in schedule around the city's trash collection services in response to the holidays. Among the changes in trash days, the city is providing an accommodation that amounts to a free-for-all of trash.

The city provides trash service for residences as a standard city service. Each home is entitled to two bags of trash per pick-up and can leave additional bags by purchasing stickers to place on the excess bags.

For Christmas, though, no stickers are necessary. Leave as much trash as you'd like. The city is recognizing that we celebrate this holiday by being excessive in every way possible. We torture ourselves, our families and our environment with our expectations of each other.

It has become paradoxically fashionable to lament the rampant consumerism of the holiday season while simultaneously accusing people of being Scrooges. At least we're at the point now that we can question some of the anything-goes behavior that was easily justified as being "Christmas spirit" by asking a few question about the implications.

Isn't it interesting that the city and KCP&L launches a massive campaign to save energy one bulb at a time by encouraging the replacement of traditional bulbs with compact fluorescents while simultaneously sponsoring a display of over 80 miles of lights?

The Plaza lights took a break in 1973 when Richard Nixon was a Scrooge who suggested that using power for pretty lights was making us more dependent upon foreign oil. Last time I checked, that dependence problem is even worse now -- but nobody has the guts to say so, or to make the association.

Yes, the Plaza lights are beautiful and turning them on is an event that brings our community together with a sense of pride. I just wish we could be as proud of what we were doing to improve our communities.

Next year, consider calling a truce with your family. Do thoughtful things to show that you are thinking of them and that you care for them. Take them off the hook from having to stress out over getting you a gift.

Give them the gift of peace and they won't even have to take out the trash.

Dream Commute

2007-04-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

In a recent article in the Washington Post, some folks that commute more than 50 miles a day outlined their experiences. They indicated that they moved so far away "for the children" or to find their dream house.

Is quality of life even a consideration? What good is a dream house if you are only there for 10 hours a day? How can someone be making a decision for their children knowing that the decision is going to take them away from their children for such a long time?

As if the quality of life issues weren't enough, the article outlines the additional ways that living a car-dependent lifestyle can actually make you sick. The health implications of planning, sprawling developments and suburban lifestyles have been well documented. This article explores the health implications specific to the commute itself, including the toll on one's body from sitting in place and the stress of dealing with the drive every day.

Shouldn't one's dream house be one that allows them to live the lifestyle that is healthiest and most enriched, not the one with the most bedrooms 60 miles from home? Shouldn't the best choice for the children be the one that allows their parents to spend the most time with them? When will quality of life be a consideration?

Are we going to destroy our communities, our environement, our bodies and our children before we figure this out?

Second Class Citizen

2007-01-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

As I braved my commute this morning, I was given a stark reminder of how I ranked on the food chain of transportation. Recently, I've been ditching the bus and walking the mile to work every day. Today in the bitter cold, I checked on the next bus and decided to give walking a shot anyway.

As I made my way up the hill, I encountered mountains of dirty ice chunks. The roads had been cleared for easy passage of the automobiles and all of the gunk had been pushed up onto the sidewalk. For several blocks, I couldn't even determine where the sidewalk was supposed to be as I attempted to make my way across the slick, gunky mess.

Meanwhile, the snowplows made another pass over an already cleared street. Is there any more explicit way that I can be told that my method of transportation isn't even worth consideration and, even worse, can be undermined for the benefit of another?

I Failed KC

2006-11-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

Tony has a very amusing post today letting everyone know that it is people like me that are ruining Kansas City.

http://www.tonyskansascity.com/2006/11/kansas-city-voters-have-failed-us-all.html

I'll just giggle for now. Updates coming.

See America - Stay Inside!

2006-06-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

I was given a unique opportunity when I attended a conference for work this week. Though it was just a short walk for me, most of the other attendees had just flown into the city. I have attended conferences before, but I've never had the chance to see one in my own city and to see how people react to it.

You would think that, given the opportunity to spend time in a new place, that people would embrace the chance to see the city and experience its quirks and charms. When sitting down for breakfast, I settled in to learn about my fellow convention-goers' experiences from the evening before. I was excited to hear the impressions of the city from the same people that were pleasantly surprised to find out that Kansas City isn't a wheat field the day before.

The first group of guys chime in. They went to the casino. They spent their night in a completely different city rich with opportunities for new experiences in a dark manufactured room playing card games and pulling a handle.

Another group? They went shopping. Assuming maybe they took in the magnificent Country Club Plaza, I listened intently for impressions. Nope. They went somewhere enclosed. I didn't inquire. They spent their time in a new place shopping at chain stores that they have at home.

Is this really what people want? People are treating entire cities as franchise locations, each one with the same offerings and the same things to pass the time. There is no need to try to see anything new as there is something predictable readily available. What does this mean to the identity of our great cities?

Sooner or later, someone will build a runway, a convention hotel, a casino and a mall all connected in the middle of the desert. Context doesn't matter. You've got everything you could ever want right there without the pesky temptation to actually see something new.

When did we get so lazy and completely lose our creativity? Genuine character is obsolete as the sense of discovery is all but dead. If it is worth seeing or doing, it will be marketed as such.

Far be it for anyone to ask for a bit more.

Hiding Behind Hybrid

2006-05-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

As a guy that is a celebrity for being self-righteous and defiant about his transportation choices, I find it interesting how many people want to volunteer the fact that they are "considering" a hybrid vehicle to replace their current behemoths. I smile insincerely, as it is better than nothing, but the truth is that I'm not impressed.

Tonight I saw the clincher. "Support America: Get 40 Miles Per Gallon!"

I saw that gem on the bumper sticker of a hybrid in Lenexa. It was motoring along a feeder road to points further into the sprawl. Thanks to that handy hybrid, this lady could live a car dependent lifestyle with joy and ease, guilt covered by the 15 MPG improvement over the cars around her.

It seems that hybrids aren't so much selling fuel efficiency as much as they are selling a get-out-of-jail-free card for the buyer's conscience. In fact, some hybrids offer only marginal fuel economy gains. There are hybrid SUVs that get worse economy than most standard cars.

Driving a hybrid? Great, you are still driving and still creating pollution. Interestingly, in order for a hybrid to make economic sense, one must drive it more than average. I'm sure the sense of satisfaction that many buyers get from hybrids probably make them feel like they can drive it as much as they want without thinking about it. Hey, it's a hybrid!

For me, pollution and fuel consumption are only part of the reason I try to avoid driving. We're still obsessed with road construction, parking lots, car-centric development and massively scaled and sprawling communities. Saving 10 miles per gallon isn't going to fix that problem. Hybrids aren't going to fix Lenexa.

Instead of making ourselves feel better about driving, let's figure out how we can live without it.

Macho Marketing

2006-04-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, there was a bit of controversy over an ad that depicted a semi tractor-trailer barreling down residential streets and forcing smaller cars off the road. A trucking industry group was rightfully concerned that this ad reinforced negative stereotypes about the drivers in their industry.

If the group was paying attention, they'd know that they aren't the first victims of a new craze of "macho marketing," a movement apparently attempting to appeal to those who want to buy themselves some tough.

The ad in question is for a sports drink and it depicts this semi rolling through neighborhoods. As manly men see it pass, they take up some sort of manly activity and pursue it. By the end, there is a big studly procession following as the semi forces the Red Bull truck off the road.

I first noticed this trend when I picked up my normal body wash. Though not very manly, I like body wash because it works better. However, that wouldn't be a good enough reason had I not been reassured by the packaging that the product "won't wash away testosterone."

Phew, close one. I was on the verge of being less manly.

The sad thing is that these pleas appeal to the lowest element of masculinity -- the competitive, insecure, tough-guy, fight-fight-fight inner self that is just dying to be given a marketing rational to abandon rational thought.

Are men really so insecure that these tactics work?

Bus buddies and those who need them

2006-03-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

Last night, I sauntered outside as twilight was fading to make my way to the bus stop. I usually scope out the stop to see who else is waiting and try to strike up a conversation with people there is they looked bored and agreeable. I've developed a couple of "bus buddies" this way -- people I run into every week or two that live in the neighborhood. It is a nice way to share the walk from the final stop and it is a great way to pass the time on the bus.

After Christmas, I had posted my concerns about the impact my newly acquired MP3 player on my bus experience. I've found that I can't keep it turned on for more than a few minutes as I'm either listening to someone's conversation or participating in my own. I like determining each driver's unique demeanor and I like the wild variety of stuff people discuss on board.

I was talking with my bus buddy, which prevented me from zoning out, when a girl that was obviously unfamiliar with the bus and a bit uncomfortable braved to ask the surly bus driver where to get off for the library. We were at 9th and Oak, already well past the ideal stop for the library and the girl bravely tried to figure out what she should do.

My bus buddy and I took the case, telling her that she missed the best stop but she could get off at 9th and Grand and head to 10th and down the hill. As we were trying to give directions, the driver interrupted, saying "all you have to do is get off up there, it ain't no big deal" while we were trying to make her comfortable with her journey to the library. As we pulled up to the stop, we had to let her know that she should get off here.

You can always tell when people are new to the bus and a friendly driver can make a world of difference. It is an intimidating thing for those that aren't very adventurous. I'm glad I was paying attention so we could help.

I hope we didn't lose this girl to the scary driver. I hope she made it to the library after an enjoyable walk through downtown.

Maybe I'll see this new girl again and we can be bus buddies. As we chat, we'll be ready to help the next brave rider in need of a buddy.

Tony has broughten it

2006-03-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

If I had to read just one Kansas City related blog, it would probably be the prolific Tony's Kansas City, an often irreverent and oversimplified but painstakingly updated and funny look at what goes on in KC. I often agree with Tony, particularly in his frustrations with the Star. One frustrating element, however, is that Tony likes to complain about white people and their disassociation with and marginalization of minorities. It is humorous, but not so much so as it is tiresome, particularly when he contradicts himself with a rant about white people that ride the bus.

Tony's rant is that riding the bus "does not make you unique," as if riding the bus was just something people do to be cool and if you aren't poor and non-white, you are a poser.

On the contrary, riding the bus DOES make one unique simply by virtue of it being a rather exclusive activity, particularly among annoying white urbanites like me. The vast majority of trips taken in Kansas City are taken by car, so those that choose to use the bus, particularly with a car available, have made a conscience choice to be different.

I don't quite understand Tony's hostility toward young white people who are willing to take advantage of a transportation solution that so many poor minorities rely upon. Would he prefer that those whities kept to themselves in their safe automobile enclaves, further encouraging a disparity of opportunity between rich and poor and an ignorance toward alternative transportation? In one post, he complains about white people and their ignorance toward minority issues. In the next, he complains that white people are doing the "poor" thing and riding the bus.

If riding the bus becomes some sort of moral vanity, it is a good thing. Increasing the awareness of the bus is good for those riders that rely upon it. Increasing ridership means that those poor, non-white people we white people hate so much will have better transportation options and increased mobility.

Tony suggests that we attach all of the "white people with glasses" to rickshaws and make them useful. What of the people commuting by car? Are these people somehow more useful because they won't ever even have to talk to a person that isn't exactly like them, their entire life being their garage, their office and racist talk radio in between?

Good for us annoying white people who want to ride the bus. We should feel self satisfied. It does make a difference, however small, and it is more than sustainability and the environment at play, which most people don't take the time to realize. There are racial aspects and quality of life aspects. When destinations don't need a parking spot for every person, our city becomes a better environment that brings more opportunity to everyone. Attacking the satisfaction of bus riders smacks of the ignorance that is often employed to dismiss the bus as an option only for the poorest people so one doesn't have to think about their transportation choices or the impact they have on the community.

I guess in Tony's world, the only explanation for a white person that isn't racist is that he is a self-righteous poser. Hmm, which one should I choose?

The Anita Gorman Exposé

2006-02-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

Anita Gorman is a well-respected community leader who has won recognition for her contributions to the cause of conservation. She was chairman of the Missouri Conservation Commission, president of the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners and had a park named after her when she retired from that post. The Discovery Center, an urban conservation area along Brush Creek, bears her name. She has figured prominently in several fundraising and charity events and serves on a handful of honorary commissions. Basically, she is a local hero.

Last night, she called me pathetic.

I was participating in a discussion at a public forum regarding the Riverfront Park development being pursued by the Port Authority. One of the discussion-inducing questions was "can you imagine this park without parking in it?," in response to which Gorman immediately became incredulous.

The development is involving some of the best consultants in mixed-used development and urban parks available, and the plan is advocating the leveraging of the adjacent neighborhood to provide event parking. More than 800 on-street spaces will be provided in the neighborhood, in addition to the private parking accommodations of the residents and an independent parking supply for the office space.

Gorman shook her head adamantly.

"You need to let these people know that they aren't getting it when it comes to parking," she said. I indicated, in turn, that I could absolutely envision the park without independent parking. It could leverage the plentiful parking in the area that would only be needed during off-peak times, all without destroying the park in the process.

Clutching her car keys in hand, Gorman began to stare me down. It was immediately clear that she is used to people reverently listening when she speaks, yielding to her legacy. In reaction, she evoked it, discrediting me with a smirk and sharing credentials like "I have been in KC longer than many of you [me] have been alive" and when events were held in Loose Park, neighbors were upset by the impact to the neighborhood. She laughed at the consultants suggestion that we re-route Riverfront Drive, saying the Kansas Citians can surely cross a street while missing the point that the sense of flow and connectivity was at play, not the ability to cross. She advocated keeping the street to accommodate a "sea of parking" for events.

I countered that the layout, connections and neighborhoods that will be near this park couldn't be more different than Loose Park and that a mixed use development is designed differently than a low-density, single-family homes neighborhood of mostly affluent people like the area around Loose Park. I also said that those who choose to live in such a development make a lifestyle choice that includes such complications as people coming in from outside of the neighborhood. In fact, we welcome it.

My continued deviation from her gospel clearly irritated her, and at this point it was visible on her face and apparent in her rushed delivery. She told me that "you'll never change things in Kansas City," "it won't work here," "you don't understand," etc, before ending with "you really are quite pathetic," to the shock of me and the others in attendance.

When challenged to defend her position, she made no defense other than to cite her legacy and then, failing that, to childishly call names.

In our only true riverfront space in Kansas City, this "conservation hero" wanted to make sure there was plenty of parking for her sport utility, despite the fact that parking would sit unused on the vast majority of days, adjacent parking would go underutilized and density and connectivity to the park would be lost.

For this park to be great, things are going to have to change in Kansas City, and they already have and continue to do so. I know because I'm paying attention and I'm an agent of change, not a member of an outdated way of thinking. I may not count for much, but I care about doing things right and I refuse to believe any tired stereotype about our city.

Perhaps everyone who yields to Anita Gorman out of respect alone should put a little more faith in our city and a little less faith in her outdated viewpoint and her childish tactics. I was very disappointed that this respected community symbol, a conservation hero who ironically falls in favor of more parking lots, could not have a constructive conversation about an important topic without attempting to immediately discredit me and call me names, all while undermining the thought that Kansas City can really become world-class.

On the way out, Gorman gave me an insincere smile while carefully analyzing my nametag to remember my name and then gave me the patronizing finale: "Now, Matthew, you won't be too upset if we just have a few parking spaces in our park, now, will you?" I'm sure I'm a marked man now.

Plenty of other people were there to see this and I hope they don't forget her behavior. I certainly won't, and I certainly won't let her legacy stand in the way of the legacy of our city and our return to the river.

If that makes me pathetic, so be it.

Awash in fresh, clear consumerism

2006-02-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

Last night, I grew angry when I saw yet another person cart the warehouse-store sized gazillion pack of tiny water bottles into their home.

If you would tell our grandparents that we would be buying water in plastic bottles simply to drink, I should hope they would have called us idiots. It is something that was undoubtedly and should still be an absurd concept, but at some point, someone somewhere figured the right mixture of marketing and trend-setting could convince a gullible public that they needed their water out of a bottle.

I'm not quite sure what compels people to buy water like this. I assume for many it is a combination of laziness and a lack of a sense of consequence. With a bottle of water, you don't have to go through the hassle of filling up the container or carrying it home empty. You just grab that convenient serving size, sip it and then toss the container when you are done. Ahh, refreshing!

Still others probably think that the water is healthier than the stuff that comes out of the faucet.

Isn't it ironic that we're worried about the safety of our water because of all of the pollution we are causing, so we solve the problem by transporting our water in containers that are one of the single most significant presences at landfills? Instead of employing an efficient pipe to bring us water, we're counting on trucks, trains and boats and all of the destructive infrastructure they depend on, just to take a sip.

Maybe if bottled water was really healthier than its tap equivalent, we could begin to talk about whether or not it is worth the other costs -- but it ISN'T. Kansas City has some of the best rated tap water in the country, and regulations controlling water quality from public utilities are more stringent than the FDA's regulation of bottled water.

Yes, your tap water is held to a higher standard, but it has a far smaller marketing budget.

The answer to that age old question "if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you too?" has been answered many times over, resoundingly. Yes, we would, and we do everyday. We've been convinced to act destructively by companies that are more than willing to plummet face first into the rocks, as long as plenty of people come with them and bring their wallets.

With the amount of money that we spend on bottled water, we could do a lot of cleaning up. We could make sure everyone had access to safe, clean tap water no matter where they were, and we wouldn't need a complicated supply chain to get it there. We could protect our water supply instead of pulling it from other places and often causing shortages there.

The American Way is out of sight, out of mind, though, and nobody shall infringe upon our right to our Dasani.

Next up, bottled air, so we can all get a breath of fresh country air, brought to you via long haul diesel truck.

Key Economic Indicators

2006-02-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Recently departed Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was famous for his interest in mundane statistics and what they meant to the larger economic picture. He tied standard indicators like the consumer price index in with funky ones, like the number of cardboard boxes that were ordered in the quarter, to try to get the clearest picture of how things were doing in the economy.

Like Greenspan, I'm a curious sort, and I'm pretty much constantly observing that world around me. Our human brains were given the added feature of reasoning, so I also attempt to derive meaning from those observations. As anyone that reads this blog knows, I'm very interested in the health and growth of the city, so I often tie my empirical observation in with other growth metrics. Like Greenspan, the typical urban health metrics aren't enough for me.

Here are some I subconsciously use:

Number of young, attractive people on the bus:
This metric has weight on a couple of different levels. First of all, attractive young people attract attractive young people. Downtown needs to be the "happening" place, and people will be attracted to areas where they can meet and interact with exciting, interesting and attractive people.

The bus element is even more critical, as it shows that young people are abandoning the negative stereotypes about the bus, even if they have the means to drive. More young people on the bus means more people wanting to advocate a truly urban lifestyle instead of bringing a drive in, drive out mentality with them, and it means one less parking spot used at their destination.

Central Library bustle:
KC's new Central Library is a great accomplishment for the greater downtown cause. A conversion of an old bank building, it features an ornate setting with lots of space for people to use its resources. When I see people that are likely downtown residents using the library, I know that they are educated and interested in culture. Most importantly, they probably walked to the library, adding life and bustle to the streets.

Office Chit-Chat:
I came from a company that might as well have been in another country from the urban core of Kansas City, where most of the employees lived very isolated lives with little interest in the city center. Now, I work downtown and I get a different view. There are still plenty of people that complain about the city for the various tired reasons, but there are also a lot of people that are interested and excited about what is happening downtown. Every time someone asks me what they are building here or there or tells me they tried a new restaurant downtown, I know that is someone that has opened their eyes to the excitement of downtown. The chatter is good.

Bicycles:
Like the bus, this points to alternative transportation and all of the benefits that comes with. It also puts people on the street in a human-scaled way.

People Talking:
When people stop using the city as the place they work or the place they pass through on the way to other places, they start to interact with it. When people live here, they start to form a community with others that live here. Too often, I see people in isolation, focused only on their own paths without regard to the world around them. So, when there are a few people chatting on a street corner, making small talk at a bus stop or sitting around in a street-facing restaurant window shooting the breeze after a meal, I know downtown is becoming more of a community and less of just a place.

Amtrak:
When the trains let out at Union Station, the passengers enter one of our grand public spaces and walk to hotels or transit to begin enjoying the city. Straight to the heart of it all, no parking required.

Tourists/Directions:
When you think of hot vacation destinations, you don't often think Kansas City, so when I give people directions or hear people talking about KC from an outsiders perspective, I know that someone is being exposed to what is an underappreciated place. Tourism often places people on the streets, fills up the restaurants and supports transit. If tourists can use and love our resources, so can the people whose hearts we are trying to win over from the fringes of the metro. Hopefully, after I provide directions, that person will find their way again.

Good beer on tap:
This one might just be personal bias, but when I go to bars that have good, less common beer available on tap, I feel like the market it getting more sophisticated. When I see people opt for a local Boulevard draught over St. Louis swill, I feel good about the money that is pumping back into the local economy and that presence of mind or good taste of the consumer who makes that decision. Bars become places to enjoy and commune and less places to drink as much cheap alcohol as possible before getting sick on the way home.

Taxis:
This one is like the bus one, only without all the bus stuff. A little discouraging if the bus was a good alternative, but just as satisfying after the busses stop running or to strange places with multiple people.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Because I am deeply involved in all of this, I feel as if I can tell you more about what is happening in the city than anyone with "traditional" data at their fingertips.

My analysis? Regression analysis points to a distinct... er, who am I kidding? I don't have time for that, I'm too busy talking to young people on the bus, passing an ever-busier library on my way to my downtown home. Ah, community.

Microwave on high until help arrives

2006-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

While many people degrade the experience of the standard office job, it does provide valuable experience. The lessons are both professionally relevant and personally useful, depending on the context. Today, my brain was conditioned to associate someone letting a microwave cook indefinitely with big red trucks pulling up in front of the office.

Yes, a very small portion of my office, approximately the size of the inside of a break room microwave, caught fire today. The forsaken lunch was a total loss.

There were a few things that struck me as profound about this experience. First of all, the building I work in has a lot of people in it. I seldom see more than 10 people in one place and I'll see a steady trickle of cars leaving the garage at night. When the building spills its contents onto the sidewalk, there are people everywhere. I can only imagine what it would be like if even half of these people walked around outside from time to time, or arrived via bus or foot. A snapshot of those sidewalks at that time would have looked like Tokyo. More importantly, those people brought life to the streets. They interacted with their surroundings. They dropped into neighboring buildings they may not otherwise visit. They lived my life - the human-scaled existence - for a few minutes.

One of the places that the horde ducked into was Union Station, which is hosting a rather impressive can sculpture contest to provide food for the food banks. It was a rather cold day, with a wind that made it uncomfortable to stand around for long, and people used Union Station to pass the time and keep warm. I wonder if anyone realized how nice it was to have a public place to step into and enjoy, or at least to stay warm, that is available to everyone. I'm sure it was taken for granted and I'm sure the commuters who motor home to their suburban communities will still complain about the taxes that went to save our grand station -- one of the rare times that outsiders contribute to our regional attractions.

Another cool thing about fire evacuations is that they make everyone equal. The CEO of the company and the janitors all have to head outside as part of the same drill. Nobody is above it and everyone suffers the same plight. One had no choice but to go out into the street and wait it out.

I think we need to have grand fire drills. It will force us to get out on the street and see what things look like from our own perspectives. It will make us walk around and talk to other people. It will make us experience things we should be experiencing anyway, if we're living richly.

Instead, we're too busy to even grab our lunches out of the microwave.

Character Development

2006-01-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to get involved with a new project at work and with that comes the meetings and the new people that I'll be associated with. On Friday, I immediately felt as if I recognized one of the participants. I glanced at her occassionally, trying to place her, when it finally hit me.

It wasn't her that I knew, but she reminded me of somebody. The somebody she reminded me of, I finally realized, was Geanie Bowen. I met Geanie a week earlier via another Kansas Citian -- the Kansas Citian that created her.

Geanie Bowen is a character in the book I referenced earlier and finished last week, and the woman in the meeting I attended looked exactly like I had pictured Geanie from the book. The likeness was so profound and my image of Geanie so developed that my mind attempted to associate reality with fiction.

I was careful not to regard Geanie's likeness like I would have the character herself.

It is a testament to the power of imagination and of engrossing writing that one can have an automatic response to someone that isn't even real. She reminded me of someone I know -- someone I know from a good book.

Picket Fences

2006-01-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

I'm currently engrossed in Whitney Terrell's novel The King of Kings County, an account of the development of the Kansas-side suburbs of Kansas City that thinly veils some real players and some real tactics. The story is a "coming of age" bit about the son of an aspiring developer who becomes involved with Prudential Bowen, who is doubtlessly modeled after prolific KC real estate mogel J.C. Nichols.

The story is powerful, however, in that it makes its point in a story that has the son riding along. It doesn't pontificate directly, but it makes one think. It is an added perk that I recognize many of the areas mentioned in the book.

It is clear that Whitney and I share the same views regarding the responsibility of ones choice of residence. It is implicit in the book. It is expressed in this quotation I found from an interview:

“The idea that just because you don’t know how your neighborhood was formed ... doesn’t mean that you aren’t an active participant in a society or a city that has chosen to divide itself up that way. I guess the argument would be that Kansas Citians and Americans know how segregation works, and in public they’re against it, but in private, in the way that they buy their houses, they still enforce that old system.”

Buy the book. Read the book. Enjoy the book.

Journalism Found Dead After 41 Hours

2006-01-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

I picked up a copy of the paper from the coffee shop on Wednesday because I was struck by the headline: "12 Miners Alive After 41 Hours." I knew from NPR's Morning Edition that morning that the headline was incorrect.

I can't imagine the process that the families of these miners went through. First, optimism that they could reach the miners quickly. Then, when poor air quality indications hit, they doubtlessly began to doubt. Time passed and they may have begun to come to terms with what seemed more and more inevitable. They were partly ready for the news.

That whole process was cancelled out when the good news of their survival arrived. In reality, the company has indicated that they had found the miners, not that they were alive. The message was bungled and when the families began to celebrate, the press ran with the story without looking back. The Star quoted the governor and family members, saying that they "just wanted to dance."

The dance ended 3 hours later when the error was corrected, though first runs of major city newspapers like The Star, the Times and the Post led with the wrong headline. Perhaps any dance in celebration of an effective corporate media ended at the same time.

There are several reasons to mourn about this, particularly in how the irresponsibility of media has exacerbated the obvious pain that the families have dealt with. I can't help but think that we should all be mourning the fact that those miners faced the risks they faced in the first place. In 2006, we are still sending men deep underground to extract a fossilized fuel source to run our high-tech gizmos? This cheap source of energy has a higher cost than we thought, between the millions that suffer from respiratory problems from the soot we put into the air and the countless miners who risk their lives to go get the stuff out of the ground.

Perhaps it is time that our energy sources, and our news sources, join us in the 21st century.

What Am I Missing?

2005-12-29T15:45:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, I was given the stellar match-up of the iRiver iFP-899 MP3 player and Shure's exceptional e2C earbuds. The earbuds are the noise isolating variety, which means they block out the sound instead of employing some weird technology to try to cover it up electronically.

Well, they work, and they sound incredible. I wanted an MP3 player so I could fill up the time I spend walking and riding the bus with music, news and information, since I get sick reading and moving at the same time. Trying it out for the first time today, I'm not so sure it is for me.

I immediately realized what I was missing and felt like that isolationist "look straight ahead and aknowledge nobody" guy you see wandering around with a scared look on his face. While only about half of bus stop waits result in conversations with the other riders, jamming the phones in my ears gave the clear signal that I didn't want to talk. I completely lost that opportunity. While such things are usually idle small talk, I've often had some nice chats.

Getting on the bus, I felt compelled to pop the buds out to greet the driver. I always go out of the way to be nice to drivers. If I said something, I'd have no concept of how loud it was with the phones in my ears.

Conversations on the bus? Nada. I couldn't hear a thing, so no more amusement from the random stuff on the bus. Sure, 70% of the time the bus is people sitting quietly, but I'll miss the exceptions.

This is going to take some getting used to. I'm most certainly going to use it in moderation. The music from the combo of these top notch trinkets can't always top the sounds of the experience I call "going home".

Desperate Measures...

2005-12-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

With a day to go before departure to the homeland and no gifts for my brother or parents, I'm about to do the unthinkable. I'm about to journey to the car, ensure it is still there, hope it starts and drive it... yes, drive it... to the Northland to finish my Christmas shopping in the land of the big boxes. I'll be driving it home anyway, so I figure the damage is done.

Being car free is easy, but it takes planning when it comes to things like Christmas shopping. I didn't plan. Next year, I will extend my carlessness into one of its final frontiers. This year, I have to get it done.

Death Sucks II

2005-12-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

Robert Osborn was a local cyclist that lost his life while riding home from his night shift at a local grocery store. While hostility towards bikes isn't unheard of, we now know that Robert was simply a victim of bad luck. Two young men were joyriding and looking to perform a thrill killing. After missing two other potential victims with their shotgun, they circled back to Robert and ambushed him from behind a tree.

On Sunday morning, I rode out to a vigil and bike ride in honor of Robert, where I was interviewed by a local news station. Riding along Robert's commute route, we slowed to a stop next to the very tree that hid his killers.

The killers are behind bars. That is all that I ask to happen. The greater hope I have is that this sustained unity among those of us that ride and share Robert's vision for a better world and alternative transportation are given a new sense of urgency to keep it alive. Lets replace what we lost in Robert with a little bit of renewed energy in all of us.

Death Sucks

2005-12-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Last night, we learned that Stanley Williams died because the collective people of California thought he should. Well, the government of the people of California, acting in their behalf. A man who contributed more to society than most of the schmucks I met everyday with his messages against gang violence is dead. A voice of authority on the topic that stood a chance of reaching someone? Dead.

Okay, so, now we're better off to have this scum dead, right? Every argument I hear in support of the death penalty seems more and more absurd each time. Are we safer now that a man that was doing all he could to combat crime behind bars is dead? Did he deserve it? That isn't justice, that is revenge. We're a sick, sick society -- is it any wonder we have some crime problems?

...and what if we're wrong? To what clemency board do we appeal?

The Christmas Bus

2005-12-07T06:41:00.001-08:00

The Christmas Bus
Originally uploaded by staubio.

I'd seen it pass by and I had heard of it from other riders, but today was my first time on the Christmas bus. Garland running down each side and a faux-fireplace in the back, complete with gifts on the mantle. They have Christmas lights as well, but I think they irritated the bus a bit as its external signage is dead and the gps isn't picking up the bus.

Alas, without seeing the lights on, I have not experienced the true Christmas MAX. The pursuit continues.

A Round-about Way to Poverty

2005-12-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

Having tired of the mostly pointless evening trips to the dead side of downtown on the MAX bus, I decided to sprint after the Casino Cruiser bus last night and give it a try.

Though it was a nice change of scenery, it wasn't any faster. It does its own dance around town, going a few blocks out of its way just to make sure it passes in front of all of the major downtown tourist hotels. I suppose it aims to be a casino shuttle, so this is acceptable.

Sadly, the only people that could have been anything close to tourists was the old couple that couldn't operate the fare box. The rest of the bus was a rag-tag gang that just looked to be riding along.

I always figured that this route served a lot of the workers that kept the casinos running. After listening to some of the conversations, however, it became clear to me that a lot of these people knew each other and a lot of them were going to gamble.

Nobody was at the hotels. The bus filled up at the transfer points from poorer areas of the city. At 10th and Main, a man got on and was recognized by several people who said they had missed him. "I had to give it up for awhile," he said, and he was clearly excited to be back on the road to rock bottom.

This bus is always full. Should the ATA continue to masquerade it as a tourist shuttle or should it start running down Brooklyn, making sure what little money is left in these impoverished neighborhoods is delivered to casino operators as soon as possible?

I don't fault the ATA for operating the route. I am sure I will use it at some point. It is a sad thing to see on your commute home, though.

The Front Door

2005-11-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

As I walked into work this morning, the security guard wished me a good morning as I walked by, as she usually does. She acted as if she knew me, which I thought was cute. Of the thousands of people that work in the building, she couldn't possibly actually remember me every day. She is just being polite, I'm sure.

Then it occurred to me.

I'm probably one of only a few people that actually enter the building through the front door. The vast majority of people drive into the garage and then enter the building through the parking structure from below. I walk right in the front door, which is usually reserved for smoking breaks and lunch walks to Union Station.

As someone that travels almost exclusively on foot, by bike and via transit, I always get to use the front door -- a concept that has almost become a novelty. I get to experience all sorts of things that other people don't, like the near-monopoly I have on the morning greetings of the security guard. I understand the context and the interconnectedness of the neighborhoods I frequent. I see the world -- a world that is increasingly fashioned so people can spend as little time as possible outside of their car or home.

From the street, everything is better. I pass storefronts to enter Coffee Girls from Southwest Boulevard, not from the parking lot behind it. I hop off the bus to enter Dragonfly from its pleasant frontage, which is good for more than just decoration, as opposed to the back lot passageway. I walk right in the front door of Lulu's instead of the little ramp in the back, facing the parking. I didn't even know that Harling's had a back entrance until recently, effectively hiding all of the activity from Main and funneling the patrons to their cars out back.

Most people don't choose to experience the world like this, which might explain why I get so much more excited about the built environment. Most people don't even notice that friendly security guard, either.

The front door is reserved for the distinguished guests and, in getting to see the world so much more vividly than those who drove up to the back entrance, I feel like one.

Corner Restaurant Redeemed

2005-11-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

The aptly named Corner Restaurant, overlooking the intersection of Broadway and Westport, was on the verge of being dropped off the bottom of my coveted breakfast destination list. Formerly a favorite with its unique mixture of customers and servers, tacky outdated decor and hip urban location, it would be sad to not have the experience.

On the last visit, what is typically an always-hot bottomless cup of coffee sat with a few bits of coffee grounds at the bottom. Empty. The pancakes were grainy. In the last two visits, they were always out of bananas, which were essential for my favorite pancake. Our traditional server, Janette, an oddly dressed bra-less counter-culture hipster looking young lady that was had the attitude and service ethic that matched the location, was nowhere to be seen. In her place was a stoned out, inattentive girl that scarcely noticed our presence.

So, no refills, no service, bad food. When a guy lives in the best breakfast neighborhood in the world in the River Market (The Diner, Succotash, Cup and Saucer, Cascone's), making a trip to Westport for a lackluster experience just doesn't compute.

Sunday morning was the "last chance" breakfast.

Our server was someone I recall seeing as a bus boy and he handled the promotion well. Not only was he back 3 times to top off the coffee, but the other servers and bussers were armed with carafes of tasty goodness as well. I think I still have a caffeine high from that morning. They had bananas. The pancakes were good. The crowd was a little strange, a little hippy, a little blue collar, a little white collar, a little retiree, a little bum.

Corner Restaurant is redeemed. I tipped heavily and left them on the breakfast list. Don't let me down again, Corner.

Christmas Off Target?

2005-11-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

When discussing Christmas shopping with my mother over the Thanksgiving holiday, a little spat ensued when I learned that she is boycotting Target because of an e-mail she received. Countless people get these forwarded messages, many of which are bogus. Snopes does a good job demystifying these things, as they did for this issue.

It seems Target has ceased to use the word "Christmas" in their promotional materials in favor of recognizing the "holiday." Last time I checked, everyone was bemoaning the overly commercial nature of the Christmas holiday. Now that Target isn't playing the word "Christmas," people are angry about that. If they just totally ignored the holiday season entirely, would that be a good thing or a bad thing?

I find it frightening that the religious crowd never circulates an e-mail of outrage over the gross injustices in the world but calls for a boycott over what a store decides to put in their sales circular.

Target's line? It makes sense. They don't want to alienate. They want to allow everyone to celebrate in their own way. Kwanza, Hanukkah, Solstice? Come on in! It is a pretty weak Christian that thinks that Target has any impact on how they enjoy the holiday, or that the presence of the word "Christmas" is somehow going to change the minds of the general public.

Target also faced some heat for not compromising their solicitation policy to allow Salvation Army bell ringers outside their doors. What many fail to realize is that allowing Salvation Army to place solicitors outside of the store makes the company's stance against this type of behavior essentially meaningless. What kind of heat will the company face when another charity wants to do the same thing?

Good for Target, I say. God bless them.

Standing Room Only

2005-11-24T16:18:00.001-08:00

Standing room only. Supposedly, some crazy millions pour into the Plaza for the lighting ceremony, the "largest lighting ceremony in the country today." The ATA has a unique opportunity to dazzle and the too infrequent bus is completely packed by Crown Center. They are running busses every 10 minutes, which isn't close to enough.

I hope these people come back. We need some articulated busses.

Standing Room Only

2005-11-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

Jobs: An American Discussion

2005-11-18T07:36:00.000-08:00

Last night, I attended a townhall meeting entitled "Jobs: An American Discussion" mostly to run elbows with the all-star panel and hear some interesting perspectives. On the panel: Neil Patterson, CEO of Cerner; Carol Marinovich, former mayor of the Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas; Elson Floyd, President of the University of Missouri System; Mark Ernst, CEO of H&R Block; Her Majesty the Mayor of the Great Kansas City, MO, Kay Barnes. Moderated by CNN dude Frank Sesno, who was impressive.

Much to my chagrin, the discussion got off tangent. It seemed like they plopped the panel in front of a frustrated job fair, with most of the audience complaining about the difficulty in getting a job or some other pet problem.

The biggest frustration? The constant and off-topic complaints about tax incentives given to companies and developers. One retired school teacher lambasted Barnes (and Ernst and Patterson) for the incentives and their impact on the public schools. It made it perfectly clear that few people in the audience had a solid understanding of what tax increment financing is and how it works.

Besides, per pupil spending in the Kansas City, Missouri school district is already higher than many other districts that outperform it. The problem isn't funding, it is that the neighborhoods this district serves are crumbling, riddled with poverty and crime and lack the level of human investment needed to make them successful. Failure to be aggressive in attracting development will just drown urban neighborhoods deeper into dispair. No wealthy child left behind. Long term, the schools depend on the urban environment.

The CEO's were pretty darn honest too. Patterson: schools aren't giving us what we need, we have to go outside KC to get talent, etc. Patterson looked annoyed all night and wasn't particularly pleasant with his smug responses. I could certainly see the man who sent a scathing and threatening letter to his managers coming out in his comments and general attitude and I was glad I worked for the more pleasant guy.

So, Mark Ernst: Indians are cheaper and better. This provoked an old lady to say she is outraged with H&R Block. Well, I suppose Block should just decide not to be competitive in the marketplace, then. If Block doesn't take these steps, they can't grow and add jobs here at home and build new green buildings downtown.

Nevertheless, OUTRAGE. Nevermind that 1000 of Block's 130,000 employees are in India, and they aren't outsourced, they work for Block. OUTRAGE!

Ironically, that sense of entitlement that came up as one of the reasons for America falling behind was being slung up at the panel. Nobody was willing to wonder what we needed to do to get ahead. Nobody wanted to know how they could perform better than those in India. They just felt entitled to those jobs and shamed Ernst for taking advantage of the talent.

Then the students spoke.

Smart girl of Syrian decent: We need to take a look at WHY these other countries are getting ahead of us. We need to get over our sense of entitlement. Okay, finally, somebody who gets it!

Not-so-smart girl of suburban KC decent: Like, where do I go to make contacts and stuff, because, like, the jobs need experience but I don't have any experience and stuff.

One man in a rather important community position I can't recall said something about our educational system being "broke" and I don't think he was trying to be ironic.

I'm still a card carrying liberal, but the rants of some of the typical liberal crowd seemed woefully uninformed. To be fair, we never really got to the real issue. We were talking about the top-end jobs and skill positions. The disparity of opportunity and gap between the rich and the poor is an issue bigger than what could be addressed at that discussion.

I was interested to hear my fearless leader a little more candidly, so I slid in to a discussion Ernst was having with a few people from the audience. I felt like the point he was trying to make about creating a vibrant city and trying to attract a vibrant workforce needed reinforced, so I shared the virtues of working for H&R Block and what investments in that kind of environment can do. Comparing it to Sprint's legacy location for legacy people, I told these critics what Block is accomplishing. Though I didn't officially meet Mark and, by the time I had joined the discussion I'm sure he was annoyed and ready to go home and get some sleep, I hope he appreciated my perspective.

The prize of the night goes to the lady complaining about tax incentives after the big show. She didn't like that tax incentives were given to the Village West development in Kansas City, KS, an admittedly ugly sprawling gaggle of chain crap and NASCAR but a new hope for a crumbling tax base. Her reasoning: she can still get a TV for cheaper at Wal-Mart than she can at Nebraska Furniture Mart.

Wow, the public REALLY doesn't get it.

I Heart the BBC

2005-11-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats the BBC World Service for hard-hitting, balanced news coverage with an accent. I try to make the BBC part of my regular radio listening "shed-ule." Being a hopeless romantic for the past, I get most of my news through that "traditional" medium instead of the TV or the Internet.

However, with all of their other quirky features and subtle humor sprinkled in, I was convinced that our English friends were pulling a fast one when I heard a segment reported by Lucy Hooker. Lucy Hooker? Come on, that is too funny for real life.

Turns out she is real. Whether the name is a clever reporter's inside joke radio name or a result of very mean parents is unclear.

If that latter is true, Mr. and Mrs. Hooker should be very proud of their daughter.

Do You Have a Bike Handy?

2005-11-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

I have written several times about my affinity for giving people directions and being afforded opportunities to show my hospitality in general. This morning I had another opportunity as an obviously lost lady from the hinterlands of Kansas trolled my street.

"Excuse me, can you tell me how to get..."

Yes! Directions! Positive interaction with outsiders!

"Kemper Arena," she finished.

Crap.

Instantly, my navigation by car atrophy was painfully apparent. My mind invisioned the route. "Okay, hop on the bike, down under the bridge to Woodsweather... crap, she has a car..."

It seems my abandonment of driving had diluted my navigation to "by feel" or "take the such and such bus."

Do I need to drive so I can remember how to do it?

"Well, yeah, it is kinda hard to get to. Are you interested in hearing the story of that mistake and about our new arena?"

No, I won't drive. We'll just fix the city.

"Grand is right there. Take a right and it is a straight shot."

Fall in the Market

2005-11-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

I'm very lucky to have moved during the most wonderful time in KC: fall. KC's fall's are off the charts. Weather remains in the 70's well into November, with nights dropping into the 50's. The late season rains and slow temperature drop-off extend the colorful season, with the trees and flowers holding out to enjoy the weather with the rest of us.

KC Skyscrapers forumer Tosspot, a powerhouse at capturing the essence of urban neighborhoods in photos and a kindred spirit in the hatred of everything suburban-esque, came back from a walk around my neighborhood with a collection of photos that makes me feel incredibly fortune to live where I do.

The Condo on Bike Route

2005-11-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

The actual street I live on is a bike route. How completely cool is that?

Riding for fun

2005-11-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it is over. Who would have thought that the season of mountain bike racing, my first as an expert, would be so dramatic -- especially for little old me.

If I had any idea how close things would be at the end, I might have done something differently. I lost by one point. Any of the races where I let a space slip or didn't show up as prepared as I should could have made the difference.

Maybe if I would have skipped the 6 hour race the day before the race in Neosho, or opted out of the epic experience of Ride the Rockies so I wouldn't have to race the day after crossing the Continental Divide for the last time on the last day of the ride.

No, I'm glad I did that stuff. I need to remember that I ride my bike for fun. Having too much of a focus on being competitive will ruin it for me. As I pre-rode the course last Sunday at a leisure pace, I was reminded of just how much fun mountain biking is. The course rose above a lake and weaved through the rocks and trees and it was FUN! I'll have to do more of that.

As for the series, it was a miserable way to lose. I had my conflicts, bad luck and tough races that would have made the difference earlier in the year, but it came down to the race in Manhattan. I needed to beat the points leader. I was feeling good and was ready to roll.

He didn't race.

There is a rule in the series that allows a racer to take the average of his top 5 scores in place of a race if he volunteers to help score and marshall the race. Using this option bagged my opponent 22 points (further exacerbating the damage done by my surrendering of a 2 man race earlier in the season), meaning I had to win the race to get the 1 point I needed. I got second by 50 seconds. I had some pedal problems which are really a matter of me being underprepared. I guess I just didn't want it enough. I didn't give it enough focus and I didn't prepare, so I didn't get it.

So, now it is back to riding for fun. I will give that a ton of focus. I can't wait to get back on the streets of KC and not worry about stopping for a beer or whether I'm driving a decent pace or if I've climbed enough hills. Riding in the city is fun, and I'm all about the fun.

As for next year? I'm not worried about it. I might train for it, I might let it slip. I'm giving myself a break from thinking about that too. In the meantime, drop me a note if you feel like going for a bike ride.

Grand!

2005-10-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

I went down to the condo this morning to let in the concrete contractors, who will be transforming my dull concrete floor into a polished and colorful masterpiece over the course of this week. I then snatched a ride on MAX back to work and endured its exhausting dance through the downtown loop.

With the improvements of the transit system in KC and the advent of the Metro Area Express, many of the popular bus routes now have GPS-enabled computerized voice announcements of upcoming stops. Granted, it usually says the name of the stop as you pass through the intersection, but it is an improvement.

What I find most interesting about this system is that the computerized woman seems to have very thinly veiled opinions about some of our major urban corridors.

Broadway? She isn't so hot on that, droning out "Broad-way" in a laborious, two step statement with a deadpan inflection. She is still working on mastering saying the word in one smooth statement.

Main? She is firm. "MAIN and 39th." I always have the feeling she is a bit uninspired about the street and is just waiting for it to go away so she can say the fun things like "Union Station" or "Plaza."

The one she is excited about, counterintuitvely, is Grand. I suspect the programmers told the voice that "grand" is a word people use in positive contexts, so if ending a statement with it, it should have a dramatic ride in inflection. She complies. She chirps out the word "Grand" in a high pitched, excited chirp, as if she is encouraging you to pull that yellow cord right away and check out this street. It is simply GRAND!

I wish she were more right about that.

Reciprocal Inspiration

2005-10-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

I occassionally venture through a few other local blogs of interest to catch up on the perspectives of others I've "gotten to know" through the internet. I'm particularly drawn to people who try to do what I do -- live completely or mostly without driving in the city.

One such blog is that of KC Skyscrapers occassional poster carfreekc. Heidi maintains Me, Myself and Infrastructure (clever, eh), and in catching up on her blog, I discovered this post.

Who would have thought someone was reading this thing, and even more that someone took something out of it? It inspires me to keep posting, especially after a job change killed my posting for awhile. It further inspires me to get out in the city so I can soak up those experiences that give me the stories to tell.

So, come back and look for those stories. I'll be working hard going out and looking for them.

Meanwhile, if anyone needs any pointers, routes or assistance with riding in the city, drop me a note.

Staubio Wins the Drag!

2005-10-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

In what was hopefully just another run-of-the-mill dress up in drag and race your bike in the East Crossroads kinda night, I raced my beautiful new fixie to victory in the KC Drag Races.

Good times.

It is a drag race, you see, so you are to wear drag. I didn't have time, so I had to compete in more races. Basically, there is a "normally dressed" division that then goes on to race those in drag. I'm sorry I missed out on the dress up, though some of my friends are indeed quite sexy in dresses.

The brackets were split by single speed and geared bicycles. I won the single speed division after two incredibly close races and then went on to race the geared winner, who I beat for the grand championship.

My new bike now sports my winnings: a bright yellow feather boa. Sweet, huh?

You can find some of Vlad's pictures here

***
In other racing news, it all comes down to October 30th, the final race of the series in Manhattan, KS. A top 3 finish ahead of the points leader would get it done. Anything less... well, won't.

Perhaps I'll show up in drag for that one.

Commuter Challenge

2005-10-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I just found this results page after a friend asked me what you get when you google my name. Well, that was one of the things.

Aren't we cool? I rode 88 miles that last day trying to beat those Bulldog guys and a few of our members were riding 8 miles daily, so it was bringing down their average. I say good for us, though, because the point of the competition is to raise more awareness for alternative transportation. Biking to work was normal for me, but it wasn't for most of the people on our team. We had a lot of people and we got more people riding to work than probably any other team. In the future, teams should be incented to include anyone and everyone, whether their commute is a mile of 50.

That said, it would have been cool to win, but we made a good showing.

I hope some of those people are still riding their bikes to work. What a great bunch of competitors that team was.

Back in 10 Minutes...

2005-10-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

I was walking through the glorified mall that is Crown Center today when I noticed a small sign on the door of a shop.

"Back in 10 minutes"

What does that mean? 10 minutes from when? 10 minutes from now?

Some poor soul is going to spend his entire life waiting just ten more minutes, because, really, that sign doesn't allow you to progress against your wait.

Perpetually just 10 minutes away. Oh, the wisdom of the stupid sign.

Best Bus Ride Ever

2005-09-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

I lost my badge chasing the bus this morning, so I went home for lunch to pluck it out of the grass where it fell out of my bag. It is a nice day, so I walked through the Plaza to catch the MAX back to work.

This is when the best bus ride ever began.

I got to the stop just as the last bus was leaving. A new bus was coming onto the route, so it was queuing there waiting to leave. I started talking to one of the guys at the stop and he said it was going to take forever, but I asked the driver and he said he was leaving at 12:19. We both got on the bus and sat there for about 10 minutes, so there is already a bit of feeling antsy to get rolling.

About 4 minutes before the bus was scheduled to leave, this lady gets on. She asks the driver if he is leaving at the scheduled time, which she knows by heart. He says yes and she boards. She then asks the driver to direct her to a seat and starts pointing out options all over the bus. "Shall I sit here, or shall I sit here next to the gentleman in gray tie". At this point, we don't know how to react yet, so we're just sorta looking at each other and reacting in disbelief.

After no response, she then inexpicably calls out "if there is a doctor on this bus, please come forward."

A couple of guys tell her she can just sit down right up front. She continues to stand and says "does anyone have a cellphone," to which people ask why. "I need you to make a call for me." Getting little response, she shouts to the whole bus: "Raise your hand if you have a cell phone."

She forgets about that for a bit and starts to sit down, at which point she asks us if we can tell her where to stow her luggage. The guy next to her tells her to just set it on the floor next to her seat. "I don't trust, I don't trust, I don't trust," she says.

Another guy with a phone, growing concerned, asked her about the call. He continued to ask who she needed to call, to which she finally replied with a number. He asked for her name and she wouldn't give it to him. "Why would you ask that, so you can tell them who is calling?" Finally, she says something like "Ms. So-and-so" and he tells them on the phone. The guy tries to explain what is up and he asks her who she is calling for, at which time she says "nevermind" and he apologizes.

The guy then asks her if she knows where she is going. She says stuff like "I don't know this town" and "I'm lost and alone and I need help." Finally, he asked her if she was supposed to be out, at which time she replied that she wasn't and that she snuck out without her guardian or chaperon. She got a kick out of this and kept talking about what would happen if she got caught, what people thought of her sneaking away and how she could find her chaperone again.

When we heard that she was sneaking away, we told the driver and he said that she has been on this bus for the last 3 weeks with the same thing every time. The bus driver then goes into a hilarious escapade about how bus driving isn't easy. "I go home and my wife says 'all you did all day was sit in a bus' -- if she did this for 1 mile, she'd pull over and go jump in a lake."

"I'd like to go jump in a lake," said the crazy lady.

At this point, other people in the bus are saying stuff like "not today, you wouldn't" and then the lady behind me just paused and said "oh, mercy" with a laugh.

At that point, a firetruck was coming through a light and the bus came to an abrupt stop. About every 2 minutes after that, the crazy lady talked about how she hurt herself on that abrupt stop. She was wondering if she should take a pit stop to go see a doctor. At this point, half the bus is chuckling as the crazy lady is bending her arm wildly and making fists. "As long as it bends, there is no cause for concern. As long as I can make a fist, there is no cause for concern."

We also had a stop at 39th where some guy who apparently just hangs out at the stop and stops the bus without wanting to get on it harassed the driver.

At this point, we're telling the driver this is the best bus ride ever. He suggests we could all sing KumByYah, to which the crazy lady excitedly responds "lets do it!" and then sinks when nobody starts singing. We're all laughing and talking with each other by this point and I'm debating whether I can stay on the bus and circle back.

I thank the driver as I exit and he laughs and says "if you enjoyed your ride, tell me, if you didn't, tell others!"

I'm telling you. It was awesome.

Changing formations

2005-07-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

In the soccer match of life, I'm subbing out a stable midfielder for a holding forward. I'm pushing for the goal and hopefully the win. I'm either going to win this game or lose it. Ties are boring.

On > Foward H&R Block
Off < Midfielder Sprint

The hunter and the hunted

2005-07-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

As my helmet-mounted light blazed through the night sky last night, I wondered why I even bothered to have it on. The thick aftermath of the "freedom to make loud noises" celebration was lingering, filling the low spots with so much thick smoke that I could taste it as I slipped through on my bike, which was now a aggressively geared single speed thanks to a broken derailleur cable. The smoke didn't budge and limited my visibility to mere feet in front of me, reflecting the light back to me and reminding me that I was probably taking years off of my life by breathing the stuff in.

Ahh, but how else could we celebrate representation for our taxation than to burn things?

Aside from being mostly useless in the smoke cloud last night, my light does prove to make my rides more interesting. The light employs the same technology as the latest luxury cars, casting a blinding pure white light that transforms the trail ahead into daylight. For racing on rocky singletrack trails at night, this light is a blessing. For riding around smoke-filled Johnson County at midnight, this light is insanely overkill but a lot of fun.

I'm used to strange reactions from the light. I've had plenty of cars pull over, thinking they'd been nabbed when the gleam hit their mirrors. Approaching cars slow down, not sure what to expect. When riding side-by-side with another HID-equipped rider, it has to look like a jacked-up machine is approaching. It is the law enforcement identity that always creates the most laughs, though, and last night was no exception.

Fireworks are illegal in Johnson County in what appears to be a universally unpopular and mostly disregarded decree likely imposed by some wealthy control freaks. While I agree that fireworks are a colossal waste that pollutes the air and puts countless people (especially children) at risk of injury, there is no denying the value of the thrill people get from loud booms.

In search of this thrill, a large group of teenagers was huddled over some forbidden contraband in a school parking lot. As I passed, I swung the beam of my light their direction and as I came up over the rise that was hiding them, I saw them running for the hills. They must have thought they had been nabbed, but they ran without looking back around the school, completely visible in the lit parking lot the entire time. They were lucky I wasn't a real cop because there is no way they could have gotten away, especially if I was chasing them on a bike. (I'll save my "there should be more cops -cops that are capable riders- on bikes" rant for another time)

Finally, one kid turned around and noticed that the light wasn't coming from a car. He ran a bit more, turned again, looked puzzled and then continued running. He did this until he was pretty sure I had passed, still trying to figure out what the heck was going on. The bright light coming out of nowhere is probably the same strange sight that causes cars to pull over and neighborhood residents to call the police reporting strange sightings.

One such sighting must have been what happened last night, later in my journey. I pulled off into an alleyway to evacuate excess liquids. Admittedly, I picked an alley in a popular J.C. Nichols shopping district in Fairway, which wasn't the best place to blatantly disregard the law by attending to my body's demands. As I emerged from the alley, a Fairway squad car pulled up with its spotlight trained on me.

The cop barked at me, sounding as if he had just had a career breakthrough high-profile bust.

"What are you hiding for?"

Luckily, I was no longer standing there unloading my bladder and I calmly stood there as if I was simply taking a biology-unrelated break. When the officer got a good look at me, I'm guessing I wasn't the renegade teenager he was expecting. I told him I wasn't hiding and was moving along and he stuttered "oh...uh...okay" and just sat there as I rode off. I turned the corner into Westwood, the next suburb, and watched him circle the lot, obviously looking for something.

I left my big, law enforcement enticing light off for the rest of the night.

Encircling Lightening

2005-06-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

It is pretty common to hear someone say "luckily, I got home just in time to miss the storm".

Last night, I was lucky to get caught in it.

I almost didn't. I was riding home and decided, for no apparent reason, to continue going north on Lamar. As I approached I35, I got a call asking me if I was coming to the Wednesday Urban Exploration ride. Typically, I don't get out of the 'burbs in time, but it was running late and they hadn't left. I met the guys on Southwest Boulevard and a great ride ensued.

We made a loop through some cool areas in Argentine and Armourdale in KCK as the sky grew ominous. On my way down Lamar, I had heard that Leavenworth County was experiencing some pretty gnarly weather and we could see the looming darkness approach as we made our way through the interesting areas of these neighborhoods.

On State Ave, we stopped at El Taconazo, a tasty joint that is run by Mexicans for Mexicans. Walking in is like a throwback to the days of segregation. You are very welcome there, but you get strange looks from the patrons surprised to see a pack of gringos come in.

The place rules. The food is great and the environment real. The TV was showing the Mexico vs. Trinidad soccer match and the place was full with people enjoying it. We ordered our food just as the rain started to fall. Not long after, a man (presumably the owner) offered to unlock his outdoor covered patio area so we could shelter our bikes from the rain.

The rain intensified. The collective let out a gasp as the power blinked on and off a few times. The hail started. This was fun! We were strange when we walked in but we are now another group riding out the storm together, all of us suspended there while the hail pelted the ground outside. The weather gave people something to talk about and everyone relaxed. Any awkwardness or racial tension that might have existed disappeared and we were all one happy family in there.

If only it was hailing all the time.

The most violent part of the storm passed, so we ventured out in the rain to finish our ride home. The lightening was majestic, wrapping around the sky dramatically. Each flash would spread its light across the wet pavement as if the pavement itself was a backlit sheet. Deep streams of runoff carried their debris across the roads and swirled into potholes as we splashed through them. The pavement stretched the alternating colors of the stoplights for blocks and blocks, with red streaks in the pavement in front of my wheel warning me of the required stop far off in the distance. In the residential neighborhoods, the single streetlights on the corners cast a stripe of reflecting light down the block -- a ribbon I could follow to see the road.

Every bit of the city is different in the rain. It is nature's way of giving the city a natural high -- enhancing its contours, lights and colors -- and, as always, riding is the best way to experience it.

Nothing beats how storms enhance a ride and nothing beats how hail enhances society.

Mama said there'd be days like this...

2005-06-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was race #7 of the Midwest Fat Tire Series, a series in which I aspire to win the very competitive expert class.

Two weeks after gaining a spot or two due to mechanical problems among my competitors, karma came back to bite me. I was on pace to win this race, which would have marked my first win ever as an expert. I was sitting in second behind Jason Stiger, a guy who I've been racing neck and neck with since beginner class, and I was less than 1 minute behind him. He is known to start fast and strong and take his time in the first lap while I get faster as the race progresses, so I was confident when I knew we were going to be doing 3 laps of this very demanding course.

On the homestretch of lap 2, I started to notice my rear tire losing air pressure. It started to wash out on the rocks, so I was forced to stop and attend to it. It seemed like the tubeless tire may just have lost its seal, so I blasted it with a CO2 shot. It seemed to hold, so I got back on and started hauling. By the end of lap 2, the tire was losing pressure again and slowing me down, but I was still holding my own, so I tried to ride through it.

Early in lap 3, the tire rolled off the rim and planted me firmly into the forest, leaving me a bit scratched and my head aching from smacking the group. I immediately noticed that the metal-on-metal sound I had heard during the ordeal was my stem twisting itself out of alignment on the steerer tube, meaning the my tire was pointed hard right when my handlebars were straight. I tried to compose myself, dug the tools out of my jersey pocket and went to work righting the stem. Instead of putting a tube in the rear tire like I should, I stubbornly tried to seal it again, thinking that even if it was leaking, it would be faster to top it off 2 or 3 times than it would be to stop, take the back wheel off and put a tube in an uncooperative tubeless tire.

Wrong. A mile or two later, I was off the bike, changing the flat trailside as the last of my class finally overtook me. For the rest of the race, I didn't have it in me to fight anymore. I was riding very strongly and it wasn't enough, but it was beyond my control.

This is part of racing. It will teach me to have my bike completely ready on race day. It will teach me to be patient, keep working and come out even stronger for the next race. It is only a matter of time until my points competition gets a flat or two. They won't catch me, flats or no flats, as long as I can stay on my bike.

12 Hours on the bike

2005-05-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

In September, I will race my bike for 12 hours a few times, culminating with the grueling Rapture in Misery, which I aspire to win someday. In a race like that, you keep riding because you have to. You crank onward deliriously, often outside of yourself, until the rocks don't even register in your head. It hurts, but the sense of satisfaction is overwhelming.

Today, I spent 12 hours on my bike. Not constantly riding, mind you, and not always at any forced pace. I spent 12 hours on my bike because I was riding in a city I love and a city that was alive with activity today.

I started by heading downtown after stopping for Jamaican BBQ at Black Belt in Westport. Downtown was crammed with traffic because of people leaving a graduation at Municipal, so I weaved and dodged the traffic, fancying myself a bicycle commuter in a congested city. Then, it was the River Market in what has become an almost-daily pilgrimage to 200 Main. The office conversion on 2nd Street has renderings up that look great.

In the River Market, there was a couple walking their dog that was offering directions to some visitors with Nebraska plates. As I rode by, I found myself turning around and observing from across the street. In the back of my mind, I was hoping there would be something that the guy offering directions wouldn't know. I was hoping they could ask me and I could help. I long to interact with visitors. I love to leave them with a positive impression of Kansas City and thank them for coming. I've even ridden ahead of a lost couple downtown, allowing them to follow me to their intended destination.

Yes, I'm from here. Yes, I know how to get there. Please ask me. I would absolutely love to help and I really, really want you to enjoy your stay.

I tried to help some little girls this afternoon as well, but that effort was put to a stop by Kansas City's finest. I stumbled upon the setup for the "celebration at the Station," a fireworks show and free symphony concert at Union Station. I decided that I'd explore KCK all afternoon and make it back to the station at 7:30 when the party got started. When I returned, I explored the crowds and checked out the new MAX bus that was on display. I worked my way toward the Memorial and on my way up the hill, I noticed a group of little girls huddled together, pointing upward at the monument. One of them had lost her grip on her helium balloon and it was floating away. The girls were vigilantly acting as spotters, scheming what would obviously be an impossible balloon recovery plan.

As soon as I figured out what they were talking about, I realized that I could swing around the side of the retaining wall and climb up the steep access road, putting myself in the path of the balloon in time to snag it and return it to the girl. The crosswind was giving the balloon more run and less rise, keeping it in reach if I could gain altitude quickly. I downshifted and stomped down on the pedals, riding with a sense of purpose, and as I swung around the corner with the balloon in sight, the police officer motioned for me to stop and summoned me. I was told I couldn't pass through that way. I conceded, thanked him and turned around to see the balloon drift away.

Sorry, little girl. I really thought I could get that balloon back for you.

All in all, the last 12 hours were very rich ones. On Troost, I guy waved at me for help and I smacked a pair of pliers against his starter while he tried to start his car. I met friends at Broadway Cafe, where a strange man shared his conspiracy theories with us. I ran into a procession of Catholics, marching down the middle of Broadway muttering strange things about Mary, solidifying my opinion that Catholics are weird and a tad scary. I was showered with "git yo ass on the sidewalk" in the heart of KCK, where I rode the entire length of the stigmatized Quindaro Boulevard before travelling the entire length of Wyandotte County north to south. I tried to no avail to set off a drive-through sensor to get a root beer float. I took a short break in the park, where I laid down in the grass to watch the birds deal with the same headwind I had been working against earlier. I met another friend on the great lawn of Liberty Memorial as the fireworks display was ending -- a display I watched rising over the Midtown skyline as I rode down Broadway. I had drunk guys pretend to jump out in front of me in Westport and drank peach tea in the Crown Center parking garage. I tried to speak Spanish when I ordered a tasty fresh fruit treat from Tropicana, the Hispanic dessert shop on Southwest Boulevard. I climbed the concrete stairs of an abandoned school in the heart of Quindaro to check out the amazing view. I found neighborhoods I had never seen and navigated on the fly. I watched the post-bar pickup process between the primped girls and frat boys on the Plaza. I dinged my bell to the delight of awe-struck little kids and was flashed a peace sign by a woman who told me, in a thick Irish accent, that she wished there were more bike lanes and she admired me for riding my bike.

I love this city and I love how much I can experience just by being here and going outside. By going for a simple bike ride, I did a ton of cool stuff today.

The only thing I didn't do was catch that balloon.

Another parking lot, another lost opportunity

2005-05-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

KCDowntown, from the KC Skyscrapers forum, captures what all the fuss is about when it comes to parking downtown, extending the law of induced demand from roads to their natural extension.

It is refreshing to know that other people are thinking about these things.

Common sense is lost on the jaded

2005-05-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

On a recent afternoon enjoying a delightful array of shops and eateries in the Westport neighborhood, I overheard a little girl ask a question that was incredibly profound. This was lost on her dad, however, who was so programmed by the world he is used to that he didn't even consider why she would ask the question in the first place.

We were in a small loop of shops along Pennsylvania St, a street beloved by Kansas City urbanites for its intimacy and pedestrian scale. However, in the section we were standing, the shops are set back from the street to accommodate a small parking lot and a u-shaped drive. This is a lot I've always disliked. When enjoying a meal at a patio table in front of Californos, one has the charming view of a pile of cars in temporary storage. On a street that is so perfectly human scaled, this lot is a giant hole.

The girl's question?

"Daddy, why are there cars here?"

She was just strolling along, taking in all of the visuals, when she turned to the lot and stopped short. She turned her head at the array of cars, thought to herself and then asked the question.

Her dad didn't miss a beat. He didn't get it. He responded that there were cars here because people parked them there, insulting the girl with his oversimplified explanation that completely missed the point and failed to reward the girl for her insight. Little did this girl know that she knows more about this topic than daddy does. Dissatisfied with the response, you could tell the girl still felt as if she had an open, unresolved question. As her dad prodded her to continue on their walk, you could almost see her give up and then resume walking along with her dad.

When I heard it, I did the same thing. I stopped in my tracks. I've spent tons of time trying to explain why cars don't belong. I try to deal with the balance between the realities of car dependence that conflict with great urban spaces. She didn't have to deal with all of that. She didn't worry about anyone's preconceived notions. She just asked the obvious question.

The little girl hasn't had to deal with driving. Her dad's SUV with its Kansas plates reveal that her reality is the suburbs. To her, this actual neighborhood must feel like a park, with cars being out of place when compared to the sprawling parking lots of suburbia. Her experience of all of the stimuli of a dense, leafy urban street was affronted by these cars. It didn't feel right in her clever little brain.

If only it didn't feel right for everyone else. I'm convinced it doesn't feel quite right, but adults don't know anything else. We're used to it. It is normal. We don't ask for more and we don't really have relationships with our built environments anymore.

I had to resist the urge to answer that question for the girl... or, better yet, sit down and ask her what she meant by the question. We could learn a lot from her. Sadly, by the time people are articulate enough to communicate the feelings that their environment elicits from them. By that time, they are numb.

Hopefully this is changing. If only everyone was as smart as that little girl. I hope she keeps on asking "stupid" and "absurd" questions like that one and the rest of us follow her lead. As part of his response, daddy said "I parked here," which solidified his lack of perspective, as if the correct question would be "why are there not cars here?" I mean, what a killer parking spot! Front row!

Front row parking for a place that is destroyed by front row parking, but it sure is great to find a spot!

The times they are a changin'

2005-05-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

I was talking with my friend Pete, who has returned to the venerable original Dairy Queen that was my employer on and off for 5 years. He said it "just isn't the same" as it used to be. What he was lamenting is the fact that there is virtually no sense of community or pride among the workforce like there was when I started there in high school. Despite its less-than-glamorous fast food associations, I think a lot of people that I worked with took pride in their job at DQ. I know I did. We were a tight knit group that tried to a do a good job. We wanted to succeed. Being a manager was easy because everyone wanted to do a good job. A good team at DQ was a well oiled machine that worked well together, had a good time and made customers happy. I actually didn't mind going to work. I made lasting friendships with my co-workers and I had a relationship with the store. In fact, on the way back from a recent bike race, I complained about DQ changing the name of the Mr. Misty to some marketing-eze like "Arctic Slushpile" or whatever the crap.

So, to continue my old man "in my day" revelations, I realized that in my day, people just cared more. Especially young people. I think my generation was the last of those that didn't feel as if they were entitled to everything. We had a work ethic and we had social cohesion. Now the job is just the paycheck the person deserves. The co-workers are just people you deal with to earn your money. You put in your time, you don't try to enjoy it nor concern yourself with the quality of your work, and you make sure to complain about it no matter what. In my day, DQ was one of the best places to work. Now, it is just a job.

The relationship goes both ways. I think the existing DQ staff had a cohesion that gracefully brought in newbies. Now, more than ever, everyone is a cog in the wheel. I'm sure the change of ownership that DQ underwent changed the culture, but the generational gap was already apparent with the new employees that started during my summers home from college.

This is just like the corporate world, where a good relationship with your employer often meant a lifetime of employment. At Sprint, name badges at workstations used to be made out of molded plastic. The name was embossed on this, a veritable plaque with all of its connotations of nobility and permanence. If you want to fire somebody, you at least have to eat the $5 sunk costs of the namebadge.

Now, each cubicle has a plastic holder that holds a little slip of paper with a name laser printed on it. They are so easily changed that they are a common tool of the practical joker. The company's investment in your identity is 1/3 of a sheet of paper.

The old guard still hangs onto those plastic name badges from their old locations, though I doubt they give them much comfort. Placing them to display is a subtle form of protest, staking out a little more ownership to your piece of the profit floor than the company would care to give you.

Of course, it will only take an extra 10 seconds to pull down the plastic namebadge and throw it in the trash. Lets hope the slips of paper that replace them don't suffer from the same problems that destroyed what it meant to make Blizzards with pride.

On unbelievable moves, Blunt raises the bar with razing a bridge

2005-05-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, a guy with virtually no redeeming qualities who called my beloved city and other democratic strongholds places "where nobody wants to live anymore" is now doing his best to dismantle one of Missouri's greatest assets: the Katy trail.

It seems our great governor doesn't want to deal with a historic bridge that is to become part of the Katy trail. Instead, he wants to give it away to a company so they can sell it for scrap. Yup, they'll make money off of it and we'll give it away for free.

"A top official at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has resigned over a move by Gov. Matt Blunt that he says could threaten Katy Trail State Park, one of the country's largest rails-to-trails projects."

One bridge a threat? Well, yes, actually. Giving up this bridge creates a gap in the corridor. The delicate legal framework that allows that state to maintain the corridor would be upset, meaning adjacent property owners could sue for this land and close the trail forever.

Sign the petition to help save this bridge and the Katy trail.

Up or down vote, continued

2005-05-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

James Dobson joins the fray with this:

"Americans overwhelmingly (by 81 and 82 percent in two recent polls) agree that even if Senate Democrats disagree with a nominee, they should still allow an up-or-down vote on each one. Can the will of the people be any clearer?"

Yes, it sure can. The American people don't get it, James, and you know it.

..and holy crap, they have a website. Three guesses what the URL is...

http://upordownvote.com/

Up or down vote, up or down vote, up or down vote, up or down vote. Got it?

"Up-or-down Vote"

2005-05-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

If you are exposed to any kind of news media, you've probably heard the phrase "up or down vote" about 10,000 times in the last few days. We Americans don't have the attention span to really know what is going on, so the Republicans have packaged this deceptive "up or down vote" soundbite for us. "Just let us vote," they say. "Those mean democrats are just keeping the Senate from working."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist shares his wisdom in an editorial to USA Today, again using the "up or down vote" morsel.

Last time I checked, the right to hold open debate is a Senate procedure as well, and one that has been used by both parties. I believe it is Strom Thurmond that holds the record for the longest filibuster speech.

The Republicans are now threatening to kill the filibuster because they are annoyed. They want the American public to think that the meanie Democrats are just being obstructionists. The Republicans just want to talk, you know. They want a good debate and then they'll take the result after that -- a result of good old Senate process!

"Our Constitution grants the Senate the power to confirm or reject the president's judicial nominees. In exercising this duty, the Senate has always followed a careful and deliberate process of examining the nominees through hearings, discussing their merits in committee, debating them in the full Senate and then coming to an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. We investigate, we debate, and then we decide."

Riiiight. What our friend Billy Frist knows is that they'll go through the motions and the conclusion is already determined. The Democrats will probably raise points about controversial decisions and look for examples of judicial activism. The Republicans will then respond with "but she was a Sunday school teacher and did really, really well in law school." They'll repeat that stuff for awhile and then the vote will fall along party lines. So, if "up or down vote" is part of a fair, investigative process, why will the results fall along party lines?

Because "up or down vote" is a smokescreen, folks. They keep saying it as if that is really all they are asking for, but when they get it, they have a confirmation and they've circumvented the minority's only recourse.

Ahh... politics! As long as they keep saying "up or down vote" until they get their way, they shouldn't have any problems with the American public thinking about it.

EDIT: Out of curiousity, I googled for "'up or down vote'" to see just how on message all of the Republicans are. Never missing a beat, it seems, they've got their little soundbite mastered. In the process, I found another blog post that had the same analysis as I did, except they have a lot more spare time on their hands.

What a joker!

2005-05-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

The Star reports about a bank robber who dressed appropriately.

"The man triggered a 46-minute ordeal after he pulled a black hood over his head at 9:07 a.m. and walked into the Capitol Federal Savings branch at 151st Street and Mur-Len Road. He was wearing a black sweatshirt bearing the words 'SHOW ME THE MONEY.'"

So, did he have the shirt before the robbery was envisioned and it inspired him, or did he decide to rob a bank, call his friends and tell them he had to go shopping because he needed a new "robbery outfit".

You know how it is. You have a big robbery planned, you go through your closet and everything is so blah.

I wonder what he'll wear to trial.

Voinovich is a pansy

2005-05-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

It has been since "Time, Love and Tenderness" that we last dealt with a Bolton this vile. Bush's nomination to serve as ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, is headed to the Senate for a full vote, where even some Republicans think he really, really sucks.

Ohio Senator George Voinovich gets my nomination to be ambassador of the idealistically challenged, though. He calls Bolton "the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be." He got that right.

Does that sound like a guy that would later vote to send this dude on to the full Senate for a vote? Well, you see, he got what I'm sure was a very cordial call from the President, which apparantly made him humble.

"I'm not so arrogant to think that I should impose my judgment on my colleagues. We owe it to the president to give Mr. Bolton an up or down vote on the floor of the United States Senate," Voinovich said.

Hey, Voinavich, imposing your opinion is your job! That is what the committee does.

"I have every faith in my colleagues," Voinovich said. "No one's really excited about him going to the United Nations."

If that is the case, why waste our time with the full vote? You bailed, man. I hope the President sends you a Christmas card this year. You earned it.

Anarchist Soccer

2005-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I wouldn't call myself an anarchist, but Anarchist Soccer sure sounds like fun. A bunch of radicals get together and play soccer in the park. No touch line, no scorekeeping, goals are made of bikes or bags or something. Sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday evening. I wonder if they'd welcome a poser like me?

831st Annual Tour de Cowtown

2005-05-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

Now that was good times.

On Saturday, urban core bicycle shop Acme Bicycle Company hosted the 831st Annual Tour de Cowtown

This bike shop promotes grassroots cycling advocacy, bikes for transportation, vintage bicycles, handbuilt frames, fixies and riding in the city. Basically, everything that is right with the world. Their event was an interesting mix of all types of people and all kinds of bikes, some goofier than others. The scavenger hunt sent us all over town in search of trivia answers, take out menus, hotel matchbooks and road construction cones, among other things.

This shop is the real deal. A little rough around the edges and a bit gritty, yeah, but awesome. Despite feeling slow and under the weather, I had a blast at their event.

For more:
Vlad was there

Travis gives his account and Travis shares his pictures, including this one of me looking like a little child with messy hair excited about a new toy, which, in this case, was Todd Posson's chopper.

Z is for Lezlie Zavagnin

2005-05-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, well. A girl that a good friend of mine once characterized as my soulmate is getting some press for her efforts to support the Wizards and keep them in KC. These are a fun bunch of soccer hooligans and the Wizards are lucky to count them as supporters.

Go Lezlie and Kelsey!

By the way, it turns out she wasn't my soulmate after all.

The real deal

2005-05-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life, I have a full cycling team kit. I remember when I first started racing, I didn't even own a jersey. I was awed by all of the strong cyclists with their fancy bikes and their matching attire. I wondered what it would take to be on a team like that. Last year I joined a team, but a real team kit never came to be.

This weekend, I'll be racing while flying my team colors for the first time ever. It is silly, but I'm excited.

CommuterDude rode them Rockies, yo.

2005-05-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Keith Gates, Sprint employee and dedicated bicycle commuter, maintains this site with tons of commuting tips and ultra-mileage stories that will make even the most dedicated cyclist feel like a slacker. While cruising the site today, I found his record of the 2002 Ride the Rockies and it sounds intense. Come June, I'm taking a shot at the 2005 version, which should test my legs, my lungs and my courage.

Maybe it would have been better to take up needlepoint or something.

Legs of buttah

2005-05-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not sure what is up with me, but I'm hurting. My legs just don't want to go. I pushed through my commute this morning having to shake out my legs several times. We're talking 12 measely little miles here. I felt the same way yesterday. Hopefully another day of riding and some soccer tonight will wake them up so they are ready for racing this weekend.

Perhaps it was my weekend off that did them in. It was worth it, though, as my family came to visit and I got to play urban tour guide for my aunt and uncle who have never been here. It is always fun to spend time with family in the city and show off KC. Maybe it didn't help that I loaded up on all kinds of food this weekend without giving any thought to nutrition or actually working for it.

New rule: no matter what the circumstances, I need to ride for at least 45 minutes every day just to keep my legs awake. That shouldn't be too hard.

Okay, time for all-you-can-eat food from around the world at Sprint, in the name of diversity!

Litigous Stubpointing?

2005-05-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Woah.

So, a guy goes into a custard shop where a young employee has recently sliced off the end of his finger in the mixing machine. The man buys some custard and discovers said fingertip. Man smells dollar signs and a big money lawsuit. Doctors say they can save the fingertip and reattach it. Man refuses to give it back, obviously because he wants to maintain his priceless evidence. Finger dies, window of opportunity passes, man continues to horde said finger in his freezer.

The human race has reached an all-time low on the same bus as our justice system.

You can read the story here.

From the article, a bit of light-hearted legal analysis: "The man who lost the finger has the superior claim,' said Paul Lombardo, who teaches at the University of Virginia's law school. 'It's his finger and he might be able to use it.'"

How about an exciting Wizards game?

2005-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

This one will be better, I promise.

Dallas is one of the best teams in the MLS this year, with a potent attack featuring US National Team staple Eddie Johnson. Team this up with what has been a stingy defense and a newfound attack of its own in the Wizards and some exciting soccer should be going down at Arrowhead this weekend.

Sadly, I am going to miss it. Well, not sadly. Mommy, Daddy, Auntie and Uncle are visiting me from Nebraska. Auntie and Uncle have never been to KC before, so I get the chance to show off the city I love to more people. We'll be using the time to check out the sites of KC and take in some jazz.

So, everyone go enjoy the game a bit extra for me. It is time for the Wizards to wake up.

No points for slacking

2005-05-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

The points standings have been updated for the Midwest Fat Tire Mountain Bike Series and after skipping out on the race in St. Louis, I'm in 3rd place. It looks like it will come down to Jason Stiger and I if I show up and race consistently. Jason and I have been splitting results and sprinting to the finish against each other since I started as a beginner two years ago. I hope that one of the two of us who developed while racing this series end up winning its most competitive and prestiguous class.

Much Adu about Boozing?

2005-05-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

The poster-child of Major League Soccer, Freddy Adu is a 15 year old making a half-million dollar salary with D.C. United and another few million through sponsorship deals. All of this is for a kid that isn't even starting. For that much salary cap room, there is no way DC is getting their money's worth.

Now rumors from several unrelated channels are starting to explain why Freddy might not be getting minutes. Word has it that Freddy spent some quality time double-fisting drinks down the road in Lawrence the night before DC's match-up with the Wizards, which was the most boring soccer game I've ever seen.

Yeah, he is 15.

Poor Freddy. One year of super-stardom and he is already blowing up into scandals. I personally love hating on this over-rated rugrat, so I'll be ready to add some boozer references to our "child labor" chants the next time DC comes to beautiful KC. I hope you had a good time, Freddy! Keep drinking and we'll all have more fun!

Forza Medfords!

2005-05-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

News of our latest outing in 3-on-3:

After scrapping out a tie through sloppy play a week ago, the Rock Shocking Medfords showed up with good form to defeat the league favorite Sprint corporate challenge team 8-6. Showing improved team play and strong shooting to compliment their stingy defense, the Medfords could become a force to reckon with in the league.

Playing without substitutes, the Medfords still kept up the pace to utilize their speed and fitness advantage. Showing her aggressive and tenacious defending, Sarah Doyle kept the pressure on KCCC runners all game, often freeing the ball into space and playing it with creativity. One play at right midfield found Doyle forcing the ball past a strong marker. Falling to the pitch after aggressive head-to-head posturing for a 50/50 ball, Doyle recovered to take a solo run to the center and put away the goal. On another strong play, Doyle freed the ball and fed a well-placed through ball toward the feet of an on-running Matthew Staub, who sent a shot just wide of the far post.

Staub roamed the pitch through much of the game, running the distance to chase down and neutralize counterattacks. On one such effort, Staub cleared the ball into space and beat two oncoming defenders to move along the flank. As pressure built from the inside, Staub made a run for the corner and placed a cross to the feet of an in-position Doyle, who was making a perfectly timed run and had made her way behind the defense. Doyle met the ball at her feet and placed an on-target one-time shot to tally for the Medfords.

Standout Jace Hansen helped control the momentum. After a strong scoring run by the KCCC side, Hansen took the midfield pass from Staub and weaved through the defense on a solo run, finished with a strong shot on goal to immediately neutralize the opposing side. Hansen’s footwork has the KCCC side guessing for much of the game as he neutralized his marker on numerous plays. After tallying 3 times for the Medfords, Hansen continued his strong play falling back to defend the lead, keeping the side out of danger by clearing the ball upfield with precision passes to Doyle and Staub, who both tallied goals in the closing minutes.

The KCCC team keyed off of Medford mistakes to net many of their goals. In one instance, Staub came from the central defender position to run up the left flank on a combination from midfielder Hansen. Hansen was dispossessed at midfield and neither player was able to return to the back line to prevent a goal. In another instance, Staub dropped back to clear a KCCC attack out of danger. Stepping back to make a clearance, contact was ruled in the box for an automatic goal. KCCC also benefited from an own goal as Hansen stepped into the path of an opposing shot, which ricocheted and found its way into the goal.

The Rock Shocking Medfords return to action next Tuesday against Tax Attack. Kickoff is at 6:30 at Satchel Paige Field on the Sprint campus.

Rock Shocking Medfords Stats:
Goals/Assists/Fouls
Jace Hansen: 3/2/0
Sarah Doyle: 3/1/1
Matthew Staub: 2/4/0

Unintended consequences

2005-05-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm always harping about how people don't think about the unintended consequences of their actions and how the true cost of our economic choices is not reflected in the prices we pay. Just fill up that tank, I can afford it. Throw out that old junk, they'll take it. Build me that big new house, I deserve it.

Well, I guess I'm not the only one trying to understand the extranalities.

A new site called Wal-Mart Watch is underway. It aims to quantify what Wal-Mart really costs us in terms of healthcare and other assistance for their mostly impoverished employees -- the cogs in their money making machine. I don't even want to think about what they are doing to communities with their sprawling crap-hole stores with massive parking lots.

Speaking of damage to communities, Omaha's iconic Ranch Bowl could be giving way to a Wal-Mart. This venue is well-known in Omaha and has been a part of the city's amazingly rich live music scene. To make it part of the continued destruction of 72nd Street would be a shame.

Is it a dream?

2005-05-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Holy crap, I'm in heaven. The good people at Acme Bicycle Company, which has got to be the coolest shop on the planet, are bringing us a festival-like alley kat bike race in the heart of the city. We're talking about an alley race, scavenger hunt and various side shows, like the track stand competition I'm jazzed for. This is going to be fun.

There is a swap meet the next day. There is also a Midwest Fat Tire Series race on Sunday, 275 miles from home. Why do all the cool things happen at the same time? It would have made sense to go early and pre-ride, or stay late and ride more. This is supposed to be an epic trail. Will it be worth it if I only go to race? Will anyone come with me if I stay around for another day or two? Do I want to go alone? Dare I skip yet another series race and jeopordize my point standings?

I ask lots of questions.

I have two goals this season. One is to win Rapture in Misery. The other is to win the series as an expert. Playing around with an alley cat race wasn't one of them, but it sounds far more enjoyable and suited for me than the others.

So, goals or fun like I didn't even know I could have? Oh, the places the bike can go.

Got spare time?

2005-05-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

See a bunch of mountain bikers get derailed, mostly because of my big mouth. Good times. I laughed, I cried, I wasted time.

The Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation

2005-04-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasant surprise to see that Kansas City now has its own dedicated bicycle advocacy group: The Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation

The website isn't much now, but I look forward to learning more. Of all the riding I do, it is riding in the city that I love the most. I would also love to help remove the hurdles that prevent others from experiencing the joys of bicycle commuting like I do.

Check them out and join the fight. I know I will be.

Winning 11

2005-04-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have a new-found love of soccer, a sport that is just gaining traction in the US. While there were soccer leagues and my grade school had a soccer team, it was a sport that really hadn't made it to my small Nebraska town when I was growing up. At that point, I probably would have been too scared to try it anyway.

As I was exploring the historic Strawberry Hill neighborhood on my bike last night and admiring the amazing views, I came across a street that dead-ended into a steep drop-off. At the bottom was a park with tattered, spotty grass and two soccer goals. I put a foot down from this perch high above the ground to watch a full 11 on 11 soccer match. While we silly gringos can't even get 5 people pulled away from the TV to play the awkward herky-jerky game of American football, these hispanics had a full contingent out on this makeshift field. There were no lines -- just two goals and half-dead grass -- but for them, it was the perfect soccer pitch.

This was some of the most entertaining soccer I'd ever seen. These guys were awesome. They loved the game. They played creatively. Shots were powerful, crosses were on target, through balls met their runners perfectly. The chatter of Spanish being called back and forth was constant. The play was very competitive, but friendly.

At that point, I realized I could never understand soccer like these guys do. They love it. They live it. While most people I know are racing to get that plasma TV or new car, these guys got together to go down the street and play soccer in their worn out running shoes. I should turn over the new soccer cleats I bought to play on the Sprint league. I don't deserve them.

All in all, it was just an awesome show of community. In exploring the city, it seems like these low-income, often minority areas are the only ones that feel like real communities. They aren't attractive markets for the big retailers to come in and assault the streetscape, so enterprising locals have fixed up old buildings to proudly open small shops and cafes. Small, dense and pedestrian friendly "main street" districts are maintained as many people don't have the means to travel anywhere else. Without that plasma screen TV, people are on the streets talking to one another, playing sports or just relaxing. I've visited tons of neighborhoods in my explorations. I love them, and none of them feel more real than these small, proud clusters.

And you know what? I bet those people lead happier, fuller lives than most of the people I meet everyday. I bet that life of working hard for your family and enjoying the simpler things out of necessity makes for some amazing character.

I could only dream of being that good at soccer, and I could only dream of being that free spirited.

I think I'd like to have season tickets in that spot overlooking the park. You get to see so much more than a soccer match.

Confessions of the repressed public

2005-04-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Spending countless hours exploring the streets of the KC metro area, I encounter all kinds of interesting people and see things in more detail and with more intimacy than most anyone else. I think this relationship with the city is why I love it so much and feel as if I'm connected with it.

In a string of a week, two experiences are leading me to believe that KC needs more lovin'.

The first occured on the Fairfax bridge crossing the Missouri River from the bottoms of KCK to the floodplain of Riverside, near the Argosy casino. This bridge gets my heartrate up everytime, mostly because it scares the crap out of me. It is narrow, spans the wide river and is completely unlit. The edges are low barricades designed to stop cars from plumeting into the muddy Mo, but it looks like they'd stop my bike and I'd flop right off and take an extremely high dive if one of the always-speeding cars decided to crowd me.

So, needless to say, I didn't need anything else distracting me on the bridge.

As I approached the apex of the bridge the other night, I noticed a homeless man crossing and coming in my direction. I thought nothing of it as I pass transients all over the place, especially because I love exploring blighted areas and railroad corridors. I moved to give this guy space as I approached. When I was even with him, he stopped, lunged at me and screamed this sage advice:

"Get fucked!"

I'm sure I probably looked a little underloved with that look of hasty anxiety crossing the bridge, so I understand completely why he was worried about me.

Really, the state of the homeless is sad. Conservatives scream "get a job" and then move to the suburbs where they are out of the sight of the problem. Most of these people that I've talked to probably couldn't get a job. They need help. They are all mentally ill, sometimes completely unaware of their surroundings. Guess what, though -- care for our mentally ill isn't an issue that garners a lot of political traction, so our cities will keep hiding our crazy homeless. I guess that is okay, as long as they keep giving me good advice.

On a side note, DO NOT GIVE MONEY TO PANHANDLERS. It exacerbates the problem, encourages their confrontational behavior and keeps them coming, which drives away visitors in areas that need the support. If you feel guilty, give to homeless charities.

----
The other repressed citizen of our great city was a little more traditional. I was making my way down Main in the Crossroads after a long ride exploring KCK, avoiding the Fairfax bridge and checking out the sprawling Cerner campus for the first time, and I was on my homestretch. Speaking of Cerner, did they really have to take up THAT MUCH space that close to the heart of the city? That could have been developed into dense housing and retail, but instead you climb your way through a labryinth where every building is several hundred feet from the next, connected by winding roads. This place is worse than Sprint considering the employment numbers. Cool looking buildings, though.

Anyway, I digress. So, I'm rolling down to a red light at 18th and Main when a group of people leaving Bar Natasha is crossing the street. One of the girls, who is clearly the most hobbled by the tasty libations available at Natasha, greets me with a sultry "hey, biker boy". She then goes on to tell me that she is feeling very neglected in the "boobie region". In the unlikely event that I had forgotten what boobies were (not the case), she gestured to the aforementioned boobie region, ensuring that the boobies had my undivided attention.

I inquired as to why she felt so neglected and she responded that nobody had been touching them. While I wish I would have come up with a smooth response like "you are quite lovely, I'm sure EVERYONE is wanting to touch them," I simply muttered "are they supposed to be?" Good one.

At that point, her friends, who were clearly annoyed with her, encouraged me to ride away quickly, so I did.

I wish you the best of luck, boobie girl. Thanks for bringing life to the streets of downtown KC on a weeknight.

Shocking

2005-04-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

The co-ed soccer team I endeavored to create on the Sprint 3 on 3 league, known as the "Rock Shocking Medfords", had its first outing on the pitch tonight and battled to a 5-5 draw. I sprained my thumb by putting my hand down to prevent a fall. Good call!

On another note, I am undecided as to whether I should go to St. Louis to race this weekend. As of now, I have no bicycle as my fork is at Rock Shox being repaired.

Come on, Shocks, can we win one?

Happy Earth Day

2005-04-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Check out this slide show in honor of Earth Day. It is shocking and sad.

Man, I'm on a kick this Earth Day. It makes me really hate being alive and taxing the planet, though I'm trying to be as responsible as I can. Sad that most people don't even think about it. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose. Out of sight, out of mind.

I'm trying hard not to be too snobby to the sprinkler salesmen that came for Earth Day today, or the Suburban drivers or the urban sprawlers.

Sad Earth Day.

The big green box

2005-04-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I applied. Might not get me anywhere, but you have to keep trying.

Downtown, you know you want me.

Earth is for parking

2005-04-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Sprint Campus, the natural place to celebrate the health of the planet.

Preach on, little bicycle.

The subtle power of 49

2005-04-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

In a tasty bit of irony, Sprint is transforming its not-long-ago-Kansas-prairie sprawling campus into a big ol' Earth Day party. Part of the fun is showing off fuel efficient cars, as if the extra 20 miles per gallon would suddenly solve our car problem. I suppose that, in a place where the only meaningful connections to the outside world are roads, cars seem to be our primary concern.

So, in one of the high traffic spots in the middle of the Sprint campus, a shiny new Honda Civic Hybrid sits. Its subtle socio-political statement reaches hundreds every day in the form of the EPA estimates on the sticker. 49 miles per gallon highway. That has to reach even the most short sighted, self-absorbed corporate minions. Nevermind pollution, urban destruction, oil dependence, terrorism, et al. We're talking serious savings!

Yup, that car just sits there, unintrusively saying its part.

Preach on, little Civic.