Hey blogger, I thought I would take this time to rant on the school shooting that took place at the midnight opening of Batman in Aurora, CO. This won't really include any new light on the topic, though I must say that I saw a tweet about this on twitter this morning while on the road (gotta love the apps that androids have), and I did not know just what was going on. Mom then talks to my brother and she said he had been watching CNN, so me being curious, I asked what was going on, she said something about the batman opening at midnight and how this lunatic went on a shooting rampage. Anyways........moving on, this kid James Holmes was only 24 years old, hails from San Diego, and was a ph.D candidate that has now thrown his life away because of a very sick deed. According to one article this is the worst mass shooting in over five years. James Holmes (the gunman) purchased 4 guns at local gun shops and then over 6000 rounds of ammunition int he past two months. How the hell he got that much money, I have not the slightest idea, I mean I don't have that kind of money, and right now there are not too many jobs that someone that young can work that would afford them that much explosives, so I'm curious as to where the hell he got that much money? Not that it matters, regardless of how money source, it was a vile, sick, cruel, sadistic act of violence and he fucked his life up as a result. There were 12 people killed, according to what I'm reading, and there is a total of 70 injured. I'm even reading post on twitter on from CNN on victims who were attempting to shield their children. Looking at this picture and a few select videos, this guy appears to come from a middle-class family, with parents who appeared to do their best, but yet he does this shit. I really would not care if he gets the death penalty, in fact I'd be happy to watch, and executions are nothing that I desire to see. Anyway, whatever happens to him, he fucked his life up. I mean, damn yall, working on your doctorate at 24 and you throw it all away with this! And for what? What pleasure could you have gotten out of it? Then he set's traps at his home for when the police come. Okay, I'm out, I realize this was not the best written blog, but damn it, I'm at a loss for words at this moment.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/aurora-colo-batman-shooting-71-victims-largest-mass/story?id=16817842#.UAoQ_aOnffU
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/aurora-colorado-dark-night-shooting-suspect-james-holmes-16820789
http://abcnews.go.com/US/aurora-colo-batman-shooting-71-victims-largest-mass/story?id=16817842#.UAoQ_aOnffU
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-colorado-shooting-update-batman-20120720,0,5201212.story
Friday, July 20, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
A realization that I may not have children
JS
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Fitzeinreiter Riverside Park-Lake Charles, LA
This blog is going to be more pictures and video than anything else. I will only write a short paragraph discussing Fitzenreiter Riverside park here in Lake Charles, LA. The park is on the north side of the city along the Calcasieu River and the English Bayou and in the past it was just a boat launch, however recently some of the woods have been dredged out and a sidewalk has been added leading to a gazebo area and mediocre playground area. The sketches of the park look fantastic, however, the park is not quite there yet. Most of my family is rather disappointed with the park, however, I see that the park does have the potential to be a nice park. I love the fact that the park is still heavily wooded, thus retaining its status as a nature park, but at the same time, I would like to see more furniture out there for people to sit down b/c the sidewalk does go on for about ten minutes before getting to the actual park area. I would like to see a fountain for children to get wet in installed in the park somewhere in the area along with some shaded pavilions. Sure the park is wooded, but this is still southwest Louisiana and we are not too far from the Gulf of Mexico which is a rather hot body of water. In other words, while the woods provide us with much shade, it does not shield us from the humidity. At least I can say that there is a golf cart that takes individuals from one end to the other. The sketches show much decorated steps for fisherman, however I don't see any of that yet. The park supposedly has two phases in it's stage, and I'm hoping that when all is said and done that the park becomes a nice spot to enjoy the river, get some photo's and reflect. Why not sit back and enjoy these few videos and photos that I've put together? There is some beauty here that just cannot be denied, and I'm anxious to see it bought to it's fullest potential.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Music Snobs
I despise music snobs. Yes, this is random, however, I was reflecting on the music that I grew up on and how I became more exposed to my genres growing up as an adolescent. When I think about it, I have my share of rap, R&B, gospel, and pop that I enjoy. I'm a 90s kid, and I do believe that when it comes to urban music, that we were the last generation of kids that got to experience the best. We got the left overs of all of the decades before us, plus new jack swing and hip-hop soul. It was also sort of the beginning of the more dance-oriented music. The hip/hop of that time was edgy yet mature enough to appeal to older crowds. I don't know if it's subject matter or what, but there was something about it that anybody could enjoy. It was creative, it was carefree, it was fun. Sure it got graphic at sometimes, however, at least there was some sort of message or point being made. My first two loves are of course R&B and gospel, however, it was about middle school before I began to integrate it into my routine. As a kid I remember sneaking my mom's gospel casette tapes and playing those for my own entertainment. Now what does this have to do w/ the subject at hand? Nothing, so far, but hear me out! It's only recently that I began trying to explore rap again. I mean I grew up with tupac, juvenille, biggie and I listed to much rap through middle school and high school, however, I always had a love for R&B and gospel. Towards the end of my senior of high school, I kind of got away from listening to rap, because much of it just sucked. I'm not saint when it comes to music, and I don't mind an explicit song here and there, but goodness gracious, when one's entire album is devoted to that, I'd what to say! Anyway, outside of these genres, I have my share of rock (usually the alternative, I don't mind metal, just don't give me the screamo crap) and dance music that I enjoy.
The problem is if you listen to a music snobs opinon, the only music worth listening to is bands that nobody has every heard of or old music. Rockers in particular, are stuck on a certain kind of rock, and once the artist reaches mainstream success or becomes popular, they toss them to the side. If you mention rap to most music snobs (or at least those that like rock) you'll get the "you listen to rap, your music taste suck man, wtf is wrong with you, all it's about is sex and degrading women and rap and murder". If not that you will hear "they don't play instrumetns, it's just a beat put together with a machine". Now, I respect that you don't like rap, as most people wont, but to say that none of it is music is relatively close minded becuase if you listen to some of the less mainstream artists or underground artists, you would see that alot of them have much to say and many of them actually do play instruments (the Roots for example). I can accept profanity, given that there is a point being made. Even if gang life and murder are referenced, there are some individuals who do have an actual point to get across. These are issues that some people do face and it's going to be expressed in their art, whatever that is. True, much rap and todays urban music is electronically produced, electronics is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, they can enhance a song in a fun way. Some genres are expected to be bland or watered down, like pop. I don't like all pop singers, but I do have my share that I listen to and it's especially fun to listen to this kind of music when I'm working out. When I'm on the treadmill or eliptical, I like a fast paced playlist. During strength training I like a mix of stuff including christian, pop, soul, and easy listening.
Rockers are not the only music snobs that I have an issue with. I have an issue with the music snobs in my most listened to genres of music as well. It seems that no matter how good an album is or how hard an artists tries, you have those older folks who cannot appreciate their art. "They don't hold a candle to Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, etc". Ummm.....they are not exactly supposed to. God forbid a rap or hip hop artist even be in the song, it's like the end of the world for these individuals. Nevermind the fact that the song had a message and that the rap was fairly minimum. These individuals (urban music snobs) tend to toss it to the side. Don't get me wrong, I love it when a yonger artist does an ode to the old, be it through similar music style or sampling (which is not new, it's been done since the 40s maybe even earlier). It helps keep the old alive. One can even use the example of Jennifer Hudson. Let's talk about her rendition of "And I Am Telling You" in "Dreamgirls". "Ugh, she can't top Jennifer Holiday", the comments I read on youtube were rather pretentious. I'm just like "what makes you think she was trying to outdo ANYBODY???" Why can't a good performance just be a good performance. I have my share of singers who have redone old songs that I grew up on, but I try my best not to cut them down and degrade them. There are some renditons that do suck, but there are some that are quite good and I try to appreciate those when I come across them. Perhaps I have been guilty of this in my past, I'll do some reflection on that and try to analyze that, but when one just shuts out a genre like that, I believe they are missing out on some good gems. That's the problem with the music snob, they are stuck in their ways, and no amount of discusson will convince them otherwise.
The problem is if you listen to a music snobs opinon, the only music worth listening to is bands that nobody has every heard of or old music. Rockers in particular, are stuck on a certain kind of rock, and once the artist reaches mainstream success or becomes popular, they toss them to the side. If you mention rap to most music snobs (or at least those that like rock) you'll get the "you listen to rap, your music taste suck man, wtf is wrong with you, all it's about is sex and degrading women and rap and murder". If not that you will hear "they don't play instrumetns, it's just a beat put together with a machine". Now, I respect that you don't like rap, as most people wont, but to say that none of it is music is relatively close minded becuase if you listen to some of the less mainstream artists or underground artists, you would see that alot of them have much to say and many of them actually do play instruments (the Roots for example). I can accept profanity, given that there is a point being made. Even if gang life and murder are referenced, there are some individuals who do have an actual point to get across. These are issues that some people do face and it's going to be expressed in their art, whatever that is. True, much rap and todays urban music is electronically produced, electronics is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, they can enhance a song in a fun way. Some genres are expected to be bland or watered down, like pop. I don't like all pop singers, but I do have my share that I listen to and it's especially fun to listen to this kind of music when I'm working out. When I'm on the treadmill or eliptical, I like a fast paced playlist. During strength training I like a mix of stuff including christian, pop, soul, and easy listening.
Rockers are not the only music snobs that I have an issue with. I have an issue with the music snobs in my most listened to genres of music as well. It seems that no matter how good an album is or how hard an artists tries, you have those older folks who cannot appreciate their art. "They don't hold a candle to Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, etc". Ummm.....they are not exactly supposed to. God forbid a rap or hip hop artist even be in the song, it's like the end of the world for these individuals. Nevermind the fact that the song had a message and that the rap was fairly minimum. These individuals (urban music snobs) tend to toss it to the side. Don't get me wrong, I love it when a yonger artist does an ode to the old, be it through similar music style or sampling (which is not new, it's been done since the 40s maybe even earlier). It helps keep the old alive. One can even use the example of Jennifer Hudson. Let's talk about her rendition of "And I Am Telling You" in "Dreamgirls". "Ugh, she can't top Jennifer Holiday", the comments I read on youtube were rather pretentious. I'm just like "what makes you think she was trying to outdo ANYBODY???" Why can't a good performance just be a good performance. I have my share of singers who have redone old songs that I grew up on, but I try my best not to cut them down and degrade them. There are some renditons that do suck, but there are some that are quite good and I try to appreciate those when I come across them. Perhaps I have been guilty of this in my past, I'll do some reflection on that and try to analyze that, but when one just shuts out a genre like that, I believe they are missing out on some good gems. That's the problem with the music snob, they are stuck in their ways, and no amount of discusson will convince them otherwise.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Caiden Cowger rant
This rant has been out since early June as far as I know, and I've just listed to it. This guy is from West Virginia, and he has a conservative talk show as far as I know where he discusses his conservative veiw points. In this rant he is talking about how people are becoming gay because of celebrity influence and because of President Obama. His focus was on Lady Gaga and Barach Obama. He then points out some hypocrisy about that he cannot share his opinions or beliefts [on christianity] w/o being called a bully, but yet there is a gay agenda out there that those who don't follow a liberal viewpoint have to either accept or what.
I feel that, this guy is entitled to his opinion, and I am not at all per say offended because I have heard much worse from Christian extremist groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church. I don't entirely agree with the rant, but I do feel he is entitled to his opinion and I do feel that they are being somewhat hard on the guy. I'm not homophobic, however, I don't expect a guy who is not gay to agree with homosexual sex. Now, many straight guys, don't have a problem w/ lesbian sex, but when two guys want to have sex, they see it as the most disgusting thing ever. Again, these guys are entitled to their opinions. With that being said, I do find it to be hypocritical for them to cheer lesbians on but condemn gay men. Caiden was not doing this, he spoke against it as a whole, but I do think that going as far as to accuse Lady Gaga and the president of making kids gay or encouraging them to be gay is a bit ridiculous. Sure they may be encouraging them to embrace their gayness, but I don't think they turning these youth gay. I agree w/ him on his disagreement on the idea that one is born gay. I don't believe that one chooses to be gay (as far as having the feelings and urges), but at the same time I don't believe it's caused by anything genetic or biological, nor do I believe that ones orientation is immediately "placed" in them at birth. This is not an attack on anyone who believes otherwise, but to me it's just highly unlikely. No teen is just going to go from liking the opposite sex to the same sex, if they do, they were at least bisexual to begin with IMO. That individual either did not know it or they were in denial about it. With all that being said, though, if someone is not in agreement w/ with two individuals of the same sex having sex, that's fine. I'm sure that gay individuals are grossed out by sex between those of the opposite sex but no-one scream "heterophobia" at them. Still though, the gay teen "epidemic" cannot be blamed on Lady Gaga or Barack.
Moving on to Barack, many are disappointed with him for jumping on the gay marriage wagon. The truth is, I saw this coming a long time ago. I am not at all surprised that he supports it. If he supports abortion, then why are individuals so surprised that he is not opposed to same sex marriage? My opinion on that is, hey let him support it, as long as he does not try to force the churches to perform it. That right there, would go against separation of church and state.
Back to the main topic at hand, I'm all about treating individuals with dignity. If you are nice to me, I will be nice to you, however, just because one does not agree with every aspect of your lifestyle (and yes to some extent ones sex life is a lifestyle), does not make that individual a homophobe or a bigot. Still, nobody can be made "gay", one's feelings will either develop towards that direction or they wont. Anyway, here is the link below. Leave a comment on this blog and tell me what you think about the rant.
I feel that, this guy is entitled to his opinion, and I am not at all per say offended because I have heard much worse from Christian extremist groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church. I don't entirely agree with the rant, but I do feel he is entitled to his opinion and I do feel that they are being somewhat hard on the guy. I'm not homophobic, however, I don't expect a guy who is not gay to agree with homosexual sex. Now, many straight guys, don't have a problem w/ lesbian sex, but when two guys want to have sex, they see it as the most disgusting thing ever. Again, these guys are entitled to their opinions. With that being said, I do find it to be hypocritical for them to cheer lesbians on but condemn gay men. Caiden was not doing this, he spoke against it as a whole, but I do think that going as far as to accuse Lady Gaga and the president of making kids gay or encouraging them to be gay is a bit ridiculous. Sure they may be encouraging them to embrace their gayness, but I don't think they turning these youth gay. I agree w/ him on his disagreement on the idea that one is born gay. I don't believe that one chooses to be gay (as far as having the feelings and urges), but at the same time I don't believe it's caused by anything genetic or biological, nor do I believe that ones orientation is immediately "placed" in them at birth. This is not an attack on anyone who believes otherwise, but to me it's just highly unlikely. No teen is just going to go from liking the opposite sex to the same sex, if they do, they were at least bisexual to begin with IMO. That individual either did not know it or they were in denial about it. With all that being said, though, if someone is not in agreement w/ with two individuals of the same sex having sex, that's fine. I'm sure that gay individuals are grossed out by sex between those of the opposite sex but no-one scream "heterophobia" at them. Still though, the gay teen "epidemic" cannot be blamed on Lady Gaga or Barack.
Moving on to Barack, many are disappointed with him for jumping on the gay marriage wagon. The truth is, I saw this coming a long time ago. I am not at all surprised that he supports it. If he supports abortion, then why are individuals so surprised that he is not opposed to same sex marriage? My opinion on that is, hey let him support it, as long as he does not try to force the churches to perform it. That right there, would go against separation of church and state.
Back to the main topic at hand, I'm all about treating individuals with dignity. If you are nice to me, I will be nice to you, however, just because one does not agree with every aspect of your lifestyle (and yes to some extent ones sex life is a lifestyle), does not make that individual a homophobe or a bigot. Still, nobody can be made "gay", one's feelings will either develop towards that direction or they wont. Anyway, here is the link below. Leave a comment on this blog and tell me what you think about the rant.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
To Give or Not to Give
Okay, this post is actually going to be a response to a post written by Broke Grad Student "Why I Never Give Money To Homeless People". According to his post he did not always have this policy, however a few experiences of his have left him resentful. For example, one situation where one gave spare, and the person got mad because they could not give a little more. He's also seen some flat out refuse food b/c they prefer money. He also gives reasons like the risk of not knowing what they are going to do with it, it's easy for them to say that they are hungry but it may easily go towards drugs, alcohol or cigarettes.
I believe that it easily could, and I would wonder why if that individual is hungry they would spend it all on those things, however, if I were homeless, not knowing when my next meal was going to be I'd probably buy me some alcohol (with a meal of course) too. I've had my past encounters with the individual holding up the sign stating that "I'm hungry, and I need (x amount) of money to eat" and if I have the spare on me, I usually give it to them. Even if they do spend it all on alcohol, at least I know where my heart was when I gave them that money. I say that b/c I'm highly unlikely to ever encounter them again. There was even a situation where a fella asked me for $0.50 at a convenience store b/c he was short of some change to get a beer. He seemed like a pretty sober guy, I had a bit on me, so I gave him the two quarters and continued pumping my gas. I'm a kind person by nature , I've even taken the risk and given stranded individuals a ride home or ride to the grocery store [dangerous I know b/c you don't know who the hell you might be dealing with, but again, I would only pray that if I were in the same situations, that someone would do the same for me]. There was a situation with an older man being stranded at a park, he asked me for some change, I had to run to the bank, but my account was in insufficient funds (I think this was like 08-09), there was no way I could face him again, I felt just awful about it. Prayerfully he got what he needed, I bet he thinks I'm a total douche, but that's not the case.
Okay, now that I've rambled a bit more about my homeless/stranded encounters let me say this. While I do not demand an itemized list of what you are going to do w/ the money that I lend for you, I would still like an idea of what you are going to do with it. If you like to smoke, drink, or do drugs, that's okay, but I want you to buy a meal with it as well. Or if you are short some change for a beer or something, let me know upfront. Don't lie to me, saying that you are hungry, but then you blow it all on drugs. I had one case that I encountered while attending an event downtown, he was a homeless individual that I initially met at the bookstore, I ran into again months later. At the time I met this guy (June-July of 2010), I did not know he was from place to place like he was, however this time the same year, the end of September, I met him, he was telling me his situation, I was literally heart broken by it, he has family near by but they had just about given up on him. He's pretty estranged from them, but as time was going by I got to see just how unappreciative he really was. There were a million excuses for every suggestion that I gave him, he was a con artist. He never kept his story straight, it always changed.He was the kind of individual that would ask you to buy him food, drinks, etc, haul him everywhere in town, and THEN ask you for money. He would get jobs (so he claims), and would find any reason under the sun to quit them (and I mean decent jobs for someone who didn't even finish high school). He hung out with a similar crowd of people like that as well. Users. This fool could not get himself to the food stamp office, but yet he could take his ass on a bus with his girlfriend on a field trip two hours away. I cut the contact off for a while, until two months later he ran into me again at the same initial spot that he saw me at. Oh that's another thing, he was supposedly banned from this bookstore, but they let him back in, and now the bullshit started all over again. The final straw (there was many straws this following year, 2011), was this crap he pulled asking me to bail him out of some mess from when he was in a gang in the past. Being the dumbass that I was, I did it. I gave him half the money, and then he got the rest from another individual (so he said). I did not deal w/ him for about three weeks, tried it again. He asked to get something to eat, I stated I did not have the money. He asked if I had enough to just get a soda. I said sure. So I pull to the convenience store, I got a V8, he picks up a soda, some chips and some chicken. "Oh I'll pay you back", no you won't fool. Would you still believed that he asked me to borrow some money later on?
Okay, so you see that I had a case where I had to stop giving to an individual, but I still don't let that hinder me from giving to people in need, b/c homeless shelters only hold so much individuals, and food shelters cannot feed every homeless individual in America to just say "fuck it" and not give to anyone, is not the answer b/c it takes a community to make a difference. I mean, folks we are in a recession, people are losing their jobs left and right, we have people using section 8 and public assistance who have never had to do so in their lives. You don't know where you could end up, so please don't cut everyone off, sometimes you do have to take the risk and help even if you don't know who the person is. Some are simply looking for conversation, some are hungry, cold, thirsty, damn! But w/ that being said, you can still be wise, you can't just give to everyone who asks, b/c some of them are clearly scammers. You can still be responsible, but don't be so selfish. Don't assume that all homeless people are there by their own choice or by bad decisions. Even if they made bad decisions, what could they have done to deserve to be kicked out of a home that they worked for w/ no food to eat? Think about that people, count your blessings, and grow a little more empathy. What about you? Do you give to homeless or stranded individuals? Why or why not?
To read the original blog click here
Click to read my comments under the name "Joel"
I believe that it easily could, and I would wonder why if that individual is hungry they would spend it all on those things, however, if I were homeless, not knowing when my next meal was going to be I'd probably buy me some alcohol (with a meal of course) too. I've had my past encounters with the individual holding up the sign stating that "I'm hungry, and I need (x amount) of money to eat" and if I have the spare on me, I usually give it to them. Even if they do spend it all on alcohol, at least I know where my heart was when I gave them that money. I say that b/c I'm highly unlikely to ever encounter them again. There was even a situation where a fella asked me for $0.50 at a convenience store b/c he was short of some change to get a beer. He seemed like a pretty sober guy, I had a bit on me, so I gave him the two quarters and continued pumping my gas. I'm a kind person by nature , I've even taken the risk and given stranded individuals a ride home or ride to the grocery store [dangerous I know b/c you don't know who the hell you might be dealing with, but again, I would only pray that if I were in the same situations, that someone would do the same for me]. There was a situation with an older man being stranded at a park, he asked me for some change, I had to run to the bank, but my account was in insufficient funds (I think this was like 08-09), there was no way I could face him again, I felt just awful about it. Prayerfully he got what he needed, I bet he thinks I'm a total douche, but that's not the case.
Okay, now that I've rambled a bit more about my homeless/stranded encounters let me say this. While I do not demand an itemized list of what you are going to do w/ the money that I lend for you, I would still like an idea of what you are going to do with it. If you like to smoke, drink, or do drugs, that's okay, but I want you to buy a meal with it as well. Or if you are short some change for a beer or something, let me know upfront. Don't lie to me, saying that you are hungry, but then you blow it all on drugs. I had one case that I encountered while attending an event downtown, he was a homeless individual that I initially met at the bookstore, I ran into again months later. At the time I met this guy (June-July of 2010), I did not know he was from place to place like he was, however this time the same year, the end of September, I met him, he was telling me his situation, I was literally heart broken by it, he has family near by but they had just about given up on him. He's pretty estranged from them, but as time was going by I got to see just how unappreciative he really was. There were a million excuses for every suggestion that I gave him, he was a con artist. He never kept his story straight, it always changed.He was the kind of individual that would ask you to buy him food, drinks, etc, haul him everywhere in town, and THEN ask you for money. He would get jobs (so he claims), and would find any reason under the sun to quit them (and I mean decent jobs for someone who didn't even finish high school). He hung out with a similar crowd of people like that as well. Users. This fool could not get himself to the food stamp office, but yet he could take his ass on a bus with his girlfriend on a field trip two hours away. I cut the contact off for a while, until two months later he ran into me again at the same initial spot that he saw me at. Oh that's another thing, he was supposedly banned from this bookstore, but they let him back in, and now the bullshit started all over again. The final straw (there was many straws this following year, 2011), was this crap he pulled asking me to bail him out of some mess from when he was in a gang in the past. Being the dumbass that I was, I did it. I gave him half the money, and then he got the rest from another individual (so he said). I did not deal w/ him for about three weeks, tried it again. He asked to get something to eat, I stated I did not have the money. He asked if I had enough to just get a soda. I said sure. So I pull to the convenience store, I got a V8, he picks up a soda, some chips and some chicken. "Oh I'll pay you back", no you won't fool. Would you still believed that he asked me to borrow some money later on?
Okay, so you see that I had a case where I had to stop giving to an individual, but I still don't let that hinder me from giving to people in need, b/c homeless shelters only hold so much individuals, and food shelters cannot feed every homeless individual in America to just say "fuck it" and not give to anyone, is not the answer b/c it takes a community to make a difference. I mean, folks we are in a recession, people are losing their jobs left and right, we have people using section 8 and public assistance who have never had to do so in their lives. You don't know where you could end up, so please don't cut everyone off, sometimes you do have to take the risk and help even if you don't know who the person is. Some are simply looking for conversation, some are hungry, cold, thirsty, damn! But w/ that being said, you can still be wise, you can't just give to everyone who asks, b/c some of them are clearly scammers. You can still be responsible, but don't be so selfish. Don't assume that all homeless people are there by their own choice or by bad decisions. Even if they made bad decisions, what could they have done to deserve to be kicked out of a home that they worked for w/ no food to eat? Think about that people, count your blessings, and grow a little more empathy. What about you? Do you give to homeless or stranded individuals? Why or why not?
To read the original blog click here
Click to read my comments under the name "Joel"
Friday, June 15, 2012
Walnut Grove Development-Lake Charles, LA
Okay, if anybody knows me, they know I'm a sucker for urban planning and mixed use developments. With that being said, I never thought that I would see the day one would be constructed in my hometown. We were supposed to get one a while back called SOUTHRIDGE; However, the developer ended up selling the land. I'm still hoping that they end up trying it again somewhere else in the Lake Area. Anyway, moving on to the topic, WALNUT GROVE is the TND (Traditional Neighborhood Development) that I am talking about. It's actually named after an old picnic spot in Lake Charles that was cleared out long before I was even a thought (actually before either of my parents were a thought, WG was cleared out in 1926). From what I've read, it was the most serene, stunning park in Lake Charles. The road leading to this spot was probably the most breathtaking road in the area. Couples often courted in the area down the Lovers Lane bridge. Unfortunately, this place is no more, now being occupied by the Lake Charles port. With that being said, the TND is actually adjacent to the old location of Walnut Grove and the developers are hoping to bring back the warmth and sense of community of the old picnic destination.
The neighborhood will be along Sallier Road in Lake Charles and will be along the contraband bayou. There will be a depot, an alley, and a great lawn for gatherings (much like the old picnic area). Word is that there will be events for the general public as well as resident only affairs. This neighborhood will include retail, townhomes, and apartments. I'd like to see a beinget spot open up! If all goes well, Lake Charles could be on the map after all. What do you think about this development? Are you from Lake Charles? If not are you from Louisiana? If not where are you from? How do you feel about TND's in general?
http://walnutgrovetnd.com/history/streets-area-history/
http://walnutgrovetnd.com/community/categories/photo-gallery
http://walnutgrovetnd.com/commercial/commercial-map/
http://walnutgrovetnd.com/commercial
The neighborhood will be along Sallier Road in Lake Charles and will be along the contraband bayou. There will be a depot, an alley, and a great lawn for gatherings (much like the old picnic area). Word is that there will be events for the general public as well as resident only affairs. This neighborhood will include retail, townhomes, and apartments. I'd like to see a beinget spot open up! If all goes well, Lake Charles could be on the map after all. What do you think about this development? Are you from Lake Charles? If not are you from Louisiana? If not where are you from? How do you feel about TND's in general?
http://walnutgrovetnd.com/history/streets-area-history/
http://walnutgrovetnd.com/community/categories/photo-gallery
http://walnutgrovetnd.com/commercial/commercial-map/
http://walnutgrovetnd.com/commercial
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