'Got' or 'Gotten'? I have forgotten..

I could not even count the times I have been told off by people in the United Kingdom for using the word 'gotten'.  I am told it is not a real word, it is unnecessary and redundant of the past participle 'got', or it is another vulgar ‘Americanism’ and just plain 'bad English'.  However, upon a little research I have found the word, a past participle of ‘to get’, has its origin in the United Kingdom itself.

The Oxford English dictionary actually traces the word back to the fourth century.  It has been used by Shakespeare, Bacon and Pope before being exported to the American colonies by Puritan settlers, along with the word 'fall' for autumn and 'guess' for think. 

Some British people falsely assume ‘got’ and ‘gotten’ have the same meaning and Americans use them interchangeably in all circumstances.  Contrarily, both of these past participles convey slightly different ideas.  "They have gotten an apartment in Boston" means they have recently taken the apartment, whereas "they have got an apartment in Boston" simply indicates they have it (there are those who would argue that in a sentence like this one ‘got’ is redundant, and that ‘have’ alone would do the job).  In informal usage, 'have got' can also be followed by an infinitive to denote obligation (I’ve got to go to the party means “I must”), whereas have gotten with an infinitive denotes opportunity (I’ve gotten to go to the party means “I’ve been given the chance to attend”).

In fact, Americans largely cut down on usage of the word ‘got’ as a past participle, instead opting for only the word ‘have’ in its place, with some taking the view the word's existence itself is unnecessary as 'have' can do the job all on its own. For example, "I haven’t any memory", "I haven’t any money in my purse".  And, as a final note, the British did retain the word 'gotten' in aspic, such as ill-gotten, forgotten and begotten.

Just to quell any suspicisions that I am writing with an anti-British English agenda, there are many things I favour in British English over its American counterpart, such as omission of the overused demonstrative adjective 'that', especially in indirect quotes.

Hopefully readers will have gotten my point after they have got through this article.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Mr Blair - President of Europe?

With Ireland recently approving the Lisbon Treaty the second time round, and the Polish government quickly following suit, it seems a new European charter is imminent - as well as a new president. 
Fair enough, there are still several loopholes to get through. Czech President Vaclav Klaus has found a series of new ways to delay signing the treaty, which has already been ratified by the Czech parliament. 
And London also may try to delay proceedings. The head of the British conservatives, David Cameron, sent a letter to Klaus asking him to delay his signature until British parliamentary elections in spring of 2010. Cameron seems well positioned to win the election, and he wants to hold a Lisbon Treaty referendum in Great Britain—despite the fact that the country has already ratified the document.

But despite all doubts, if the treaty is passed before British parliamentary elections, could we see former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair scoop up the European leadership? Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi sure seems to think so.

Read this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8307267.stm
 

China is well on its way to Global Dominance

Like it or hate it, China's dominance in the world economy is imminent.
Already, despite a recession that has played havoc across the globe, Chinese industries have managed to continue growing in a much-envied bubble.
So much, in fact, that they have now overtaken Canada to become America's largest trading partner, making the USA-China trade block the world's largest.
Likewise, the Far Eastern country has overtaken the United States in its number of billionaires - perhaps in itself nothing more than a dent in the amour of ethnocentric patriots, but possibly an implication of a broader shift of economic power away from traditional North American and European powerhouses towards the developing world and especially China.

Please read the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/business/global/14rich.html?hpw

Nonetheless, the USA still accounts for a quarter of the world's GDP and spends almost as much as the rest of the world combined on its military.  Despite the concerns of this situation forwarded by Western media, the global influence of America will, in all likelihood, remain prominent for some time.
Just the same, China has firmly asserted its ascendance onto the world stage as an emerging superpower.

Just take a look at China's National Parade Day in Beijing, celebrating 60 years of communist rule!

Economic Crisis - Worse Than We Think?

Could the media be playing down on how severe the recession actually is?  Well, you may disagree, but as the old saying goes, action speaks louder...

Take a look at this enormous queue of 10,000 at a recent job fair in London's Canary Wharf:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1220302/Huge-queue-desperate-job-seekers-unemployment-hits-2-47m.html

Maybe (hopefully) in a few decades we'll look back at today with complete horror.

Build a tram through Manhattan

Believe it or not, this campaign is finally picking up steam!  We may soon see a completely pedestrianised 42nd Street right through the centre of Manhattan if campaigners finally get their way.  This would be great as it would set a much-needed precedent for other prominent American cities as well as become an interesting tourist attraction - for Europeans and Americans alike.  City managers accomplished this in Times Square (a section of Broadway in summer 2009) so why not permanently remake 42nd Street into an exclusive pedestrian/tram zone?  I personally think it would do wonders to the streetscape, as well as boost economic activity and real estate value in that particular district.

Read the full story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/realestate/commercial/14rail.html?hpw

Quote of the Day

Imbalance of Trust

“I find it interesting that many Americans seemingly distrust Washington concerning issues of health care reform, yet these same folks eagerly embraced and supported the federal government in its most recent extreme form of foreign policy: the invasion of Iraq,” writes Richard in France. (from The New York Times website, available from http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/opinion/29blow.html)

Shrewsbury, Welshpool

Some photos I took during an afternoon hike through the Welsh midlands, near Welshpool, not far from Shrewsbury. I was out there for the day visiting the woman I am writing a book for.

Baby orangutans!

Loch Ness Monster?

This image of Loch Ness can be seen by entering coordinates Latitude 57°12'52.13"N, Longitude 4°34'14.16"W in Google Earth.

 Could this be the elusive Loch Ness Monster?  Or the Ness Express, a boat which regularly tours the deep waters of Loch Ness?  Judge for yourself.

Tribute to a Great Hero

AMERICA lost a great hero today.
But Senator Ted Kennedy’s legacy will have impacted our country for generations to come.
A key leader in the push for healthcare reform, Kennedy, the “Liberal Lion”, used most of his political career to better the lives of many citizens through progressive causes and bills.

Kennedy also campaigned vigorously on egalitarian issues and was a staunch supporter of equal civil rights - even before it was popular to do so.
He was a champion in the fight against global warming. And he was an outspoken critic of the Iraq war right from the onset.

Kennedy was part of a family ‘dynasty’ that made Massachusetts a state much bigger and influential than it once was.
Not only that, but the Kennedys have played a significant role in creating a unified cultural sense among Irish Americans, of which there are some 36 million. Kennedy, for his part, was also heavily involved in the Irish peace process.
As the leader of Ireland's Social Democrat and Labour Party (SDLP), Mark Durkan, put it, in reaction to his death: “He was never afraid to take stands and stances that challenged the actions and inactions of the British Government.”

But even as we take time to mourn his death, we must already be thinking about his empty senate seat as we have now entered the climax of healthcare reform.
The Senate Democratic Party caucus has now lost its 60-seat supermajority in the US Senate, the minimum required to defeat potential filibusters the Republican Party caucus may impose to block any bills they dislike.
Shortly before his death, Kennedy appealed to governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick and the legislature to seek out someone to temporarily fill his seat.

This seat will be a big one to fill. His role in the push for healthcare reform was seen as pivotal in holding together both progressive and centrist Democratic voters as the issue threatens to tear the US into two enraged camps.
The process to replace him could take months as Massachusetts law permits. Let us hope a deal squares out fast so we can secure this legislation that is vital to our futures.

Dear Mr Editor... Healthcare Reform Now!

Yes, I am still on fire about this issue! It looks like this passionate, controversial debate is one that will be around for years to come, as the same sentiment racketed up during the Obama campaign are now being exploited by the neo-Cons and their cronnies. Here is my letter to the editor of the North Carolina daily publication, the Asheville Citizen-Times, in which I whole-heartedly pour out my feelings regarding this issue (albeit not as in-dept as I would have liked due to a 200-word limitation).


AS AN American citizen, from South Asheville, currently living in England, I felt I needed to respond to all the criticism being thrown at the British National Health Service (NHS).
The attacks against the NHS by American news reports are both misleading and unfair. I have used the NHS for the whole time I have been here and, contrary to what Americans may think, I have experienced no problems with excessive waiting time, doctor availability or quality of service. In fact, in working for the British media I have noticed the many, many good points of the healthcare industry here. For example, the swift response to the swine flu outbreak put Britain ahead of most other Western countries with the launch of a National Pandemic Flu Service. Britain also enjoys a higher life expectancy rate at 79.1 years, compared with the USA at 78.1 years. The infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births is only 4.8 in Britain, compared with 6.7 in the USA. This is all managed with Britain spending only 8.4 percent of its GDP expenditure on healthcare, while the USA squanders more than 16 percent and more than any other Western nation.
Britons have also been quick to defend their healthcare system against damning American news reports, which seem keen on focusing on the disdain of a select few Conservative Tory politicians who have been deemed ‘eccentrics’ by their own parties. The vast majority of people here love their system, which they call egalitarian, efficient, and best-of-all, free.
Yes, okay, there are problems as with every system but Britons unhappy with the Government option can just as easily go private - where they will still be confronted with lower costs than in the USA thanks to heavier regulation in controlling medicinal costs.
Every day 510 people in North Carolina lose their healthcare coverage. Without reform, those who still have insurance will see their yearly premiums go up by $8,938 in the next decade to a staggering $21,590. We need reform now.

New York Fashion - Doomed?

IS New York’s reign in the fashion industry coming to an end?
This question would have sent anyone who knew anything about the fashion world away laughing only a couple of years ago.

But the votes at a prominent poll speak for themselves. The Big Apple has now been pushed to second place in the race for fashion capital of the world according to the Global Language Monitor’s annual fashion capital research 2009 (July 20).
Although still ranking in the top five, alongside long-standing top cities including Paris, London and Rome, the poll brought an end to New York’s five-year reign as the world’s top fashion city.

The research also revealed trends that seem to indicate New York fashion may never take up first place again.
Los Angeles, whose scene only a decade ago was a complete mockery, has now firmly asserted itself to the fashionistas of the world and has edged up to number six.
Miami and Las Vegas also made great strides forward, as well as Toronto, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Berlin and Barcelona.

Indeed, the fashion nexus seems to be ceding away along with the population drain from America’s Northeastern coast. Could this have had any bearing on Project Runway’s decision to permanently move the show from New York to Los Angeles for its sixth season later this month? (I know it was over a dispute between NBC Universal and Weinstein, but really..)

Okay, laugh at that point, but the New York fashion industry is in some serious trouble. Due to the recession, the garment industry has taken a severe blow, with only about 9,000 garment workers remaining in the garment district, near Times Square, compared with 16,000 in 1995.

The same district, which once employed hundreds of thousands of workers and produced most of the clothes worn in the USA, has been reduced to a shadow of what it once was as garment producers have fled to foreign countries where they can function much more cheaply, such as China, India and Latin America.
The fear is that the remaining shops and factories are also in jeopardy with rising rents. The total loss of garment production in the city would leave little reason for designers to stay. New York then would loose its fashion prominence, no longer able to hold its own against Paris and Milan.

While New York does stand out for its individuality and innovation, the plain facts say that the garment industry is at risk. This, while other American cities are quickly maturing to rival New York’s unflinching sense of confidence. If New York is to continue to be taken seriously, it needs to stop being so complacent – as fashion waits for no one.

Happy 400, New York!

ON THE year of the 400th anniversary of New York I felt it was my duty as a native to pay homage to the Dutch heritage there.

There are Dutch-American remnants now stretching across the Midwest, through to Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as Dutch-influenced colonial revival homes commonly found throughout the Mid-Atlantic States, Western Connecticut and even Virginia.
Tens of thousands of Dutch also settled in California and Washington State after the First World War.

But the oldest settlement is still sourced at New York and its largest city, once called New Netherland and New Amsterdam, respectively.
In the year 1609, Henry Hudson, leading a Dutch fleet, sailed into the harbour of the Hudson where he headed for Manhattan island. This feat will be celebrated over the course of this year by parties, parades, concerts and exhibits.
New York culture mirrors its all-embracing colonial roots with traits such as tolerance, multiculturalism, innovation and love of freedom.

While the Dutch colony was by no means homogenous – with more than 18 languages spoken and only about half of its citizens Dutch – the Dutch heritage is steadfastly omnipresent and comprises of a vital piece of this city’s history.

Take, for example, Wall Street. Named for a wall constructed at some point after 1655, the Dutch built it to keep the threat of Native Americans at bay.
Then we have Brooklyn, named after the Dutch town of Breukelen in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The township was authorised by the Dutch West India Company in 1646. Also, we have the names of Boswijk and Nieuw Utrecht, or Bushwick and New Utrecht.

It doesn’t stop there. Bedford-Stuyvesant was named after Peter Stuyvesant, the only governor of New Netherlands to be called director-general.
Harlem, originally a Dutch village organised in 1658, was named after Haarlem.
Staten Island? Don’t you mean Staaten Eylandt, in honour of the Dutch Parliament, Staaten Generaal? Let's not forget the Long Island town of Hempstead, or Heemstede, and the Bronx, named for Dutch captain Jonas Bronck. At one time even the Great White Way, Broadway, was a great green way, which the Dutch called de breed weg meaning thick forest.

And also Hofstra University, which I attended in 2005 and which was founded by Dutch descendants in Long Island.

But the Dutch influence extends beyond the Hudson Valley region. Distinctly American words, some rebuked by our English counterparts, have their roots in the Dutch colony. Words such as cookie from koekje, boss from baas, hook from hoek, knickernocker and kill, all derive from Dutch.
Even the word Yankee itself is said to come from jan kees.

This by no means is meant to overshadow any other components of New York’s vastly complicated and diverse heritage.
Nonetheless, while this constantly changing region continues to reinvent itself and welcome in new waves of immigrants, we should still take time to respect our founding forefathers who helped create this city and state we have all come to love.

Oh... and I guess we shouldn't forget about New Jersey.

Universal Healthcare

I GUESS the key here is routine. It amazes me after having lived in Great Britain for so long, even with all the complaints off the National Health Service (NHS), how much better off the British are to the Americans in regards to healthcare. Ok, the British system is not exactly superb. For example, I would not recommend seeing a dentist (sorry guys). Although, I can honestly say all other treatments I have gone in for - including minor surgery, a broken rib cage and suspected swine flu - have been absolutely wonderful. The wait has never been too gruelling, the doctors have been efficient and attentive, and the costs.. well, let’s just say I suffer from a bit of guilt.

What some “Yanks” don’t get is that here in Britain you can choose between private healthcare and the NHS. Yes, that’s right, private insurers still exist for those who opt for the royal treatment. Now, that doesn’t mean the NHS abandons you – any citizen who has gone private (or even any foreigner visiting the country) can walk into an NHS centre and pay the same, minimal costs to the generous British government. The beauty of having universal healthcare means everyone is covered.

Now, let’s get one thing straight. I am not advocating replacing our American system, consisting mostly of private insurers, with a complete replica of that offered in Great Britain. But I think we need to recognise there is something wrong with a system that does not offer healthcare coverage for nearly 50 million people, more than the population of Spain and nearly that of Italy. Some steps need to be taken to drastically reduce that amount of uninsured individuals and control skyrocketing healthcare costs before the whole country is brought to its knees.

I find it absolutely astounding some Americans actually still think there is nothing wrong with their healthcare system. I was contacted by a blogger who seemed intent on berating my support for an overhaul of our current and ailing healthcare system. This Ed Buonadonna, of Florida, didn’t appear to like that I mentioned 47 million people in this country lack any sort of coverage, as he guestimated at least 22 million of those were “illegals”. I think I addressed his point in my comparison with the British system, which at a fraction of what the USA spends covers all people, citizens and visitors alike, for top-notch treatment.

Ed also praised the American system for managing to cover upwards of 250 million Americans, adding that he was a “responsible individual that puts the needs of my family ahead of my own wants”. He adds, “I personally know uninsured people who have boats, wave runners, multiple vehicles, spend money on vacations and luxuries like iPhones and blackberries…”

Then he adds he has no sympathy for people who make “poor choices”, including people who “waste money on frivolous things before necessities, people who bought houses they couldn’t afford, people who can’t get good jobs or insurance because they have little to no education before they quit school”. He adds people may say his views are a result of him being “advantaged”.. but, he adds, “I have noticed that my level of advantage is directly proportional to my level of responsibility, hard work and determination”.

And [that’s right, not finished], he adds, “I am tired of the European and Canadian comparisons… This is not Canada or France or Great Britain… [I might inject here he felt the need to use three full stops/periods every time he came to the end of a sentence perhaps to underscore his frustration] There is a reason our forefathers fled the oppressive governments of Western Europe and it wasn’t so we can emulate them 250 years later….”

Ok, I’ll start backwards, with the last item first. There is absolutely nothing wrong with learning off of your friends. Especially given the circumstances and considering upwards of 47 million people have no coverage. Most other Western countries have managed to pass the USA in their life expectancy rates and lower their infant mortality rates. And the USA spends more per capita on healthcare than anywhere else on the planet. What is sickening is that Ed is not willing to even take a glance at systems where more lives are being made better at a fraction of the cost. This would mean a lighter burden for the taxpayer, an actual reduction in what Ed pays now would go towards universal healthcare to help alleviate this flailing system.

And yes, 250 million Americans are covered. But let's just hope they don't get sick! Many of those now spend a ridiculous amount on healthcare as costs have been allowed to shoot up based on under-regulated free market principles. With a growing obesity problem, a greying population and a greedy oligarch of corporate conglomerates setting the table, this is bound to increase. With a growing number of uninsured, we are poised to see things get even worse. It is astounding some people could still say “Leave it the way it is”.

Are Summer Scarves for Men?

A definite yes on this one! Summer scarves for men are sexy and fashionable. There has recently been a backlash against men who wear summer scarves on blogs and I felt I had to respond.


SCARVES are not uncomfortable in the summer at all. They are different from winter scarves in that they are made of a light material and on a hot summer day they can keep your neck shaded from the sun. Why in the world would so many men and women in the Middle East and Northern Africa wear them, where the temperature is normally sizzling? Think about it people.

Men in the English-speaking world (mainly the UK, Canada and USA) are generally too insecure to take a stab and try something totally different in fashion. They often do this to avoid being seen as too fashion-conscious, which has traditionally been associated with "gay-ness" or metrosexuality, which can be seen as weakness in the eyes of other men and perhaps some women.

The truth is these men are generally more rigid and conformed, and consequently less creative and relaxed, with their dressing sense (and who knows, this may say something of their character as well – your dressing sense reflects your inner self).

Well, here is a message for them: take a lesson from the southern Europeans! Walk the streets of Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Nice and Rome, where the summer heat is bound to fry your skin, and male summer scarves are ubiquitous.

And why not? They look attractive, as they can quickly transform a plain Jane outfit (or plain Bob) into something snazzy, and on most men they give off a cool sense of security with one's sexuality. Perhaps a taste of femininity never hurt anyone?

I personally own about six summer scarves as well as four winter scarves. I wear them to late summer evening dos, or I might thrown one over my T-shirt on a hot summery day. I’ve had a few looks but only from people I would never take a fashion tip off of anyway. Besides, what do I care – no shame in the fashion game. Risks are what fashion is all about.

Economic conspiracy?

Quote of the day: “‘What Goldman Sachs does is bad for America’, and yet America (the federal government and the Federal Reserve) has helped, is helping and will continue to help Goldman Sachs by its money policies,” writes Marcoloreno in Italy.
(exert from the New York Times online edition, July 17)

What has become of the great US of A? Our great corporate banks are at the heart of this economic crisis, and yet already many of them are pocketing large gains in recent weeks and months. They are emerging as profiteers from one of the worst economic meltdowns since the 1930s.

Many of us "normal folk" will continue to suffer, possibly for years, after more than 15 states reported reaching an unemployment mark higher than 10 per cent today (July 17). Michigan is one of the biggest losers, with an unemployment rate exceeding 15 per cent and the highest of any state since 1984. It will be a very long time before this catastrophe can be fixed.

We must remember this all came about as a result of large corporate banks' irresponsible policies. And yet it is the corporate elite who will emerge first from the financial horrors of the Great Recession, unscathed and possibly even stronger... not us. At first I rejoiced at news that Goldman Sachs had reported such hefty gains so unexpectedly. This was followed quickly by news that JP Morgan had also experienced a major financial profit, and then Citigroup and BofA.

But on reflection, I wondered is it joy I should be experiencing - or anger. It was these banks that got us into this very mess. Now, the banks fortunate enough to have gobbled up [other] failing banks have, as a result, consolidated an already concentrated market, even further and in their favour. They are already raking in record profits even while about one in seven stand on a bread line in Michigan. Do you really think we should be pitying the top one per cent earners, who are poised to take on a huge chunk of costs for a Healthcare bill and other reform bills currently being pushed through Congress with the backing of Pres Obama?

I sure as hell do not.

Why has the American media stopped reporting on swine flu?

Open a British newspaper and you are bound to see swine flu everywhere. The front page of nearly every tabloid and respectable national alike has been awash over the past several weeks in stories ranging from "epidemic" to "tens of thousands of deaths expected". For example, today's lead in the Independent warns of "up to 750,000" deaths related to swine flu expected. BBC, the Daily Mail, the Guardian, the Sun, and nearly every other national publication of all media streams for that matter, are competing to be the first to report the latest and the highest number of swine flu deaths (29 in the UK at last count). Warnings about the flu are also omnipresent; work colleagues are passing the disinfectant bottle between sneezes; kids are being sternly instructed to wash their hands at every chance..

So where are our American counterparts? The over-compensating and exaggerated stench we so often associate with our neighbours across the pond seems to have looked past this one. It is absolutely nowhere in today's (July 16) New York Times, for instance. USA Today.. try again. Boston Globe, though owned by the Times.. still no. Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle.. no, no no, (though in the Chron it is reported Giants owner Sue Burns is deathly ill - but with cancer) I've been through them all! I mean, where is the panic people?

Not that I am endorsing panic in any sense. And don't get me wrong, I'm sure give it a few days and it'll be all over the American news again..

..only I think people should be allowed to monitor and stay aware of a situation as dire and unpredictable as this one. Could it be because the American media has realised just how big of a panic this could cause, thus adopting a cautious, toned-down approach as not to overwhelm an already disoriented healthcare system. But could this also mean it is a lot worse than most Americans realise?

Ah-choo!

Long-term career contemplations

HISTORY is something that has always fascinated me. Just thinking about my career path today and thinking, an eventual shift towards history would be a sure-fire way to advance my career long-term while continuing to incorporate all of my learning into something active.

As a journalist, this is an easy task. Stories can range from any topic and more often than not my diverse educational background makes it much easier to access research behind a subject.

A magazine with a niche focus on history seems like a natural goal in light of this. It would be an easy succession to an experienced, investigative news journalist and would also utilise a knowledge base profoundly nurtured in academia.
Furthermore, my love of language and ability to easily adapt in new cultures could prove a vital asset to this direction. My second language is Spanish, I have a general grasp of French and now have vowed to learn at least basic Arabic over the next couple of years. I have also lived and travelled on four continents.. at age 25.

Now a little personal history. At age 10 I wanted to be an archaeologist and then at age 13 I reassessed my values and determined instead I wanted to be a palaeontologist. History was also my first selection as a major in college until that changed to sociology and then journalism. At this stage, I have done a complete 180 degree turn and now realise my path almost undoubtedly digress into that direction.

So you see, history is smelted in my blood and is part of my existence. Fortunately, I was reading through several blogs today and saw it is not vital to have a PhD or even a seemingly crucial degree in history to become a writer historian. In fact, journalism may accidentally prove to be one of the best access routes into the field of "investigative researcher and travel writer historian".

St Lawrence Project

I came across this proposal after seeing a link to a new public outcry against a proposed seven and a half storey hotel just across from Asheville's historic Basilica Cathedral.

The St Lawrence project would make for a breathtaking gateway into Asheville's downtown. With its central European plaza piazza, with old world style fountains, cafes, bistros, condos/residential apartments, and possibly even a small hotel, it makes for a much more attractive prospect than the mundane hotel.

I even see a mini roundabout in the southwest corner. The fancy ground stonework remind me of Paris and Nice. After having lived in Europe for the past three years, I can say this project is certainly welcomed and must be further explored by the council!

Pack Square Battle heats up in Raleigh

From the Asheville Citizen-Times

By Jordan Shrader, published May 19, 2009 11:34 am

Raleigh - State Court of Appeals judges today heard a lawyer argue that the developer who bought Buncombe County land beside City Hall should be allowed to keep it.

Stewart Coleman's company want the court to overturn a Superior Court judge's ruling that the sale was invalid and the land should remain a place for public use.

Joe Ferikes, an Asheville attorney who challenged the sale, told the three judge panel that the land is the site of decades of music, preaching, politicians' speeches, festivals and celebrations marking the end of two world wars.

“This may not seem to be a large tract of land to my opponents, but it is a very important piece of land to all the citizens and residents of Buncombe County," Ferikes told the three judges. "It is a place and a space that needs to be preserved.”

George Pack donated the property in 1901, intending it as the site of a courthouse, which was built but torn down when the present courthouse went up.

The longtime use of land as green space for the public is not enough to legally protect it as a park, Patrick Kelly argued on Coleman's behalf.

“There have been no maps that have been introduced into evidence showing it as a park," said Kelly, a Charlotte lawyer. "There's no evidence that the county has put in park benches" or given the area a name.

Coleman wants to build condominiums and retail space on the property and the lot next to it where the Hayes & Hopson Building stands.

Kelly said nothing in the 1901 deeds say what happens if the property is not used as intended. Without such instructions, legal precedent allows for the conditions to be ignored, he said.

The Court of Appeals often takes months to hand down its rulings.

I, for one, am going against the crowd on this one. I think this is a good idea. I've seen that building on many occasions and it's either in desperate need for renovations or something entirely new, like condos and offices, needs to be built. Although this Coleman guy seems to have no sympathy with the people of Asheville, in this climate almost any development should be looked at with renewed interest. Additionally, in order to curb urban sprawl, which is increasingly becoming a problem (especially in south Asheville, i.e. Arden, Skyland, Fletcher), we need to build higher density, mixed-use projects in the city center and encourage a stronger, pedestrian-based society. Every time we push a developer away from Asheville's urban core, we are sending a message out to developers to build on the outskirts while we "protect" our city center. We are forgetting growth is inevitable and this would only result in the mushrooming of population density rather than containing it in a smart, forward-thinking kind of way.

Asheville's Brewgrass Festival Sold Out Six Months Ahead

Asheville has already tied first place with Portland, Oregon, as "Beer City USA". More than 16,000 respondents from 46 countries participated in the poll, by New York City's examiner.com. Asheville has made great strides in recent years in the world of beers. Only in its fifth year, Asheville's Brewgrass Festival has already become one of the Southeast's most popular beer celebrations. The city, with six microbreweries and two more under construction, is fighting hard to retain its status as a beer mecca. Beer enthusiasts from the city also hope to one day knock Portland out of first place altogether.

From Take5 of the Asheville-Citizen Times
By Tony Kiss published March 18, 2009 2:17 pm

Asheville’s Brewgrass craft beer festival is sold out – six months before the event happens on Sept. 19 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

The final tickets were sold last weekend, said festival co-owner Jimi Rentz, who also owns Barley’s Taproom in Asheville. In all, 3,500 tickets were available for the festival. Sales began just a month ago.

This was the festival’s fastest sell out “by a long shot,’’ Rentz said. The festival has not even announced the bluegrass bands that will perform at the event, he said.

There is no chance that any more tickets will be made available by the festival, Rentz said. Fans without tickets may find some on sale through various Web sites. But all tickets will be electronically scanned at the gate, so be very cautious about second-hand purchases.

How Far Back in Time Can We See?

By independent blogger/journalist Robert Platt

The sun's light takes about eight minutes to reach Earth. Therefore, in a hypothetical situation, if the sun was to explode, we would see the sun in perfect form until eight minutes has passed. Then we would see the explosion as the light from the sun finally reaches Earth. Hence, many experts point out we as a human race would actually be looking into the past in the interim that it takes for light of the sun’s explosion to reach us. Actually, according to Einstein’s theory of relativity, we are constantly peering into the past when we see the sun. So you see TIME also has physical properties. Time is only as fast as light, and if one could exceed the speed of light, you would likewise travel back in time.

That light takes so long to reach our planet means when one looks up into the night sky, the millions of twinkling stars that we see, which are billions if not tens of billions of light years away, are actually millions of years in the past. This means that we are actually looking at our universe as it was, and not as it is (depending on exactly what you define by ‘was’ and ‘is’, of course, which can also be said to be relative). So theoretically the universe could be being ripped apart by monstrous supermassive black holes gone MAD, but as long as it is not occurring in our conscious time bubble (the third dimension), it is undetectable and we would have no idea. That is, unless we somehow found a way to travel at light speed and actually arrived at some distant point in the universe in our third dimensional conception of time, but even then it would only be visible to those who have travelled there (and if you're not confused, these friends would now have travelled to some time in our third dimensional "past"). We, here on Earth, would not even be able to observe our space-travelling friends in telescopes because it would still take millions of years for "now" in the distant universe to reach "now" here on Earth. Even a "live" televisual conversation would be taking place in our space-travelling friends' past, because it would take that long for radio frequency or even ultra-high frequency (VHF) to reach our planet. This is why it can take up to 20 minutes for signals to reach Earth from the Mars rovers.

Mind-boggling, isn't it?

And so, the further the distance between objects and our relative position - in this scenario Earth - the longer it takes for the light to reach us and, subsequently, the further back in time we are looking. While it takes eight minutes for the hypothetical sun explosion to reach our earthly views, it could take many times that amount for a hypothetical explosion of a terrestrial body to reach our realm of vision. Consequently, we are looking deeper and deeper into the past the further and further we look into space. The more distant the object in space from our relative position, the deeper in the past this picture in the way it appears to us has occurred.

Tie this to recent headlines that ESO’s Very Large Telescope has discovered the most distant known object in the universe (a redshift of 8.2). The explosion, a faint gama-ray burst, occurred 13 billion years ago, which is only 600 million years after the Big Bang.

A thought occurred to me whilst reading this news: If we continue to build more powerful telescopes that can look even deeper into the universe, we would inevitably build something that could detect a terrestrial object that would go back to exactly the time of the Big Bang. But then what? Is that where the universe stops? What is the end of the universe like? And if we could go past the Big Bang, which, supposedly, marked the creation of time itself, we would be in an entirely new dimension (if "dimension" is the right terminology, because "dimension" would presume the existence of physical properties). The implications of such a device (which hopefully will be built in the not-too-distant "future") would be tremendous in regards to our understanding of the way things came to be.

Savage to sue British Home Secretary

By independent blogger/journalist Robert Platt

The man who moaned about immigrants now has the shoe on the other foot, and he does not like it one bit.
Michael Weiner, or, as he is better known, Mike Savage has been blacklisted from the UK.
British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith released the "named and shamed" list last week of 16 people banned from entering the country.

Savage was listed alongside pseudo-Baptist hate-pastor Fred Waldron Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper, who have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and claimed the deaths of US soldiers are a punishment for US tolerance of homosexuality.
Also on the list were Jewish extremist Mike Guzovsky, former Ku Klux Klan high-ranking member Stephen Donald Black, Hamas MP Yunis Al-Asta and neo-Nazi Erich Gliebe.

Mrs Smith said: "Coming to this country is a privilege. If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded."

Now, Savage, America's third most popular radio host, has threatened to sue Mrs Smith for defamation.

I say, good riddance! Now you have a taste of your own medicine, enjoy.

Asheville Tram and a Green Transit Future

By independent blogger/journalist Robert Platt

Asheville's Transportation Future - Tram

A tram system would be splendid for the city of Asheville. The city and county are both poised to take on continuous population growth and a tram system would be cost-effective and green.

It would prove popular as has been shown time and time and time again in cities that have re-introduced modern tram networks, such as Nice (France), Manchester (UK), Amsterdam, San Diego and Portland (Oregon). This move would finally restore faith in a public transport system (which city's are increasingly noticing and thus taking action) and people would subsequently ditch their cars, or at least put them somewhere out of sight for the day, with the knowledge there would be no need for vehicles in a pedestrian-embracing city. This move would also benefit businesses in the downtown district, bringing much-needed economic stimulation from an increased volume of foot traffic from visitors who might have otherwise been in a vehicle.

It would encourage development to perhaps neglected parts of the city while bringing more attention on the city. It would become iconic and a memorable feature of a city that is increasingly dubbed "San Francisco of the East" and "Paris of the South". It would spread Asheville's blossoming reputation as a green city to far reaches of the country and perhaps even overseas. It would be innovative, daring, European, chic, unique and most-of-all attractive. Trams are beautiful and they beautify cities and it would make Asheville even more sexier than it already is. Bring on the tram!

Bike Sharing introduced in North America

From www.twincities.indymedia.org

Submitted by H. Stone on Fri, 03/27/2009 - 15:03

Six biking and walking projects will receive more than $4 million in grants from Bike Walk Twin Cities, a federally-funded program to increase biking and walking and decrease driving in the metro area.

One of the projects is the Minneapolis Bike Share Program, which received a $1.75 million grant, will be run by Nice Ride Minnesota, a nonprofit organization. The program will place 1000 bikes at 75 security kiosks throughout Minneapolis.

Bike Share riders will have the option of purchasing a season pass for about $50, and may check out a bike at any time and return it to a self-service kiosk of their choice. The first 30 minutes are free and additional time is available for a small fee. In addition, day passes are available. In Minneapolis, the program will run from April through November. The Bike Share Program is expected to be operational by summer 2010.

Also part of the program is a radio frequency identity system, based at the new U of M Bike Center, will permit bicyclists, who install an identity tag on their bikes, to earn benefits and incentives, such as reduced costs for tune-ups and commuter goods by simply validating their bike trips.

According to U of M President Robert Bruininks “This center becomes more than a secure place to park your bike and change clothes; it’s a community space that rewards existing bike commuters and welcomes new bicyclists to our campus with services to make their rides more efficient and convenient.”

The U of MN Bike Center, which will receive $524,000 in Bike Walk Twin Cities funds, will serve 6,000 cyclists on campus, as well as other commuting cyclists, and will be located in the now dormant Oak Street Parking Ramp transit station waiting area, located at Oak and Delaware Streets SE.

In addition to the RFID system, the center will include an electronic bike trip-planning kiosk, 24-hour accessible secure bike storage, changing facilities, repair service and bike retail opportunities, as well as public meeting space. Construction could start this summer.

These grants are the third series awarded through Bike Walk Twin Cities. In June 2007, $7 million was granted to 30 projects, and in July 2008, $1.8 million was granted to five projects. Other projects announced today that receiving Bike Walk Twin Cities funds include corridor biking and walking improvements in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Edina.

I could easily envisage such a project in a small city like Asheville. A dispersement of large numbers of bikes would immediately be welcomed by such a forward-thinking community and would enhance the walkability in downtown. It is also a bold and daring concept in America's Southeast, whereas such projects have long existed in sections of Europe. Asheville city officials need to realise the future is alternative/green transit, not the automobile as was the case in the last century. Such a move would have splendid, far-reaching benefits because it would increase the appeal of downtown, encourage abandonment of automobiles in exchange for bicycles, decrease vehicle traffic in exchange for increased foot traffic (and subsequently impact businesses), and make the region an even bigger leader in the push to "go green".