Memorial Day

Time to remember the sacrifices of those who died for their country.


http://marines10.blogspot.com/

Semper Fi

Switzerland Moves away From Nuclear Power

Switzerland currently has five functioning nuclear reactors that provide some 40 percent of the nation’s energy — they will remain open until 2034, when the life span of the last reactor expires. The decision to move away from nuclear energy isn’t just about the safety concerns — it’s also about moving forward with more sustainable energy options. It is expected that nuclear energy will lose its competitive edge as renewable technologies such as solar and wind become more mainstream and efficiencies improve, and this decision will allow Switzerland to act more aggressively to improve and expand its renewable energy programs.

Read more: Switzerland Announces Plans to Completely Phase Out Nuclear Power | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World 





I think this is a mistake. We all love green power from wind and solar and water energy, but it will be very difficult and expensive to get enough power from these sources. Nuclear Power is safe and not nearly as tough on the environment as burning fossil fuels.


A rich small country like Switzerland may be able to generate enough power from green sources, but what about the 7 billion people on the planet, many in small countries? 

Happy IVGLDSW Day!

     

Today is  International Very Good Looking, Darn Smart  Woman's Day, so please send this message to  someone you think fits this description. Please  do not send it back to me as I have already  received it from a Very Good Looking, Darn Smart  Woman! 

And remember this motto to live by: Life  should NOT be a journey to the grave with the  intention of arriving safely in an attractive  and well preserved body, but rather to skid in  sideways, chocolate in one hand, a bible in  the other, totally worn out and screaming 'WOOO  HOOOOO what a ride!'
To  the Girls !! 

Inside  every older person is a younger person --  wondering what the hell  happened. ~  Cora Harvey Armstrong ~  

Inside  me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I  can usually shut her up with  cookies.
~  Unknown~  

The  hardest years in life are those between ten and  seventy. ~  Helen Hayes (at 73)~  


I  refuse to think of them as chin hair. I think of  them as stray eyebrows. ~  Janette Barber~  


Old age ain't no place for  sissies.  ~Bette  Davis~  


Thirty-five  is when you finally get your head together and  your body starts falling  apart.~ Caryn Leschen  ~  

If you  can't be a good example ~ then you'll just have  to be a horrible warning. ~Catherine~  


I'm not going to vacuum until Sears makes one you can ride on. ~  Roseanne Barr~  

Behind every successful man is a surprised  woman  ~Maryon  Pearson~  

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your  permission.~Eleanor  Roosevelt~  When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!

Crime Rate is Down

By The Chicago Local

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Yahoo! Local

Douglas A. McIntyre, Michael B. Sauter and Charles B. Stockdale

Earlier this week, the FBI trumpeted the news that violent crime dropped 5.5% in 2010 while reported property crimes fell 2.8% during the depths of the worst economic slowdown since the Great Depression. The news, though, is far from positive.

Though most regions of the U.S. saw declines, the Northeast saw an increase in murders (8.3%), forcible rapes (1.4%) and aggravated assaults (0.7%). Why that region was affected by crime more than others isn't clear. Perhaps it was because of the grinding poverty found in some of the area's cities and their high cost of living.

Of the top 10, four are in the midwest, including Rockford. Here's a quick glance at Rockford's stats:

9. Rockford, Ill.

Population: 156,180
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 14.52010
Murders: 20
Median Income: $36,990 (26% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 13.3% (4.3% above national average)

Rockford has unusually high violent crime rates for a city of its size. Most notably, the city has the fourth highest rate of aggravated assault in the country, with 10.5 cases for every 1,000 citizens in 2010. During the same period, 20 murders occurred, almost double the number in 2000.

Quoted by the Rockford Register Star in 2007, Winnebago County Sheriff Dick Meyers said that he believed the city's "location worked against [it,]" as Rockford receives traffic from the drug markets in Madison, Chicago, and Milwaukee, resulting in heightened rates of violence.

For the rest of the story and the top 10.

Planners Training in Chicago

Don't miss out — register by June 1  APA's Planners Training Service workshops in Chicago, June 8–11

Give your career a boost at APA's highly rated Planners Training Service workshops, coming to Chicago June 8–11. Here's your chance to learn the latest from the best. Expand your professional toolkit with help from top experts on: Codes for place-making, June 8–9 Zoning laws, subdivision regulations, and public works standards have created car-oriented built environments. Discover how form-based codes can help create pedestrian-friendly places of quality and specific character. Public health and the comprehensive plan, June 8–9 Planners' decisions have a profound impact on public health. Learn how to integrate public health issues into comprehensive plans, using models and best practices from around the country. Codes for sustaining places, June 10–11 Criteria and performance standards intended to make buildings and communities more sustainable are now being incorporated in building codes and zoning regulations. Learn lessons from USGBC and LEED modules, Light Imprint, and agricultural urbanism.   Register today Past participants rate their workshops "Helpful and eye-opening!" "The lectures were outstanding." "Concrete and immediately useful." "Best training session I have ever attended." "No suggestions for improving this workshop — overall very good!" "Information my local government can use as we begin a major rewrite of our comprehensive plan."

Frederick Law Olmsted

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903), the father of American landscape architecture, may have more to do with the way America looks than anyone else. Beginning in 1857 with the design of Central Park in New York City, he created designs for thousands of landscapes, including many of the world’s most important parks.

Click to read about his design lessons.

Strategic Planning for Stagnating Strips

Deteriorating commercial strips are commonplace in today's auto-oriented suburbs. Errin Welty outlines her strategy for turning stagnating strips into vibrant shopping districts.

Read Full Story:


http://www.planetizen.com/node/4950

State Business Taxes

Interesting Article by Richard Florida. It indicates that State tax burden does not seem to have a large effect on business investment.

http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2011/05/18/do-state-business-taxes-really-matter/

Can't Bother To Walk?

Can’t be Bothered to Walk? There’s an App for That!

Infographic: An 8-city Perspective on Health and Well-being

http://thisbigcity.net/cant-be-bothered-to-walk-theres-an-app-for-that/

APA Webinars

Below are some upcoming FREE webcasts. The Illinois Chapter is a sponsor of the APA Chapters/Divisions webcast series. Note that the session on May 25th has just been added.

Please visit the link below for information on all sessions.

http://www.utah-apa.org/webcasts


May 13- Private Practice Division - Secrets to Improve Consultant-Client Relations - Introductory 1.5 CM APPROVED

May 19 - Indiana Chapter - New Ideas for Bike-friendly Communities- Introductory 1.5 CM APPROVED

May 25 - Intergovernmental and Regional Planning Division - The Revitalized Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program - Introductory 1.5 CM Submitted

June 3 - Virginia Chapter ‑ Livable Communities, Sustainable Regions: How Transportation Investments Shape Our Development Patterns ‑ Introductory - 1.5 CM APPROVED

June 10 - Economic Development Division - Real Estate Finance from Simple to Complex 1.5 CM APPROVED

June 17 - NCAC-APA and the APA Economic Development Division -  Planning for Regional Innovation Clusters (RICs) - 1.5 CM Pending

June 24 - Technology Division ‑ Introduction to the H+T Affordability Index and Applications in Planning ‑ Introductory

July 15 - Ohio Chapter - Community Erosion: How traffic flows like water - Introductory Session- Introductory 1.5 CM APPROVED

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ApaIllinois mailing list
ApaIllinois@list.planning.org
http://list.planning.org/mailman/listinfo/apaillinois

New York Taxi

New York has chosen their next taxicab - A Nissan Van.


Seems a little odd for a city to specify what vehicle that its taxi cab operators must drive.  And to choose a Japanese automaker who will build the vehicles in Mexico?


Click to Read the Article.


Well, it is their choice, but seems a little odd to me.

Well paid athletes

"It’s not football, baseball, basketball, or even NASCAR that accounts for the lion’s share of sports superstars: 114 of the 184 best-paid athletes in the world play soccer—almost seven times more than the next runner up (basketball, with 18 uber-rich players)."


Click to read the rest of the story


http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2011/04/29/show-me-the-money-the-geography-of-superstar-sports-millionaires/

Suicide city: Las Vegas has the highest metropolitan suicide rate in the country (Photo: Hemera)

Freakonomics says that Las Vegas has the highest metro suicide rate in the US.

Click to read the story.