The Evolution of Our Cities

In his article 'Did Cars Save Our Cities From Horses?', Brandon Keim explores the history of city streets in America, and questions the idea that transition from horse carriages to cars was a smooth transition. In reality, Keim says, it was a much rockier transition. Keim writes of a time when the budding automobile owners had to share the streets with horses and carriages, streetcars, and pedestrians. Even our modern idea of the street existing as a main artery for transportation, and not a place for really anything besides cars, did not exist before the late 1920s. He even gives an example, when in 1923 Cincinnati passed a law requiring cars operating in the city be modified to not exceed speeds of 25 miles per hour to keep the streets safe for everyone using them.


The types of streets that Keim describes from the late 1800s and early 1900s may no longer exist in the United States, but the concept of the street existing as a jumble of different transportation options, and people not being afraid to use them for whatever they wished, is alive in many different countries around the world.

A year and a half ago I went to China to study abroad, and one of the first things I was struck with was how many people walked in the street. Sidewalks, though existing in s few places, were not the main thoroughfare for pedestrians, and people were not afraid to walk on the side of the road. Some streets, particularly the small ones in residential parts of the city of Nanjing, where I was staying, people flooded with pedestrian traffic. People could barely ride a bicycle on them in between the people, let alone take a car through.

Here in the United States we may think that the road as the home of the car is a give-in, a battle fought long ago, but for much of the world, especially the developing world, this isn't the case. I think that has the potential to let us rethink our streets. If we truly want a sustainable future, we will need to begin rethinking our transportation methods. I don't think we need to get rid of cars completely, but giving people the option to use busses, street cars, and subways, as well as giving people safe places to ride bicycles, can only lead to a more interconnected city.

Why I don't want to cut my hair, A theoretical argument based on Postmodernism Or Intellectual Procrastination During Finals Week

As Pierre Bourdieu argues, a person's place in society can be seen as an interaction of certain groups. A traditional Marxist argument would be to say that a person has a distinct social class that is determined by his or her economic situation. The Postmodern approach is to take this one step further, showing that social status in the grater society is much more complex, and a person's role in said society is determined by the overlapping of what Pierre Bourdieu calls "fields". A field can be seen on a basic level as a particular cultural group. So I am a part of a field devoted to music appreciation, I am a part of an american field, I am a part of (on some level) an anti-establishment field, etc. etc.

A person is completely influenced by these fields, and behavior, mannerisms, how we view ourselves, how we view others, our role in reality, our view of reality, everything, is influenced by the intersections of these fields. We can exit and enter different cultural fields, and we do so all the time as we age and move and change as people, but much of what we think and how we act is controlled by a large part by these fields. These fields change and diversify as different individuals enter and exit the fields, bringing in new ideas, mannerisms, etc., from different fields. 

And so, at the moment, I think I am being influenced by certain fields to not cut my hair. I want to stress that I am not looking to shove off personal responsibility, mind you. I'm not saying that I am unable to cut my hair because of the fields I am a part of, rather I don't want to cut my hair simply because I am happy with it the way it is. My contentment with my hair reflects the sentiment of some of my more dominant cultural fields. To put it simply, in the social settings I am currently in, most people don't care that I have long hair, and in fact, many of the men in my current social settings have similar long hair. 

Now, I will say that I have started combing it a different way, in order to keep it out of my eyes for practical reasons, but I will continue to grow it until I choose to cut it. If you've read this far, congratulations with my procrastinatory rant…

Jaws 4, shark caught

                Police report that the shark that has been blamed for the two recent attacks at Amity beaches has been caught and killed.

                The fisherman who caught the shark was not identified in a recent press release from Police Chief Martin Brody, but said fisherman will be receiving the $3,000 reward.

 The reward is coming from the Kintner family whose son was killed at a beach in Amity yesterday.

A press release written yesterday by Police Chief Martin Brody said the incident “appears to have been a vicious and unprovoked shark attack.”

                Alex Kintner was swimming on a raft yesterday afternoon at Village Beach when the attack apparently occurred. Though his body was not recovered, his raft floated to shore and was covered with blood.

                The shark is also considered for the death of Chrissie Watson, whose body was found mangled at South Beach early yesterday morning.

                The shark was confirmed to be a Nurse Shark by Matt Hooper, a marine biologist from the Woods Hole Massachusetts Oceanographic Institute. 

Jaws, Story 3

$3,000 Reward For Capturing Shark

A $3,000 reward has been set for anyone that can capture and kill the shark possibly linked to two deaths in Amity.

                The reward is coming from the Kintner family whose son was killed at a beach in Amity yesterday.

 Though the police department is quick to caution that a shark has not officially been confirmed at this point, a press release written yesterday by Police Chief Martin Brody said the incident “appears to have been a vicious and unprovoked shark attack.”

                Alex Kintner was swimming on a raft yesterday afternoon at Village Beach when the attack apparently occurred. Though his body was not recovered, his raft floated to shore and was covered with blood.

                A shark attack is now also being considered for the death of Chrissie Watson, whose body was found mangled at South Beach early yesterday morning.

                “We now believe that it may be possible that the Watson death could also maybe have possibly been linked to possible shark activities in the vicinity of Amity,” said Police Chief Brody in the press release.

                In a town hall meeting held last night it was announced that the beaches would be closed in Amity. This was met with protest by many of the people attending the meeting, and the mayor was quick to stress that they would be closed, “only for 24 hours.”

                As the summer season and tourism are extremely important for the Amity economy year round, the closing of the beaches, even for 24 hours, is seen as a serious setback to many in the community.

                The meeting was interrupted by local fisherman Ben Quint, who announced to the group that he would hunt down and kill the shark by himself for $10,000.

Quint apparently has experience with this shark, as he described the animal to those present, saying the size of it was enormous and that, “the shark could swallow you whole.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” said Quint, which may be why he asked for such a high reward in exchange for the capture of the shark.

The Mayor told him they would consider his offer.

                The investigation into the attacks is ongoing, and we will continue to report on the events as they unfold.