This weekend is the Aloha Festival and, unlike previous years, this year it is being held at the so-called Tempe Beach Park. (Definition of Tempe Beach: a huge cement slab positioned near a horrid man-made lake.) Still, the park itself is green, if lacking shade, and large, which easily accompdated the large crowds. The park … Read more
It’s been two weekends now and we’re long past the free rides on the Phoenix Metro (oh, how I abhor that name!) but today we were driving by the large park and ride as the train was disgorging and I was really impressed at how many people were getting off the train. I really believe … Read more
I’ll preface this with my comment that I’m a strong supporter of the light rail initiative for the Phoenix metro area. I’ve seen how urban trains and subways alter the cities (in generally good ways) that they pass through, and, while Phoenix is a ghastly urban sprawl with few “destination” areas, it could certainly use … Read more
The December 27th arrival of the light rail is just around the corner and I’ve even seen a train or two out on the tracks near the house. Unfortunately, more often than not, what I usually see are morons, and I’m not the only one to notice. According to light rail operator Kim Zablonski: “People … Read more
Why on earth would the city of Phoenix send out a work crew to start work replacing a perfectly good fire hydrant with another fire hydrant at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon? Like how they mostly block off my driveway? Update: 6:30, it’s getting dark and they’re still sitting around in the hole. At least … Read more
Driving south on 19th Ave today, I saw this amusing situation. I wasn’t in a position to take a picture except through my mirror as I reached the first stop light. What you can kind of see in the blow up is that the white car has managed to beach itself on the curb that … Read more
The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s “Imagine No Religion” billboards have gone up in a few places around the Phoenix. One of them is near Indian School and 23rd Street – which I happen to drive past each and every day – and had never seen it. My friend, John, and I were even in the … Read more
OK, we’re all feeling the pinch with gas prices, but I really hate it when people start taking advantage of others when they’re vulnerable. That’s bad enough, but when the local news helps them, I’m appalled. Today, the local ABC affiliate, channel 15 published this story. It’s about a company that sells magnets (yes, magnets) … Read more
In light of this link from the Guardian (Thank you, One-Ten for the link), there might be trouble a-brewin’ for Fresh & Easy. Tesco suffered a double blow yesterday as City analysts claimed the group’s new US chain is in deep trouble, while its core UK business is being battered by the economy and losing … Read more