(rshsdepot) New Colonist News And Comment

["Eric Miller" <empirebuilder_@_earthlink.net>]

rshsdepot
"When the lights go down in the city and the sun shines on the bay. Oh I
want to be there in my city."
Journey

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BOOKS
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-From The Book Room

Save Our Land, Save Our Towns : A Plan for Pennsylvania
By Thomas Hylton
Our Price: $23.96

Philadelphia Inquirer
A Thoughtful and touching reflection on the spatial underpinnings of
community that is at once both profoundly simple and complex. It is a
first-rate treatment of a significant subject.

Purchase this and other books about city life from the New Colonist Book
Room.

http://www.newcolonist.com/books.html

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NEWS
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Denver Tax Could Support Light Rail
Reports say transit planners in Denver are considering proposing a tax
increase in order to expand metro Denver's mass transit system earlier than
projected. The Rocky Mountain News says if the Regional Transportation
District staff completes the plan, voters could be asked in November 2002 to
pass a sales tax increase that would finish the projects by 2012, eight
years earlier than a 2020 plan.

Montreal Site Of Latest Subway Paper
A Swedish press group and Canada's Transcontinental Group recently launched
a free daily newspaper aimed at subway commuters in Montreal.
Montreal is the 17th city where Metro International has started a free
transit-system newspaper. Reports say Metro signed a three year exclusive
agreement with the Montreal transit authority.

Philadelphia Mayor Joins Bush
Philadelphia Mayor John Street recently joined President George Bush in
Washington as he gave his first major address as President to Congress. Bush
used Street, a democrat to support his call to finance the work of
faith-based organizations. "Mayor Street has encouraged faith-based and
community organizations to make a difference in Philadelphia and he has
invited me to his city this summer, to see compassion in action" Bush said.
"We must encourage and support the work of charities and faith-based and
community groups that offer help and love one person at a time."

Central Freeway Update
The San Francisco Central Freeway Citizens Advisory Committee recently
reported that there have been two positive advances with a design that will
replace the freeway with a boulevard. First, Caltrans has agreed to
eliminate a previously proposed free right turn from eastbound Market onto
the freeway. Caltrans still proposes a right turn from the freeway onto
eastbound Market. The group says these changes reduce potential pedestrian
and bicycle conflicts at that intersection. Secondly, Caltrans has agreed to
pull back the touch down point of that ramp about 50 feet south of Market
Street. This should give the traffic a little extra time to slow down before
it intersects Market and would improve the aesthetics on Market Street.

Transit Riders Get Money Back Guarantee
Transit riders in Boston have been promised on-time service or their money
back. MTA riders were recently offered free round-trip vouchers for trains,
buses and trolleys that are more than a half-hour late.

National Trust Selects Pilot Cities
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the U.S. General Services
Administration recently selected Baltimore, Md., Athens, Ga., and
Springfield, Ill., as pilot sites for a national economic measurement
project that will help determine the impact of federal government offices on
downtown business districts.  "We believe that federal government offices
have a significant impact on the economic health of historic downtowns,"
said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. "But very little is known
about the extent of their economic impact. This ground breaking project will
provide valuable information to federal and municipal planners alike."

Newark PCC's Not Headed To San Francisco
PCC streetcars  currently operating in the Newark City Subway and headed for
retirement are not headed to San Francisco where restored versions run on a
regular basis and are in short supply . The Newark PCC's were inherited from
Minneapolis in 1954. New Jersey transit says there are no definitive plans
for the cars, although at least ten will be kept for historical and
ceremonial purposes.

Amtrak Promises More Express Trains
Amtrak says it will ramp up its Acela Express high-speed rail service March
5 with a second and third train, including a new non-stop run that will
connect Washington and New York in less than two and a half hours. The
non-stop train and a Boston-New York roundtrip will supplement the
Washington-Boston roundtrip train that inaugurated Acela Express service on
Dec. 11. Amtrak says ridership aboard the first train has been rising
steadily through the winter and on-time performance continues to excel.
"Acela Express is creating excitement in the marketplace and the addition of
two more trains will offer even more convenience and choice for travel in
the Northeast," said Stan Bagley, president of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
"The timing couldn't be better for American consumers, who have been
confronted with longer delays in the air and higher prices at the gas pump.
Travelers are choosing the train in record numbers and many first time
customers are coming back for more."

Nonprofit Groups Urge Congress to End Tragedy of Homeless Children
A national coalition of nonprofit groups recently urged Congress to move
decisively to expand programs to help end the American tragedy of homeless
children. "Our goal as a nation should be to end homelessness in America.
We can and should move more aggressively to provide housing, health care and
education to homeless children," Volunteers of America President Charles
Gould told a Capitol Hill briefing on the issue of homeless children and
families. A series of comprehensive policy recommendations were presented at
the briefing covering the housing, education, health and service needs of
homeless children.  The coalition urged Congress to: Create a federal
affordable housing trust fund; Set up a state and local incentive grant
program to improve services coordination; enact the Homeless Education Act
of 2001 (HR623); Increase access of homeless children to government health
care programs; and Expand nutrition programs to include teens in homeless
shelters.

African-American Leaders Attend Historic HIV Summit
African-American government leaders, health care practitioners, community
service providers and leaders from the faith-based community were given a
rare opportunity to exchange best practices to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic
at a summit held March 1-3, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The summit is part of a
series of regional meetings being organized by pharmaceutical leader
GlaxoSmithKline to mobilize communities where HIV/AIDS is spreading fastest.
Although African Americans comprise less than 13 percent of the population,
they represented more than 52 percent of the total number of new HIV
infection cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) through the end of last year.  The CDC estimates one in 50 black men
and one in 160 black women are infected with HIV, making them 10 times more
likely than whites to be diagnosed with AIDS and 10 times more likely to die
-From it.  "It's estimated that as many as a third of those who are HIV
positive do not know their status and may be unwittingly passing the virus
along," said Carl Pelzel, vice president of HIV at GlaxoSmithKline.  "We all
must work together to control this epidemic.  Community providers, industry
and government need to develop and sustain effective programs that will
mobilize communities hardest hit by HIV/AIDS."

Number Traffic Stops Drop For African Americans
An October, 2000, EPIC-MRA survey of Michigan drivers shows a 16 percent
drop from a similar survey conducted a year earlier in the number of law
enforcement stops reported by African Americans.  The drop in the frequency
of traffic tickets reported by these drivers is even greater, with the 2000
survey showing a 48 percent decrease in the frequency of reported tickets.
Michigan's new "primary enforcement" of seatbelt laws may be reason for the
decline.

Kansas City Destination Considers Changes
Reports said dropping attendance at Kansas City's Science City have lead
museum directors to explore and redo parts of the exhibits. Science City is
housed in the city's historic Union Station.

Sprawl Threatens Civil War Battlefields
Preservation groups say urban sprawl, road-building and storm erosion are
endangering 10 of the nation's Civil War battlefields, including Gettysburg.
The Preservation Trust said the most endangered battlefields in addition to
Gettysburg are at Allatoona, Ga., Brices Cross Roads, Miss., Fort Fisher,
N.C., and Harper's Ferry, W.Va.; Loudoun Valley, Va.; Mansfield, La.;
Raymond, Miss.; Stones River, Tenn.; and The Wilderness, Va. The group said
a new visitors center in Gettysburg could become a magnet for chain stores.

Insurance May Have Role To Play Role in Brownfield Cleanups
At a recent hearing held by the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste
Control and Risk Assessment, the American Insurance Association (AIA) voiced
its support for S. 350, the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental
Restoration Act of 2001, calling it a "positive step toward cleaning up
hazardous waste sites." "Brownfields redevelopment - facilitated,
encouraged, and stimulated by this bill - is undeniably good environmental
policy and it is also good business," said John Arlington, AIA assistant
vice president. " In fact, insurance related to the redevelopment of old
industrial sites and even federal facilities is a small, but growing area of
business for the insurance industry. Thus we are seeing a welcome
conjunction between the interests of cities and towns in need of
revitalization and the interests of businesses seeking new markets."

Money Will Benefit At-Risk Youth In Lancaster
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker recently delivered nearly $300,000 in
state funding to the Pennsylvania town of Lancaster for new initiatives
serving at-risk youth and expanding anti-gang/violence efforts in the city's
Weed and Seed zone. "Five years ago when we launched Weed and Seed in
Lancaster, we knew it would not be a quick fix," Lt. Gov. Schweiker said.
"We knew it would require a long-term commitment driven by the community --
sustained through a strong state/local partnership." Launched by Gov. Ridge
in 1996, and led day-to-day by Lt. Gov. Schweiker, Pennsylvania's Weed and
Seed initiative is a two-pronged strategy to "weed" out violent offenders
via intensive law-enforcement and prosecution efforts, and to "seed"
neighborhoods through revitalization and training projects. Proponents say
Weed and Seed works because it requires community members form a team to
draft a revitalization plan detailing community needs to solve problems
dealing with crime, education, public health and housing.

Hastings, Nebraska Depot May be Renovated
Members of the Hall County Historical Society and architect Marv Webb
recently opened  bids for renovating the 90-year-old Burlington Northern
depot at Sixth and Plum streets in Hastings, Nebraska. The historical
society bought the depot to turn into a community center and  railroad
history display area.

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COMMENT
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A Real Place to Call Home
By Thomas Hylton

I was working in my home office the other day when my wife called from the
elementary school where she teaches. She forgot some materials for a class
project. Could I bring them? No problem. Our house is just a short walk from
the school, and I was happy to get some exercise and enjoy the rejuvenating
power of a roomful of second graders.

Like all traditional American towns, my home town of Pottstown,
Pennsylvania, was designed with the pedestrian in mind. Big plants that,
during the town's glory days, turned out fabricated steel, auto parts,
underwear and Mrs. Smith's pies lie in a mile-long stretch along the
Schuylkill River. Just north of the plants is an eight-block commercial
district, which in turn is bordered by neighborhoods of closely spaced
single family homes.

Having grown up walking to school myself, I was careful to buy a house close
by the newspaper where I worked for 22 years. My wife made a special effort
to get a job in the Pottstown School District, where her students are also
our neighbors.

Not having to commute a half hour each way to work during the last three
decades has saved us more than 10,000 hours behind the wheel, the equivalent
of five years at work. It's also saved us more than $100,000 for the second
car we didn't have to buy and maintain.

More importantly, we love the sense of belonging that Pottstown gives us. We
wake up in the morning to the chimes of the Trinity Church carillon. We
listen to the banter of the volunteers lounging outside the nearby fire
house. We exchange pleasantries with the hygienists going to the dentist's
office down the block.

Unfortunately, there is a whole generation of Americans who have no idea
what a wonderful and enriching place a city or town can be, especially for a
child. In fact, most suburbanites think cities are terrible places to live.

Thatıs because they've witnessed the results of 50 years of senseless public
and private policies that have given every incentive for middle class and
affluent people to abandon our cities instead of improving them. These
policies have also created a zoning system that randomly scatters homes,
offices, and stores all over the landscape.

This new lifestyle < suburban sprawl < is proving to be a colossal blunder.
It has consumed irreplaceable farmland and open space, degraded the
environment, raised everyone's cost of living, and isolated the poor and
minorities in cities from Oakland to Miami.

We need to stop these self-destructive practices and start building real
places to call home. One of the most encouraging signs Iıve seen is the
smart growth movement thatıs gaining acceptance among builders, businessmen,
and government officials across America. Smart growth embraces two
fundamental concepts: First, public infrastructure such as roads, and water
and sewer lines, should be concentrated in carefully defined areas where it
makes sense to encourage development; second, new development should be
designed with a mixture of homes, stores, and offices in close proximity, to
take up less space and make it possible for people to make some of their
trips by walking or public transportation.

To help rebuild their towns and protect their farms and forests, for
example, Oregon and Washington have drawn urban growth boundaries around
their cities and towns. Development is encouraged inside the boundaries,
while land outside the boundaries is reserved for agriculture and forestry.
Georgia, with the strong support of its business community, has created a
regional transportation authority for metro Atlanta to foster compact
development around public transportation nodes.

Throughout America, scores of new pedestrian scale developments have been
approved for construction in recent years. The best known, Disneyıs town of
Celebration near Orlando, will eventually house 20,000 residents. Modeled
after pre-1940 southern towns, Celebration has a wide mixture of housing
types within walking distance of a traditional downtown with stores and
offices. Children walk to a K-12 public school.

Of course, slowly growing states like my state of Pennsylvania donıt need to
build new towns. We need to rediscover and rebuild the cities and towns we
already have. Within its five square miles, my town of Pottstown has 14,000
jobs and 22,000 residents < a great balance that allows more than a third of
us to live and work in the same compact area. And we closely mirror the
economic and racial diversity of Pennsylvania, which is essential for upward
mobility.

Standing on the patio behind my home on a cold evening, looking over the
moonlit rooftops to the 1861 clock tower of Transfiguration Lutheran Church,
I feel a sense of kinship with my neighbors and the generations before me
that have lived under its glow.

If we want to encourage caring, I've come to believe, we need places to care
about.

Thomas Hylton, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is author of Save Our
Land, Save Our Towns, and host of a public television documentary based on
the book. He can be reached at hylton_@_ptdprolog.net.

See more editorials at http://www.newcolonist.com

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CLASSIFIED
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New Colonist classified ads are free through July 2001. Send your 200 word
max classified ad to editor_@_newcolonist.com.

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COMMUNITY
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College Interns Wanted in Pittsburgh's Mayor's Race Interested in the
creation of media, and grass-roots political reform, and a non-paid
internship in Pittsburgh, PA, USA? Contact Mark_@_Rauterkus.com, a
stay-at-home dad. http://Rauterkus.com.

Would you like to learn or improve your German? I am a German native in San
Francisco offering one-on-one language instruction. Or you could join our
German conversation group. For information please contact me, Rene
Netter, at RNetter_@_gmx.net

Urban environment and urban-rural relationships are the content wellsprings
for articles in the Environment section of a newly launched, general
interest ezine, E-This!, published on the 15th of every month. E-This!
Environment is found in the ezine's Thinking department, toughing it out
with Politics and History. Serious, diverse, entertaining, too. E-This! can
be found at http://www.ethismag.com

The New Colonist is looking for additional newspaper partners to sponsor our
city pages. Find a national audience for your local resource. To find out
more about becoming a New Colonist partner, send an email to
editor_@_newcolonist.com.

Writers Wanted: Have a story to tell about city life on your corner of the
sidewalk? Weıre looking for articles about city life. To find out more about
submitting articles for consideration, visit our contribute page.

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COMPUTERS
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Do you have a Macintosh computer and live in the San Francisco area? Do you
need basic instructions or troubleshooting? Or advice on how to improve your
system? For help with this and more, contact us at MacItEasy_@_gmx.net or
visit our Website: www.MacItEasy.com.

Do you want a Website which is inexpensive, quick and well designed. Please
contact us at MacItEasy_@_gmx.net or go to our Website: www.MacItEasy.com

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MUSIC
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CD Available:
Now available: A collection of folk songs from Vietnam, "Ho Khoan Le
Thuy/River Song," beautifully sung by internationally acclaimed recording
artist Nguyen Thanh Van and previously featured in the ABC documentary
"Return to Vietnam." Explore the diverse regions of Vietnam through this
outstanding collection of twelve folk songs. The melodies are originals, but
the arrangements are unique and full of creativity. To order send $13.99
(shipping included) to New Colonist Music Offer 42 Castro St, #6 San
Francisco, CA 94114. Make checks payable to Van Nguyen.

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REAL ESTATE
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DO YOU HAVE  A SPECIAL PROPERTY? WE HAVE A FREE AD FOR YOU.
Are you a real estate agent or owner of a unique property that needs to be
matched with a special buyer? You can reach thousands of city residents with
a classified ad in The New Colonist. And to get our service started, weıre
offering the first ad for free!  Send us 200 words or less of text for a
special urban property, preferably with a direct link to a picture on the
web, and weıll run it twice in our weekly newsletter for free!  Send your ad
to newcolonist_@_newcolonist.com.

History for Sale
The cheery pink house perched up on the slope of San Francisco's Twin Peaks
is familiar to many. For the first time in over 50 years this San Francisco
Landmark, known as the Miller-Joost House, went up for sale in January, and
it has drawn the curious, eager to get a closer look at this bit of the
past. You can own this piece of San Francisco history if you are the
high-bidder on the E-Bay Auction. Click Here: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw
cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=564317448

Flee the city to the A-frame I built in foothills of Cascades. Lots of
light, quiet, and calm. Near Concrete (that's the real name), Washington.
Yes, I will take your condo or 40-foot-or-larger sailboat on trade. I need
to breath diesel fumes and fight maddening crowds for a while. A-frame
value: $120,000. Two bedroom. 1,200 square feet. Dan: 415-565-3666;
cnsuncle_@_yahoo.com.

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ART
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2002 American Train Station Calendar
You won't spend a day without seeing one of America's great train stations
with the 2002 Great Train Stations of North America Calendar. The 21st
Century has arrived on track twelve. The wall calendar contains twelve
glossy pictures of train stations in North America. Make sure you don't miss
it by ordering your calendar in advance. Send check or money order for
$20.02 (includes shipping and handling) to Gregg Miller, RD #5 Box 1031
Altoona, PA 16602. A portion of proceeds benefits the Alto Model Train
Museum Association. Ask about calendar advertising opportunities! Send email
to amtma_@_yahoo.com.

2002 Pennsylvania Train Station Calendar
You won't spend a day without seeing one of Pennsylvania's great train
stations with the 2002 Great Train Stations of Pennsylvania Calendar. The
21st Century has arrived on track twelve. The wall calendar contains twelve
large glossy pictures of train stations in Pennsylvania. Make sure you don't
miss it by ordering your calendar in advance. Send check or money order for
$20.02 (includes shipping and handling) to Gregg Miller, RD #5 Box 1031
Altoona, PA 16602. A portion of proceeds benefits the Alto Model Train
Museum Association. Ask about calendar advertising opportunities! Send email
to amtma_@_yahoo.com.

Are You An Urban Artist? Is It Hard To Find Gallery Space In Your City?
Consider Virtual Gallery Space
If you are an artist who creates art work that focus in some way on cities
or city life, you'll want to be a part of The New Colonist Art Gallery at
davidbenesh.com. We'll post an image of your work in the gallery at
davidbenesh.com and make it available for sale.  Just because our gallery is
virtual doesn't mean your profits aren't real. In fact, The New Colonist Art
Gallery at davidbenesh.com offers artists the unheard of cut of 80 percent.
By featuring your city-oriented work here, you also may have the opportunity
to feature the actual work in one of the real-world galleries we have
agreements with. If your artwork includes material that somehow relates to
city life, send an electronic image to sfbenes_@_ix.netcom.com for
consideration at The New Colonist Art Gallery at
http://208.55.99.54/specials.html.

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SERVICES
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Turn Your Photos Into High Quality Post Cards
Affordable, high-quality post cards in realistic or retro designs made from
your photographs. Are you looking for a special post card? Let us know.
Visit American City Post Cards online at
http://home.earthlink.net/~urbancentury/postcards.html or send email to
empirebuilder_@_earthlink.net

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CITY LIFE
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Are You A Cat Lover? Visit City Cats on the web at
http://www.geocities.com/cityandcat

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NOTES
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Link to The New Colonist

We have several opportunities for you to promote your organization or
newspaper through our web site.

1. If you will provide a link to our site, or post our banner on your site,
we will list your web site in our "partners" page. To become a partner,
please contact webmaster_@_newcolonist.com.

2. In addition, if you send us news notes and press releases, we will
incorporate them into our "News Briefs" section. Send news briefs and press
materials to editor_@_newcolonist.com.

3. Those contributing articles appearing in The New Colonist will be
provided a link, and banner ad if provided, to your web site from the page
where the article appears. To submit an article, send it to
editor_@_newcolonist.com.

4. We are in need of City Page Editors for some of our city pages found
under YOUR BLOCK. City page editors are provided with a free, permanent
banner ad on the corresponding City Page. To inquire about becoming a city
page editor, send an email to editor_@_newcolonist.com.

Want to be a New Colonist guest editor? We're looking for editorially
talented people to collect articles about their city for a collection of
features in The New Colonist. If you have a good handle on what's going on
in your city, send an email to editor_@_newcolonist.com for more details.

Advertise In The New Colonist.
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Find out more about demographics and rates by sending an email to
marketing_@_newcolonist.com. Also, ask about opportunities to link to or from
our www.newcolonist.com.

Be a citizen of the new century and visit www.newcolonist.com.

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