Kevin Marshall's America
"Roundabouts have been installed throughout the Capital Region. ARE THEY GOING TO KILL YOUR CHILDREN? More at 11."
I’d like you to take a look at the headline to your right, which is what greeted me this morning when I went to check the news at the Albany Times Union‘s website.
The article focuses on the roundabouts that have been installed throughout the region to replace congested intersections coming off the Northway. A report shows that accidents have increased at the multi-lane roundabouts, from an average of 7.8 collisions a year to 45.7 at the Malta roundabout and 9.6 to 38.3 at the New Scotland/Route 140 roundabout.
Buried after the lead (note: most people read the first two to three paragraphs of a story, if that) is the fact that the roundabouts actually accomplish what they set out to do: reduce or outright eliminate more severe and sometimes fatal accidents.
Accidents in roundabouts tend to be less severe than at intersections with traffic lights. Rather than crash into each other head on or smack together in a T-bone crash, as drivers making lefts at conventional traffic lights often do, drivers in roundabouts tend to sideswipe and rear-end each other.
“The potential for high-speed, severe accidents is eliminated,” Kennedy said.
Which is the whole point.
The apprehension towards roundabouts comes largely from the fact that people in this area don’t pay attention to what the Hell they’re doing on the road. I see it even on the streets of Troy and Albany, with people taking left turns without using directionals, pulling out of spots without looking in their rearview mirror, and various other traffic infractions. Officials cite aggressiveness, but really it’s just laziness and carelessness. As an aside, Daniel Nester had a great piece about the “Albany Left Turn” and the “Late Left Turn Signal” on his blog)
Thankfully, things like Roundabouts are finally installed in this area so we can all be big boys and girls and drive responsibly. The number of accidents has increased, but it’s still relatively low.
More importantly, they’re minor. Fifty scraped bumpers is preferable to a dozen dead bodies.
So the answer to the question that wasn’t asked before the headline was written: no, it’s not a “vicious circle.” It’s a more responsible and efficient means of addressing problems this area has had with people getting T-boned in intersections.
Unfortunately, since most people don’t read past the first handful of paragraphs in any given newspaper article, the resistance to roundabouts will be cultivated so long as those very same people also aren’t doing things like yielding and looking in front of them.
See also: Pete Iorizzo’s take, “Bad drivers, not roundabouts, are the problem”
In fact, it’s quite good for you.
I assume that since you all haven’t told me how much you love it, you still haven’t found “So Hideous, My Love.” “To Clasp a Broken Wish with Fallen Fingers” is their second effort, and as much as I enjoyed the first this is I feel a more fully realized set of tracks. Though there are vocals, the focus is all on the instrumentation and composition. They don’t drive so much as bleed in with the melodies, creating a sound that’ll probably be unique listening for most of you reading this.
You can download the EP here, which also includes their first EP free of charge, and/or order it on blood-red vinyl. Yes, blood-red vinyl. Cool, right?
And yes, the guitarist that looks like a thinner, taller version of me with tattoos is my older brother. Trust me when I say, though, that if his band sucked I wouldn’t bother trying to turn you onto it. I am, after all, pathologically selfish, cruel, and self-centered.
Take a listen below for free via Play the Assassin Records.
Just minutes ago, the New York Senate ended what has been a very difficult and at times ugly time for our State and legalized Marriage Equality, 33-29.
I was at home in Troy for the vote and watched history made live on the internet. Fascinating stuff. At times there was chaos, but that was to be expected. It is, after all, New York politics.
Now, I’m going to bed. I cede all revelry to all the homosexual men & women who have opened their hearts to me over the years which, in turn, opened mine. I am glad that some right has been done by you.
Watch live streaming video from timesunion at livestream.com
It’s over! Good times were had by myself, Tena Tyler, Daniel Nester and TU Business Editor Eric Anderson. Thanks to those that came out!
Sorry if you came late and missed the fun. As a consolation, here’s video of a cat nonchalantly sitting like people and watching Slayer perform a live concert.
Paul Grondahl (a name synonymous with exceptional work in feature stories) has an article about an orphaned refugee whose nineteen-year-journey has taken her from a small child mistaken as a another corpse amongst the sea of dead left in the wake of the Rwandan genocide to our front door, right here in the Capital Region.
Grace Rutagengwa graduates tonight from Duanesburgh High School.
“What Grace has overcome in her life is almost unfathomable,” said principal Beth DeLuke, who recalled a shy and frightened girl who could speak almost no English when she arrived at the school 18 months ago to live with a local family.
…
Before she expired, Rutagengwa’s mother hid her youngest daughter under her skirt. When a neighbor woman found the corpses, there was so much blood covering the motionless little girl that she thought Grace was dead as well.
The woman’s name was Providence and she provided shelter for Grace until the girl could be safely transported, concealed in a large suitcase, out of the country. The orphaned girl endured overcrowded, abusive and unsanitary conditions in camps in Congo and Burundi. There was no schooling. A lawless current surged through the camp, leaving young girls vulnerable. She cut her hair short, dressed plainly and tried to pass as a boy so she would be left alone.
And there’s more. What a tale of survival.
Friday, our Neighborhood Newsroom initiative takes us to Flavour Café & Lounge, 228 4th St., Troy, and Troy Night Out!
This marks our first “night” outing. As requested byblogger and local treasure Kevin Marshall and others, I’m venturing out at a time when — at least for these last few months — my day has typically ended. (My husband and I have an 8-month-old at home, and I learned the “sleep when she sleeps” lesson the hard way). This means I’m going to be hitting up Charlie Staats’ coffee selections — likely either the Jamaican Me Crazy or the cookie flavor coffee whose name escapes me (both are terrific). It’s also Troy Night Out, which means we’re hoping folks who are otherwise out-and-about will wander by.
Troy Night Out starts at 5pm. Walk downtown, see what’s available, then stop by Flavour between 7pm and 9pm and give us a piece of your mind. Bring your ideas for stories or thoughts about coverage with you.
Also, we’re hoping to have a live stream set up for the event, which will be available on the Times Union website and will also be posted on this here blog.
Folks from the TU want to hear from YOU! Come join us. Should be a good time.
DISCLAIMER: Kevin Marshall is a voluntary guest of this TU2U event and is participating completely of his own volition. All mentions by Kevin Marshall of TU2U or the Times Union are not to be taken as an official association. Kevin Marshall is not an employee of the Times Union. Anything Kevin Marshall says or writes on this blog and especially during the TU2U event does not reflect the stances, opinion, practices or policies of the Times Union or its parent company the Hearst Corporation. Should you engage Kevin Marshall, the Times Union takes no responsibility for Kevin Marshall’s actions and cannot be held liable for any physical, emotional, or financial injuries that may occur. Please consult your physician before confronting Kevin Marshall. Kevin Marshall is known in some cases to cause irritation, nausea, drowsiness, leprosy, headaches, dry mouth, anxiety, severe allergic reactions (hives, rash, itching, difficulty breathing, congestion; swelling of the mouth, face, and lips), abnormal thinking, slurred speech, fainting, numbness, constipation, changes in mood, hostility, restless leg syndrome, aggressiveness, impulsiveness, irritability, irregular heartbeat, memory loss, blurred or double vision, increased appetite, sweating, insomnia, confusion, unusual weakness, dizziness, and a general malaise. Do not taunt Kevin Marshall. Kevin Marshall should not be taken in conjunction with other Times Union blogs. Kevin Marshall does not want you to do a guest post for him, ever. Do not take more doses of Kevin Marshall than indicated by the packaging. Consumption of Kevin Marshall should be monitored closely as it is known to be habit forming. If you have any questions or concerns, please visit KevinMarshallOnline.com.
It shouldn’t surprise me or anyone reading this that contestants in the Miss American pageant aren’t going to be providing stiff competition for a Fullbright Scholarship. Still, this video – where contestants are asked if evolution should be taught in schools – had me at a loss for words.
Look, I don’t expect any of them to know the intricacies of the process, nor do I expect anyone in the general population to be educated on the finer points of science. However, I would expect that out of 51 people, more than 3 of them would say “hey, of course it should be taught in schools, because it’s a real thing.” Instead, they think that either it should not be taught or only as one possibility and weighed evenly with the Judeo-Christian story of Creation. After all, isn’t evolution “just a theory?” Yeah, in the same way gravity is a theory.
My favorite answer came from the contestant who cited her Catholic upbringing. The Catholic Church’s official position since 1950 has been that exploration and teaching of evolution is not in conflict with faith. Its unofficial position – expounded by all but a formal decree by the Pope – is that evolution is a real, scientific fact. Of course, they say God had a hand in it and all that. Which is fine. But they don’t deny evolution.
I’m opening up a can of words and, I’m sure, tons of rude comments I most likely will have to trash when I ask this, but I have to: what the Hell happened in the last decade? Why, all of a sudden, do we have so many people believing that evolution is some sort of cockamamie scam and that the Civil War was fought simply on the basis of State’s Rights?
Evolution is a scientific principle. We know this because of over a hundred years of scientific evidence, research, breakthroughs, and observations. The Civil War was fought over slavery, and not simply on the vague notion of “State’s rights.” We know that because that’s what they f***ing said they were fighting about.
For all the wonders and conveniences of the 21st Century, we as a nation are trending backwards intellectually. In areas like math and science we have fallen woefully behind. What’s worse, though, is that we are electing people to positions of power and giving consideration to uneducated and proudly misinformed pundits that tell us evolution didn’t happen, the Civil War wasn’t about slavery, the Founding Fathers fought to abolish slavery (“we’re 3/5ths of the way there!” they proclaimed after the 3/5ths Compromise was reached), and so on and so forth.
It isn’t a partisan issue. Or, at least, it shouldn’t be. It never was when I was growing up. It was only when I became an adult that Stupid became vogue and a pride was placed in having convictions in things that were unequivocally wrong. The possibility exists, of course, that this sort of ignorance has been widespread throughout my lifetime and we’re just now being made aware of the extent. The other, more plausible, and scarier possibility is that my nieces, nephews, and any children I may have will be schooled in a country that thinks science is optional and the truth even less so.
I laugh at videos of beauty pageant contestants, because it keeps me from crying at the thought of these words coming out of our next President.
Last night someone linked me to a story about same-sex marriage and in particular a recent poll showing that a slim majority of New Yorkers now opposed it.
I hit the brakes when I read that last part. For several weeks, independent polling organizations from throughout the State showed that not only did a majority of New Yorkers support same-sex marriage or marriage equality (whatever term floats your boat), but the support had been steadily trending upward for some time now. What changed in a week?
I looked into it and found out: nothing. Because the poll was commissioned by anti-same-sex marriage advocates the National Organization for Marriage, and the poll it self was conducted using some very questionable methods that I was taught to steer clear from when I briefly worked with a polling organization. Most damning of all, the organization only polled 302 people and tried to portray it as a state-wide consensus.
302. Out of all of New York State.
I wasn’t surprised, since there have always been polling organizations that play fast and loose with their methods to achieve desired results. I was surprised, though, that so many had fallen for it.
Polling, unfortunately, gets a bad rap. I have a unique perspective in that I spent one summer interning for the Director of Polling at the Siena Research Institute many years ago. I learned a lot from the Director, a guy named Joe Caruso who had formerly worked on Hillary Clinton’s successful Senatorial campaign. It also opened my eyes to how shockingly accurate polling could be, particularly when it came to elections. They didn’t just accurately predict winners, but also the margin. In one gubernatorial poll, when the “undecideds” were split in half and distributed evenly to the two candidates, it called the result to the exact percentage point.
One of the first things I learned on the job was that size matters…sample size, that is. In order to get an accurate number, pollsters need to ensure that the number falls within an acceptable threshold. Additionally, in order to maintain integrity and ensure fairness, any polling organization with any sense of credibility will go above and beyond to ensure the most accurate results possible. There were also other variables that needed to be accounted for: demographics, age, and geographic area needed to be accurately represented. So, for instance, if we had eight hundred responses and six hundred of them were from people under the age of 25 and all from the metro New York City region, you kept going until a balance was achieved. It was a meticulous system and there were complicated formulas which escape me now (and baffled me at the time – I wrote the press releases and helped provide analysis of the results since math was never my strong suit).
The end result was that, at minimum, we would poll no less than 800 people if our pool was likely registered voters and 1,000 if it was a poll of the general population. So for a professional polling organization to only poll 302 likely voters on a social issue is more than just skewed, it borders on fraudulent.
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Yep.
Early Bird tickets are on sale NOW for the 2nd annual Restoration Festival at St. Joe’s in downtown Albany.
Long-time readers of this blog, and especially last year’s attendees, will know that this is the one event of the year in the local music scene that I look forward to most. Last year was a blast and all indicators are that this year will top it.
The lineup of local acts thus far includes:
- Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned
- The Red Lions
- Matthew Carefully Undone Ensemble
- We Are Jeneric
- The Scientific Maps
- Aficionado
- The Stompin Jug Ramblers
- Swamp Baby
- Alta Mira
- Slender Shoulders
More are sure to be announced (both that I’ve heard will be confirmed soon and others to come) in the next six weeks. I’ve seen all of the aforementioned acts live and they’re all well worth the price of admission themselves.
This year also will see the inclusion of some national acts. The first is Alberquerque NM’s A Hawk and a Hacksaw (includes former Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes), an outfit that has toured with the likes of Wilco, Calexico, Andrew Bird, of Montreal, Beirut and Portishead.
Tickets can be purchased at RestFest.net. The earlier you get them, the cheaper they are: currently they’re at $15 for a day pass and only $20 for the full weekend. Not sure how long that lasts, so get ‘em now while the getting’s good.
For local businesses interested in sponsporing the event, click here.
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Proceeds from the Resoration Festival go towards maintaining and renovating St. Joseph’s Church at 38 Ten Broeck, a historic gothic church. From Jack McEneny’s Albany: Capital City on the Hudson:
To anyone approaching the city from the north or from the hills of Rensselear the ever changing skyline of the city is a wonderful site to behold. The soaring gothic revival spires of St. Joseph’s at the foot of Arbor Hill and the tower of Our Lady Help of Christians in the South End still dominate their brownstone and row house neighborhoods as they have since Victorian times.
More links:
For booking or more info, e-mail alex |at| B3nson.net
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