Parenting for Public Critique

Since I last blogged, quite a bit has changed in my life. The biggest change is that I became a parent. I now have my Booba who toddles madly around the house, wreaking havoc. Other than the fact that a baby's reach is always farther than you think it is, the biggest lesson for me has been that people constantly feel the need--the right? the obligation?--to question others' parenting judgement. Family, friends, acquaintances, and assorted strangers feel the need to offer unsolicited advice.

The first time this registered to me, Booba was only a couple of weeks old. I was pulling him out of the car and securing him in the baby carrier when some random woman came up to me and insisted that I needed to always cover his eyes and keep him out of the sun. Apparently this rule was even important during the 30 seconds it was taking to slide him into the carrier. I was not impressed, but kept quiet because I really do try to respect elders. Apparently I did a poor job, as my aunt later informed me that I gave her a...quelling look.

So, the other day I'm talking with my friend and she asks whether I'm going to "let him eat meat." Um...there are really two responses to this:

1. Sure--when he's old enough to make an informed decision on his own, he is perfectly welcome to use a portion of his allowance to purchase meat. I would guide him toward healthy choices that were raised humanely and sustainably, but otherwise, it's really up to him.

2. So...are you going to let your kid be an atheist? What?!? You mean you're taking him to church with you on Sundays? You're not giving him a choice? What if he doesn't want to go to church? Oh, you mean as his parent you raise him to according to your ideas of what is good and right? You think that when they're small they need to be guided and directed? Really? I see.

Perspective, people, perspective.

I'm baaaack.

Well. It's been a long time. I haven't blogged regularly for nearly two years and nothing at all for about six months. I think I'm starting up again.

Little Stevie Wonder...

One of my favorite songs

Murder music, community demands, venue changes

The Majestic Theater, in the face of community pressure, canceled a Buju Banton concert that was to held tomorrow. The Zainea family (owners of the Majestic complex) claimed to not have known that Banton has used his music to advocate violence against gay people. They reported trying to get out of the contract for a month and finally deciding to break it and accept the financial consequences.

Instead Wednesday, September 30th, Affirmations, Transgender Detroit, and Triangle Foundationan are hosting an LGBT Awareness concert at the Magic Stick (part of the Majestic: 4120-4140 Woodward Avenue in Detroit) at 8pm. Confirmed performers volunteering for the event include Ami Mattison, Andrea Wilson, The Big Pink Black, Chantel & Youth Montage, Cheryl Strebel, Coup Detroit, Jocelyn B “B----” of the Blues, Leslie Thompson, Steffie & the Dirty Virgins.

Meanwhile, an Ann Arbor venue has decided to hold a Banton concert. Protesting outside the Blind Pig at 208 S. First Street is an option if you happen to be in Ann Arbor Wednesday night.

It's the end of the blog as we know it...

Hey Beautiful People (and aren't we all???),

I don't think I'll be adding to this blog that frequently anymore. I have really enjoyed blogging, but I can't keep it up at the current time. The change in season brought my summer vacation to an end and I had a bit of a health setback last week. While I'm fine and hopefully there are no ramifications to it...well, I've gotten behind on quite a few fronts. So I definitely won't be making regular posts, though I may have something to say every now and then.

Thanks for reading. Peace and love!

DDOT Bus Changes to Go into Effect 9/26/09

Thursday the city announced the changes to the bus lines. According to an article in the Detroit News, when the ridership data from the fareboxes shows less than 15 riders per hour, the route is considered to be "failing." Two routes (the Grandbelt and Holbrook) are being eliminated completely. Other routes are having weekend services cut or overall time between buses increased. See the official list of changes on the DDOT website. Changes are expected to reduce expenses by $5million.

Given how quickly these changes were decided upon and how soon they will go into effect, I am even more convinced that the earlier bluster about ending all service at 6pm Saturday and ending it totally on Sunday was in fact just a distraction to make the intended cuts more palatable to residents. What I find amazing is Bing implying that huge changes to weekend service were never really on the table and simply blown out of proportion by the drivers union. I am currently looking at the "Proposed Service Changes" document handed out at the DDOT public hearings and definitely that proposal is there--on page 12, under a bold and underlined heading which reads: "Proposed changes for Sunday's[sic] include the discontinuance of all service on all routes." Hmm.

Still frustrated about bus service cuts

The city is expected to announce what changes are to be made to the bus system on Thursday. Bing has now backed away from the idea of ceasing all service from 6pm Saturday until Monday morning. An article in Workers World claims this as victory of the masses (Mass outrage stops Detroit bus cuts). I am cynical. I wonder if the plan all along was to rile people up about impossible to survive cuts and then offer us less severe cuts that we will more easily accept.

While Bing demands that Council stop "playing politics" and support the cuts to the system, he has yet to provide them with the ridership data used to determine which routes will be reduced. Further his bolstering about the DDOT not receiving complaints when 50 drivers called out (the Saturday after 113 layoffs were supposed to take effect) was the most ridiculous political braying. If I called DDOT every time a bus was late or did not show up, they would certainly use up all my day-time cell phone minutes. I have OFTEN waited 40 minutes for a Hamilton bus to arrive in the afternoon. The only time I have called to complain about waiting for a bus was when I waited over two hours in below freezing temperatures at night for one bus that may have come early and a second bus definitely never showed up. I think I got home at 1am that time. So, yeah, I'm probably not calling if a bus is late on a Saturday when the whether is good. DDOT riders have very low expectations at this point.

The article Dread builds for Detroiters as decision looms on bus cuts lays out why the bus system is a core service of the city. It lists such statistics as an estimated 20% of Detroit households without vehicles and the city's unemployment and poverty rates. It also gives voice to some individuals who use the bus service and need it to go about their daily lives. Ironically enough, the picture used with the story is taken at the brand new Rosa Parks Transit Center.

Once more, alternatives to cutting bus service:
1. use smaller coaches on less used routes
2. increase fares
3. take advantage of stimulus money
* update the fleet to be more efficient, to create less pollution, and use less fuel
4. partner with SMART to effectively handle the region's transportation needs
5. increase rates on parking meters
6. increase cost of parking tickets