Meth, Streets, and a Head like a Hole

Meth could be a factor in Blackhawk fire -QCTimes

The first thing I thought when I saw the fire was that it was drug-related. I even said to my roommate something about wondering if it was a meth lab. Hopefully the people involved are caught and charged to the full extent of the law.

As far as all the people predicting gloom and doom and the city getting stuck with the cost of the fire, I'm pretty sure it'll be IOC's insurance on the hook for this one, since the city has no ownership of the building at this time. However, if the building is slated for a complete renovation in the next few years, it doesn't seem like they should bother completely repairing those rooms just so they can be gutted in a couple years. As long as they don't leave the windows covered by plywood...

Tax Hike vs Street Repairs -QCTimes

I'm undecided on this one, but my gut reaction is to cut back somewhat so as not to increase taxes so much, but not completely stop repairing streets. While I don't believe that perfect streets attract residents and companies like libraries, music venues, or a vibrant downtown scene, truly bad streets are definitely not helpful to that goal. One thing I was struck with was Craig Malin's quote: “What you would effectively be doing is taking a breather while you build the police building.” I like the guy, but I expected something that was slanted more to the idea that we should absolutely raise the tax levy. Something like "We could keep taxes lower by completly giving up on having good streets." Instead he said something that makes it sound like a decent idea to "take a breather" from extensive street repairs.

Cheney shoots hunter -CNN

My only reaction to this was, "what the heck." The final line of that article says "The nature of quail shooting ensures that this will happen. It goes with the turf." I'm not sure if I agree with that one. I doubt many gun safety classes say that hunting accidents "go with the turf."

Nine Inch Nails at the Mark -QCTimes

While Sean Moeller may use phrases like "Undiluted and phosphorescent, Trent Reznor’s primordial aggression and searing anger were sights to behold and marvel at," I will just say "They know how to put on a show." It was kind of sad to see only about 4,000 people there, but that's what they get for not putting out an album for 6 years.