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November 29, 2004
Now there's a time but I say none like now: After the eastern cantilever span of the
Oakland-Bay Bridge collapsed in the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, CalTrans engineers recommended
replacing it with a
cable-stayed bridge. The estimated cost was roughly 1 billion and would be completed in 2003--that is, until the Mayors Brown got involved.
Then-SF-Mayor Willie Brown objected to the
new design, saying the abutment at Yerba Buena island would interfere with his planned condominium development. Brown coaxed the Navy--who owned the land on which the foundation would be built--into preventing CalTrans from performing soil-engineering tests, saying the new bridge wasn't safe, making references to
other bridge disasters, and interviewing engineers all over the Bay Area until he
finally found one who agreed with him.
Jerry Brown--
former governor of California and current mayor of Oakland--
voiced his opposition, calling the design a "bland viaduct" and proposing an international competition to design "a world-class bridge." When CalTrans told Brown his objections were a year late, he dug up an
old Frank Lloyd Wright design and asked CalTrans, "Say, can we
put trains on it, too?" The delays and design changes have increased the cost to over five billion, and its completion date is anyone's guess.
According to Governor Schwartzenegger, this is the Bay Area's problem, not California's. (Fine then! Can we have
our water back?) Fifteen years, two audits, and
one angry architect later, the questions remain: how and by whom will this new bridge be funded,
what will it look like, and
will it be finished when the
The Big One hits?
posted by fandango_matt at 11:12 PM PST - 18 comments
Canadian authorities have arrested US President George W. Bush and charged him with offences under Canada's War Crimes Act. Says (Canadian Prime Minister) Paul Martin:
“This decision was not made lightly. But, it was also a decision that was impossible not to make. The United States is not outside the rule of law, and cannot expect to get an unlimited “free pass”. This decision puts a grave strain upon both our nations, and I urge calm and restraint from our American neighbours, as well as from Canadians. I have met with the cabinet, and with our colleagues in the House. This is a time of great crisis for us as a nation. But as people, we will survive this test. Earlier I enacted the Emergency War Powers Act. This is necessary to guarantee our domestic security. This is not a time for panic, for lawlessness, for anything other than a responsible and sobre focus on what lies immediately ahead.”
posted by 327.ca at 2:22 PM PST - 76 comments
Tin Foil hat time! Here is the letter that Sibel D. Edmonds and 24 other former federal employees signed and are prepared to tell all to a grand jury. 24 - that sounds like a TV title. Or a group of people who've seen something that concerns them. 24 more than the
last time the blue talked about Mr. Edmonds. Now go scooby out the truth you meta-filter sleuths!
posted by rough ashlar at 6:55 AM PST - 41 comments
The Art of Celia Calle
Dismiss any preconceived ideas of fine art as you step into the mindset of Celia Calle. Calle's art aesthetic is strangely alluring and undeniably powerful. Her awesome images are ominous, commanding, sometimes warped, but always spiced with a generous injection of humor, in keeping with the artist's effervescent personality.
My favorites are
this,
this,
this and especially
this
posted by Hands of Manos at 5:04 AM PST - 33 comments
