ScottsBigMouth

Chicago's Tempers In Near Snow-Meltdown Over Streets And Sanitation's Poor Performance

If there is one thing that Chicagoans absolutely will not tolerate, it is a lack of responsiveness from Chicago and surrounding communities when a snow or ice storm hits.  Based upon the responses from people on the street and in the media today, the heat is ratcheting up on Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation as the streets have frozen over.  The grumbling on the street and at the supermarket this morning was palatable, and cell phones all over town are buzzing with crankiness about the snow and ice piled high this morning, many hours after the snow stopped last night.

This morning several of Chicago's Aldermen appeared for the cameras, calling for better snow control from S&S; although it did seem that the squeaky wheels might be getting the grease.  On the one hand you have Ald. Billy Ocasio who claimed on camera this morning to WGN-TV 9 News and others that he "drove around for more than two hours looking for a salt truck" last night.  On Chicago Tonight last night, the most vocal critic was Ald. Tom Allen, who appeared to question why Snow Czar Matt Smith was using a "wait-unti-the-snow-quits" approach instead of a "clear-it-while-it-happens" approach, no matter what it costs.  Allen appeared with Ocasio this morning and echoed last night's message that Chicago should not be covered in snow and ice more than a couple of days, and that if it takes more money to get it done, well that's what the city's primary municipal responsibility should include, along with water, fire/emergency, and police services.

On the flip side, the Trib reported South Side Ald. Pat Dowell had noted her streets had been cleared at 3:30AM, and she seemed pretty pleased with the response on her side of town.  This is an interesting perspective, considering that I was on the phone with a couple of people during the storm, one who was navigating South Side primary arteries (Matt Smith claimed primary arteries were first priority).  My clearly angry friend said that after leaving work, also located on a primary south side artery, and staying only on primary arteries; that she had seen up to 6 S&S salt trucks "running with their blades up and not laying down any salt."  It took her greater than 2 1/2 hours to get to her home just a few miles away from her job.  The question is, was Pat Dowell a frequent caller to S&S and that's why she got her streets cleaned so early this morning, or did the entire city just clueless as to how the plan works as Matt Smith seems to be asserting in his AM presser?

Up here in Uptown, every side street is screwed.  The ice has taken hold, and on the several side streets I checked this afternoon, several right off of Marine Drive (which carries tons of people on CTA buses along with Sheridan and Broadway), there appeared to be zero salt laid down or even a pass by an S&S truck.  Of course the local Ald. up here, Helen Schiller, barely can keep her eye on all the drug dealers, hoes, and crazies walking around, let alone actually get S&S to clear the streets; so who knows whether she actually picked up the phone to complain about the poor snow removal service.  She's way more concerned with helping the developer of Wilson Yards rip off the ward's TIF funds, by appearing in court for his benefit instead of more than 2,000 folks who've signed a petition and filed a lawsuit to halt the project and return it to the original plan.  Who would be surprised if she was just letting us ice over so we can't make it to the public hearings or to court.

Of all these Aldermouths, Allen and Ocasio have it right.  The City of Chicago has only a few real core responsibilities when it comes down to it.  On the top of the list is snow control.  Chicagoans will tolerate a lot of crap--poor public transportation, high taxes, skyrocketing fees and fares, faulty automated traffic camera systems, drunk and disorderly police officers, even a Governor who's a total mobster.  What they won't tolerate is having to navigate an uncleaned icy street, an alley piled with garbage, dirty water, or poor fire or police coverage.  If Matt Smith doesn't get his head out of his keister and realize that he has screwed up, that he's providing major firepower for people to go after the Mayor's job, and could fix the whole situation just by being competent, not perfect; he's going to get his ass handed to him faster than you can say "Jane Byrne."

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NOLA Spill: Mississippi Has 100-Mile Slick, Jackson Square Area "Smells Like A Gas Station"

Residents of the Algiers suburb of New Orleans, LA, are clearing the shelves of drinking water as evidence mounts that NOLA is on the verge of another environmental catastrophe.  NOLA.com reported that this morning Mayor Ray Nagin cautioned people to drink tap water "sparingly," although he insisted the city's water supply is safe.  Seemingly in contrast, St. Bernard Parish announced at a news conference just before Noon that the parish's water intake would be reopened.  Several cities and parishes along the now 100-mile slick had shut their intakes as a precautionary measure when the spill was reported at 1:40 yesterday.

The Enclave Blog has amateur video with commentary from the shooter stating that the Jackson Square areas "smells like a gas station."

Online sources are questioning whether the spill is petroleum, or whether it is something more sinister.  Original reports that the spill might have also included other contaminents have yet to be verified by river water tests being conducted by the municipalities involved, the EPA, and the U.S.Coast Guard.  Officials have stated it will take 24 hours to get tests back.  WWL-TV reported that American Commercial Lines Inc. of Jeffersonville, Ind., which owns the sunken oil barge involved in the incident, brought in four oil spill cleanup companies with about 250 people and 11,500 feet of boom to keep oil away from water intakes and environmentally fragile areas, said Paul Book, vice president of operations facilities.

WWL also noted that the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating exactly whom might be responsible for causing the collision with the barge. "The tanker ship The double-hulled tanker Tintomara was loaded with about 4.2 million gallons of biodiesel and nearly 1.3 million gallons of styrene, but did not leak, said Michael Wilson, president of ship management company Laurin Maritime (America) Inc. in Houston."

The spill comes on the heals of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe, which is seen by experts as on of the worst American ecological catastrophes, second only to the Exxon Valdez spill in damage.  Numerous sources have quoted the loss of direct business at the Port of New Orleans at more than $100,000 per day.

Does U.S. Have The Guts To Meet Gore's Challenge?

Here in the United States, we talk a lot about “stepping up.”  From baseball to nuclear proliferation, it seems Americans are challenged by our leaders to “step up,” challenge our teams to “step up,” and even yell “step it up” at each other in a judgmental tone.  Well another weekend news cycle has gone by, and this week it is former Vice President Al Gore throwing it down.  In a keenly-timed Thursday speech (brilliant timing, actually—virtually guaranteed the Meet The Press invite) at Washington, DC's D.A.R. Constitution Hall; Gore took the stage and challenged us to replace all fossil-fuel-based electricity with renewable electricity within 10 years.

Context: Download the speech here and View the video here.

First reaction: “Holy shit.” Second reaction:  “Is that even possible?”  Third reaction: “Holy shit.”  Fourth reaction:  “Pass the vodka.”

That was the the universal response; and that was by Thursday night.  By the time Gore made it to “Meet The Press” Sunday morning, the press and the blogosphere had dissected his entire plan within an inch of its young life.  Almost nowhere were people standing up and cheering “Yes We Can!” as if Barack Obama had taken the stage.  Almost everywhere, people were downplaying the “reality” of the plan, and amping-up the questionable “possibility” of Gore's plan.  Despite incredible cheers the moment it was made (to a crowd of excitable admirers, no doubt); Gore's plan was panned almost across the board by the MSM pundits and presserati.

Even the usually-malleable Tom Brokaw, (filling in for our dear, departed journalistic hero Tim Russert) seemed to not even glance in the direction of 'hope' and seemed to bat-down the plan without even an exploration of its points of possibility.  Instead, Brokaw wasted his time with Gore debating the overall notion of the plan, ignoring its points of merit; choosing to refocus the discussion on the recent “New Yorker” cover, Gore's relationship with Bill and Hillary Clinton, and his appearance at The White House as a Nobel Prize recipient.

The question left on the table still isn't being covered by the MSM.  In essence, does the U.S. (and arguably the world) have the guts to actually take on Gore's challenge?  Do we still have that “Henry Ford” or “Wright Brothers” belief in our own abilities to actually make a go of it? Or, alternatively, are we resigned to the status quo, drilling offshore for oil that won't even make a dent in the fossil fuel dependence vs. climate change issue.

In the shadow of Anheuser Busch's absorption by InBev, does America still hold Augie Busch's legacy of good 'ol St. Louis can-do-it-ed-ness?  Are we even going to try? Judging by the reaction from the press and pundits, one must shed a tear for the apparent lack of sack that is being reflected back at us. 

Frankly, as an American, I'm embarrassed.

Rather than questioning the possibility or potentiality of Gore's plan, where are the people calling for Americans to “strap-a-pair-on and go for it?”  The bottom line reality of the situation is that we need to listen to this man.  So should both Presidential candidates, as should anyone running for Congress.  Entrepreneurs all over the world should consider Gore's challenge a call-to-arms, and venture capitalists should consider this gamble to be the biggest opportunity we've ever had to duplicate and surpass the golden industrial age in both accomplishment and profit.  Call it the “Greendustrial Revolution.”

All of the aforementioned parties should consider Gore's vocal leadership a common-sense airing of what we already know...we have to pull our stuff together and just go for it.  I find it interesting that this kind of visceral, no-nonsense, “git-'er-done” kick-in-the-ass is exactly what the U.S. Economy needs, yet Wall Street doesn't seem to be getting it yet.  More interesting (and frankly, a point of personal satisfaction) is that the current President seems to be sidelined in the current debate, preferring to return to what he knows (drilling) vs. what he doesn't (leadership).  Once again, Al Gore is proving that he is more Presidential than the President himself, even in his call to “widen the space of political debate” and move forward with a tangible goal for all of us, regardless of partisan affiliation.

We need to “step up” and actually try to make this thing happen.  Even if we don't do it in 10 years, we arguably might get a major portion of Gore's list accomplished and save the planet.  Agreed, it is a daunting, and seemingly crazy proposition, that we might actually replace fossil-fuel-based electricity with clean renewable energy.  Even if we achieve even half of what is necessary to reach the long-term-vision, at least we're going somewhere in the same direction...hopefully saving human civilization from itself in the process.

“Holy shit, pass the vodka...and the silicon.  (gulp) Yes we can!”

Burma: 100,000+ Lost, Millions Homeless. Monks Need Our Help Now

Numerous news sites are reporting a humanitarian emergency in Myanmar/Burma.  More than 100,000 are estimated dead, and more than 1,000,000 are estimated as homeless.  CNN Radio is reporting this morning that Myanmar's military junta troops are seizing relief supplies as they are landing on the ground, and are not allowing emergency aid to be air dropped  over the country.  As a result, very few regular mechanisms of possible aid are actually being effective in attaining and facilitating the distribution of aid.

Avazz.org's Ricken Patel put out a call this morning for additional donations through Avazz.org targeted at the Buddhist monks in Myanmar.  Apparently the Buddhist monasteries are some of the very few social service groups that have seen certain measures of success in getting aid to the people.  As mentioned in previous posts, ScottsBigMouth is actively expanding its mission to allow readers direct access to the organizations discussed here.  We hope you'll take a moment to give some help to Avazz.org to get help to the starving people of Myanmr/Burma through the monks.

Go here to donate:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/burma_cyclone/

In these tightest of times in the U.S. it is important for us to not forget that Americans as a whole are some of the most fortunate people on the face of the planet.  It doesn't hurt for us to give back where/when/how we can...especially to offset some of the craziness we've spread around the world as of late.