blogJosh

Thanks

Well, this has been coming for a couple of months, but I've decided to shut down blogJosh.

I started blogging in April 2004, about eight months after I left Reminder Publications. I needed a place to write, to express views, and to call people to action, especially with the 2004 election looming.

Since then, this blog has grown beyond my imagination – over 100,000 of you have read these pages in each of the past four months. And I only know who a handful of you are, which makes that number all the more amazing to me.

I've seen the power of blogs take off. I've seen my generation get politically active through blogs, and presidential candidates are finally taking young people seriously – and not just the ones they plan to send overseas to die.

As for the voice, I'm going to continue using it, reaching out to our elected officials and others in the community who either deserve my support or my disdain.

As for the writing, I'm focusing my effort on at least one competition – essay, short story, poetry, whatever – a month.

And yes, I'm still blogging at Syracuse.com; that blog will be moving again soon, for the second time in the past six months. (Currently, it's here; look for it here in the coming weeks).

Alive in CNY will remain in place, and while I'm going to leave it up to my co-writers to carry the torch (and I'm certainly willing to consider takeover offers), it hopefully will remain a bright spot in the area.

The blogJosh archives aren't going away. They'll be here in case you want to browse. And you can always find me at mail at joshshear dot com if you're looking.

Again, thanks for reading, and for caring about what's going on around you. Be well.

Ta-ta.

Come Home to Syracuse

Also at Alive in CNY.

Peter Baskin writes in about Come Home to Syracuse, an organization aimed at getting people here – and, as importantly, back here.

There are excellent resources on the site for places to live, some job tools, and an overview of entertainment and recreation opportunities.

There's also a form to sign up to volunteer in the city, a not-so-subtle hint for your friends and family, and even a sign-up form to have someone help you get settled.

Blog for Choice Day

Monday is the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. In celebration, it's also Blog for Choice Day.

It's happened again recently: I've had to explain to someone that "pro-choice" does not equal "pro-abortion." Most people who are pro-choice believe that abortion should be safe and legal, but rarely used. My conversant didn't argue.

It's not that I was persuasive. Or charming.

I was simply correct.

I wrote about this last year, and I'll repost that below, since I'm unlikely to say it any better. I'll also add some of Jennifer's response.

Here's what I wrote last year:

When will people learn that even if you're against abortion, regulating it is better than banning it? We know a whole host of problems will arise if abortion is banned. People will force miscarriages; people will have abortions anyway. Infections will rise, maternal deaths will rise, back-alley, hotel-room surgeries will lead to arrests, disease and death.

People learned nothing from prohibition, when bootleggers made lots of potentially dangerous booze and made a ton of money. Eventually, alcohol was made legal, regulated and taxed.

People have learned nothing from banning even small amounts of marijuana, and now our jails are overflowing with people who have been caught with enough pot to enjoy in their living rooms, while sex offenders, murderers and drunk drivers are getting let off easy because there is no room for them.

Even if you're anti-choice, you have to understand that banning abortion will not make it go away. All you do is create a very dangerous society. You want to tax it, so that society sees some financial game? Offer optional counseling at clinics? Fine, but abortion absolutely needs to be safe and legal.

And here's Jennifer's response:

I believe that every human life has value, and that's why I'm the anti-death penalty and anti-abortion.

But I am also fiercly pro-choice. I'm not so big a fan of abortion. I don't think there's anything I'm less of a fan of. But as a person who lives in reality, I know that abortion has to be safe, legal and regulated. I also think it should be RARE.

If we'd like to see fewer abortions (ahem, I'm talking to you, Dubya), then let's make sure kids know all about contraception. Abstinance education makes adults feel better because they'd rather discourage the children from having sex than tell them the safer way to do it. But it's just like that song that came out when I was in high school said, "People are still having sex. Lust keeps on lurking." Face it: you can tell a group of teenagers with raging hormones not to have sex, but the second you leave the house, they're going to go at it on your bed.

Arm the kids with education and we will most definitely see fewer abortions. If we don't educate, and then we outlaw, we are going to have some terrible kind of mess on our hands.

Let's all take our blinders off and see things for what they really are.

Well said.

Please consider supporting NARAL Pro-Choice America and/or Planned Parenthood. They don't just help people who need to make hard choices, they help people understand how they can go about avoiding the need to make those choices.

Also, I'm sure that Feministing and Pandagon will have good coverage. And please read Biting Beaver's account of being denied emergency contraception after a condom broke. That's another abortion that could have been avoided.

This argument isn't about pro-choice vs. pro-life, or even about pro-choice vs. anti-abortion. It's about pro-choice vs. anti-choice, and it's about informed choice vs. withholding information.

So long, Art

Political columnist/humorist Art Buchwald died last night, apparently of kidney failure.

He was 81.

He will be missed. Oh boy, will he.

Dumbass anonymous source quote of the day

You all know how I love anonymous sources. Here's a gem from today's WaPo:

Washington will host the 2007 WNBA All-Star Game, a source with knowledge of the situation said yesterday.

Couldn't have waited until next Tuesday's press conference, huh? Couldn't have gotten someone to go on the record, huh? Just had to be first, didn't ya?

Slate's press critic Jack Shafer (RSS) generally agrees with me on anonymous sources. I e-mailed him this one. His response:

That is so pathetic!

And there you have it.

Another argument for gun control

Meet Dan Gulley Jr. The 70-year old spent Wednesday in the Escambia County (Alabama) Jail after shooting 62-year old David James Brooks Jr.

Brooks shot at his friend Gulley, as well, but missed.

The two were arguing over James Brown's height:

Dan Gulley Jr. was charged with assault in the shooting of David James Brooks Jr., police said. Officers said the men were at a friend's home on Monday when, according to witnesses, the argument over the height of the late "Godfather of Soul" escalated, with Gulley, 70, shooting Brooks, 62, twice in the abdomen.

Brooks went to his car, got a gun and shot at Gulley but missed, then went to the police station, officers said.

Gulley also went to the station and told police he had shot Brooks. He remained in the Escambia County Jail on Wednesday.

What is premeditated murder?

Leave it up to abortion doctor killer James Kopp to tell you what it isn't:

Kopp used his opening statement to tell jurors that Slepian's death was "a full-bore, 100 percent tragedy" but was not murder because it was not malicious or premeditated.

Kopp has acknowledged planning the shooting for a year and then firing a high-powered military rifle with telescopic sights from the woods behind the Slepian home, but he has said he meant only to wound the doctor to prevent him from performing abortions.

"Shoot them in the head, blow up a car, riddle their body with bullets like they do in the movies. That's how you kill someone."

Outstanding.

Victory for Salina 29

Also at Alive in CNY.

In addition to that giant mall expansion we've been going on and on about, there's a smaller Pyramid Companies proposal we haven't touched on much: The Destiny Research and Development Park. The proposal was for land north and south of Seventh North Street, and included taking 27 businesses and two homes by eminent domain.

We've mentioned more than once that we think developers should be required to buy land if they want to build, rather than asking the government to take the land and give it to them at a heavy discount.

Notice the past tense, though, in the first paragraph. That's because yesterday, Pyramid dropped the eminent domain proposal.

Some of the land owners – who have become known as the Salina 29 – are happy to keep their homes and businesses and to let Pyramid do whatever they want on public land regarding the R&D park.

I tend to agree with John Sposato, who owns a rest stop/travel center that would have been taken by eminent domain under the previous proposal. Sposato says that Pyramid should be required to submit a new application and proposal for public scrutiny.

And he's right. In order to build the R&D park using only publicly owned land, Pyramid is going to have to make some major revisions to its proposal, and since the public had input on the first proposal, the public should be allowed to have input on the new one. The county shouldn't just get to decide that the revisions are acceptable without talking to the people who are going to be affected by the development.

Contact Onondaga County Executive Nick Pirro and the County Legislature to voice your opinion.

Save the Academy!

The Academy of Music in Northampton, Mass., is closing.

They finished showing movies last night, and once the current music/stage schedule is finished, the doors will be shut until the 117-year old theater can pay off its $100,000 debt and come up with some way to stay open.

The Academy is one of those beautiful old theaters with a balcony, a two-story movie screen, a stage large enough for theater productions and music ensembles, and a surprisingly intimate atmosphere for a building that seats 800 and change.

And, of course, European subway maps on the bathroom walls.

Some of my favorite memories from the Academy include:

Watching Monty Python & the Holy Grail from the first row of the balcony.
Waiting in line for a couple of Nields shows one New Year's Eve with Zach.
Wondering whether it was my favorite place to see Ellis Paul, or if that honor was reserved for the Somerville Theatre.
A dozen people taking up a row at A Mighty Wind.
Finding seats near to each other for 25 people at opening night for Fahrenheit 9/11 in what might be the most liberal city in the U.S.

Got some memories? Leave them in comments, and then send in a donation.

Development in the city; January updates

Also at Alive in CNY.

Hi ho. We're back. Miss us? Happy new year. For the first time, I rang it in with friends from Syracuse (and one from New Jersey, with whom I've also never rung in the new year). It felt damn good to be with damn fine people in a damn fine city on a warm night. Thanks, A and D!

Picking up The Post-Standard this morning, the fat hed across the top of the front page warms the heart:

City Sites Eyed for Housing, Shops, Art Studios

Ah, yes, and that's not even the best part. The best part is that it's a fake headline – just a tease. There are three stories inside about great projects happening in the city.

If you head a little west of downtown to Tipperary Hill, you'll find Coleman's, a green-on-the-top traffic light, and my friend R. You'll also find the Rosamond Gifford Zoo over in Burnet Park. And next to that, a 48-acre site that has a former mental institution on it.

That land is up for bid, and if Hal Travis has his way, there will soon be houses, condos and office space over there.

Travis and some investors are looking at building some nice houses – patios and all – that would run about $200,000 apiece (reasonable in today's U.S. housing market, pretty upscale for this area – you'd be able to cash in on this if that were your thing).

Bids are due Jan. 17.

Also on the near West Side, over at West Fayette and Geddes, there's this grayish-white building that was at one time a factory and is now just a five-story, 65,000-square foot structure sitting on the corner.

Last year, Rick Destito bought it, and he's putting artist and musician studios in it.

In a word: Awesome.

Artists love affordable housing, and cities love having artists. Win-win.

Even better: Remember Th3? We wrote about it after a trip in October (it starts back up in February). Well, this building isn't all that far from Delevan, where we started that journey. And who couldn't use another Th3 venue to visit as they walk? I know I could.

Quick: What's missing? New Centro Center on South Salina. New jobs at Excellus. The restoration of the Landmark. New stuff going in on Clinton Street. The renovation of the Wilson Building.

That's right: The 300 block of South Salina Street.

Big gaping underdeveloped hole in the middle of downtown, right?

Not anymore. The Metropolitan Development Foundation is hoping to draw a major developer. The foundation picked up a few buildings over there and around the corner on West Fayette.

Right now, I think it's a fairly unattractive spot for a developer. It's part of the "four corners," which essentially serve as the public bus hub. That means no parking, no street-level visibility, and lots of people standing around waiting.

Once that bus station gets built, it's not only a matter of that space becoming prime real estate, it's a matter of it become prime real estate overnight. When people start transferring at the new Centro station, you have (a) no more people standing around waiting for the bus instead of shopping, (b) visibility of store fronts to people driving by (since the buses aren't blocking the view), and (c) more parking, since that space isn't taken up by bus stops anymore.

There's also a lovely little urban park across the street, which most people don't even bother to notice.

Ah, what a happy little Friday.

Since We've Been Away: Some Updates

The Inner Harbor is still really pretty. H. was up from Jersey over the weekend, and I brought her out there and bored her with visions of development. Speaking of, the Canal Corporation is due to have its recommendation of what to do with the land on Jan. 17. That's 12 days and counting, kids.

The Carousel Center didn't go back on the tax rolls on Monday. Instead, there was a 90-day extension because of the whole lawsuit thing. But you know what? There's still an unused pile of steel sitting in the parking lot. Shocking, I know.

That's about it for now. Hopefully, this is a sign that we're back to regular posting. Yay!

Freedumb

Via Postsecret.

brief-ish hiatus; happy holidays!

you may have noticed the severe lack of posting lately. we're working on a writing project or three on deadline; we'll be back after the first of the year. have a happy and safe holiday season!

in the meantime, if you're looking to catch up with CNY happenings, follow sean's blog and forum, and check out NYCO.

Music, now on iMeem

Have you seen iMeem yet? I'm just starting to play with it. Check out my page, and feel free to stick the playlist on your blog. It'll look (and sound) like this:

World AIDS Day

Originally posted on Quick Hits from Syracuse.com.

Today is World AIDS Day.

Back in 1981, doctors started seeing a strange virus they would later dub Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), which they discovered led to an incurable disease they called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS (Britannica - WebMD).

For those of us who came of age during the second half of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, AIDS shaped our high school curricula. Health class was used to scare the b'jeepers out of us, and we learned what condoms were for and how to use them.

World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988, when we started to realize that AIDS was not only bigger than we first thought, but that it was spreading fast enough to call it an epidemic. Some have even gone so far as to call it a pandemic.

UNAIDS, a United Nations program, organized World AIDS Day until 2004. Last year, it handed organization to the independent non-profit World AIDS Campaign. UNAIDS continues to do research into global AIDS, and recently published a report (PDF) finding that AIDS continues to spread, it has killed about 25 million people to date, and another 39.5 million people worldwide are living with AIDS.

A global AIDS charity, Avert, tells us that half of all people who get AIDS contract the disease before they are 25, and die by the time they turn 35.

This year, the (PRODUCT) RED campaign launched, first in the UK and then in the U.S., with proceeds from various products going to fight AIDS around the world. Products include an iPod Nano, a cell phone, and GAP t-shirts.

There are also some events going on locally.

More World AIDS Day: News - Blogs - Talk

That's it. We need to require a civics test to vote

I've always been of split opinion on this. Should everyone get a vote? Or should we not allow people who have no idea what's going on to vote? I mean, like these people (mp3), including one who identifies herself as having a doctorate, who think Barack Obama might be a threat to the United States, and worry that he could become president of Nigeria.

Via Wonkette.