Walk? Chew gum? Simultaneously?🤣🤣

A growing number of cities have or are eliminating single family zoning to increase density and make housing more affordable and cities more walkable and bikeable. In a comparable effort, Minnesota is considering eliminating minimum parking requirements. Neither of these, not similar efforts, come close to addressing the growing awareness that it benefits people, a lot, to be in direct contact with nature. Creating an appropriate balance between the built and the natural environment, and incorporating that in a  physical design used to be one of the primary purposes of a community's comprehensive plan. These days such plans seem to be focused on meeting legal requirements for state and/or federal funds, unless that involves environmental review.

nature in the city -- equitably distributed?

Photo by J. Harrington

We seem to have lost, or given up, the ability to think coherently and holistically. As further evidence, without mentioning Israel, Ukraine, Jordan, etc., I call to your attention our inability, right here in Minnesota, to resolve what appears to me to be a reasonably straightforward issue regarding School Resource Officers.

Perhaps all these types of irresolvable conflicts can be sorted (sordid?) out once Artificial Intelligence has finished pawing through our private messages to learn how people (not persons) think and feel.

If it appears I’m getting increasingly disgusted and disgruntled with how the contemporary world is (dys)functioning, you’re reasonably perceptive. Worldwide General Strike anyone?

"The world is a beautiful place"

Lawrence Ferlinghetti     1919 – 2021

                The world is a beautiful place 

                                                           to be born into 

if you don’t mind happiness 

                                             not always being 

                                                                        so very much fun 

       if you don’t mind a touch of hell

                                                       now and then

                just when everything is fine

                                                             because even in heaven

                                they don’t sing 

                                                        all the time

             The world is a beautiful place

                                                           to be born into

       if you don’t mind some people dying

                                                                  all the time

                        or maybe only starving

                                                           some of the time

                 which isn’t half so bad

                                                      if it isn’t you

      Oh the world is a beautiful place

                                                          to be born into

               if you don’t much mind

                                                   a few dead minds

                    in the higher places

                                                    or a bomb or two

                            now and then

                                                  in your upturned faces

         or such other improprieties

                                                    as our Name Brand society

                                  is prey to

                                              with its men of distinction

             and its men of extinction

                                                   and its priests

                         and other patrolmen

                                                         and its various segregations

         and congressional investigations

                                                             and other constipations

                        that our fool flesh

                                                     is heir to

Yes the world is the best place of all

                                                           for a lot of such things as

         making the fun scene

                                                and making the love scene

and making the sad scene

                                         and singing low songs of having 

                                                                                      inspirations

and walking around 

                                looking at everything

                                                                  and smelling flowers

and goosing statues

                              and even thinking 

                                                         and kissing people and

     making babies and wearing pants

                                                         and waving hats and

                                     dancing

                                                and going swimming in rivers

                              on picnics

                                       in the middle of the summer

and just generally

                            ‘living it up’

Yes

   but then right in the middle of it

                                                    comes the smiling

                                                                                 mortician

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Please be kind to each other while you can.