Hi,
Scattershot commentary on (mostly) recent news stories.
Trump Buys Greenland?
I thought this was a brilliant idea. The problem isn’t the alleged absurdity of the idea – just because America has gone ages without buying land doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make some offers. The problem is that I bet Trump negotiating with Denmark over Greenland is a lot like getting a text from That Guy in your fantasy league. (Two backup running backs for Julio Jones, you say?)
Trump the Tradester is a nice idea in theory. If he was successful in this regard, it would probably merit reelection. It just hasn’t worked out in practice. When is he going to renegotiate our corporate bailouts? Those were disastrous deals for the American people, the very sort he claimed required his immediate intervention, and if he'd focused on these it would have come with the added benefit of not pissing off nuclear powers.
The Straight Pride Parade
This one sent my bullshit detector into all directions. By juxtaposing itself to the Pride Parade in both route and name, the Straight Pride Parade invited comparisons that ultimately exposed a rotted out moral core. The main difference in the two events is how pride manifests. The Pride Parade is for folks happy with who they are while the Straight Pride Parade came off as an event for those happy with who they are not. The way these worldviews lead to conclusions about inclusion and exclusion are obvious. There might be a place for a straight pride float in the Pride Parade but such a float will demand the same prerequisite attitude as any other – the participants should be happy with who they are and overjoyed to share time and space with others who feel the same way.
New Green Line trains
The Green Line introduced a new type of car to the system just a couple of months ago. I haven’t seen these yet despite riding the line daily since I started my new job. What I have noticed is that the Green Line continues to screw up even the simplest details. The current (old) cars have two styles – one with stairs at all entrances and another with stairs only at the front and back. Each train has two cars, one of each style. This setup is helpful because not everyone can use the stairs. If you use a wheelchair, just go to the car without the stairs and board in the middle.
What is NOT helpful is the inconsistent placement of these cars. Sometimes the stair-only car is at the front of the train and sometimes it is at the back. There is no way to predict the setup of the next train. This means passengers with the least mobility might have to travel the up or down the platform if they wait at the wrong end. An occasion sight in the morning is to see a mother with a stroller sprinting down the platform toward one end of the train. The solution of waiting in the middle to cut losses doesn’t work, either, because the train never stops in the same place. I eagerly anticipate witnessing the novel ways the design of the new Green Line car will screw over our most vulnerable passengers.
