Saw this Dodge, which ironically plowed into the side of a Body Shop, yesterday, July 4th, a little after 1PM. Cops asked me if *I* had seen the crash...
...Thought there was a new rule against Cell Phone snaps at Police scenes; asked one of the Cops at the accident, said no such prohibition...
...Shutterbug that I am, I couldn't resist!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Jingling Hutong station is conveniently augmented by a number of electric-line Bus-routes interconnected with the stop.
...seat cover of actual Cheetah pelt.
I guess it makes the Bike easier to pick-out in a crowded Bike Rack.
It just seems more likely that the IOC will prefer to take its privileged party down South America way for the first time. Let's see how the money reacts -- will the networks and advertisers refuse to bid up for a non-U.S. Games; or will a buzzer-beating effort by Obama ensure a slam dunk victory for Chicago?
Me? I'm just thinking about Lunch...
Hepingjie Beikou, Chaoyang District
Note the fine accessories on the "shop" wall...
The 49-to-0 vote resonated loudly through Council Chambers, reverberating its intent to International Olympic Committee members, that while Chicago may have initially been hesitant to make such a commitment and sign on the dotted line, there’s no hesitation anymore.
“We are joining the ranks of the other three [finalist cities]. No longer will we be at a competitive disadvantage,” stated Chicago 2016 Chairman Pat Ryan.
Shortly before the roll call, an impassioned Daley almost challenged City aldermen to vote against the Olympics.
“Vote your conscience. If you firmly believe and you have the courage, you vote no … Be not afraid of the stand you’ve taken before in a committee or on the floor.”
If Chicago prevails, and a subsequent 2016 Summer Games are a financial disaster, taxpayers could be left holding the bag.
Both Daley and Ryan claim that ain’t gonna happen.
They assert that Olympic organizers would have to blow through $2.4 billion worth of surpluses, private insurance and previously approved city and state guarantees before Chicago taxpayers would be left standing alone.
Ryan, Founder and Chairman of Chicago-based AON Insurance, indicated that the City would not be taking this leap of faith without a safety net in firmly in place: “This is very, very well protected. We have every catastrophe covered,” Ryan said. “The IOC made it clear this was non-negotiable,” he said.
With just 17 days to go before the IOC makes its final decision public on October 2nd, it would seem that Chicago has pushed all its Chips forward, and requested a marker to boot; it remains to be seen what hand the City is ultimately dealt in its high-stakes bid for the 2016 Games.
The report expresses concern that such structures may place a greater financial burden on the Olympic organizing committee because they are not paid for and managed by the city in the same way that permanent structures would be.
Paradoxically,the IOC also espouses a somewhat contradictory idea that host cities should not build expensive, permanent venues; in the belief that they will ultimately be underused, costly-to-maintain white elephants.
In its summary of the Chicago bid, the report said there was increased risk to Chicago because of its "emphasis on major temporary or scaled-down venues." This includes the Olympic Stadium, which would be a temporary, 80,000-seat structure.
This lack of permanence could be the major failing in Chicago's Olympic bid. It might just be that Chicago 2016 has failed to recognize a key motivating factor which has previously led the IOC to award host city status to both Beijing for the 2008 Games, and to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
London's success was attributed to its focus on urban regeneration and the importance of a sporting legacy being conferred upon future generations. Speaking before Parliament, following the award of the 2012 Games to London, Jack Straw (Britain's Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office) commented that: "London's bid was built on a special Olympic vision; that vision of an Olympic games that would not only be a celebration of sport, but a force for regeneration. The games will transform one of the poorest and most deprived areas of London. They will create thousands of jobs and homes. They will offer new opportunities for business in the immediate area and throughout London... One of the things that made the bid successful is the way in which it reaches out to all young people in two important respects: it will encurage many more to get fit and to be involved in sport, and, whatever their physical prowess, to offer their services as volunteers for the Olympic cause."
Straw's statement is telling and instructive as to why London's bid was successful, emphasising non-sports related outcomes, and focusing on using the games as a means to encourage non-elite participation in sport and exercise. The ultimate objective, on a much larger scale is attaining a transformative legacy which will impact East London vis a vis a successful staging of the 2012 Games. The British government's own commitment to social inclusion is cited as another "transformative legacy" intended for the Games.
Chicago 2016's plans for Washington Park, and the transition of temporary Olympic Athlete's housing into homes for Chicago's residents notwithstanding, it is again the lack of transformative permanence which the IOC has obviously picked up on; and might ultimately prove the failing of Chicago's bid to host the Games. But it is not too late to lay the groundwork now for a bold initiative which could possibly impress the IOC enough to see Chicago's bid in a newer light.
As indicated here, as well as in previous posts, Chicago's mass transit system, most notably its underground and elevated rails, is in serious need of improvement. It seems unlikely, even if the Games are awarded to the City, that there would be enough funding to subsidize a rebuild of the CTA's rails; probably the most immediate and critical element needing attention.
What might prove more viable, especially given the objective of augmenting and enhancing the transportation needs for the City during a major event such as an Olympics, would be to develop an extensive infrastructure to accomodate Bicycle transit and commuting in Chicago. Currently, there are hardly enough routes to encourage bicycling for anything other than recreational riding and the few who do utilize Bicycles for daily commutes.
Before he descended underground for his tour of the Beijing Subway System, Mayor Daley could not have missed the dedicated infrastructure designed to accomodate Bicycles and other non-automobile traffic in the Chinese Capital. With wide lanes separating Autos, Trucks and Buses from the Bikes, Trikes and Scooters which still swarm and crowd the busy Beijing thoroughfares, a seemingly chaotic but elegant flux of diverse modes of transport has evolved.
Concrete barriers in some places provide additional insulation from newly licensed drivers, allowing Beijing's seasoned cyclists to roll more confidently and safely amidst the ever widening river of automotive insanity crowding the City's highways and biways.
Richard M. Daley, Chicago's green, biking, rooftop gardening Mayor, could further polish his legacy through such a bold initiative as this: the design and construction of a transportation infrastructure which increases the emphasis on Bicycle transit throughout the City. Whether as an adjunct to the planning for the regal Olympic summit which Daley has sought to conquer; or, even absent such a crowning glory, as a lasting template for other major American urban centers to emulate; the establishment of a comprehensive integrated bicycling road system for Chicago would represent a transformative legacy which would resonate for decades to come.
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