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Winter Colors
“What if you spent time at the feet of storytellers, rappers, musicians, craftspeople and elders, learning from their examples? What if you had time to daydream, to stare out the window, to dip your fingers into a glittering stream as it drifted past? What if you spent long hours with your hands and face covered in paint, clay, charcoal powder and ink? If you had ample time and space to play, to bring entire worlds into being because you played them into existence? What if your education included laughter? Lots of laughter. And taught you how to be independent, to manage money competently, to budget and live within limits? What if it gave you time with animals, watching them, feeding them, learning their songs? And gave you hands that were skilled, comfortable with tools, so that you could easily think of yourself as a maker, and actually be one?”
About People
“climate plans and policy proposals cannot just be about renewable-energy technologies and electric cars or government subsidies and taxes; they need to be about people.”. –Maggie Thomas, “The Politics of Policy,” from All We Can Save. The most recent episode of The War on Cars podcast illustrates this...
Two Paths Diverged, One Not Plowed
Every time we’re to get some type of storm, the media are contractually required — I’m guessing — to use the phrase “hunker down,” to the point that we clearly don’t know what it means anymore. I’m not the only person who’s noticed this silliness either.
Before Daylight
The photo above is of the channelized section of the Park River, view from the Hamilton Street bridge. I don’t recall water levels reaching this height before. This was taken on Saturday, January 13, 2024. Below, the Park River as viewed from the Asylum Avenue bridge on Wednesday, January 10, 2024.
Humans: January 12
There wasn’t a time in the last week when I didn’t encounter another person on Hartford’s streets, including during the nor’easter. Want to comment? (1) Take responsibility for your opinions by using your full name (2) Keep it brief (3) Keep it respectful (4) Victim-blaming will not stand (5) Read full article before commenting.
Liminal Spaces
“The early stages of transformation — where we find ourselves today — feel unsteady. They feel like the in-between mind of a teenager, neither child nor adult. For me right now, that unsteadiness feels like the sting of tears welling up as I sip lukewarm decaf coffee and read news of yet another major scientific report about the climate crisis. That unsteadiness means there is potential for many possible outcomes — but no guarantees. It will all depend on what we do and how we leverage our democratic systems to shape our collective future.”
Safe Streets Connecticut: December 2023
At least six pedestrians were killed on Connecticut’s roadways in December 2023. All were on State routes or Interstates. The first of these preventable deaths happened on December 5 in New Haven on I-95. Alexis Vincente, a truck driver from New Jersey, was standing outside his Freightliner in what’s called the “gore,” the triangular area between the highway’s travel lanes and the exit 46 ramp. It is currently unclear if Alexis was within the triangular area or in the far right travel lane when he was fatally injured when the driver of another tractor trailer hit him.
Anticipation
“What might it mean for an entire country or society or civilization to walk together, hand in hand, through stages of grief and loss and depression and mourning, at the same time?”. – Eric Holthaus in The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What’s Possible in the Age of Warming...
Humans: January 5
The Ghost Town series ran in 2021, sparked by uninformed commentary about how Hartford was devoid of people. I expected it to be more of a challenge than it was, because even though I knew I was seeing people out and about every day, photographing them was a different matter. Legally, I can take photographs of anyone appearing in a public place . . . but many people are not aware at how recorded their every move already is, and get upset when they see someone taking their photograph or when they learn about law enforcement cameras that reduce face-to-face interaction with the police while also reducing crashes with serious and fatal injuries. People are funny like that.
Solidarity
It would have been a quiet walk in the woods, but the hawk alarm was sounding. Birds and squirrels alike were chirping, almost all frozen in place. I paused and scanned the branches. That’s when the threat arrived and stationed itself overhead in a nearby tree. Instead of merely...
Non-Stick Season
I have to wonder if those using the phrase “stick season” to describe our current phase in Connecticut ever garden or have been outside lately. That’s a sincere question. And if they have been outside, what has their mindset been? Because I’m not seeing the world in only gray and brown right now as I’ve seen far too many people lately imply is the reality of Connecticut right now.
Place This Place
Here’s a hint: It’s not in a place where you would most expect it to be. Want to comment? (1) Take responsibility for your opinions by using your full name (2) Keep it brief (3) Keep it respectful (4) Victim-blaming will not stand (5) Read full article before commenting.
Out and In
Look, we all know that certain towns that think too highly of themselves jack up parking lot fees at beaches, but fixating on this issue feels like something one does when they (a) have the finances to own a vehicle, (b) have the ability to drive, and/or (c) do not think much about the environmental implications of private transportation.
Hartford Events (January 2024)
Here’s your curated Hartford event calendar for January 2024. What makes this list? Events that I would either attend or recommend to a good friend. Review events with the host/venue to confirm details have not changed since publication. ADD TO CALENDAR. FIRST DAY HIKE: The “official” list is extremely...
Flexing
I don’t know the story with these new flex posts on Main Street near Asylum Street, but I have a guess. Since time immemorial (probably) drivers have ignored the “No Parking” signs here to run into the bank for “just a minute” because of course their convenience has always counted more than anyone else’s safety.
Flower Street: The UnPratt
A decade ago then-mayor Pedro Segarra stopped fighting to keep a quieter north-south road open for pedestrians and cyclists, and the barricades went up in November 2013. At the time, the Connecticut DOT sang a little song about how it would mitigate this damage by creating an east-west pedestrian/cyclist path. Nevermind that east-west is not north-south, let’s look at how this path appears ten years later.
Why We’re Only Dreaming of a White Christmas
For those with whom this resonates, Pope Francis just a couple months ago had a lot to say about the Global North and climate deniers: “the necessary transition towards clean energy sources such as wind and solar energy, and the abandonment of fossil fuels, is not progressing at the necessary speed. Consequently, whatever is being done risks being seen only as a ploy to distract attention.” Or, as he put it another way: “We must move beyond the mentality of appearing to be concerned but not having the courage needed to produce substantial changes.”
Exchange Nostalgia for Now
At the mere sight of any G. Fox relic, but especially at this time of year, a whole lot of people are stirred to utter almost verbatim: “I remember as a child we would all get dressed up and take the city bus to G. Fox. We’d have lunch and walk around Constitution Plaza to view the lights.”
Dynamic Arts
If you are, let’s say, an arts venue that claims to be “dynamic” and a catalyst to “promote economic development and build a sense of community,” do you:. a) worry about losing a little parking, and do so consistently, sparking rumors that a whole partnership was created over a decade ago to essentially help you jealously guard parking spaces that are a visual and economic drain on the neighborhood, or,
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Life in Hartford, Connecticut, and beyond. Exploration, wandering, transportation, transit, art, and environment.
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